At what age are cats castrated?

If you send a very small kitten “under the knife”, this threatens with serious health complications in the future. But it’s not worth delaying either: it’s unlikely that an adult cat will be completely weaned from the sexual instincts.

Why castrate a cat?

There are several main reasons to castrate a pet:

• An uncastrated domestic cat, having reached puberty, is likely to mark territory, scream loudly, worry and show aggression;
• Animals that have been operated on in time, as a rule, due to a decrease in hormone levels, do not tend to go outside and, accordingly, will not communicate with stray cats that can infect them with dangerous diseases;
• Unneutered cats fight more often, and this increases the risk of contracting leukemia and immunodeficiency.

In order for the operation to be effective and not harm the pet, you need to know at what age castration should be performed.

Why can’t you hurry?

At an early age (up to 2 months), the kitten’s testicles may not yet descend into the scrotum, but remain in the abdominal cavity, which will affect the course of the operation.

Castration of an adult cat

If it became necessary to castrate an elderly pet, then in order not to cause serious damage to its health, it must be examined before the procedure: do blood and urine tests, conduct an examination of internal organs, consult a cardiologist. But do not forget that it will be harder for an old cat to endure anesthesia, and the risk of complications is higher.

Optimal age for surgery

Usually cats are castrated at the age of about 6 months, but many animals have already reached puberty by this time. Therefore, castration can be carried out earlier – at the age of about 4 months. Often, breeders sell already castrated animals in order to avoid their unwanted use in breeding work.

How is the operation performed?

The procedure is performed under general anesthesia and lasts 15-20 minutes. Two small incisions are made on the scrotum of the pet, after which both testicles are removed. Stitches are not applied to surgical wounds, it is only recommended to carry out antiseptic treatments. After 3-5 hours, the cat will gradually wake up, so at this time he should be under the supervision of a doctor. On the first day, he will need additional care. As a rule, after such an operation, animals quickly recover and return to normal life.

You can ask your questions about castration of a cat to a qualified veterinarian online in the Petstory mobile application for only 199 rubles instead of 399 rubles (the promotion is valid only for the first consultation). Download the app!

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For a more detailed study of the problem, we recommend contacting a specialist.

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22 2017 June

Updated: January 17, 2021