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Old October 13th, 2005, 09:14 PM
mu99le mu99le is offline
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Exclamation Neutering adult cat--how to avoid possible risks?

Hello all,

I'd like to have as many information as possible about the possible risks of neutering adult cat (i.e. over 4 yrs old) and how to avoid it. There are too little information on the internet about this--most sites only talk about the benefits of neutering cats at early age. I know that the risk of neutering is very low, but anything can happen and we want to make sure our cat won't be among the 1 out of 250,000 who can't survive castration surgery. thanks very much
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  #2  
Old October 13th, 2005, 09:31 PM
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StaceyB StaceyB is offline
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Spay/neuter is probably the most common surgeries performed by vets. There are very few risks to worry about and the benefits of the surgery strongly out weigh those risks. I don't believe that you personally can do anything to avoid any possible risks besides making sure the area stays clean and the cat can't reach the area to lick or scratch at it. You may want to talk with your vet to discuss your fears. There are more serious risks to not having the surgery.
I believe the only risks would be the anesthetic or infection.

Last edited by StaceyB; October 13th, 2005 at 09:37 PM.
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  #3  
Old October 13th, 2005, 09:57 PM
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CyberKitten CyberKitten is offline
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I agree with Stacy. The main risk is anesthesia but male cats expecially need to have so little of medication (since it is not as long procedure for males). Tell the vet any previous heslth concerns your kitty might have had.

The other risk is infection but the vast majority of vets will send you home with a course of antibiotics and the number of cats who contract any disease from neutering is miniscule. Bleeding is also a possibility - as is the case in any surgery - but this is really minor surgery and any bleeding, like infection - can be cleared up quickly and treated proactively.

This is prob the most common surgeries vets do so almost any vet (except those who do not do the surgery and there are some who specialize in other areas) will have the requisite volume to have aquired good experience in the procedure.

I myself stayed with my YY when she was being spayed because I was worried even tho I knew it was exceedingly safe surgery. I was very impressed with my vet and with the level of competence vets have in general. The vast majority of vets have as much and in some cases better setups that some human surgeons. Indeed, some hospitals tru to sell old equipment to vetinary hospitals (like MRI machines for ex) only to discover they already own the new model, lol

I am sure your kitty will be fine!!!!
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  #4  
Old October 13th, 2005, 10:16 PM
mesaana mesaana is offline
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Hello Mu99le

You cannot avoid all risks in any surgery (for humans or animals). Idiosyncratic reactions are always possible. However, as others have said, castration of a male cat is a very low risk procedure. It's fast, so the anesthetic time is reduced and the wound usually hardly bleeds at all. You can talk with your vet about doing a blood test to check on kidney and liver function before surgery: both can influence the metabolism of the anesthetic drugs. Again, this will not eliminate all risks but can detect some problems.

Good luck with your kitty!

Lyne
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Old October 13th, 2005, 10:18 PM
mu99le mu99le is offline
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hello all, thanks for your replies.

my cat is a stray...he's been on the street for years so we dunno what kind of diseases he might have. he seems healthy apart from the eye infection he had these past few days, but he drinks quite a lot (i heard that healthy cats don't drink a lot...is it true?) and sometimes meow when he pees (does that signals pain? not sure...). that's why i'm afraid there might be underlying problem. i live in Indonesia and the veterinary science here is not as advanced as in the Western countries so i want to gain info as many as possible beforehand. BTW...how to avoid the risk caused by anesthesia? i heard that kittens recover easier from anesthesia than older cats. is there anything vets can do to avoid anesthetic risk in older cats? sorry for the many questions.

Last edited by mu99le; October 13th, 2005 at 10:26 PM.
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  #6  
Old October 13th, 2005, 10:21 PM
mu99le mu99le is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by mesaana
Hello Mu99le

You cannot avoid all risks in any surgery (for humans or animals). Idiosyncratic reactions are always possible. However, as others have said, castration of a male cat is a very low risk procedure. It's fast, so the anesthetic time is reduced and the wound usually hardly bleeds at all. You can talk with your vet about doing a blood test to check on kidney and liver function before surgery: both can influence the metabolism of the anesthetic drugs. Again, this will not eliminate all risks but can detect some problems.

Good luck with your kitty!

Lyne
thanks mesaana for the tips.
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