Questions answered by Dr. Heather Kovac from The Drake Center
Blog created by Nada Aly
Shouldn’t I let my cat have a litter before I spay her?
We don’t recommend letting your cat have a litter before they’re spayed - unless they are of course a breeding animal. If they’re just a pet, it’s really better for their health to be spayed and not have a litter of kittens. There are so many kittens in the world in need of homes and we just don’t recommend breeding your cats unless you’re actually a breeder.
My cat sprays all over the house - will neutering help?
Yes, so a very common male cat tendency is to spray urine and that’s a sign of marking their territory. Intact male cat’s urine is also very pungent; it has a very classic odor - very stinky for us - and so those animals will tend to spray the house. This is especially true if there is another cat outside that they want to guard - or protect their territory - they’ll spray urine as a marker for other animals. And yes, getting them spayed - or neutered for males - does help that and typically makes that behavior go away and also helps their urine not to smell so stinky.
Will spaying or neutering be painful for my cat?
So, it is a surgery - of course we’re going to take all precautions to minimize pain - but of course we can’t say that there will be zero pain. They are under anesthesia during the surgery so they’re not feeling the surgery, and then they’re going home with pain medications post-operatively. But, just as a human would have some discomfort after an incision was made, it’s about the same for cats - but we are trying to minimize as much pain as possible
Will spaying or neutering make my cat less vocal?
Yes, so another thing that intact male cats will do is they’ll yowl - meow very loudly - to try to find a mate, and also again, to kind of protect their territory from other male cats. So, males that are neutered tend not to do that as much. And then females - when they go into heat - they tend to vocalize more, again, trying to find a mate. So, those two vocalization behaviors do go away after the spay or the neuter. But, it doesn't change their ability to meow or the other sounds that they make just being affectionate with you. It doesn’t change their voice in any way; it just changes those hormone levels.
How long is the recovery after my cat’s spay or neuter?
It’s a full 10-day recovery for the incision to heal. So, during that time they will be on exercise restriction, they’re not allowed to lick their incision, they might be on pain medication - or even a sedative if they're very hyper cats - but it is a full 10-day recovery.
Will my cat need pain medication at home after the spay or neuter?
That really depends on the veterinarian’s discretion: Here at The Drake Center we typically use a long acting pain medication that’s given here in the hospital as a subcutaneous injection. So, we don’t tend to send our cats home with any oral medications, but it really just depends on who's doing the procedure and what medications they have available.
Will my cat gain weight after a spay or neuter?
It’s kind of a common question we get and the spay or neuter does not make them gain weight, but what it does is it tends to slow down their metabolism. They’re just not having all those sex hormones rushing around in their body, so their metabolism does slow down - so they need to be fed less food. They don't need as many calories after they’ve been spayed or neutered; it’s not that the spay or neuter makes them fat, it’s that we as owners need to realize they need fewer calories to maintain their optimal weight.
Will my cat’s personality change after being spayed or neutered?
Not their personality, but like we talked about, there might be some behaviors that do change that are sexual in nature: Yowling to try to find a mate, spraying in the house, females acting a little crazy when they go into heat - those things will go away, but as far as the day to day interaction with you, and their own silly personality, that part should not change.
Will my tomcat stop running away if I neuter him?
Well if you have an intact male cat that’s outside of course they’re going to want to go see the neighbors and go check out the ladies in the area. They’ll be drawn to females in heat and can travel for miles to try to find a mate. So, when we neuter a cat they’re not going to have that tendency to roam, so they typically will be happier to kind of stick around. But, I definitely have seen neutered animals want to cruise the neighborhood and go see the neighbors and be fed by the neighbors and things like that, so it kind of just depends on what you mean by roaming, but for sure it makes them not want to search for a mate anymore.
That’s all the questions we have; let us know if you have more. Thank you so much!
The Drake Center for Veterinary Care is an AAHA-accredited animal hospital located in Encinitas, CA. The Drake Center loves being a source of information for all pet owners across the country however if you have any questions regarding pet care and do not live in Encinitas, CA, or surrounding cities, we encourage you to contact your local veterinarian.