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The new Cat Act means all cats must be desexed, microchipped and
registered with the local council by Nov 1 2013. Click here for further information and for link to legislation
What is Sterilization?
It is the surgical procedure carried out on male (=castration) and
female (=spaying) pets which involves removing their reproductive organs to make them better pets.
Why Sterilize?
Castrated cats will have smaller territories and so will fight less and they will lose the objectionable tom-cat odour to their urine.
Spaying females eliminates the burden of locking up females in season and of finding homes for unwanted kittens. It will eliminate the
health risk to your pet of pregnancy, queening or post-natal complications. Health benefits of spaying are numerous including eliminating the possibility of potentially fatal uterine infections and greatly reducing
the risk of mammary cancer.
Lastly, there is the legal implications of owning an undesexed cat.
Are There Any Disadvantages?
There are no major disadvantages to sterilizing your cat. Points worth noting are:
- In both males and females there will be a reduction in metabolic rate which simply means reducing the food intake after sterilizing
by 10% to avoid any weight gain.
Some Common Fallacies
- "Their temperament will not be the same after sterilising ."–
Wrong. There is no change to their personality after sterilising. You will still have the same pet you have grown to love. In fact, with males, you may have a temperament change if you don’t sterilise as the male hormones start taking over their brain!
- "They need to mate or have a litter for their own benefit ."– Wrong. There is no advantage to your pet in
breeding. In fact there may be considerable risks to your pet’s health. And in some cases your pet’s behaviour may deteriorate after breeding. Females can become grumpy after a litter and males can get
frustrated and troublesome if denied access to a female they detect in season.
- "They Get Fat and Lazy After Sterilising."– Not necessarily so. Providing you reduce their food intake after
sterilising, there is no reason they should become overweight.
What Does the Operation Involve?
The surgery is conducted on an outpatient basis on weekdays, with your pet arriving in the morning (after
being fasted over-night) and generally being discharged that same evening. In all cases your pet is administered a general anaesthetic and operated on using autoclaved instruments. Your pet will be a little groggy
from the anaesthetic for the first 24 hours, after which you need to keep them quiet and exercise restricted till the wound is healed 10 days later.
- Castration
= surgical removal of both testicles. Vasectomy is of little benefit as the source of testosterone is still present.
- Spaying = surgical removal of both the ovaries and uterus via a laparotomy (=ovariohysterectomy).
If you have any further queries, or wish to book in an appointment to sterilising your pet (2 or 3 days
notice is usually ample), don’t hesitate to call us.
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