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Neutering Your
Cat?
The kindest thing you can do for
any cat that will become a household pet, is to have it neutered. An
un-neutered male (tom) cat can not only be a problem for you, but also for
your neighbours. And a calling female (queen) cat will probably be more
noisy than a tom cat, this normally sounds like a baby crying, only louder.
Unless you are going to breed
from your cat or have homes for any kittens produced, neutering is the best
action possible.
Neutering a cat is a simple
operation. In an male cat it is very short; an incision is made in the
scrotum, each testis is pulled out separately, the vas deferens severed, the
testis removed, and a suture inserted. For a female cat, it means abdominal
surgery, but this is still not a long operation. An incision is made about
1cm long on the cat's flank; in an older cat this may be done mid-line, with
a longer incision straight up the underside of the belly. The ovaries and
uterus are removed, and the opening stitched up. Many vets use dissolvable
stitches so there is no need for the cat to return to have them taken out.
It only takes about two minutes to castrate a male, and five minutes to spay
a female cat, so they are subjected to a little anaesthetic and recover very
quickly; a male will often be up and bouncing when you bring it home, but a
female may require 24 hours to recover.
Don't neuter your cat too young,
at about 6 months old is right. Neutering before this, will mean the cats do
not have proper hormonal development, and can have hormonal problems later
in life. If your kitten is female and early, she can be given a
contraceptive by pill or injection until she is of a suitable size to
undergo neutering.
Be aware, if you get a pair of
kittens together, there is nothing stopping a brother and sister mating. So
watch for signs of the female calling, or you may become a breeder before
you are ready!
If you have decided to breed
from your cat, and are sure that you will be able to find good home for all
the kittens, you much decide on a suitable stud cat.
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