Siberian cat: when to sterilize it?

2023 Author: Alex Livingston | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-11-26 11:39

The neutering of the male cat and the sterilization of the female cat are operations that many experts suggest to carry out when the animals are still small, to avoid a whole series of problems, including physical ones. Let's analyze in this article the particular example of the Siberian Cat and let's see together when It is the case of sterilize it.

Until a few years ago it was common opinion that any sterilization procedure carried out before 6 months of life of the animal could have caused problems for the kitten's growth, as well as upset its character forever.

In reality, this opinion is now largely superseded, especially in the scientific field: recently it has been proven by feline medicine specialists that already operate around 3-4 months of age and at least 1 kg of weight (sterilization early) has several advantages.

The intervention in this case is in fact faster and forces to administer a smaller amount of anesthetic, resulting less prone to complications; the post-operative recovery of the animal lasts less and is more comfortable, because as a child it responds more easily to painkillers.

In the case of the cats it is then easier locate and remove the ovaries because the abdomen is smaller and has less fat mass than larger kittens; slightly different is the case of the males, for which it is necessary to proceed with greater delicacy due to the particular fragility of some draining vessels.

The only risk that this procedure entails is that of putting the kitten at risk of hypothermia and hypoglycemia during the surgery, but it is overcome through a series of precautionary measures (monitoring the level of glycaemia in the blood, regulating the temperature of the room, eat the animal a few hours before the operation, use a heated, non-metallic operating table).

If in some countries early spay / neuter has become a standard, the argument continues to discuss and there are still many vets who advise kitten owners to wait until at least the old standard of 6 months.

In any case, we remind you that castration / sterilization results in the following benefits:

• Eliminates the sexual desire of the animal, depriving the male of the instinct to go around looking for a mate and compete with rivals; in general he will be less wandering and quarrelsome;
• Reduces the occurrence of other unpleasant habits of cats in heat, such as the tendency to urinate outside the litter box and meow insistently;
• Reduces the onset of cysts and tumors of the ovaries and mammary glands in females;
• It helps to contain the phenomenon of unwanted litters, which often tends to feed stray dogs.