Modern owners are quite loyal to castration of cats, because it saves them from many problems. The difficulty here lies not so much in the operation itself, but in the optimal age of the animal - breeders and veterinarians do not yet have a consensus on this matter.
Let's find out whether a cat needs to be castrated, when to do it so as not to harm its health, and how to care for your pet after the procedure.
Reasons for castration
The main purpose of the operation is to correct sexual behavior. A growing kitten becomes nervous and irritable. He marks the corners of the apartment with urine, meows loudly, and tries to find the cat.
This behavior is caused by the onset of puberty. The cat pesters its owners and suffers itself. But the main danger awaits the cat on the street. He may get lost or be seriously injured in a fight with rivals.
Castration has many advantages:
- Prevention of sexual diseases.
- Life expectancy increases
- Lack of desire to mark territory
Minuses:
- Possibility of postoperative complications
- Weight gain.
- Risk of developing genitourinary diseases
A timely operation will be effective and will not lead to negative consequences for your pet.
Postoperative care
The most difficult period after castration is the first few hours after the anesthesia wears off. The animal at this time is characterized by unusual behavior (lethargy, aggression), it can meow loudly for no reason, hiss, and its coordination of movements is impaired. In this case, the cat must be provided with complete rest.
Water can be given 3 hours after recovery from anesthesia, food - only the next day. The effects of anesthesia do not last long and disappear completely after about 9–12 hours. In the future, the pet only needs care for the wound, which consists of timely treatment with antiseptics. To avoid licking it, the cat should wear a special collar.
A protective collar will protect the postoperative wound from being licked by a cat
Determining whether a cat is ready for castration
How to determine the age for castration of a cat? According to doctors, the procedure should be performed upon reaching puberty or full anatomical maturity. This period is different for different breeds.
There are no clearly defined limits on how long cats can be castrated.
The animal is ready for castration if several conditions are met:
- Puberty has recently begun. The influence of sex hormones on the development of an animal’s body is not so great.
- Organs and systems have finally formed. Castration slows down metabolic processes.
- The testes have descended from the abdominal cavity or inguinal ring. The owner can gently feel the cat's testicles. They should descend into the scrotum.
- Optimal age for castration
The most favorable age for castration of a cat is 7 to 9 months.
Causes:
- The kitten has gained enough weight
- The animal's body is formed, but puberty is not over. Hormones are produced so far only in the testes.
After 12 months, sex hormones begin to be produced by the adrenal glands and pituitary gland. It will be more difficult to correct sexual behavior.
It is better to castrate a cat that did not take part in mating. Otherwise, the desire for sexual intercourse may persist.
Contraindications and possible complications
An absolute contraindication for castration is an acute infectious disease. Sick animals are not castrated until they recover. This operation is also not performed if the cat is individually intolerant to the drug used for anesthesia. In the presence of chronic diseases of a non-infectious nature, the question of the possibility of performing an operation is decided by a veterinarian.
Complications of the operation are few and occur rarely. Most often, an inflammatory process occurs due to infection in the wound due to improper care. It is also possible to develop bleeding, the formation of fistulas and ulcers. Any changes of this nature should alert the animal owner and become a reason for a visit to the veterinary clinic.
Early castration
What age is considered early for castration of cats? From 8 to 16 weeks. Previously, doctors refused to perform manipulation at a young age. Now in Russia there are clinics and breeders who recommend defertilizing kittens in childhood.
Main reasons:
- Failure to meet breed standards.
- Breeders castrate kittens that are guaranteed to have no breeding value.
- Developmental deviation.
- New growth in the scrotum, genital injuries and others.
Pros:
- The genitals of kittens are smaller than those of adults. This means that fewer stitches will be required and the duration of the procedure is reduced.
- Less dosage of drugs and anesthesia
- Reduces the risk of bleeding
- Recovery after surgery takes less time
- Behavioral problems do not arise - marks in the wrong places, aggression.
Flaws:
- Cats become more cowardly and timid
- Increased likelihood of obesity
- In our country, veterinarians do not encourage castration at this age.
Cut once: day of surgery
So, the time comes when you can castrate your cat. Agreements with the doctor have been reached and an appointment has been scheduled. The castrated patient awaits his fate. He needs to be prepared for a simple, but still surgical operation.
The ideal algorithm looks like this:
- The pet must be vaccinated no earlier than 1 year and no later than 40 days before surgery. Rabies vaccination is required! It is permissible to reduce this period to 2 weeks.
- No later than 2 weeks before, it is necessary to repeat the prevention against fleas and worms.
- Check that the wool is clean and free of tangles and tangled debris.
- 12 hours before the operation it is necessary to keep the person being castrated on a starvation diet.
- On the day of surgery, it is advisable to conduct an ultrasound examination of the genitourinary system and diagnosis of the heart condition. Standard clinical tests won't hurt either.
- During the entire preparation time, remain calm and do not aggravate the emotional background around the animal.
Something else interesting: At what age are cats spayed?
If you carefully monitor the health status and vaccination schedule of your pet, then it will be easy to fulfill all these conditions. Good care makes any veterinary procedure much easier.
ADVICE! Discuss the possibility of inpatient observation with the clinic in advance. This will cost from 300 rubles per day, but the pet will be constantly under the supervision of specialists.
What will the doctor do?
First, the doctor will carefully examine the cat. If everything is in order, then for the next half hour you will have to stand in the clinic corridor waiting for the end of the operation. The doctor will quickly and almost bloodlessly remove the contents of the scrotum and apply several internal stitches.
The skin incision is not sutured, but covered with a sterile bandage. The incision will serve as drainage for some time.
ADVICE! Before the operation, you should not watch a video about how a cat is castrated. If you're really interested, do it later.
Castration of mature cats
Between the ages of 1 and 2 years. If for some reason it was not possible to castrate the cat earlier, then you can castrate the cat a year. Keep in mind that puberty has largely ended and the pituitary gland has begun to produce additional hormones.
When a cat is castrated a year, the hormonal levels can remain high for a long time - up to 6 months. And the owners’ hopes for an instant castration effect may not come true.
The operation is performed under general anesthesia.
Pros:
- The cat stops experiencing sexual desire
- The character becomes calmer
Minuses:
- Excess weight. But animals at this age are still growing, so the diet is not adjusted radically.
- The need to mate remains for some time. After castration, the cat is infertile, so there is no need to worry about possible offspring.
Features of the procedure
Castration of cats of different ages has its own characteristics. The owner should familiarize himself with them before carrying out the procedure.
At 2–3 years
Castration of 2-3 year old cats is carried out under general anesthesia. Local anesthesia may not work at this age. There is no need to radically change the cat’s diet, because growth at this age has not stopped yet, and the metabolism is quite fast.
It is recommended to give fish and dry food 3-4 times a week, clean drinking water should always be freely available.
At 4 years old
Veterinarians consider 4-year-old cats to be fully grown. Before castrating a pet of this age, you should pay attention to the following nuances:
- The operation is performed exclusively under general anesthesia. For a cat at this age, local anesthesia will be ineffective and will lead to the development of painful shock.
- It is better to ask the veterinarian to perform the operation in the morning. This way, the owners will have the opportunity to monitor the pet’s condition as it recovers from the state of anesthesia.
- 4-year-old cats often gain excess weight after castration, so mandatory adjustments to their diet will be required.
At 5–6 years old
Even in the best catteries, cats at this age are removed from breeding and then castrated. 5–6 years is the maximum age for castration of a cat without dangerous consequences for his life and health.
Before surgery, you need to bring your pet for examination to the following specialists:
- Radiologist – to perform a chest x-ray.
- Ultrasound specialist - to assess the condition of all internal organs.
- Cardiologist - to conduct an ECG and detect possible diseases.
- Anesthesiologist - to take a sample for allergies to anesthetic drugs.
In addition, you need to take urine, feces and blood tests to detect existing diseases in advance.
Almost all adult cats recover from anesthesia very difficultly and for a long time, and their risk of developing various complications is quite high. From the moment of the operation, they must be under the constant supervision of a veterinarian for 3 days.
After 7 years
Some owners neuter cats aged 7 years and older. They believe that surgery will help correct the pet's bad behavior, but this will not happen.
Not all veterinary clinics undertake such an operation, because it is associated with enormous risks. A cat at such an advanced age may not tolerate anesthesia. After castration, you will have to significantly adjust your pet’s menu, otherwise in a short time he will develop urolithiasis and gain weight.
Important! The only good reason to castrate a cat at this age is for medical reasons.
From 2-5 years
It happens that a cat ends up with its owners as an adult. If there are no contraindications, cats can be neutered at this age. You shouldn't expect much effect from the manipulation. The cat's body developed under the influence of sex hormones.
Castration of an adult pet will not solve problems with marking the premises with urine, attempts to escape from the house and regular howling. Unfortunately, it is almost impossible to correct the habits and behavior of an older cat.
The disadvantages outweigh the benefits of the intervention
- Risk of physical inactivity.
- Gaining excess weight. Corrected by a specially selected diet
The operation is performed only under general anesthesia.
