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Neutering Older Cats:

Neutering: The process that involves removing the uterus and the ovaries in a female cat, and the testicles in male cats is known as neutering.

Ovariohysterectomy is the medical term for female cats, while castration is used for male cats. Neutering is generally done to decrease the chances of reproductive disorders and some types of cancers. Generally, it is advisable to neuter your cats by the time they reach their eighth month. Neutering can also treat behavioral problems like urine spraying and aggressiveness.

If you have an older cat that needs to be neutered, then do speak with your vet and understand the procedures and if it involves any risks.

Vets use pre-anesthetic blood tests and anesthetic agents that are technologically advanced to reduce the risks of surgery. It generally takes about 25 minutes for the procedure. The surgery is followed up with postoperative recovery and a physical examination before your cat is sent home. The sutures are removed a week to ten days after the surgery.

People wrongly believe that neutering can cause their cats to become obese.

Generally, a cat becomes obese because of lack of exercise, bad feeding practices and sometimes, certain diseases. It is believed that neutering can cause restless cats to become calm.

So in a nutshell, neutering is a surgical procedure performed by a veterinarian to remove the sex organs of the cat. Thus, the cat won’t be able to reproduce and neutering also stops the hormones that cause sexual behavior in cats. It is advisable to neuter your cat, unless of course you want the cat for breeding.

When to Neuter Cat:

The right time for neutering: It is becoming common to get young cats neutered. Sometimes cats can also be as young as eight weeks when they get neutered. We suggest that you consult your vet before taking the decision. Generally, many people like to get their cats neutered when they are about six months old, before it becomes sexually mature. However, the age varies. You can also neuter your older cat.

Benefits of Cat Neutering:

If you neuter your cat, then it decreases the chances of the cat spraying around your home. While this is an unsanitary habit, the stains and odor are difficult to remove. If a female cat is neutered, then the process will stop the heat cycles that happens several times every year. It also eliminates the behavior associated with heat, such as restlessness, howling and kneading. Urine spraying also becomes less frequent. If the cat is neutered before its first heat cycle, then the chances of mammary cancer are significantly reduced. Your neutered female cat cannot produce unwanted kittens.

Submitted on January 5, 2010