All about sterilization in cats

Author: Veterinary Doctor Alexandra Craciun

Because sterilization in cats is important

The surgery for sterilization in cats is recommended both in females and males, first of all to avoid hot periods, unwanted supports, gestations and all the less pleasant events relating to this phenomenon.

There is also a very important medical motivation that supports the choice of this intervention. The sterilization in cats, especially if it is performed at a young age, prevents the appearance of complications at the parental level. These complications are manifested by uterine collections (piometrium), cancerous neoformations in the ovaries and uterus, uterine fibroids, breast cancer, prostate hyperplasia (cystic or cancer), testicular carcinoma, etc.

Many owners avoid sterilizing their animal for fear of obesity that appears after the intervention. It is known that this phenomenon is limited if sterilization is performed in advance (until the age of 1 year). It is also a phenomenon that can be easily under control. It is only necessary that the quadruped is offered a controlled diet.

What side effects can sterilize in cats

The side effects of sterilization are very few and rare. They seem because the elimination of the ovaries from the body is lost the effect of estrogen hormones, respectively testosterone after the resection of the testicles, which, apart from sexual involvement, have other roles in the body. On a metabolic level he participates in the intensification of burns, in the blood vessels causes vasodilation, at the muscle level intensifies the activity of the muscles. Obesity is the most common side effect of sterilization. As I said, this is a phenomenon that can be avoided or reversible. Another phenomenon that can occur, very rarely, is urinary incontinence in females. This is due to the loss of the tone of the sphincter of the bladder. As a result, during sleep when the body is relaxed, urine losses occur uncontrolled.

There are situations in which although the animal has been sterilized, we can see that from time to time it can have heat events. There are other estrogen, progesterone and testosterone that produce organs in the body. In some individuals this production is slightly intensified after sterilization so that these events can sometimes occur.

When recommending sterilization in cats

If the cat has already entered the heat period, sterilization can be performed 7-10 days after sending the specific signs of the heat period.

The hormonal drugs that are administered in order to prevent heat periods from being completely contraindicated or to avoid gestation installation after unwanted support. These drugs unbalance the natural hormones of the body by changing the relationships between them. Consequently, sometimes very serious adverse effects appear as aseptic or septic uterine collections, hyperplasia of the breast gland, gestations or false lactations.

In females, sterilization is recommended at 5-6 months, before entering the heat, because this is how the possibilities of breast cancer are reduced up to 80%. For males it is advisable to wait until the age of 12-18 months to be completely developed the muscles of the urethra and the skeleton. As a species, they are prone to urinary lithiasis and if the urethra and ureters have not developed enough, then the risk of blocking urination calculations is higher.

Preparation of the patient for sterilization: medical supervision and analysis

The sterilization of the cat is a common surgical procedure. It implies the surgical opening of the abdomen in females and the engraving of the skin in the testicles for extraction, in males. Regardless of sex, this procedure is performed under general anesthesia.

For the safety of the entire operation, each animal is consulted before being scheduled for such an intervention and assessed from the point of view of the functionality of the organs and the general state. This is done through different procedures from the simplest to the more complex ones, depending on the peculiarities of each patient and the doctor’s recommendation who will guide the entire operation. It starts with the execution of a series of blood tests: emogram that attests to possible changes between blood and biochemical cells that attest to the functionality of the organs and the dosage of the electrolytes. Blood exams are also necessary to choose the most appropriate anesthesia method. If these blood tests are modified, the doctor may recommend further investigations: ultrasound abdominals, ECG examination and cardiac monitoring, radiological exams, etc.

It is good to know that the performance of these investigations does not guarantee that unexpected situations cannot occur during anesthesia or intervention. They only reduce the risk and help us detect from the beginning some hidden conditions that the patient can suffer without showing clinical signs.

Surgical procedure in the female

The surgical procedure for sterilization to cat women involves the incision of the abdominal wall to allow access inside. After exposing the organs inside the abdomen, the uterine body and the two ovaries are isolated. There are different variants of the procedure itself

• Ovariectomy – which involves the application of suture points above and under the ovary for the hemostasis and excision of the ovary
• The ovariohysterectomy-Instead that place bindings over the ovaries for their detachment, positioning hemostatic ligaments at the level of ligaments that support the uterus and another binding at the level of the cervix in which the second excision is practiced, thus allowing the complete isolation of the entire genital route to the ovisto.

Fabric

After completing the surgical procedure, the suture of the abdomen’s muscles is practiced. This is done with a type of suture called Resorbable. From one boy to another, these threads are taking back in a few months. Sometimes, if the patient suffers after some of another surgical surgery of the abdomen, after a few years some suture wires that have not undergone the reabsorption process can be observed. But these threads do not create deficiencies, they do not cause refusal reactions, they are harmless.

Different types of shots can be applied to the skin. Both with non-absorbable threads or surgical staples and these shots are eliminated within 7-10 days of the application, and bears with resorbable threads, intradermally applied and which are reabsorbed within a few weeks. The intradermal sutures are as resistant as classic as long as the animal does not lick and does not try to eliminate them with the tongue.

The surgical procedure for the male

The surgical procedure in the male is simpler. This implies the engraving of the skin of the scrotum in the medial plane, the outsourcing of the two testicles at the level of this incision, the positioning of the hemostatic ligatures in the testicular ropes through the transfixed procedure and the excision of the two glands. They do not need suture wires, the surgical wound heals alone in a few days, provided that the patient does not lick in the surgical area.

Recovery period for cats sterilization

After surgery, your animal will be monitored permanently until the anesthesia is awakened. In the case of quickly reversible anesthesia (so called «antidote anesthesia») this is done quite quickly. But this type of anesthesia is not advisable in the case of these interventions because they also involve the loss of analgesia offered by their respective drugs.

It is possible that in the first 24 hours after the intervention, the animal will have 1-3 access of vomiting, especially if the intervention did not do after a total diet of at least 12 hours. The patient will receive drugs with analgesics and antibiotics. If the case could be, the doctor will decide if a treatment is needed in the next few hours after the intervention. Normally the animal resumes appetite, normal rhythm and habits after 48-72 hours after surgery. Obviously the males faster than females, in their case, the intervention is not traumatic from the simple fact that it takes place outside the abdomen.

We recommend that the patient wears a collar or a protective shirt 7-10 days after the intervention. This is important to prevent access to the operational wound and complication or even its opening.

Have you sterilized your pet? What do you think of sterilization in cats?