| SPAYING |
NEUTERING |
is a surgical
procedure to remove the uterus
and ovaries of female cats |
is a surgical
procedure to remove the testes of male cats. |
My cat cries constantly
My cat does not like me
My cat keeps running away
My cat's urine has an odour
My cat sprays
My cat acts strange, its rolling on its back on its back
| WHEN
TO SPAY / NEUTER MY CAT? |
Female
cats: should
be spayed before their first heat, approximately 5-6 month of
age.
Male cats: should be neutered after
sexually mature, but before bad habits are established, approximately
5-6 month of age.
Mature cats: can be spayed at any
age, as long as they are in good health and not overweight.
Pregnant cats: please consult a veterinarian.
| FACTS
ABOUT UNSTERILIZED PETS |
Males
Neutering, or castration,
offers a number of advantages, especially if performed at an early
age (4-9 months). Following puberty, at approximately 8-9 months
old, the male cat often develops a number of undesirable behavioral
changes. He will become territorial and start to mark areas, even
inside the house, by spraying urine, which will have a particularly
strong and difficult to remove odor. He will start to enlarge
his territory by straying ever farther from the house, particularly
at night. It is for this reason that many cats hit by cars are
non-neutered males. By increasing his territory he will come into
contact with other cats and fight for dominance. Inflicted fight
wounds can result in severe infections and abscesses. Since diseases
such as FIV and FeLV, which can cause AIDS-like syndromes and
cancers in cats, are spread through bites, these cats are most
commonly affected by such incurable diseases. Finally, but not
least, neutering prevents unwanted litters and the needless deaths
of kittens and cats.
The longer a tomcat
sprays and fights, the less likely neutering will stop it.
Females
Neutering, or spaying,
in female cats also offers several advantages. Most obviously,
it will prevent unplanned litters. Once a cat reaches puberty
(usually around 7 months), most of the year the queen will be
"in heat" for approximately one week every two to three
weeks until she is mated. During "heat" she may display
unsociable behavior such as loud and persistent crying and frequent
rubbing and rolling on the floor. Such behavior and her scent
will attract tomcats from miles around. This will be eliminated
by spaying. Finally, spaying will remove the risk of uterine infection
and cancer and may reduce the risk of breast cancer.
| HOW
WILL SPAYING/NEUTERING HELP MY CAT? |
Immediate benefits
- Will eliminate
the heat cycle. Female cats can be in heat for 1-3 weeks, or
until they are bred!
- Will end crying
and nervous pacing. Ends a frantic effort to get outside to
find a mate.
- Will stop unwelcome
visits by hordes of "yapping and yowling" suitors.
- Will help eliminate
spraying behaviour in most cases.
Long
term health benefits
- fewer breast tumors
- reduced risk of
prostate and testicular tumors
- no infection or
tumor of uterus
- reduced risk of
mastitis
- miscarriage, complications
in delivery
- injuries and abscesses
from fights.
| VIRTUAL
TOUR OF SPAY / NEUTER SURGERY |
At our hospital, we
take every precaution to be sure that all operations are completed
with highest standards of care, made as painless as possible.
We will not take chances with your Cat's life.
This is the kind of care we guarantee every time we operate on
your Cat:
1. Complete
examinations-before surgery and
after recovering from anesthesia.
2. Halothane
or Isoflurane gas
anesthesia
- same
as used in humane surgeries.
3. We offer you to perform a pre-anesthetic
blood test what helps us find preexisting conditions
that can cause complications during anesthesia surgery or recovery.
4. Sterile
instruments and drapes for each patient.
5. Continual heart
and respiratory monitoring during surgery and
recovery.
6. Surgical procedure - virtual
tour (make
sure you are not squeamish)
5. Pain medication
to help your cat recover from without pain.
| MYTHS
AND MISUNDERSTANDINGS |
Spaying and Neutering
cost too much!
During the lifetime of your cat you may spend thousands of dollars
on food, accessories, and veterinary expenses. Spaying/neutering
is just a drop in the bucket. Keep in mind that sterilization
may actually reduce your veterinary bills. Roaming usually results
in injury and contraction of an infection requiring large veterinary
expenses.
She should have
one litter first, to settle her down.
Having a litter will not improve her health or permanently change
her personality.
Spaying/neutering
makes pets fat and lazy.
No, that is caused by overfeeding and lack of exercise. Sterilized
pets require fewer calories. Cut down on their meals and make
time for play.
My cat is purebred, and I might breed it in the future to make
money.
Keep in mind that breeding cats is not a get-rich-quick scheme.
If it were, many people would be doing it.
Spaying/Neutering can interfere with it's free will.
Although cats are intelligent creatures, they do not plan their
future or consider the consequences of breeding. They just do
it and doing so is not an exercise of free will but an instinct.
When we take a cat into our home, we accept the responsibility
of making decisions on its behalf. One decision we should make
is to prevent them from breeding.
Intact male and female
cats are the major cause of the feline overpopulation crisis.
Unwanted litters are abandoned, left at already crowded shelters,
or allowed to roam unsupervised to continue breeding and spreading
infectious diseases.
Most kittens born on the streets will not find permanent homes!!!
A cat abandoned
on the streets has a very short life expectancy!!!
It is estimated that
millions of pets are euthanized each year simply because there
are not enough homes to go around
Most animals brought to pounds and shelters are not adopted and
must be destroyed! Why? Because, if one female has four offspring
every year (a conservative number), two of them females..., and
each of these females also has four offspring a year, two of them
females..., by the 7th year the original mother will be responsible
for 4,372 offspring!
DO NOT BE A PART OF THIS PROBLEM
PLEASE
SPAY OR NEUTER YOUR CAT
