Spaying a cat, sometimes called neutering or sterilisation, is the surgical removal of sexual organs of a cat. In males, the neutering procedure is often termed castration and is removal of the testicles, whereas in female cats it involves removal of the ovaries and uterus. So what happens when your cat goes in for this “routine” operation?
Table of contents
Why spay?
Population control:
Cats reach sexual maturity, and can get pregnant, from around 4 months of age. Hence current advice is to have your cat neutered around 4 months old to prevent unwanted pregnancies.
There are currently thousands of cats needing a home, so unwanted and unnecessary litters should be avoided. Cats Protection, the UK’s leading feline welfare charity, has had to help an average of 157,000 cats and kittens a year over the last five years and this is only one of many cat rescues working hard in the UK to help cats needing new homes.
Health:
Neuter status has been demonstrated as a risk factor of mammary tumours (“breast cancer”) in cats by multiple studies. And some have supported the protective effect of spaying at an early age, displaying a 91 and 86% reduction in development of mammary tumours in cats spayed before 6 months and 7 to 12 months, respectively.
Admit
On arrival, your cat will likely be booked in by a member of your vets’ amazing reception team, who will usually give you an appointment slot for you to attend.
You will see a vet or registered veterinary nurse for the admit appointment; and they should discuss with you a few points such as:
- What the surgery is
- What it entails
- The cost
- The risks
- What their process for the day is
They will ask you to sign a consent form for the operation.
What you can expect
You will then leave your cat for the day at your vet practice. During the day you may expect to hear from them via their phone, text or email service giving you an update on your cat and to let you know how the surgery has gone. They will also give you an appointment time for their discharge.
General anaesthesia poses only a small risk to healthy pets, but your vets will ask you to keep your phone handy and accessible at all times, so they can call you if they are having any problems.
What actually happens
There are several steps each practice takes before the surgery. These may include:
Preoperative check
The vet or veterinary nurse who admits your cat, or another member of the ward or surgical team may do a preoperative check on your cat to make sure they are happy to proceed, and they don’t pick up any unexpected issues with your cat’s health.
Premedication
Then we need some drugs on board! Your cat will be weighed to ensure drug dosages are precise for their current condition. Then she will usually receive a combination of drugs containing analgesia (pain relief) and some drugs to relax and calm her and make her sleepy ready for anaesthetic induction.
Induction
Cats are often intubated during surgery, this means a tube is passed down their trachea (windpipe) so we have control of their airway while they are under general anaesthesia. We will likely give another drug that gets them sleepy enough to pass this and then we will maintain their anaesthetic on gaseous anaesthesia, using drugs that work via inhalation to keep them asleep.
Preparing the surgery site
Your cat will be clipped, to remove fur from the surgery area and then they will have the area prepared so it is sterile for the surgery.
Anaesthesia
A veterinary surgeon will perform the surgery, removing ovaries and uterus. They may do it midline, on their belly area, or flank, on the side of their tummy.
Recovery and home time!
Once the surgery is done your pet will be woken up. They will usually be transferred from the theatre into a ward where they will be monitored until they are mobile enough and alert enough to be taken home.
Discharge
You will come to collect your cat, usually the same day as the operation. The team member discharging your pet will go through specific post operative instructions on how to look after your cat after surgery, what they can and cannot do and how to administer any medication that they are going home with. You are likely to be invited back for a post-operative check to ensure they are healing as expected, and to remove any stitches, if appropriate.
NB: Every practice has its own routine and protocol so experience, service and timings may vary
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