How many months can a cat be neutered?

When a small kitten appears in the house, it very quickly gains the love of all household members without exception. Everyone wants to play with him, feed him. His habits cause emotion among family members. But seals grow and mature very quickly. Soon they turn into adult pets. With the onset of puberty, the hosts experience problems.

The cat begins to mark its territory in accordance with its instincts. As a result, the apartment quickly acquires a specific smell. In addition, before the spring thaw begins, the happy owners will have to listen to the loud cries of the animal. The cat begins to run away for a long time. During this period, cat owners think about when to castrate their beloved pet, and whether to do it at all. Before you talk about a suitable age for castration, you should decide whether you will take this step. To make a decision, consider the positive and negative points.

"Pros and cons"

Regarding castration, each experienced owner has an opinion. Cats live with people for a long time. During this time, many legends and opinions have developed. Some consider this business useless. Others are sure that this is a cruel mockery of a pet. For those who have not yet decided whether to carry out this operation to their cat, it will be useful to find out the positive and negative sides of the procedure.

Naturally, castration will save you from many problems. But in return, new ones may appear that will have to be eliminated. Here are the main benefits of the procedure.

1. Performing this operation will increase the life span of the animal. This is not a legend, but a scientific fact. The cat will then live up to two years longer.
2. After castration, the animal will become less aggressive. It will not scream all night long, it will become calmer. The cat will give in to education and training more.
3. Another important advantage of castration is the absence of an unpleasant odor. The cat will not mark the territory, and you do not have to launder and wash all the property in the apartment.
4. After this operation, the cat will not suffer from many diseases related to the reproductive system, which can develop with age.

Consider also the main disadvantages of castration. Most of them are due to the fact that the animal was castrated at the wrong age. It is important to remember that the earlier the operation is performed, the less likely it is that complications will occur after this.

Here are the main disadvantages:

1. Such an operation, like any other, involves the use of anesthesia. The older the cat that will be neutered, the higher the likelihood that anesthesia will cause complications.
2. In addition, any operation, including castration, can lead to a number of other complications. These can be problems such as bleeding, the development of infection. The stitch may open in the animal. To reduce the risk, you need to seriously approach the choice of surgeon. It is also very important that the cat is completely healthy before surgery. After castration, the animal must be properly cared for. In this case, the age of the animal also plays a rather large role. The older the cat, the greater the risk of complications.
3. Castration of a cat in the long run increases the risk of developing stones in the animal’s bladder. But this can be prevented. For this, it is important to ensure that the animal consumes a lot of water. The diet of such a cat should also be special.

Stereotypes

Many owners want to castrate the cat, as they cannot wait to get rid of the problems associated with sexual hunting. But they are often disturbed by various legends and stereotypes that have accumulated over a long time among cat lovers.One of these legends suggests that cats gain weight after surgery, become lazy and lethargic. But to prevent this, it is enough to provide the pet with a special diet. This will not only protect him from obesity, but also prevent many diseases. Here, the cat’s activity is often confused with its aggressive behavior, which begins as a result of hormonal changes. In fact, the pet will be just as active, curious and cheerful. It does not depend on the age at which the operation was performed.

Many miss the ideal age of the cat, suitable for castration. This is due to the fact that the owners pull with a trip to the veterinarian because of pity. Owners attribute human feelings to pets. They are sure that the pet is very upset that he cannot have his offspring. But no matter how cute they are, human feelings are alien to them. Instinct wakes up only under the influence of changes in certain hormones, which occurs only at a certain time. The operation involves the removal of the gland that produces these hormones. Therefore, at any age, the animal loses the desire to reproduce. But owners who plan to castrate their cat, it is important to remember that before the operation, the pet should not be reduced to a cat. He can remember that. And since insignificant fluctuations in hormone levels will still occur in the animal’s body, sexual hunting may periodically occur. The risk of such a phenomenon increases if an operation is performed on a two-year-old or older cat.

Optimal age

If you, knowing about all the advantages and disadvantages of castration, nevertheless decided to subject the pet to this test, you can talk about age. Veterinarians agree that it is best to castrate a cat before he turns one year old. An ideal age for this is considered to be 7-9 months. The animal is at a stage when puberty has already begun to develop, but has not yet been completed. The fact is that if an operation is performed after the maturation process is completed, then hormones will also be produced in the pituitary gland. If you remove the gland in time, then the signal will not come into the pituitary gland. Consequently, very few hormones will be produced. This is a very important point that must be considered when choosing an age.

If the cat is under seven months old, then it is better not to castrate. It can cause complications in a kitten. He may develop a urethral stricture. Kittens have a very narrow urinary canal. Therefore, adhesions may appear due to inflammation. Inflammation usually always accompanies castration. This does not depend on the age at which the cat was operated on. Therefore, if you contact your veterinarian with such a question, he will answer you that you cannot castrate a kitten who is under 7 months old.

Maximum age

Is it possible to castrate a mature adult cat? Experts say that until the age of seven this will not do any harm to the cat. If you do this later, then it is likely that the animal will not tolerate anesthesia. In addition, the risk of serious complications increases, which can threaten not only the health, but also the life of the pet. The cat is considered fully adult when it reaches the age of two. At this age, the animal reaches full maturity. Most likely, the cat at this age has already managed to communicate with many cats.

What reasons can force the owners to do this operation to a cat who has already matured? Maybe this happened out of ignorance. They wanted to castrate, but thought it was too early for that. Perhaps they were simply afraid and did not want to offend the pet. But often the desire to have a calm pet that does not leave an unbearable smell everywhere prevails over pity. The owners are very annoyed by the cries of the animal.Therefore, the decision on castration can be made not only by the owners of the small cat, but also by an adult.

After reaching the age of two, the operation is quite possible. But it’s important to remember that the more you drag out, the more you risk harming the animal. A young cat’s body will endure such stress much easier. The older the cat, the worse it will be affected by anesthesia. Rehabilitation in an adult animal will take longer.

An adult cat after surgery will not get rid of all its unpleasant habits. He will retain his aggressiveness. Many will continue to mark territory. If he had contact with a cat, he will show a desire to do it again. That is why it is so important to do the operation in a timely manner.

Video: at what age to castrate a cat?