Spaying or neutering your cat is an important consideration to make for your cat’s lifestyle. Many cats that reach sexual maturity will develop some potentially unwanted behaviours, such as territorialism, marking/spraying, the urge to roam away from home and excessive vocalizing. Leaving your cat intact can also put them at a higher risk for various cancers, as well as leaving them susceptible to preventable illnesses, like pyometra in females.

What is spaying or neutering?

Spaying is the surgical removal of the ovaries and sometimes the uterus, thereby making it impossible for your cat to have litters in the future. Spaying female cats have the added benefit of preventing a life-threatening pyometra (infected uterus) and decreasing the risk of mammary cancer. We often recommend spaying your cat at six months old before she goes through her first heat cycle. Neutering is the castration of male cats and should be done at six months old. The testicles are removed and recovery is quick.

When should I neuter/spay my cat?

We recommend waiting until your cat is about 6 months old before they are spayed/neutered.

What is the procedure to spay/neuter a cat?

The day you have your cat booked for surgery, you will drop them off in the morning when we first open. Our vets first do a full physical exam, and we run a blood test to ensure they are healthy for the surgery that day. Surgery on male cats is often quick, and so is their recovery. The testicles are removed under deep sedation, and most often there are no sutures to close the incision in the scrotum. Surgery on female cats differs in that they require general anesthetic and often need a few hours to recover before being sent home. Female cats will have an incision on their belly that will be closed with stitches that are often hidden and don’t need to be removed later on. In either scenario, your cat will go home with you that evening.