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cat neuter

Most people are surprised when we tell them their kitten will reach sexual maturity at four months of age. Therefore, we recommend neutering from this age.

We recommend neutering for female cats for the following reasons:

  • To lower the risk of mammary tumours
  • To lower the risk of womb infection (pyometra)
  • To expel the risk of complications during pregnancy and birth
  • To help with population control
  • To help with welfare issues as unwanted kittens are often neglected
  • When sexually active female cats will call for a mate, an entire male. This can cause unwanted and antisocial behaviour such as fighting which can end up in one or both cats getting hurt

We recommend neutering male cats for the following reasons:

  • To lower the risk of fighting and becoming hurt
  • To lower the risk of infection as unneutered males are more likely to fight and spread disease like feline leukopenia virus (feLV) and Feline immunodeficiency virus (FIV) through saliva from bite wounds
  • To lower the risk of the male cat roaming to find a mate. Often male cats roam far and do not return home during this process which can be worrying for owners and dangerous for the cat
  • To help with population control
  • To help minimise aggression 
  • To help minimise spraying

The Procedure for both male and female cats

Cats are treated as day patients for this procedure. We will admit your cat between 9 and 10 in the morning and we ask that they are fasted from the night before. Even if seen by us before, your cat will have a full pre-surgery clinicals examination where all of their vitals are checked. If the vet has any concerns about your cat health status prior to surgery, they will not go ahead before calling you and addressing the concern first. 

Your cat will undergo a general anaesthetic for this procedure which can be a frightening thought for pet owners. However, we are extremely experienced in feline anaesthesia and take every precaution to ensure the safest anaesthetic possible for your feline friend.

For female cats we shave their stomach area as this is where the vet will perform the surgery. For male cats we shave the area around their rear end as this is the surgical location for them. Areas on both male and females are surgically prepared prior to surgery to ensure infection is not introduced to the surgical site during surgery. All of your cats’ vitals will be monitored to the highest of standards consistently throughout this procedure to ensure a safe anaesthetic and recovery. Once awake, we call you to let you know how they are, and your cat will enjoy a small bowl of food. Your cat will stay for monitoring for a few hours, and we will then arrange a discharge time for them. Your cat will go home on some pain relief and there are some important aftercare tips that our nurses will discuss with you on discharge.

Post-operative check ups

Female cats will have stitches from their surgery, so we recommend post-operative checks 3 and 10 days after surgery with our nurses. These stitches are dissolvable and do not need to be removed. Male cats do not have any stiches, so we recommend post-operative checks only 3 days after surgery. 

For both males and females, nurses will be examining their wound to make sure it is healthy and healing well, that your cat is comfortable and not experiencing any pain, that swelling is minimal, that they are eating, drinking and toileting normal and that they are exhibiting normal behaviour and also to answer any questions owners might have about their cat’s road to recovery as this can be daunting. We are here to make the process as easy as possible for both cats and their owners.