Dr. Melinda Striyle
43rd Avenue Animal Hospital
What is cat neutering?
Cat neutering means we're removing the testicles of male cats.
What is spaying a cat?
Cat spaying means we remove the ovaries and uterus of female cats.
How does spaying or neutering impact the health and wellbeing of your cat?
There are a lot of benefits to spaying and neutering cats. For our male cats, neutering them tends to make them less apt to want to pick fights with other neighbor cats, and it makes them less apt to want to roam, which is a lot safer because roaming cats are significantly more at risk of being hit by cars and sustaining other types of injuries. Typically, neutered cats have urine that smells a lot better than intact male cats. Intact male cat urine can have a pretty strong urine odor. It can actually be irritating to humans.
For female cats, spaying also has a lot of benefits. Spayed cats don't go into heat anymore. Many folks will say that that heat cycle can be pretty obnoxious or frustrating for cats because they tend to cycle in and out of heat about once a month or every few weeks during the spring and summer seasons. Intact female cats also want to get out and roam around. It's a lot safer for them. Of course, if they don't roam too far or if they tend to stay indoors, spayed cats also can't develop certain reproductive problems, like pyometra. Pyometra is a life-threatening uterine infection that cats can develop if they still have a uterus.
How soon should you bring your cat in to see a veterinarian to get them spayed or neutered?
It's best to make an appointment with your veterinarian as soon as you bring your new furry friend home, whether you adopt from a shelter or pick a kitten out from a friend who's having a litter or purchase a pure breed cat. It's best to establish that relationship with your veterinarian right away and let your veterinarian do a good physical exam, talk with you about your pet's history, and help determine the best vaccination schedule for your pet. That is a good time to have a conversation about when would be the best time to spay or neuter your cat.
What are the medical benefits of spaying and neutering cats?
There are lots of medical benefits to spaying and neutering cats. Spayed cats no longer have their cycle, which can be really annoying and obnoxious for owners to listen to. Spayed cats also don't develop that life-threatening uterine infection called pyometra. Neutered male cats tend to be less apt to roam around, which means they are less apt to get into trouble, fight, and sustain trauma from cars or mean people.
How will spaying or neutering affect my cat's behavior?
Spaying and neutering tend to decrease the chances of your cat wanting to roam too far around the neighborhood, which is a lot safer for your cat if it does go outdoors. It's much safer if they're not inclined to want to go out and roam the neighborhood, pick fights, and do those types of things.
What are some possible conditions that can be helped or prevented by spaying or neutering your cat?
Neutering a male cat tends to decrease roaming and fighting, decreasing subsequent trauma. Spaying female cats also tend to decrease their desire to roam, which means a lesser chance of trauma from vehicles, other animals, or mean people. Again, spayed cats without a uterus typically can't develop a life-threatening uterine infection called pyometra.
How should I care for my cat before and after spaying or neutering surgery?
When you bring your pet home from their spay procedure, it's best to find a nice, quiet, comfortable place for your cat to recover. It's best to keep your kitty cat indoors for several days, maybe even a week to two, as they're healing and as they're recovering. Give them a nice quiet place where they're not going to be bothered by furry friends in the household that are excited and want to play, or even other family members, including children, that may want to play and encourage that pet to be a little more active than it should when they're recovering from surgery.
Support The Fight Against Animal Overpopulation
Every year, thousands of stray and unwanted animals are euthanized in shelters across the United States. Many of these deaths are the avoidable result of owners failing to spay and neuter their pets. These unexpected offspring often fill shelters and are never given chances at happy, loving lives.
Spaying
Spaying is a common surgical procedure performed on female cats and dogs. The process, called an ovariohysterectomy, involves removing the patient’s uterus, ovaries and fallopian tubes, rendering the animal incapable of reproduction. 43rd Avenue Animal Hospital veterinarians recommend spaying your pet when they are three to six months old, depending on the breed. Ideally, your pet would be spayed before their first heat.
Benefits
This procedure has many notable benefits including:
- Preventing unwanted pregnancies
- Eliminating the risk of ovarian and uterine tumors
- Removing the possibility of uterine infections
Neutering
Neutering is performed on male cats and dogs. This process castrates the animal, removing their testicles and making them unable to impregnate females. Neutering is advised when your pet is four to six months old but can be performed on older animals as well.
Benefits
Neutering generates many important health benefits:
- Prevents unwanted reproduction
- Placates the animal, reducing aggressive behavior and decreasing dominant tendencies
- Reduces roaming and spraying (territory marking)
- Eliminates the risk of testicular and prostate tumors