Chine House Veterinary Hospital
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Neutering Your Cat Cats become sexually mature and therefore are able to breed from the age of 5-8 months. Neutering (castrating or spaying) your cat not only prevents unwanted pregnancies occurring but also prevents unwanted behaviour and reduces the risk of certain diseases. Female Cats Neutering a female cat involves removal of both ovaries and the uterus under a general anaesthetic. Although we can spay female cats at any age. there is no benefit to the cat to either have a season or a litter of kittens before she is spayed. We therefore recommend spaying female cats prior to their first season i.e. at 4-6 months of age. An area of hair is clipped off the underside of the cat and a small incision is made in the skin which is stitched up again afterwards with dissolvable stitches. The day after the operation, she should be very lively again. Male Cats Neutering a male cat involves the removal of both testicles under a general anaesthetic. Castration will prevent the cat from being able to breed and so prevents unwanted pregnancies. Non-castrated males have a tendency to roam, fight with other cats and to mark their territory by spraying urine (often indoors). A cat which roams and fights is much more likely to contract infectious diseases such as FIV (feline 'AIDS') and FELV (feline leukeamia virus). Male cats can be castrated at any time but we recommend 4-6 months of age as the ideal time. Undesirable behaviour can be more difficult to alter if cats are neutered when they are older. The operation involves making a small incision in each side of the scrotum which is left to heal afterwards with no stitches. The day after the operation, he should be very lively again. |