General Information
Spaying a female cat is a normal surgical procedure to remove the uterus and ovaries. This ensures she cannot come into season (or ‘calling’) nor become pregnant and helps prevent a several potentially serious diseases when done at the currently recommended age of 8-16 weeks old.
Benefits of Spaying Your Cat General Information
- Spaying is the safest way to prevent unwanted kittens. Females come into season every 3 weeks from early spring and can have up to 3 litters a year. Females born in the spring can have kittens in the same year.
- Unspayed female cats are 7 times more likely to develop mammary cancer compared to those neutered at puberty. Mammary cancer is the third most common cancer in cats, and unfortunately 80% of feline mammary cancers are malignant.
- Spaying your female cat removes the risk of her developing a serious life-threatening womb infection called pyometra. This can occur in any unspayed female; however, it is seen more commonly in cats over 5 years of age. It also eliminates uterine cancer, ovarian cancer, polycystic ovaries, metritis or endometritis and ectopic pregnancy
More Benefits
- Prevents false pregnancy, a hormonal condition where a non-pregnant female cat lactates and has behavioural problems
- Reduce the numbers of male cats coming around your home and attractiveness of females to Tom cats
- Reduces fighting and injuries, and spread of FIV and other diseases.
- Neutered pets live longer.
The Surgery
The patient should be in good health for surgery, you will be asked to sign a Form of Consent for surgery. She is weighed, examined, sedated, and then given a general anaesthetic. The lower abdomen is clipped and prepared for surgery which is carried out under general anaesthesia by a veterinary surgeon. The uterus and ovaries are removed through a small abdominal incision which is then sutured. Recovery is under close supervision, and the patient usually goes home that afternoon. Surgery can be safely carried out during early pregnancy.
After the Surgery
Please read and follow the written instructions you will be given. Spaying does not put on weight; overweight pets are simply over fed. Surgery does not alter temperament, if anything it should may make her more settled.
The most common complication is caused by the patient licking at the incision. Keep the Tablock collar provided on for 5 to 7 days. Sutures are removed 10—14 days later.