Spay and Neuter


Gemma became pregnant at 4 months old. The vet was worried and on call, Gemma was terrified when the birthing began, and I was a complete bundle of nerves and worry. I had planned on taking her in for spaying at 6 months. She had an infected mammary gland and so the pregnancy could not be terminated without significant risk to her.   She successfully gave birth to two healthy kittens and she has grown up to be a healthy happy cat.

Cats reproductive systems develop early. For females, there are cases, (see Gemma above as an example), where they can become pregnant as early as 4 months old. Usually pregnancy happens at 6 months, but it can happen. Litters can be up to 6 kittens, and cats can get pregnant up to 5 times a year – do the math – in a year’s time you can easily be overwhelmed by cats.

For un-neutered males, the marking of territory with urine, the fighting and the howling can start as early as 6 months old.

The facts above are very compelling arguments for spaying and neutering your pet. The world is a very dangerous place for young cats dealing with hormones. The young males fighting bigger cats can get seriously injured. The young females are being constantly stalked by Toms and the risk of giving birth at such a young age is a very real danger. I have had a very young feral momma die giving birth. It is very dangerous for young cats who are not spayed or neutered.

The cost of veterinary care, especially with surgery involved can get astronomical. However, there are low cost Spay & Neuter clinics that are available in most areas. If you are rescuing animals, I highly recommend you look into them. I was able to get two males neutered and one female spayed, all with a full range of vaccinations with a total cost for all 3 at only $260. That is less than what I would have paid at a veterinary clinic for a spay only.

The low cost clinics in my area have wonderful vets working there who are committed to the animals they help. These vets do not have their own private practices, (I know, I asked), they are not in it to get rich. These doctors are involved because they want what we all want, No More Homeless Pets. I applaud their dedication, caring and skill.

Below are two low cost Spay & Neuter clinics in my area (Fort Worth, Texas) that I recommend:

TCAP

TPC

23 Comments

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *