Neutering Female Cats
The female cat reaches sexual maturity between five to eight months of age. When she reaches sexual maturity she will come into season and become receptive to a male cat. Seasons in female cats are characterised by excessive vocalisation, increased affection and sticking her bottom up in the air when stroked. The season will last for three days and she will cycle every three weeks until she is mated or neutered.
With this in mind we recommend that you spay her between four-and-a-half and five months old before she has her first season. Carrying out the procedure whilst she is in season carries a greater risk to her because the uterus is more vascular (it has a greater blood supply) at this time
Frequently Asked Questions
Will she put on weight following the surgery?
Many owners believe that spaying will cause their cat to become fat and dull. Spaying does not change their behaviour in any dramatic way; in fact it is more likely that she will stay more playful and youthful. However, it is possible that your pet will put on weight. Spaying results in a decrease in metabolic rate (the engine that controls how quickly you burn energy) and so if you continue to feed your cat the same quantity of food she may put on weight. Royal Canin launched a food last year which is designed specifically for this problem in which there is a reduced amount of carbohydrate and increased amount of protein to promote lean body mass.
How long does it take?
The actual procedure takes approximately forty minutes but we will need you to leave her here for the day. The normal procedure is to come to the surgery between 9.00am and 10.00am and have a consultation with either the vet or nurse. We will then ask you to sign a consent form for the procedure and leave a contact phone number. After she has been admitted to the hospital we will give her a pre-medicant which will make her feel relaxed and a bit sleepy. After this she will receive a full anaesthetic to carry out the procedure. Whilst she is asleep we will give him some more pain relief so her experience here is as pleasant as possible. Once she has recovered from anaesthesia we will monitor her and usually discharge patients between 4.00pm and 5.00pm.
Will I need to starve her before the operation?
Yes. It is very important that your cat is starved from 8.00pm the .evening before her operation. Anaesthetics can cause nausea (feeling sick). If your cat is sick under anaesthetic or in recovery then it is possible she may inhale the vomit which can be very dangerous. .A full set of pre-anaesthetic instructions will be given to you when you book the operation.
How much does it cost?
The cost of the operation is £94.00 which includes the check up with the vet or nurse on the day and the two post operative checks also. It does not include a buster collar which varies from £2.20 to £7.00 depending on the size and type of collar. Very occasionally we may send her home with some pain relief in the form of drops if she seems uncomfortable following the operation. These cost £12.50.
Will she have stitches?
The operation is done through an incision on her side (or flank). This area will be shaved and usually there are two or three sutures in the skin. There are another two layers of sutures underneath the skin sutures. We will ask that you bring her back two days after the surgery so we can check her wound and make sure she has recovered from the surgery. One week after that we will remove the sutures.
Can she have a microchip at the same time?
We highly recommend you have your cat microchipped and this is definitely a good time to do this if you haven’t done so before. As microchipping involves using a larger needle than normal it can be less distressing to do this procedure whilst your pet is asleep.
Will she need any medication?
All the medication she should need will be given during her stay. If there are any complications during the surgery then we may need to send her with a course of antibiotics or anti-inflammatories but this is rarely encountered for this procedure.
Will she need a ‘buster’ collar?
We routinely send cats home with a buster collar following this operation to prevent her interfering with the wound. It is usually best to leave it on until she has her sutures removed unless she is becoming very distressed. We have two types of collar: the original lamp shade and a newer more flexible collar which is more highly tolerated but is a little more expensive.
Can she still eat with the collar on?
Most cats adjust very quickly to eating with a buster collar on. As it will be put on whilst she is asleep, we will have time to gauge how she is getting on and we will offer her some food in the afternoon which will give us an indication of how she will cope. It is far less stressful to leave the collar on than to take it off every time she eats.
