You may not know this… but all over the world yesterday, animal welfare organisations were promoting the neutering of cats as part of World Spay Day. As a practice, we strongly recommend routine neutering, so in this blog we’re going to look at why we think it’s important; when the best time to neuter is, and then talk briefly about the procedure.
Why neuter?
The most important reason is for population control. Some studies suggest that 68% of all litters are unplanned (many of which are also unwanted), which results in literally millions of unhomed cats each year. A queen can have up to three litters a year. In ideal conditions, a pair of entire cats can produce as many as 40,000 kittens over a seven year period; and these kittens all need homes, if they aren’t to become feral. In addition, of course, hunting cats are one of the biggest causes of wildlife loss in the UK, with lactating mothers being particularly voracious hunters.
There are other reasons, however, that are almost equally pressing.
Entire, unneutered cats are at increased risk of a number of different disease conditions. In particular, we are concerned about pyometra (infection of the uterus), Feline Leukaemia (a virus attacking the immune system and known to trigger cancer), and Feline Immunodeficiency Virus (“Feline Aids”). Of course, it is also important to realise that entire cats are at significantly higher risk of injuries and abscesses from fighting as well. These risks are minimised in neutered cats.
Finally, entire cats display a number of behaviours that many owners find undesirable. They are more likely to roam or wander off; tomcats are prone to spraying; and queens usually spend 3-5 days, every 2-3 weeks, calling for a mate. A calling queen is often misinterpreted as being in pain, leading to distress for the owner and the neighbours. These problems are eliminated or at least minimised by neutering.
When should cats be neutered?
The very best time to neuter your cats is before they have the chance to breed – in other words, we strongly recommend neutering before puberty. The reason is that it can be hard for a human to determine whether or not a cat has reached maturity, and therefore to take action to prevent an unwanted litter. It also means that “bad habits” like roaming, fighting, and spraying never develop, which is much more effective than trying to stop them later in adolescence or adulthood.
Most cats start puberty at about 5-7 months old, although it does depend on the time of year they’re born. As a result, we recommend neutering at about 4 months old. All the evidence we have suggests that there is no additional risk to neutering at this age, with modern anaesthetics and monitoring. In addition, we now know that, in cats, there are no adverse effects on their development to neutering before maturity.
What happens when my cat comes to be neutered?
You’ll meet with one of our nurses, who will need to discuss your your cat’s health, and then quickly run through the paperwork. They will then be admitted into our ward, and one of our vets will listen to their heart and lungs to rule underlying conditions that could affect the anaesthetic. Assuming there are no concerns, we will then give the patient a premed – a mild sedative and painkiller to help them settle down. When we’re ready, they’ll come down to the prep room, and be given an anaesthetic injection into a vein in the front leg. The nurse will then prepare the surgical area, and the vet will operate.
For the queens, the procedure is termed a spay. We’ll clip up a small patch on their flank, and a very small incision (perhaps 1-2cm long) is made into the abdomen. The vet will remove her uterus and ovaries through the hole, and then suture up the muscle layers, and then the skin – usually with buried dissolvable stitches and tissue glue on top. This is essentially a keyhole procedure, and cats recover very rapidly.
For toms, the operation is castration and it’s much easier. The fur is plucked from the scrotal skin and then each side is incised, the testicle pulled out and tied off, and then the spermatic cords are cut. It’s incredibly fast – 10-15 minutes from induction of anaesthesia to waking them up – and complications are exceptionally rare.
Afterwards, we will take your cat back into the ward to recover; they will usually be ready to go home that night. It’s important that they get pain relief for a few days after surgery (we’ll usually send them home with a liquid medicine containing a cat-safe anti-inflammatory medicine to go on their food), and that they don’t lick at their wounds (for this reason, we strongly recommend that they wear a collar when alone). After about 10 days, they’re free to do what they want again, as the wounds will have fully healed.