In the life of every cat owner, there comes a time when you have to decide on the continuation of the pet. This really becomes a problem when kittens appear periodically, which are becoming more and more difficult to attach. Good and caring hands are not enough for everyone, so most of the kids are doomed to hunger, being on the street and replenishing the army of street animals.
Not always enviable is the fate of their mother. Repeated estruses in the absence of mating or the use of hormonal agents can eventually lead to depletion of the cat's nervous system and to diseases such as ovarian cancer, vulvovaginitis, pyometra, etc.
Therefore, for those owners who really care about the health of their pet, the best way is to sterilize the cat. The pros and cons of this event should be studied in advance to prevent the occurrence of any undesirable complications.
What is sterilization?
This deprives the cat of its ability to breed. Most often, abdominal surgery is performed, during which the internal genital organs are completely or partially removed. The procedure is performed under general anesthesia for 40–45 minutes. The seam is applied normal or internal. In modern practice, seamless operation is also used when the surgical incision is made no more than 1 cm.
Types of sterilization
There is medical, radiation and surgical sterilization of a cat. The pros and cons of each of them have their own. But surgical is more favorable. With drug sterilization with the use of hormonal drugs, there is a high risk of the appearance of neoplasms, including malignant ones. Many doctors consider the method using radiation to be detrimental to the animal, because at the slightest error in the calculation of the dosage of radiation, it can negatively affect the state of the cells.
Of surgical sterilization methods , ovariogysterectomy is most often practiced - complete removal of the uterus and ovaries. There are other options - tubal occlusion (pulling the fallopian tubes), hysterectomy (removal of the uterus only), ovariectomy (removal of the ovaries only). The last of these methods is most preferred, but applies only to young nulliparous animals. The other two have a very adverse effect on the health of cats, which is why they are almost never used in modern veterinary medicine.
The consequences of sterilization
A similar operation, although it belongs to the category of complex, is done in almost any clinic. The animal recovers quite quickly, after only two weeks there is only a small trace left at the place where the seam was.
After sterilization, cats become more attached to the house. Psycho-emotional sphere, hunting instincts do not suffer at all. The state of health after the operation is excellent, which allows the cat to live a full life without causing any trouble to its owners.
Pros of sterilization
It was noted that sterilized cats live longer, with a healthy life. They do not seek to find a partner, therefore they do not run away from home and do not arrange cat "concerts". And if the sexual instinct does not distract them, respectively, more attention and love goes to the owners. Cats become calmer, preserving both their appearance and manner of behavior, in addition, they will no longer bring unwanted offspring.
After sterilization, the risk of the appearance of cancerous tumors, polycystic, pyometra and other diseases, which affects almost every nulliparous cat older than 5 years, is significantly reduced. As a result of improved metabolism, the animal needs less feed, which leads to lower food costs.
It is recommended to read about operations such as cat sterilization, owner reviews, they will help make a final decision. Often people say that they are very happy that they decided to have an operation, because after it the cat does not have exhausting leaks, unnecessary kittens, she is always active, playful, with shiny luxurious coat, which did not differ before.
Cons of sterilization
There are also negative aspects of sterilization. Since the hormonal background after the operation still changes, other changes occur in the body, including negative ones. Changing metabolism requires a completely different diet. After sterilization, energy requirements are markedly reduced, against the background of increased appetite, this can lead to an increase in the weight of the animal. To prevent the risk of obesity, the cat is transferred to a special feed.
Of course, this is not a serious obstacle if the health of the pet is on the scales and cat sterilization is required. Any, even the simplest, operation has pros and cons.
At what age do sterilization
In the absence of medical contraindications, it can be carried out regardless of age. The most favorable period for sterilization is when the body is almost fully formed, but puberty has not yet begun, i.e., before the first estrus. In our country, such operations are more often performed at the age of 8-10 months. At this time, animals are much easier to tolerate such procedures, and the recovery process is faster. The risk of breast tumors, which increases with each subsequent estrus, is also minimal.
There are practically no age restrictions for such an operation as cat sterilization. When it is best to do it, it is decided as necessary. Even an old animal will not have negative consequences if it is completely healthy. In any case, at the time of the operation, appropriate examinations are carried out and analyzes are done in order to determine the general health status of the pet.
Some veterinarians claim that the time of sterilization of a cat does not matter at all for further development. And the kittens are operated even at the age of 2 months. But this opinion is not very supported by most of their colleagues, who believe that surgery at such an early age can lead to impaired development of internal organs.
Preparation for surgery
In order to make the cat easier to tolerate anesthesia, it should not be fed before surgery. The last portion of food is given in at least 12 hours. Anti-flea treatment is required. So that the cat could not further damage the seam, its claws must be cut in advance with a special clipper. An animal is transported, as a rule, in a carrying bag; you can use a bag made of thick material or a backpack for this purpose. If the distance to the clinic is small, it is better to walk. In order to prevent stress and panic behavior of a cat, it should be reassured with gentle words and stroking on the road.
Of course, it is much easier to undergo surgery in the native walls, therefore, cats have been often sterilized at home recently.
What to do after cat sterilization
In the first days after surgery, the cat is in dire need of care. At home, you need to prepare the box in advance by putting warm litter in it and placing it near the battery or heater. The animal may experience severe chills during the period when anesthesia will go away. After sterilization, the cats sleep for the first day almost all the time, therefore it is advisable to observe peace and quiet in the house, and monitor the animal’s breathing. The condition of the seams must be checked daily, treating with hydrogen peroxide and brilliant green. If their redness appears, the swelling or well-being of the animal worsens, you should immediately consult a doctor.
Typically, a cat does not eat after sterilization. On the first day she is drunk with water or milk from a syringe, and after a day she drinks herself. Appetite appears gradually. After 3-4 days, the cat is already beginning to behave more actively, but excessive mobility should be limited for now. After a week, the sutures are removed, and very soon the animal completely recovers.
Possible complications
If the operation is performed in the clinic by an experienced professional, then any inflammatory processes are practically excluded. If an animal aged or having chronic heart disease is subjected to sterilization, then it is preliminarily examined by a cardiologist.
Some animals have an acute reaction to anesthesia, which cannot be predicted in advance. More often this occurs in animals with allergies. Therefore, with such an operation as cat sterilization, an individual selection of drugs is performed for such patients.
Obesity after surgery
It is believed that after sterilization, the cat will certainly begin to gain weight. This is not entirely true. The operation alone cannot cause obesity, it appears due to a slowdown in metabolism and changes in hormonal levels, as a result of which the cat becomes calmer and needs less food. Therefore, if you change the diet, reducing the amount of feed by 15-20%, and play more with the pet, providing regular exercise, then the problem of excess weight is unlikely to arise.
All this will take some time, so you need to take into account your capabilities, responsibly approaching such a question as cat sterilization. The pros and cons of this procedure should be considered by each owner of the animal before heading to the veterinary clinic. Indeed, obesity is also a kind of disease, despite the fact that the appearance of well-fed cats is very touching. When there is no excess weight, the animal retains hunting instincts and the previous level of activity.
Sterilized cat food
The diet is compiled immediately after the operation. It can consist of ready-made feed for industrial production or homemade natural food. Mixing these two types of food is undesirable.
When feeding a cat with natural food, preference is given to lean meat, offal, milk porridge. Sour-milk products (cottage cheese, kefir) are recommended. You can not feed a sterilized cat with fish, because it contains a lot of magnesium, an excess of which leads to the formation of salt stones.
Industrial feed manufacturers offer a wide variety of specialty products for sterilized cats. From all the variety it is better to choose premium or super premium feed. They are made from selected products, well-balanced, safe and widely recommended by specialists after such an operation as sterilization of cats. Reviews of feed in this class are mostly positive.
The combination of a balanced diet and health control of his furry pet guarantee him a long and happy life.
Now you know everything about such an operation as cat sterilization: when is it best to do, how is it carried out and what are its results. So the choice is now yours.