Why you need to desex your cat

Springtime is often associated with new life, and unfortunately for vet clinics, pounds and animal rescue groups, it means an influx of kittens. This time period is often referred to as “kitten season”. 

What is “kitten season”?

Unlike dogs, cats are seasonal breeders which means they have a short period of breeding time when the weather is warm. 

The issue is that cats will continue to breed within this period. 

Cats have continuous breeding cycles which repeat every 3 weeks until the cat has mated or breeding season has finished.  

When it is breeding season, you may notice your un-desexed female cats are very vocal, will roll around acting strangely and will try and get outside to where the male cats are.

Male cats that are let outside will become territorial and start fighting. Injuries can be severe and can lead to infections and abscesses. 

If you let your un-desexed female cat out for even just a small toilet break, there is a high chance she will come into contact with a male cat, mate and become pregnant.

“Kitten season” is the name given to this period of high fertility when thousands of kittens are born. Most of them are complete surprises and often unwanted, leaving it up to vets, pounds and rescue groups to find homes for them.

In order to protect them against injuries or unwanted pregnancies, you should get your cats desexed.

What does cat desexing involve?

As veterinary surgery goes, desexing a cat is a simple and straightforward procedure. 

For male cats, two small incisions are made in their scrotum, through which their testes are removed. More often than not the incisions don't even need stitching afterwards. 

Female cats receive a small incision in their abdomen or flank, through which both their ovaries and uterus are removed.

Why you should consider desexing your cat

Normally it's recommended that your cat is desexed when they are around six months of age, as this will halt any unwanted behaviour such as urine spraying and or wandering.

In the case of male cats, it is well known that their territories extend well past your property, which means that if they wander, they can get into fights with other cats, or risk dog bites and even worse. 

Bite wounds can also infect them with the feline immunodeficiency virus, which will impact their health if left unnoticed and untreated.

 Desexing your female cat protects her from mammary gland cancer and unexpected pregnancies. 

 Considering that a female cat can go through puberty after only five months, and can become pregnant within a week of giving birth, desexing can be an easy and effective method to avoid a house full of kittens that have to be microchipped, vaccinated and fed.

Care after cat desexing procedure

Male cats recover very quickly from the procedure and can be expected to be back to their usual self in a day or two. 

Female cats need to be kept quiet and have their activity limited as their surgery has been more intrusive. 

Try to also prevent grooming by them or any other furry friends as this can disrupt the healing process. If you notice the stitches area is red or swollen, contact the vet.

If you want to learn more about cat desexing in Melbourne, please contact us.