When the cat comes to puberty, radical changes occur in her body. Due to the strong release of hormones during periods of leakage, cats become restless, aggressive and noisy. If you do not have a goal to breed a certain breed, it is better to sterilize your pet. Now many clinics practice laparoscopy as a method of sterilizing cats. Why is this needed? What are the advantages and disadvantages of laparoscopy in cats? How to prepare an animal for surgery and how to care for a cat after it?
Why sterilize
Most owners have cats not for breeding, but as companions. The animal is either kept homeless or has free access to the street. In both cases, problems begin when the pet reaches puberty. At home keeping during periods of leaks, the cat begins to behave uneasily, screams, becomes aggressive towards the owner. The animal is in an excited state and can not calm down. The behavior of cats during techek is individual, but usually the owner notes that for the animal this is a rather painful process.
There are pills that some owners give cats during estrus. You can’t do this! Such drugs have a detrimental effect on the body of the animal. Thanks to them, the cat calms down, and it seems to the owner that he helped his cat. In fact, in this way, it only ruins the health of the animal.
Other owners believe that in order to become happy, a cat must know all the delights of motherhood. It's a delusion! A cat is not a person. She is driven by instincts, and hormonal bursts push her to procreate. A cat breeds only because it is unable to overcome the call of nature, and not because it has a conscious desire to have offspring.
Pregnancy is a complex process that depletes the mother’s body and shortens her life. Childbirth can pass with complications, in which offspring and the female herself can die. Even if you find owners for all born kittens, it is not a fact that after they will not be on the street. Due to people's bias towards sterilization, the number of homeless animals is growing exponentially. They do not live long, they constantly go hungry, they freeze in the winter, they are torn by dogs. Responsible for this are people who do not sterilize domestic cats, "because it is a pity."
Sterilization is an effective method to combat the increase in the number of stray animals. In addition, it is useful for the cat itself. Sterilized live longer, they are not threatened with cancer of the reproductive system, they do not have to endure excruciating leaks. Such animals become calmer and more affectionate, they do not go far from home, less contact with other street animals. If you wish to sterilize a cat, laparoscopy is one of the most painless and gentle methods.
When can I do an operation?
Sterilization is best done between the ages of 8-9 months. An animal older can suffer anesthesia worse, and the possibility of complications for it is higher. If you need to sterilize a cat older than 7 years old, before the operation it is necessary to conduct an examination of her health. It is necessary to pass a biochemical blood test and make a cardiogram. In addition, it is worth the operation before the cat begins to have genital inflammation. The better the condition of her reproductive system, the easier the operation will go.
To reduce the likelihood of malignant tumors, the operation is preferably carried out in the interval between the first and second estrus. Every year, the likelihood of problems with the reproductive system increases, so do not delay the operation. Doctors advise doing it in the summer. By this time, the fat layer in the cat after wintering is reduced, which facilitates the healing of the postoperative scar. An overweight animal is a little harder to tolerate sterilization.
Types of sterilization
Today, clinics offer different ways to sterilize cats. All of them have their advantages and disadvantages. Sterilization is an operation whose purpose is to deprive the animal of its ability to reproduce. The following types of operations are distinguished:
- Tubal occlusion - overlapping or cutting of the fallopian tubes. The doctor bandages the fallopian tubes. The leaks do not stop, the animal is simply not able to get pregnant. Almost all the health risks that unsterilized animals remain: inflammation of the mammary glands, ovaries and uterus, and cancerous tumors.
- Ovariectomy - removal of the ovaries. The cat completely stops estrus, but at the same time there is a risk of uterine inflammation.
- Laparoscopy - removal of the uterus and ovaries. The estrus stops, the risk of inflammation and cancer of the genitals disappears. However, the animal departs from such an operation for the longest time. Nevertheless, most surgeons recommend this method.
The size of the postoperative scar and the number of sutures that the doctor will apply depend on what technique he practices. During abdominal surgery, an incision is made in the center of the abdomen or on the side of the cat. With conventional surgery, a postoperative wound needs to be monitored. How long the animal will recover after surgery depends on the size of the suture and the severity of the operation.
What is the best way to sterilize a cat: laparoscopy or cut? You can answer this question only by familiarizing yourself with all the advantages and disadvantages of this sterilization method.
General information about laparoscopy
The laparoscopic method of surgery is to remove the genital organs of the animal through small punctures, not cuts, as is the case with conventional abdominal surgery. In this case, the wound reaches a size of 0.5-1 cm. The sutures are applied much less than during normal surgery. The number of cuts can vary from one to three.
An endoscope is inserted into the puncture, at the end of which there is a small camera and surgical instruments. The image from the camera is displayed on the screen. With laparoscopy, a cat is not sterilized at home. To carry it with you need to have a special device - a laparoscope. Reviews of laparoscopy in cats are mostly positive. Possible complications are more often associated with the incompetence of doctors than with flaws in the technique.
Advantages and disadvantages
Laparoscopy has a minimally invasive type of intervention, due to which the operation can be done on young cats as early as 6 months of age, as well as older animals. Since the postoperative scar is very small, wound healing and restoration of the animal occurs rather quickly. The possibility of complications is minimized, there is less risk of catching an infection. There are no big ugly scars left.
Since the incisions are small, the animal feels less pain in the healing process. After laparoscopy, the animal may not wear a bandage. There is no risk of seam splitting. If you stitch with special absorbable sutures, then you won’t have to remove it after surgery.
The disadvantages of laparoscopy include its high price. Not all veterinary clinics have the necessary equipment, so finding a doctor practicing this sterilization method can be difficult.
What you should pay attention to
When choosing a doctor for surgery, you should pay attention to the reviews of his other patients. Talk to the veterinarian, specify what kind of education he has. A good doctor should give clear answers to all your questions. He is obliged to explain to you all the features of castration cats.
Laparoscopy is not an expensive operation. If you are asked to pay below average cost, you should pay attention to this. Do not contact veterinarians who promise to perform a laparoscopy on a cat at home. For the operation, special equipment is needed, which can only be in the clinic. Promotions for free sterilization or big discounts should be in doubt. It’s not worth saving on your pet’s health, so it’s better to pay more, but to a really qualified specialist. Do not contact a doctor who does not even examine the animal before surgery. If the cat is aged, she must be examined, otherwise the risk is high that the animal will not wake up after the operation.
Preparation for surgery
If the animal is not vaccinated, it is necessary to introduce all the necessary vaccines before sterilizing the cat. Laparoscopy is done only three weeks after the last vaccination. The cat needs to be given anthelmintic drugs, to get rid of fleas and other possible parasites.
If the animal is already aged or has a chronic disease, it may be necessary to conduct a study of the animal’s health status. To do this, you need to take a general blood test, make a cardiogram and ultrasound. You can not sterilize a cat during estrus, otherwise the risk of bleeding is high. It can not be fed for 16 hours before surgery. In this way, vomiting after anesthesia can be avoided. The animal should cut its nails so that it less worries the postoperative suture.
Operation
If all the cat’s tests are in order, the doctor decides on the operation. The cat is given general anesthesia. The skin area is moistened with a special solution and the interfering coat is shaved. The skin is disinfected with iodine solution. The operation should take place in a sterile room.
The doctor makes a puncture with a diameter of about 0.3 cm. For this operation, it is necessary that there is free space in the abdominal cavity, so it is inflated with carbon dioxide.
What does cat laparoscopy equipment look like? This is a small probe with a camera and surgical instruments at the end, connected to a monitor. An endoscope with a camera, backlight and surgical instruments are inserted into the puncture. Focusing on the image that appeared on the monitor, the surgeon removes the uterus and ovaries. It stops bleeding and sutures with absorbable thread or uses special medical glue. After the puncture site is disinfected and sealed with a bactericidal patch.
Caring for the cat after surgery
After laparoscopy, the cat may remain in the clinic or it may be taken home. Of course, the first option is preferable, because in this way the animal will be supervised and, in case of emergency, will immediately receive qualified assistance. In the second case, you have to look after the animals.
Immediately after the operation, you need to put on a cat blanket. Sterilization by laparoscopy does not leave large postoperative scars, but the animal still needs to be prevented from licking the wound or combing it with its claws. The animal departing from anesthesia is extremely awkward. At this time, you can leave it in a carrier or release it and carefully monitor it. A cat may try to jump and fall somewhere or get too close to hot surfaces and get burned. She can urinate, she can vomit.
It is necessary to carefully monitor the condition of the pet. In the event that the animal rises sharply, there are breathing problems or bleeding has opened, the cat needs to be urgently taken to a doctor.
Judging by the reviews, sterilization of cats by laparoscopy is the most sparing for the body. The animal quickly returns to its normal state. Already a day after the operation, all processes in the body are improving. The cat goes to the toilet on the tray, her appetite increases. The first time you can feed a cat 6 hours after surgery with non-solid food.
Overweight Prevention
After sterilization, serious hormonal changes occur in the cat's body. The animal becomes less active, but at the same time eats more. If during this period you do not pay attention to the cat's diet, the animal will quickly gain excess weight, which then will not be so easy to get rid of.
Immediately after surgery, it is advisable not to include fatty and high-calorie foods in the diet. When feeding natural food, you should use lean beef, chicken and turkey fillets. Among ready-made feeds, it is better to choose those that are produced specifically for sterilized animals. Food should not lie on the plate all day, and it’s not worth feeding the animal every time it asks. Feed the cat twice a day. The amount of feed must comply with the weight of the pet and the manufacturer's instructions.
To avoid obesity in a sterilized cat, it is worth increasing its activity. After the animal has completely departed from the operation, and the surgical scar heals, it is necessary to closely monitor the weight of the pet. For a cat you need to buy more toys, you need to play with it actively, for it you can buy special game centers. If the animal lives at home and is vaccinated, the cat can be walked on a leash on the street.
Thus, cat laparoscopy is one of the most sparing sterilization methods.
It can only be carried out in a clinic, giving preference to a highly qualified doctor. The popularity of laparoscopy is only beginning to grow, because this method is not practiced in all veterinary clinics. However, if possible, it is more preferable for cat sterilization than the usual method, since it minimizes the possibility of postoperative complications.