Castration of a cat at 3 years old: stages of the procedure, features of care

Castration - This is an artificial cessation of the function of the male gonads.

The question of whether to castrate or not to castrate your pet cat sooner or later arises for its owner as soon as your beloved creature reaches puberty.

Here are some reasons why you will constantly be faced with the question of the need to castrate your cat:

1. Your home, once presentable and serving as your place of relaxation after a hard day, suddenly turns, with the help of your pet, due to the fact that he has properly “marked his territory,” instead of relaxation into the territory of nightmares. A persistent unpleasant odor spreading throughout the apartment creates additional difficulties for you with hygiene and sanitation.
2. Behavioral reactions. As a result of the release of hormones into the bloodstream, the animal experiences a stressful state - the cat becomes restless, aggressive, begins to train its vocal cords, and at the same time gets on the nerves of not only the family, but also the neighbors in the stairwell. His appetite worsens, instead of using a tray, he begins to urinate in the corners of the room, rubs against furniture, etc.
3. In search of a friend, she strives to break free, running away from her home, sometimes mating with a stray cat.
4. The periodic release of sex hormones into the blood, without satisfying physiological needs, has a very harmful effect on the cat’s body. Your cat becomes more susceptible to certain infectious diseases common among animals in your city.

At what age should a cat be neutered?

Puberty in cats, depending on the breed, feeding and maintenance conditions, begins at 7-9 months of age.

Therefore, most veterinary specialists believe that cats by this age will be well strengthened and can easily tolerate anesthesia. And the absence by this age of sexual intercourse with a cat and the instinct to mark its territory will be a good guarantee for you that your castrated cat will subsequently behave adequately.

At the same time, veterinary specialists abroad tend to castrate cats earlier, at approximately 2-4 months. Foreign experts justify castration at such an early age by the fact that castration done at such an age does not in any way affect the further development of the cat. Breeders also strive to ensure that a cat not intended for breeding is castrated early.

Technique of the operation

Surgical castration itself does not cause any particular problems. An experienced veterinarian performs this procedure in 10-15 minutes, taking into account the time spent preparing for the operation.

The specialist determines which anesthesia technique to use in a particular case: whether local anesthesia is enough, or whether general anesthesia is required. Then all the necessary medications are administered, and the pet is fixed in a special restraint device. If you decide to castrate your cat under local anesthesia, it doesn’t hurt to double check the strength of the clamps. If the cat breaks out in the middle of the operation, nothing good awaits him.

While the anesthetics are in effect, the preparatory part of the work is carried out: the hair on the operating area is carefully clipped and, if possible, shaved. You should not allow anything “foreign” to get into the wound canal, as this leads to the development of purulent inflammation. Then the skin is treated at least twice with antiseptic compounds. It is not necessary to use any “special” means for this purpose: ordinary iodine or potassium permanganate is perfect.

Is it possible to castrate a cat at a later date, for example, at the age of 5-6 years?

Of course it is possible, only at this age the cat may have complications associated with anesthesia. In such cases, the veterinary clinic will offer you an in-depth examination of your pet, including a blood test, etc., due to the fact that at this age the cat may have certain pathological processes in the body.

Animal owners need to keep in mind that the earlier the operation (castration) is performed, the less likely there are certain operational risks. Additionally, you will prevent a large number of diseases associated with the cat’s sexual need.

How to properly prepare a cat for castration surgery?

The operation is performed only on clinically healthy animals. Your cat should not have any symptoms associated with the disease. The cat must be vaccinated against infectious diseases common in your city among its relatives. Therefore, if you have not been vaccinated against these diseases, you need to go to your veterinary clinic and, in agreement with your veterinarian, undergo the entire range of necessary vaccinations. Since surgery always leads to a decrease in the body’s resistance and, accordingly, immunity, there is a risk of a neutered cat contracting one or another infectious disease.

A few days before castration, you will need to treat your cat for helminthic diseases as a preventive measure.

Before carrying out a planned operation, especially on older cats, at the veterinary clinic, specialists will suggest that you undergo an ultrasound or ECG of the heart in order to prevent possible complications during the operation.

Before the operation itself, you need to keep your cat on a 12-hour fasting diet (drinking water is not limited).

Pros and cons of the operation

If you castrate a cat before his first spree, you can get rid of the following for the rest of his life:

• aggression;
• cat marks in the house;
• surges in the animal's hormonal levels.

Statistics say that sterilized pets are calmer, more playful and affectionate. They scream less and live 1.5-2 years longer than their full-fledged counterparts. It is also important that the operation completely prevents the risk of prostatitis in a cat.

• Why does a cat need a tail?
• Chinchilla
• Dog breeds
• Urban dog breeds
• Origin of the cat
• Hypoallergenic dogs

The negative aspects of sterilization include depriving the animal of its basic instinct to reproduce. This increases the cat's interest in food, which is why neutered animals often suffer from obesity. To control your pet’s weight, you should feed it only food labeled “For sterilized cats,” which is balanced taking into account the characteristics of their body .

The consequences of the operation itself can also pose a danger to the animal’s health, when the pet may have inflamed stitches, bleed, or have problems recovering from anesthesia. Preliminary tests and careful preparation of the animal greatly help to prevent these consequences.

Where is the best place to castrate a cat?

Currently, you can castrate a cat either in a veterinary clinic or in your apartment, since such types of services are widely advertised by veterinary clinics and private practicing veterinarians. The rules for performing the operation in the clinic and at home remain the same and consist of removing the testes, preventing postoperative complications, reducing pain and ease of care for the cat on the part of the owner.

Castration of a cat at home has a number of advantages for the owner and the cat.

Your cat is in his usual room environment and therefore will not experience additional stress associated with a trip to the clinic and an unusual environment in a veterinary clinic. There is no risk of catching any cat infection (patients with sick cats go to the appointment).

Castration in a cat is a non-abdominal operation, which is why it does not require special sterile conditions in the operating clinic when it is necessary to perform sterilization in cats. The anesthesia is less deep and shorter.

Castration in a veterinary clinic, when you can, at your request, leave the cat in the hospital until the wounds heal (7-10 days) or take him with you immediately after castration. It also has its pros and cons.

Pros:

• You don't have to take your cat home right away, especially in the cold season.
• You do not have to independently provide post-operative care for the cat and carry out manipulations prescribed by a veterinarian (injections, giving pills, treating surgical wounds), especially if you do not have certain skills in this matter.
• You relieve yourself of responsibility for the postoperative procedures prescribed by the veterinarian and if any complications arise, then all claims against the veterinary clinic.
• Medical post-operative monitoring of your cat’s health, especially when he has certain health problems.

Minuses:

• Being in an unusual environment will cause your cat to experience additional stress.
• Upon returning home, especially if your cat is very touchy, it will take time for you and your cat to restore your previous friendly relationship.
• The possibility of getting a so-called “nosocomial” feline infection cannot be ruled out.
• Using a veterinary clinic will require significant financial expenses from you.

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.

How is a cat castrated?

Castration of animals is one of the simplest surgical operations performed in veterinary surgery. Veterinary specialists usually perform the operation in an open manner. First, the cat is given general anesthesia, after which the veterinarian shaves the hair in the scrotum area. Then he performs aseptic treatment of the surgical field. During castration, the surgeon makes two longitudinal incisions in the skin of the scrotum, then removes one testis from the scrotum, with the spermatic cord and vessels, ties it with a ligature and removes the testis. Then the second testis is removed in the same sequence. At the end of the operation, antiseptic treatment of the resulting wound is performed. The surgical wound is usually not sutured by the surgeon, which facilitates the drainage of the resulting lymph and blood in the postoperative period. The operation to castrate a cat usually lasts 30-40 minutes, and given that it is performed under general anesthesia, it is painless for the cat. The veterinarian performing the castration is present until the cat fully recovers from anesthesia. After which the owner of the neutered cat will be given recommendations on caring for the cat in the postoperative period and subsequent diet.

Contraindications

We examined the main question of interest - at what age can a cat be castrated. But now it is worth paying attention to possible contraindications for which this surgical intervention cannot be performed.

Contraindications to castration include the following diseases and conditions of the animal:

• the presence of pathologies of the heart and blood vessels. If these ailments are present, the animal simply will not be able to tolerate the effects of anesthesia normally;
• bleeding disorders;
• It is not advisable to castrate animals that belong to the exhibition class. They are usually intended for reproduction, procreation, and improvement of the breed;
• It is not recommended to castrate older cats. After this procedure, older animals may experience dangerous complications.
• If there are tumors in the genital organs during surgery, it is advisable to undergo histology to determine the nature of the tumor in order to exclude malignant neoplasms.
• in case of urolithiasis, the question of castration should be decided with a doctor based on medical history and laboratory tests (blood and urine tests)
• When sexually transmitted infections are detected in a latent form, these infections are first treated.

Postoperative care for a neutered cat at home

In cats after castration, stitches are not placed on the surgical wound. Such a wound, treated by a veterinarian with Terramycin or Alusprey, does not require additional care from you.

When recovering from a state of anesthesia, the cat still cannot control the urination reflex and in order to avoid this trouble it is necessary to put a diaper on it. The cat may have occasional bouts of vomiting.

Normally, a cat’s appetite after castration appears within the first 2 days. You need to start feeding your cat in small portions, in several doses. If your cat refuses food for more than 5 days after castration, then you need to contact a veterinary clinic. If the operation went well, appetite and thirst should be the same as before castration.

The amount of urine in the first days after castration, especially if the cat has no appetite, may be reduced. After the operation, the cat must stay at home for several days without going outside. In order to relieve post-operative stress, you should pay more attention to your cat and try to make sure that he does not rub his scrotum area on the floor. In order to eliminate swelling of the scrotal area caused by the operation, you can treat the scrotum with Levomekol or Nebacitin ointment.

You can find additional information about castration of a cat in the article on our website “Reality and myths about castration of pets.”

Is it necessary to do this?

Owners often think about whether to castrate a cat or not, because while a little bundle of happiness runs around the house and does not evoke any feelings other than joy, or displays a funny character, or imposingly walks around the property, or sleeps quietly all day long. This is great, but, unfortunately, it will not always be this way. The body of a cat will be fully formed by the year, and changes will begin in it, prompting it to reproduce. If this is a street cat who comes home only to eat and sleep after regular hikes and conquests, then the urge to carry out natural processes will have little impact on the owner. But if you have a cat at home, be prepared for such manifestations of feline nature as:

• territory marks and urine smell in the house;
• constant “meowing”, turning into loud meows or screams, intensifying at night;
• constantly disappearing from home in order to follow the call of nature;
• animal aggression, which can occur in the absence of a female;
• inflammatory processes and tumors of the internal genital organs - as consequences of hormonal imbalances;
• short life span due to the inability to realize sexual desire.

Therefore, the decision to castrate is inevitable for many cat lovers.