Wow—your kitten is already approaching puberty! Can you believe it? That means it’s time to talk to your VCA care team about the best time to get them spayed.
When a cat gets “spayed,” they have a surgical procedure known as an ovariohysterectomy, which is removal of the ovaries and uterus.
Cats have two ovaries, which produce eggs for fertilization. The uterus of cats is a Y-shaped organ designed to carry litters of kittens.
We recommend that all non-breeding cats get spayed. Spaying your kitten has several major benefits, including:
- Spaying eliminates the risk of ovarian and uterine cancer.
- The risk of mammary (breast) cancer, the most common cancer diagnosed in unspayed females, can be reduced to under half of 1% (0.5%) if the cat is spayed before her first heat cycle.
- Unspayed cats run the risk of developing pyometra, a uterine infection that is fatal without surgery.
- Spaying eliminates the risk of unplanned pregnancies.
- Spaying reduces the undesirable behaviors associated with a cat in heat, including loud yowling, rolling on the floor and marking outside the litter box.
Generally, veterinarians recommend spaying your cat at around 5 to 6 months of age, though your VCA care team will consider what’s best for your individual pet when determining the best time to spay your cat. Occasionally, cats enter their first heat cycle as early as 4 months, but most of the time, it happens between 5 and 7 months. Unspayed females usually go into heat cycles every 2 to 3 weeks for most of the year, which means a lot of late-night yowling in your home until she’s altered.
A spay surgery is a major abdominal surgical procedure and requires that your kitten be put under general anesthesia. Because your cat will be anesthetized for the procedure, your veterinarian will recommend fasting the cat the night before surgery.
If they eat the morning of surgery, they run the risk of vomiting while unconscious, which could lead them to inhale vomited material, causing potentially life-threatening pneumonia.
Usually, you’ll notice one small incision on the midline of the underbelly, just behind the umbilicus (belly button). The ovaries and uterus will be removed through one incision. Some cats may go home with absorbable sutures under the skin while others may have skin sutures that need to be removed. Your VCA care team will tell you when to come back for suture removal (usually around 10 days).
Most spay surgeries are routine and go without a hitch. However, with any surgical procedure, there is a risk of complications. Prior to the surgery, the veterinary team should discuss potential complications with you, such as bleeding, infection or anesthetic reactions.
Your cat will usually go home within 24 hours of the surgery, and often don’t need an overnight stay at all. Your veterinarian will send instructions on:
- Use of an e-collar (cone-shaped collar that prevents them from licking their incision)
- How to administer pain medications
- How to monitor the incision
- Follow-up appointments, if needed
- Restrictions on outdoor activity
- Avoiding bathing or getting the incision wet
One thing to note is that spayed cats are at an increased risk of obesity, so make sure to check your cat’s body condition regularly and adjust feeding amounts when needed. Your VCA care team will help you determine how much to feed if needed.
If you have a breeding cat, speak with your VCA care team about caring for pregnant cats and newborn kittens to ensure you’re prepared!
A CareClub® membership for your kitten includes their annual exams, rechecks and sick appointments1 along with the vaccines and yearly preventive services2 your pet needs to support their best health. We even have optional add-on services like spay and a dental cleaning.
Enroll Your Kitten Today.
CareClub Memberships are preventive pet health care plans and not pet insurance. CareClub Membership covers only the selected health care services and products which are specifically identified in the applicable CareClub Membership agreement.
1. Unlimited exams are any exams during regular business hours, excluding specialty, emergency, telemedicine or urgent care exams.
2. Vaccines may include rabies, feline distemper (Panleukopenia), feline respiratory virus (Rhino, Calici) and feline leukemia (FeLV). Lab work checks for issues like diabetes, liver and kidney disease, parasites and general infections.
