Castration and sterilization
Castration of the tomcat:
Castration means removing the testicles. The testicles don’t only consist the sperm cells but also the male hormones. Those hormones cause tom cat behavior, the typical tomcat smell and also the development of the tomcat type. The first advantage of castration is that the tomcat cannot beget kittens anymore. Often the “ex-tom cat” becomes more domestic and more enjoyable; he tends to run away from home less, to wander less and to fight less, which also reduces the chance on inflammations and fighting abscesses considerably. A tomcat which hasn’t been castrated often urinates in the house and this urine has a typical “tomcat smell”. That smell always disappears after castration, although there isn’t a 100% guarantee that the cat becomes clean. Sometimes a tomcat which hasn’t been castrated isn’t clean as well, but in that case there are more causes than just the sex hormones.
A tomcat can be castrated from 9 months old. Sometimes they are already troublesome at a very young age (urinating in the house etc). Since the health isn’t influenced, the castration can therefore take place at a young age.
The tomcat is put under anaesthetic before the castration starts. After disinfecting the area a little incision is made in the scrotum on both sides, the testicles will be pulled out, tied off and removed. Because of skin contractions the wound edges will come together, the wound isn’t therefore stitched.
Sterilization of the female cat:
It is usually called sterilization although the surgery itself should be called castration. Sterilization only means making infertile, castration means removing the ovaries and that is what happens during the surgery. The female cat’s heat often causes trouble; a female cat on heat can make a lot of noise. After removing the ovaries the female cat has become infertile and she will not be on heat again since the hormone production is lost.
About 10 months old is a good age to have a cat sterilized. If they get on heat young, you can beat the heat by means of a cat’s pill. The heat can also be suppressed on a long term by tablets or an injection. Long-lasting use of hormones has disadvantages and that is why sterilization is a better solution.
The surgery takes place under complete anaesthetic. It concerns a stomach surgery and that is why the surgery is more severe compared to the tomcat’s surgery. A little incision is made in the abdominal wall and the ovaries are placed outside the abdomen, some blood vessels are tied off, the ovaries and sometimes the uterus is removed. Abdominal wall and skin are stitched then. Sometimes the stitches can be placed fully internal, so that external stitches are not necessary.
Tomcat and female cat:
In both cases an appointment must be made for the surgery. The animals must be newborn which means that they may not eat (they are allowed to drink) again 12 hours before surgery. After the surgery the animals stay in the clinic for some hours until they have woken up and are can go home safely. At home, the cat must have a warm, quiet spot to further relax. You’d better keep other animals away from him until he has fully recovered. Until that moment you must also avoid that the cat might for example fall off the stairs. Female cats may not eat on the surgery day. If a tomcat really wants it, he may have a bit of food. If he doesn’t vomit it, he may possibly have more food. As soon as they are able to drink, they may both drink. If a tomcat still doesn’t want to eat 2 days upon the surgery, you must contact the clinic. Keep tomcat and female cat inside at least during 3 days until they are recovered. If a female cat has external stitches, they have to be removed after about 10 days on the surgery hours.
If you aren’t sure that everything is ok after surgery, don’t hesitate to contact the clinic or to see the veterinarian on one of the surgery hours.