Cat and dog neutering: when to neuter and how is the operation performed?

If a cat or dog is not involved in breeding, its desire to reproduce only makes life more difficult for both the animal and its guardian. Fortunately, this can be avoided by a simple and safe procedure - cat and dog neutering.

How does a cat or dog behave during puberty?

At about 7 months of age, animals begin puberty, meaning that hormones begin to be actively produced. As a result, the animal's behavior changes:

• A cat meows loudly and long, and a dog howls.
• The pet can become aggressive.
• The animal marks in different places in the house.
• There is an urge to damage furniture, shoes, or wallpaper.
• There are fights with other males, which sometimes end in serious injuries or even death.

After castration, the above negative factors will disappear because the production of sex hormones will stop. The pet will become more balanced and docile, and will stop leaving marks. In addition, the risk of developing sex hormone-related cancers, such as prostate adenoma, will decrease.

Neutering a cat or dog is a way to extend the pet's life: neutered animals live about 1.5-2 years longer than those who have not been operated on.

At what age should a cat or dog be neutered?

It is better to neuter a cat at the age of 7-9 months. Castration of a dog is indicated at 7 months if it is a small breed, and at 1 year or 1.5 years if you have a large breed male.

But castration of cats and dogs can be performed at a later age. The main thing is to take into account the animal's health condition, i.e., it will first need to undergo diagnostics, including clinical and biochemical blood tests, as well as an ultrasound of the heart.

How is a cat or dog castrated?

If the cat or dog is not cryptorchid, i.e. both testes are located in the scrotum, a small incision is made on the skin in this area. The vessel is tied off, and the spermatic cord and testes are removed. The process takes about 10 minutes.

If we are talking about a cryptorchid, that is, a male in whom one or both testicles have not descended into the scrotum, depending on their location, 2 options are possible:

1. Laparoscopy - surgery through a couple of tiny punctures.
2. Percutaneous surgery - a small incision in the abdominal cavity.

In this case, the procedure lasts about half an hour. Beforehand, an ultrasound of the pelvic organs is required to understand where the sperm is located. Cat and dog castration is always performed under general anesthesia.