Help on spaying information.

byron_57

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My little kitty is slowly growing, and I am glad to say that she is very healthy and very playful. My problem now is, I do not know much about the spaying business. I like to know like what is the best time to spay her. Where do I find a good doctor experience in spaying cats. What should I look for in such doctor. And what can I do to make sure that the procedure is done right.

I live in central Florida. I went to "pets911.com" but the system told me that it could not find any help in my area. I live in Highlands county, Florida.

Hope you guys can help.

 

carolpetunia

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How old is your kitty? Though there is some controversy about this, I think the safest thing is to spay her at or shortly after four months of age. Any later, and you run the risk of her entering heat, and with that comes increased risk of various kinds of illnesses down the line.

As for finding a good vet, I would ask for recommendations from friends you trust, and from no-kill shelters with good reputations. Then go and visit the vets to see what you think of the people and the premises. Ask them to tell you about the procedure, how it's done, and what kind of anesthetic they use. There's a gas that's the same thing doctors use on human children, and my understanding is that it's the safest one for most cats.

Whatever you do, don't scrimp on spaying -- it's major surgery for girl kitties, and it needs to be done by a talented and caring veterinary surgeon. And personally, I won't leave my cats with a vet for any kind of procedure... I stay with them before and after, partly to provide support and partly to make sure the vet and the staff are hyper-vigilant about my cat's care. My feeling is that any vet who refuses to allow this is probably not someone I want to trust with my cat's life.

You might also want to choose a vet who has cats of his own. We've had two primary vets for our kitties, and the first was a very fine doctor and a nice man, but he was fundamentally a dog person. Our new vet is a woman whose greatest personal interest is in cats, and I do feel there's a little bit of a difference, especially for the cats themselves. This "cat lady" is very good at making them feel at ease.

I'm asleep on my feet here, so please forgive my disjointedness -- I'm sure others will be along with better advice. You might PM "StarryEyedTiger" and see what she thinks... she's a vet tech and really knows her stuff.

Good luck!
 

catcaregiver

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You can call Highlands County Animal Control to see if they can help you. 813-655-0743

As CarolPetunia already said, there is some controversy about what age spaying is safe. I believe in early spay/neuter. Here is some information if you're interested.
http://neuterspay.org/early_spay_neuter.htm

What Veterinarian you choose is a personal preference. I have no problem with using the low-cost Mobile Vet. Some people don't like using her services because they think the animals don't get enough care however she is very experienced with spay/neuter and I trust her work. I have a full service Vet for all other care.
 

callista

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Anybody that does a LOT of cat spays is a good idea. That's because they have a lot of experience. Low-cost clinics, for example; vets who do mostly cats; vets who work with feral cat TNR... that kind of thing.
 
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byron_57

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I do not know any one at the moment in this town. And I do not like any of the doctors here. And none of them offer low cost spaying. I can however, travel a few miles for a good doctor in central Florida. I am hoping some of you may know a doctor that perhaps may know some one here in central Florida.

Spaying should be a no-trouble factor. This way many cats will get spayed instead of people not wanting to do it because they can not find a good place.

I still have about four weeks more to find her a good doctor. I do not know how old she is, I can only say that she is about 11" long without her little tail. She is always playing around and does not appears to be any close to being in heat yet.

I hope one of you gets to find some good reference for me here.

Do I need to be scared about spaying my cat? Does any one knows any problems that have occur as a result of such?

Thanks
 

gayef

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As with any surgical procedure, there are risks involved. However, once you find a clinic you like, you will want the Vet to thoroughly explain these risks to you.

As for finding a good clinic, without knowing anyone from which to get a reference, I might think about asking the people you encounter on your daily routines if they have pets and which clinic do they like ... I have found that the check out lady at the grocery store here in my town has been an absolute peach when it comes to referring me to professional types ... she told me about my new doctor, she told me about my new plumber ... so now, if I need to find someone who is good, I ask the grocery store check out Lady!! Maybe you can try that??
 

cococat

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Originally Posted by Byron_57

I still have about four weeks more to find her a good doctor.
I hope one of you gets to find some good reference for me here.
Why the 4 week time frame?

Originally Posted by Byron_57

Do I need to be scared about spaying my cat? Does any one knows any problems that have occur as a result of such?

Thanks
Talk to your vet about the risks of any surgery, as about the age concern. It is routine surgery, but that doesn’t take away from the fact that it is surgery. Every vet clinic seems to handle it a bit differently, some stay overnight, some get meds, some have pre blood work, some use a laser, and other minor differences. We had ours spayed and know that her risk of certain cancer is lower now and no more L-O-U-D super annoying heats. Cats can stay in heat year round. Good luck!
 

callista

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As any vet can tell you, the risks of not being spayed are greater than the risks from the surgery. But you are doing well to inform youself.
 
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byron_57

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Well, I am glad to know I have not found one person that has had any spaying complications.

One of my fears is that my kitty will start peeing in bed after the surgery. But I have not heard of that yet.
 

callista

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Could be a cat who was so lethargic from the anesthesia that she didn't have the energy to get up. But generally they keep them long enough so they can walk around and use the box on their own... though in the case of Daffy, he preferred not to--he wanted me to carry him, the silly guy! He spent the rest of the day, after he was neutered, in my lap. Weird--a lot of cats like to hide when they're not feeling good; but this one wanted to be with me. I guess the more social half of the kitty spectrum may seek you out for comfort after the surgery... if so, for goodness sakes have a lap ready!
 

kalikat

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I had Blossom spayed at 5 mths. I didn't want to take a chance that she would come on heat early. The vet kept her overnight & I picked her up the next afternoon.
I had a few problems. I couldn't keep her quiet, she still wanted to run around so I put her in her crate when I couldn't watch her. On about day 4 she pulled a stitch out from licking the wound & had to have a staple put in. I was also concerned about some lumpiness around the stitches, I took her back for them to look at, but they assured me it was ok. All turned out fine after the stitches came out.
 
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byron_57

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My kitty, she is almost one foot long now without counting the tail. Can someone tell me about how old she is. They say that kittens loose their baby teeth and gain their adult teeth. About what age do they do that?

I think my kitty already shed her baby teeth, but I am not sure since I do not know much about kittens.

Hope you can help.
 

jen

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Baby teeth look pointy and sharp and have a curl to them, adult teeth are straight, pointed but not so sharp looking and there is usually a groove running down the side of the tooth.

If she already shed her baby teeth she is over 6 months almost for sure. She needs spayed asap.
 
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byron_57

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Well, I still do not know. Her size is a foot now without counting her tail. Her teeth are very sharp. Hard to tell if they are her adult teeth. How big is a six month old kitty?

She is definitely not the size of her mother. But she does not appears to be close to being in heat. Does a kitten has to reach her adult size before coming in heat?

Do kittens loose their baby teeth all at the same time or one at a time. Is it something that is noticeable? At what size does it happens. She is right now in her playing stage. She jumps all over the place and wants to be a part of every situation.

I would appreciate if someone could help me with this.

Thanks.

 
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byron_57

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By the way, her little teeth are a bit curved like her sharp claws. I got to go now, she is at my computer biting and playing with my hands.
 

jen

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I can almost guarentee those are her baby teeth. They usually will have their adult teeth by 6-7 months. If age is unknown, I usually go with saying that as soon as all adult teeth come in, I consider the cat 6 months old. Who knows on size because every breed and every cat is different. People don't usually go by size, they go by weight. You can also look at her paws, ears, legs to determine if she still looks like an ackward kitten who needs to do some growing.

Regardless, she is old enough to be spayed. Kittens can come into heat and get pregnant anywhere from 4-5 months or they could be late bloomers like I believe Persians are and not go into heat until closer to a year or slightly after. It varies on each cat. You want her spayed BEFORE her first heat ideally. Remember too that she can have a silent heat and still be able to get pregnant.
 
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byron_57

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Many veterinarians refuse to operate until they get their adult teeth. I called a few, and they told me that they will spay a kitten, but only after six months of age. After they have gotten their adult teeth.

She is a gray white feral kitty. She looks like any other street cat. She is not of a fancy breed.

A great, superb acrobat though. I am quite impressed by the way she can jump on the sink and other places and actually avoid pushing, moving or dropping something to the floor.

She is very verbal. Tends to make many sound that are not meow. And she loves playing around about 17 hours a day, if I let her.

Very loving with a major love motor. You know, she purs really loud. I wonder if cats are the only animals with this love expression.
 
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