Each owner thinks about castration and sterilization when acquires a furry pet. If you are planning an exhibition career and breeding, you can immediately close this article, you will not need the information that is provided in it. For the rest, a simple operation will be a great way out. At first glance, the topic is simple and even slightly battered, but it raises so many questions that it will not be superfluous to study it again.
What it is
Before carrying the pet to the surgeon, the owner must first collect information. To know how to prepare a cat for castration, it is important to be prepared for what will happen in the clinic yourself. So, castration is the removal of the reproductive organs in order to stop sexual activity. Usually, veterinarians perform a testis removal procedure. This is a simple operation that an experienced doctor will perform in just 20 minutes. Today it is performed exclusively under general anesthesia, so the animal does not experience pain. Through a small incision, the testes are brought out and cut off. More often than not, stitches are not even imposed.
Do I need to castrate a cat
This question is asked by many. The answer is simple. If your pet does not participate in breeding, then such an operation will make your life much easier. And it will be better not only to you, but also to the mustachioed pet. You should carefully consider the pros and cons so that doubts will finally leave you. Castration of animals is not an act of violence, your pet will not suffer, on the contrary, the endless discomfort associated with finding females will pass away from his life.
Analysis of the situation
Let's put emotions aside now and talk directly about the pros and cons of the sterilization operation. A loving owner wants to see his pet healthy and beautiful. What is really going on? In the natural environment, the meaning of the life of a mature cat is reproduction. This is the most powerful instinct that makes you constantly search and attach to “their” territory belonging to cats. It is clear that he is not alone in this, which means that constant fights, torn ears, scratches and stress from the loss of part of the territories are all a normal sequence of events. What does castration of animals give ? The instinct of reproduction fades away, and the cat no longer seeks conflict. Not seeing him as a competitor, other males allow walking quietly on their territory.
Common myths
Owners very often worry about whether to castrate a cat that has already mated more than once. Would such a drastic change be detrimental to his psyche? In this case, people greatly humanize the animal. A man who has developed impotence will worry about his lost status, be upset that he is not able to give pleasure to his partner, think about the likelihood of betrayal, and the like. After a surgery, the cat’s body slowly rebuilds, the sexual instinct fades, and instead of potential partners, other things begin to interest him. He switches to food, games, hunting.
Myth two: you can just let the cat go for a walk
Since the cat needs to be prepared for castration by the owner, who has a lot of his own affairs, most often the question is solved differently. They simply let him out into the street in the hope that he would satisfy his needs and calmly return home. But there are a lot of minuses. Firstly, it is the offspring, which after such walks is born in stray cats. Most often, kittens are doomed to starvation. Secondly, the dangers that the street is rich in. Other cats, dogs, people, poisoned food, cars, diseases that he can catch from stray animals. Agree, it is much better if your pet is sitting at home.
Myth three: feeling sick and nasty after surgery
These are statements that are very far from the truth. Cats after such an operation become more affectionate and playful, attacks of aggression are completely a thing of the past. Now the fluffy, like a kitten, is ready to play for hours with a toy mouse or purr on your lap. The view that the cat becomes lethargic and passive after castration is fundamentally wrong.
You can often hear that castration leads to the development of urolithiasis. This is actually not true. The reasons for the latter are low fluid intake and high protein content in the diet. The fact is that after castration the animal changes its metabolism, it can no longer eat fish and products with a high content of calcium, phosphorus and magnesium.
The fourth myth: you can castrate at any age
Yes and no. Quite often, veterinarians are asked if a cat can be neutered in 2 years. You can, as well as the doctor, will easily agree to do a similar procedure at 3, 4 or 6 years in the absence of contraindications. However, there are certain age limits that need to be considered. Before 8-10 months, the animal should not be operated on. His genitourinary system can stop in development. As a result, the urethra will be small in diameter and easily clogged with sand.
An adult cat that has never mated can be neutered at any age. But if mating has already occurred, then the cat, even after the operation, can continue to mark the territory, scream at night and demand a cat. The fact is that before the first mating, sex hormones are produced by the testes, and after that the pituitary gland is also connected. That is, the age of 8-10 months is considered optimal. And yet, when asked whether it is possible to castrate a cat in 2 years, the doctor in most cases will respond positively.
Myth five: castrates do not live long
There is no justification for this, but it can be assumed that this follows from the assumption that such operations always lead to the development of urolithiasis. And how many castrated cats live? According to the statistics of veterinarians, the indicators are usually higher than those of their counterparts living a "full" life. Castrats have less stress, they spend more time in pleasant activities, games.
No less important is the absence of a rutting season, when an ordinary cat stops eating and sleeping, for weeks frantically screams along the roofs and fights with their other inhabitants. It is difficult to say how many castrated cats live, everything is individual here. But ceteris paribus (timely vaccinations, good nutrition), it will certainly please you no less than non-neutered. On average, veterinarians voice numbers from 12 to 16 years. As you can see, castration has more pros than cons. The only good reason to refrain from it is the tribal value of the cat.
Myth six: make a couple a cat
The maintenance of the house of two dioecious family members is not a solution to the problem. A sexually mature cat needs a female at least once a week. Therefore, without solving one problem, you will immediately receive the second. This is the content of the pregnant and lactating cat, as well as the search for owners for kittens. In the meantime, you will be busy with these matters, the cat will still arrange concerts.
How to prepare a cat for castration
Despite the fact that this is a standard planned operation that is easily tolerated by animals, you need to think about everything in advance. To do this, you need to contact a veterinarian and undergo a full examination of the body, which will reveal the existing contraindications. Most often, this is not even the surgery itself, but anesthesia, which seriously threatens the health or even the life of your pet.
Exploratory survey
Since you cannot prepare the cat for castration yourself, we select an experienced doctor and go to the appointment. The priority goal of such a visit is to identify pathologies that are important for the upcoming intervention. The specialist is now interested in the anamnesis, that is, collecting information about animal diseases, the use of drugs, the gastrointestinal tract and the genitourinary system. In parallel, the doctor measures the body temperature, respiratory rate and pulse, evaluates the work of the lungs and heart. Often, on the eve of surgery, a specialist prescribes antihistamine therapy. Additional examinations are assigned individually. This may be an electrocardiogram or ultrasound of the abdominal cavity.
Camp trip
Typically, for the young animal, the above will be sufficient, however, if there are any complaints about the cat’s condition or he is in adulthood, then it’s better to take tests:
- Important information is given by a biochemical blood test. If your pet has a poor appetite, and his coat looks dull, he will not be out of place. The analysis reveals diseases of the pancreas, liver and kidneys.
- General blood analysis.
- General urine analysis.
Another important point: the time of castration of a cat is well timed to coincide with preventive vaccinations. They are affixed at the age of 10 months - 1 year and are a repetition of those that have already been done at the age of one month. Made 2-3 weeks before surgery, they will help protect the body of the animal from infections.
On the day of surgery
The main thing is to calm down. Your pet will not feel anything, and soon you will take it home. 12 hours before the appointed time, the animal is no longer fed. It is very good if in 24 hours you give him a laxative. The stomach and intestines should remain empty. Otherwise, vomiting may occur when exiting anesthesia. About 4 hours before the operation, they stop giving water. It is very good if you arrange for a doctor to go to your house. This is important, since preparing a cat for castration at home is much easier, and the animal experiences less stress in the usual conditions.
Must have at hand
In any case, the doctor will need to get acquainted with the vaccination passport and your cat's card. Prepare a warm blanket, oilcloth and diapers in advance. Wet wipes do not interfere. Stress caused by surgery can cause vomiting or involuntary urination. Sometimes doctors recommend a sedative, but the dose needs to be selected individually.
Agree with a specialist that he will remain to observe the patient for several hours after the operation. This is important, because at the time of withdrawal from anesthesia, respiratory depression, arrhythmia, or cardiac arrest may occur. And only an experienced specialist can help.
Instead of a conclusion
As you can see, a fairly simple operation is hidden behind the term "cat castration". When you can give your pet the opportunity to avoid unnecessary stress and danger, and also protect yourself from sleepless nights, spoiled furniture, marks on carpets, you do not need to choose an alternative. Remember how wonderful a kitten is before puberty, when the instinct of reproduction overlaps everything else in his mind. Modern veterinary medicine provides the opportunity to extend it for the rest of your life without harm to the animal. Now you know how to prepare a cat for castration, it remains only to find an experienced doctor.