A Guide To Neutering Your Cat

Hi, my name's Karen. I'm one of the vets at Cats Protection, the U.K.

's leading cat welfare charity, and I'm going to talk to you today about some aspects of cat care. Hi, I'm going to give you a short guide today on neutering your cat. First of all, why would you want to get your cat neutered? Well, actually, it's the best thing you can do for the health and wellbeing of your pet.

Every year, there are many tens of thousands more cats in the U.K. than there are happy homes for, and having your pet neutered is the one thing you can do to help the situation.

So population control is the first reason. The next reason is for your actual cat's welfare itself. There are many risks associated with breeding.

Cats who are sexually active will roam an awful lot more and they can come into contact with other cats and conflict. They can get bite wounds and infections can spread between them, such as F.I.

V. which is similar to H.I.

V. in humans. They often can get hit by cars while out roaming looking for mates.

Some people also don't enjoy the behavioral issues of having an intact cat. Male cats tend to spray with a very strong smelling urine sometimes around the house when they're sexually active and female cats can call and make some behavioral issues that people don't really enjoy in their home. So what actually happens when a cat is neutered? Well, for most males and females, you need to consult your vet to make an appointment.

Your vet may need to see your cat before the operation date to give it a check up, make sure it's perfectly healthy and ready for the anesthetic. For both boys and girls, they undergo a general anesthetic, so they're completely asleep when the procedure goes on. Most times, they're given pain relievers and sometimes antibiotics as well.

For the boys, it's quite a quick and simple procedure. Both of the testicles are removed out of small incisions in the back. These incisions are left open, as they heal a lot better that way, so with most boys, you won't see any sutures.

With the girls, it's slightly more involved. You may see a shaved patch of fur either on the tummy or on the flank. What is removed is the entire uterus and with both of the ovaries has been removed from the tummy, and the layers close with a couple of layers of sutures.

Some cats may have skin sutures outside on the skin that need removing on around about ten days by your vet or vet nurse. Sometimes they're done under the skin, and you won't need to remove anything. But just take your vet's advice.

For both boys and girls, it's very important, again, that they don't lick at the wounds, this can cause infections and pain and real problems, and if your vet recommends that you keep a plastic collar on your cat, it's very important to follow that advice. Cats Protection would recommend you get your cat neutered from about four months of age, which is before puberty hits. This little girl is about that age now, and she was neutered just yesterday.

Cats tolerate neutering very well, and as you can see, they bounce back absolutely fine. You can see here the little wound in amongst the midst of the clipped up bit of fur, and also, again, it's important to keep the collar on so that they can't lick at the wound. Cats Protection can offer financial assistance to people who are on limited incomes within the U.

K. to have your cat neutered. If you want any more information on the subject, log on to cats.

org.uk. .