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2 questions on spay/neutering

post #1 of 9
9/29/10 at 6:42am
Thread Starter 
Hi all, i was wondering if vets can tell whether a cat has been spayed or not? I have a female adult cat who was a stray before a kind woman took her in and then gave her to me. She has been declawed which makes me think she might have been spayed since they went to the trouble of declawing her. I really dont know much about the actual operation of spaying so i really dont know if you can tell or not.
Also i have an 8 week old male who i want to get neutered, i would like to know your thoughts on when the best time to do that is? Thanks
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post #2 of 9
9/29/10 at 7:05am
More then likely spayed as many vets don't/won't do a declaw only. If shes safe from boys I would just keep eye to see if she goes into heat. A cat can be shaved and look for a spay scar but unless its the sweetest in world it will more then likely need to be sedated.
Was she ever scanned for a microchip?

Far as the kitten-I personally get mine done as close to 8 weeks-reason behind that is I have alot of cats and A) If anything ever came up far as shelters/ac I feel it looks better(would it help...who knows) B) My vet is very experienced in young alters and I think the younger the better.

My last vet would only fix them at 4 months or older, but he also gave them all rabies shots as a requirement and thats the age for first dose. Talk to your vet or the clinic you will be using about what age they start and what the vets exp is

As long as you get them before they start to think about spraying-5 or 6 months some earlier some later.
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post #3 of 9
9/29/10 at 7:10am
Yep, more than likely if she is declawed, she is also spayed, but there are ways for vets to find out for sure without actually opening her up. (Ultrasound)

As for your baby's neuter, most vets around here suggest 4-6 months of age of over 4 pounds.
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post #4 of 9
9/29/10 at 7:29am
Shaving the cat's belly is probably the best vet for the vet to tell, although it may also be possible to just feel for a spay scar. Happened recently with my foster cat who we were told was already spayed. Many vets and spay/neuter clinics these also tatoo cats when they're fixed, so this also something to look for.

Most of the rescues/shelters here fix kittens at 2 months or 2 lbs. That ensures the kittens are fixed prior to adoption and folks are still happy adopting a small kitten. At that age, they bounce back from the surgery pretty quickly.
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post #5 of 9
9/29/10 at 7:52am
Quote:
Originally Posted by catsallaround View Post
Was she ever scanned for a microchip?
very important to have her scanned in case someone is out there missing their beloved pet.

Declawing is illegal here so I don't know too much about when the operation is performed but I can't imagine someone would get that done and not spay at the same time.

Neutering - I do my kittens at 10-11 weeks, little ones recover so fast. They come home from the vets like nothing has happened.
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post #6 of 9
9/29/10 at 8:09am
Thread Starter 
Thanks for the info guys, i didn't know you could get them neutered so young, i will probably get him done as soon as possible then. As for the microchip no she hasnt been checked for that but as i am aware her previous owner chucked her onto the street on purpose, in winter to! I might get her checked out to see if she does have a microchip, i would be interested to know who abandoned her!
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post #7 of 9
9/29/10 at 12:15pm
you'll definantly want the vet to shave your girl kitty's belly to see if they can find a spay scar, because it is easier to make a mistake when you are just feeling around.

we ended up fostering a stray who we were told was spayed - after she was happily re-homed, she got out, and came back home to give birth to a litter of kittens!

here kittens get fixed at 8 weeks or 2 pounds in the shelters. we just got our two babies fixed, they are about 4 1/2 months or so.
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post #8 of 9
9/29/10 at 2:41pm
My cat Majel when she came to the shelter had her front claws out but was NOT spayed. The shelter spayed her.

Just for some information. I don't think that's standard but that's what happened with my little french maid kitteh.
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post #9 of 9
9/29/10 at 7:43pm
Having seen countless dozens of declawed cats come in pregnant or with their kittens - just because they're declawed doesn't mean they are fixed!! I can think of several area vets who would declaw & not spay.

Remember they can also go into "silent heats" where they're in heat but do not show any signs.

I'd definitely have a vet check her for a spay scar, have your vet look her over to see what s/he thinks.
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