Neutering your cat

The female cat has to be spayed, and the male cat has to be castrated. Both of these are major treatments that need general anesthesia. Your cat should not eat or drink at all the night before the surgery so that there are fewer problems on the operation table. But there isn't much chance that something will go wrong because this is one of the procedures that vets do most often, and any skilled veterinarian has done hundreds of them.

The testicles are taken out of a male cat's scrotum or the uterus and eggs are taken out of a female cat's belly with a single cut. After the medicine wears off, your cat should be fine to go home the same day of surgery. If there are any problems, your vet may decide to keep an eye on your cat overnight in the hospital. Your cat's coat might grow back a little darker than the rest of it where it was shaved during the process. This difference will usually go away when your cat moults its coat again.

• Females - Female cats will have kittens three or four times a year if they are not fixed, and they could have kittens almost every month for the rest of their lives.Because motherhood takes a lot of energy from cats, having more than one litter may shorten their life span. The changing of the seasons has a big effect on a female cat's behavior. She may act scared and hide or expect your full attention. She'll probably also lie on the floor on her back and squirt urine all over the house and yard to let potential partners know she's free. During every season, a female cat should stay inside and away from male cats unless she is going to have kittens. She will stop changing with the seasons and these bad behavior changes if you neuter her. Other benefit is reduce risk of mammary cancer
• Males - Tomcats that haven't been castrated will search a large area for a mate and can find a female in heat from a long way away. If a tomcat is running away, it's more likely to get into a car accident or fight with other guys. Because cats usually spread diseases by biting, this makes it more likely that you will get hurt or get an infection like the Feline Immunodeficiency Virus. Tomcats use their pee to mark their territory, which may include parts of your home. It's hard to get rid of this smell, which is strong and unpleasant.

In the past, both male and female cats were fixed when they were six months old. People used to think that an animal that was almost fully grown would be better able to handle surgery before safe anesthetics and methods were developed. Still, more and more vets think that cats should be neutered when they are about eight weeks old. This takes away the chance that a female cat that is very far along could get pregnant before the treatment. Such early neutering doesn't seem to hurt a cat's health or growth in the long run. And your vet will be happy to talk to you about the best time to neuter your cat.

There is no upper age limit on when you can neuter your cat. If you adopt an adult cat, you might want to spay it, or you might want to wait to stop using your cat as a pet until it has had at least one litter. Tomcats can also be fixed later in life, which may make them less likely to do bad things like spraying. But as a male gets older, he is more likely to keep doing bad tomcat things like fighting and marking his territory with pee.

Every procedure involving a general anesthetic carries some risk, and in rare cases, problems may arise from the procedure. These risks, though, pale in comparison to what the cat will probably face if it continues to engage in sexual activity. Make quick touch with your veterinarian if you have any concerns about your cats following the procedure.

Getting your cat neutered won't really change its life other than stopping its sex habits. Since your cat isn't looking for a mate, it might need less food. If you feed it a few less meals each day, you should be able to keep it from getting too fat. Since many spayed cats become friendlier and more active afterward, most cat owners find that those changes are for the better.

The idea that a cat has to have kittens is just an old wives' story. If you neuter your cat, you won't have to worry about finding good homes for the kittens, and your cat won't miss anything it doesn't know.

Different vets will charge different amounts for neutering. The fees may also rely on where the practice is located and how good its facilities are. If you're worried about how much neutering will cost, talk to your vet.The cost of neutering cats is mirrored in their fees, so vets try to see as few unwanted kittens as possible. People on fixed or low wages may be able to get help from one of the animal shelters with the cost of the surgery. But you should think about whether the cost of neutering is less than the cost of having an unwanted litter. A pregnant woman will need more food to keep herself and her baby alive, and the kittens will need medical care. You may need to put up an ad to find them loving homes.