Neutering Your Cat

Watch our videos below which answer many commonly asked questions about cat neutering.

The 1st video has been made by Specially 4 Cats and John Davies our vet and the 2nd shows the preparation involved when your cat comes in to be spayed.

The best time for neutering a cat is between 5.5 to 6 months of age. Older cats can be neutered at any age providing the cat is healthy and not too overweight. A female cat is not normally neutered while she is in season. Sometimes, for special reasons cats as young as 9 weeks old can be neutered.

Why should I neuter (spay) my female cat?

1. Prevents unwanted kittens!
2. Reduces the number of "visiting toms" and the resulting tom cat smell.
3. Eliminates the risk of diseases such as mammary tumours, uterine infections (pyometra) and serious diseases such as Feline Leukaemia Virus and Feline Immunodeficiency Virus (cat aids).
4. Helps with behavioural problems.
5. Stops cats coming into season. Female cats can behave dreadfully when they are in season. They can come into season every 3 weeks.

Why should I neuter (castrate) my male cat?

1. Reduces fighting. Cat bites can cause serious infections (see below). Cat bite abscesses are less common in neutered male cats.
2. Reduces the risk of contracting Feline Immunodeficiency Virus (FIV or cat aids) and Feline Leukaemia Virus (Felv). Cat aids can be transmitted by cat bites which are more common in non neutered male cats. Both these viruses are uncurable, and can be fatal. These viruses can be transmitted when mating too.
3. Entire males (Tom Cats) smell stongly (horribly). They can start weeing inside to mark their territory (spraying). This sprayed urine has a pungent odour which can make the home smell.
4. Reduces road accident injuries. Neutering helps to stop males wandering. This makes them less likely to be lost, stolen or knocked down by a car.
5. Eliminates the risk of many common "male" diseases such as testicular tumours or prostatic diseases.

What happens when your cat is neutered?

Many people are anxious when they bring their cat in for neutering. If you have any concerns, please do talk to our staff members regarding these. Neutering is a routine proceedure. If you want to know what actually happens, please watch the videos of "Mini Meow", Sams cat, as she is being prepared for her spay.

You will bring your cat to us first thing in the morning between 8.30am and 9.30am. He or she must not have had anything to eat from 8pm the previous evening. Your cat can have water to drink though.

The operation is carried out during the morning.

Your cat will be up and about by early afternoon, and is usually ready to go home soon after 3.00pm. Please make a discharge appointment at reception between 3pm and 6pm.

Cats have remarkable powers of recovery and are usually back to normal within 3 to 4 days. Some are back to normal when they get home!

Are there any risks involved when my cat is neutered?

Very few. Cats are very good anaesthetic patients. Occaisionally they may try to pull out their sutures, but this can easily be prevented by the use of a Medical Pet Shirt. Very occaisionally they may develop swellings at the operation site but these can be treated easily. Infection can happen following surgery but again this is very rare.

Take a look at our anaesthetic standard.

Daisy Street Vets Blackburn May 2016

30 years ago... (David Higginson MRCVS remembers)

The benefits of neutering a male cat were always obvious - less fighting, less cat calling and most of all no tom-cat smell. It's relatively recently that we have understood that neutering dramatically reduces the risk of being bitten (and hence contracting FIV), and greatly reduces the risk of being hit by a car as neutered cats tend to spend less time roaming in search of a female.

Un-neutered female cats usually spend their lives pregnant or nursing kittens. Neutering has done much to control the stray cat population and the welfare problems of over-population that used to occur. Most cats are now wanted, cared for and happy.