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Cat Spaying & Neutering

Did you know that we have performed over 7,000 spays and neuters?

That’s a pretty remarkable feat!  We are proud of the experience and expertise we bring to these procedures.

Since 2012, the dedicated and compassionate veterinary team at Metropolitan Veterinary Center have successfully performed surgery on  male and female cats of all breeds and ages. We have also helped educate cat owners throughout IL about spay and neuter procedures. These include when to spay or neuter a cat, what to expect during and after surgery, and why cat spaying and cat neutering is essential to helping control the pet population problem in the state of IL.

We strongly believe that responsible cat ownership is synonymous with spay and neuter procedures. Therefore we have compiled some of the most frequently asked questions here to help you learn more about this important service.

Why Should You Spay Or Neuter Your Cat?

There are many valid reasons to spay or neuter your cat. According to AmericanHumane.org approximately 3.7 million animals are euthanized at shelters annually because there just are not enough willing and able adopters for them. Spay and neuter procedures ensure that you are not adding to this number, and that no offspring your cat has ends up a fatal statistic.

To support this unpleasant reality, consider the fact that, according to Feral Cat Project, a non-spayed female cat can be responsible for producing up to 100 other cats throughout her lifetime, including the litters of kittens her un-spayed kittens will eventually go on to have. This incredible number can be prevented though, simply by caring enough to spay or neuter your cat.

When Should You Spay or Neuter Your Cat?

We recommend spaying and neutering between 4-6 months of age. In some cases, male cats can become sexually mature before 6 months of age, which means waiting to neuter a cat can cause accidental pregnancy. Also, kittens tend to be more resilient to minor surgical procedures than adult cats. Therefore, undertaking cat neutering surgery sooner rather than later helps ensure minimized risk and quicker recovery time. If you are not sure when to neuter a cat, please consult the veterinarian at your next visit.

How are We Different from Cheaper Options?

Other than our experience, there are numerous ways!  When you are calling to price compare, it is VERY important to know what pricing does and does not include.  We have adjusted our pricing to make it affordable for you while providing the best care for your pet.

At Metropolitan Veterinary Center:

  • Every cat spay or cat neuter patient has a personalized anesthetic plan
  • Every cat spay or cat neuter patient has a dedicated anesthetic technician to monitor them during the entire procedure.
  • Each cat spay or cat neuter patient has preanesthetic blood work, an IV catheter, IV fluids and a new sterile endotracheal tube that secures a patent airway. We never reuse our endotracheal tubes between patients.
  • We treat each cat spay or cat neuter as a sterile procedure. This means, we use new sterile gloves, a new sterile gown and sterile instruments. We use a cutting edge pre-surgical sterile scrub/prep for our patients.  Every cat spay is performed in our surgical suite and there is only one pet procedure at a time. Period.
  • After the surgery your pet will have a warming blanket, pain medication and an assistant to be with them as they recover from anesthesia.

We go above and beyond to make sure these procedures are as safe as possible. Please call us at (312) 583-1921 for further information.

What Is Spaying A Cat?

Spaying a cat refers to the ovariohysterectomy, or the removal of portions of the reproductive system of a female cat so she cannot get pregnant and give birth to kittens. Cat spaying is a surgical procedure that a veterinary surgeon can properly and safely perform. Spaying a cat is a very routine surgical procedure, and it carries a minimal risk for serious medical complications.

Spaying a cat includes the following procedures:

  • The veterinarians at Metropolitan Veterinary Center will utilize general anesthesia to avoid any discomfort during the procedure
  • The attending staff monitors your cat's breathing and heart rate oxygen levels, blood pressure, plane of anesthesia, and overall health during the anesthetic procedure
  • The surgeon makes a small incision in your cat's abdomen and removes the ovaries, fallopian tubes and uterus
  • The veterinarian can often close the skin incision with tissue glue.  Don't worry, there are layers of suture underneath!

Our Veterinarians will provide post-operative instructions for you to follow. Although spaying a cat could result in some discomfort right after surgery, our veterinarians will take various measures for pain relief

Additional steps taken at home will facilitate a safe and comfortable recovery including:

  • Providing your cat with a quiet place to recover indoors and away from other animals
  • Keep your cat indoors and attempt to limit running and jumping
  • Preventing your cat from licking the incision site, which may cause infection, by monitoring your cat and utilizing an E-collar if licking can not be prevented otherwise
  • Checking the incision site daily to confirm proper healing
  • Looking for any redness, swelling or discharge at the surgery site, or if the incision is open, contacting your veterinarian. Also, calling your veterinarian if your cat is lethargic, has a decreased appetite, is vomiting, and has diarrhea, or if you have any other concerns following surgery

If you are concerned about spaying your cat, we urge you to contact us for help making an informed and responsible decision.

Benefits of Spaying Your Cat:

Female cats should be spayed before they go into heatNumerous studies have proven that spaying a cat before she goes into heat is overwhelmingly advantageous for her long-term health. For example, spaying your cat before her first heat, when she is approximately 6 months of age, decreases her chances of developing mammary tumors by almost 86%! Mammary tumors are one of the most common tumors encountered in non-neutered female cats and most are malignant.  Doesn’t it make sense to prevent these devastating tumors by spaying?

Other Benefits of Spaying Your Cat Include:cat-spay

  1. Eliminates unwanted messy heat cycles and their annoying behavior
  2. Protects your cat against ovarian, uterine and mammary diseases
  3. Eliminates the risk of developing a uterine infection called pyometra
  4. Helps control the pet population by eliminating unwanted pregnancies ~ two cats and their offspring can produce 420,000 cats that need homes and veterinary care.

There is no scientific evidence that your cat will benefit in any way from going through a heat cycle or having a litter of kittens!

The Myths about Spaying Your Cat:

  • It will not make your cat fat – lack of exercise and too much food results in obesity.
  • It does not make your cat “less of a woman” or sad because they never had “children.” We tend to project our feelings about reproduction onto our pets – animals reproduce from instinct, not from emotion.
  • Spaying your cat will not alter your cat’s basic personality, except that sterilized pets tend to be more calm, more focused on you and less likely to roam.
  • Getting your cat spayed, although a major surgery, is the most common surgery performed and usually the recovery time is a couple days to a week.
  • No cat is too old to be spayed and the benefits at ANY age outweigh the risks.

As you now know, spaying your cat is preventive medicine! To help your cat have a long and healthy life, schedule to have her spayed.

Metropolitan Veterinary Center provides the safest anesthetic protocols individualized for each pets specific needs, careful monitoring during the procedure and sterile surgical technique to insure the safety of your pet! You can read about more about the extensive experience of our vets and unique protocols that we employ in all of our spay and neuter services.

We are happy to answer any questions you may have about the procedure and to schedule your appointment:  (312) 583-1921.

What Is Cat Neutering?

Cat neutering refers to the castration, or the removal of the testicles of a male cat so that he cannot impregnate a female cat. Only a veterinary surgeon can properly and safely perform cat neutering surgery.

Cat neutering surgery includes the following procedures:

  • Our veterinarians will use general anesthesia for the procedure to avoid any discomfort felt by the cat
  • The attending staff monitors his breathing and heart rate oxygen levels, blood pressure, plane of anesthesia, and overall health during the anesthetic procedure
  • The surgeon makes a small incision in the front of the scrotum
  • Each testicle is removed and the blood supply and vas deferens (spermatic cord) are tied off
  • Traditionally the skin is left to heal on its own

Your veterinarian will provide postoperative instructions for you to follow.

Although cat neutering could result in some discomfort right after surgery, your veterinarian will take various measures for pain relief. Additional steps taken at home will facilitate a safe and comfortable recovery including:

  • Providing your cat with a quiet place to recover indoors and away from other animals
  • Keep your cat indoors and attempt to limit running and jumping
  • Preventing your cat from licking the incision site, which may cause infection, by monitoring your cat and utilizing an E-collar if licking can not be prevented otherwise
  • Checking the incision site daily to confirm proper healing
  • Looking for any redness, swelling or discharge at the surgery site, or if the incision is open, contacting your veterinarian. Also, calling your veterinarian if your cat is lethargic, has a decreased appetite, is vomiting, and has diarrhea, or if you have any other concerns following surgery

Benefits of Cat Neuter:

Neutering your cat will help to prevent several annoying behavior problems and will reduce his risk of developing many medical complications later in life. Numerous studies have proven neutering your cat is overwhelmingly advantageous for his long-term health. Here is a brief list of likely benefits:

  1. Eliminates spraying to “mark” his territory both outdoors and in your housecat-neuter
  2. Eliminates roaming in search of females
  3. Reduces aggression and fighting hence reducing his chance of injuries and abscesses
  4. Helps control the over population crisis by avoiding unwanted pregnancies ~ two cats and their offspring can produce 420,000 cats that need homes and veterinary care.
  5. Reduces his chance of contracting leukemia, FIV, etc.
  6. Statistics prove the average life span of a neutered cat is double that of a non-neutered cat

The Myths about Neutering Your Cat:

  • It will not make your cat fat – lack of exercise and too much food results in obesity.
  • It does not make your cat “less of a man” or sad because they will never have “children.” We tend to project our feelings about reproduction onto our pets – animals reproduce from instinct, not from emotion.
  • Neutering your cat will not alter your cat’s basic personality, except that sterilized pets tend to be more calm, more focused on you and less likely to roam.
  • Getting your cat neutered, although a major surgery, is the most common surgery performed and usually the recovery time is a couple days to a week.
  • No cat is too old to be neutered and the benefits at ANY age outweigh the risks.

As you now know, cat neutering is preventive medicine! To help your cat have a long and healthy life, schedule to have him neutered.

Metropolitan Veterinary Center provides the safest anesthetic protocols individualized for each pets specific needs, careful monitoring during the procedure and sterile surgical technique to insure the safety of your pet! You can read about more about the extensive experience of our vets and unique protocols that we employ in all of our spay and neuter services.

We are happy to answer any questions you may have about the procedure and to schedule your appointment: (312) 583-1921.

Make Your Appointment To Spay Or Neuter Your Cat Today

Scheduling an appointment with our veterinary team for spay and neuter procedures is as easy as picking up the phone, or sending us an email. Our experienced spay and neuter staff is here to help answer any questions or quell any concerns you might have, as well as to help schedule a surgical appointment for your feline friend at our spay and neuter clinic.

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