Quick answer – It is a day procedure performed under full anaesthetic.
Long answer- The cat is fasted from 8 pm the night before surgery. They can have water until about 7 am on the morning of surgery. You drop her into us the morning when she is booked in for surgery. She will be examined before we begin surgery. The surgery to remove her ovaries and uterus is performed under a full anaesthetic. A tattoo will be placed in one ear to indicate that she is desexed. This is a legislative requirement. Late in the afternoon, providing she is fully awake, she will be sent home. Approximately 10 days after the surgery she will need to return for a recheck and suture removal. There is no charge for this visit.
We strongly recommend that female cats are desexed at 5-6 months of age. If a female cat is in season (ie oestrus) it is still possible to desex her at this time. A cat which is pregnant can be desexed although the risk does increase somewhat. Desexing within the first 3 weeks of pregnancy is the safest time if the cat must be desexed while pregnant.
The cost to desex a cat will be greater if
- she is in oestrus or
- pregnant.
- the owner chooses to have fluids given during surgery (optional)
- the owner chooses to have a pre-anaesthetic blood test (optional)
If a cat has recently had kittens they will need to be weaned about 7-10 days before she is speyed so that her milk has dried up.
