Can you tell?

Is there a way to tell if a female cat has been spayed without having to do surgery on her again?

The reason I ask is b/c I'm trying to convince my husband to let me get another cat, and I might have found one but she was found as a stray and her current "owner" does know if she has been spayed or not b/c of that. She feels she has been a pet before due to her behavior, so it's possible but she isn't sure.

Also, is there a way to tell how old a cat is?

Age is usually a guess. If you've been around and raised a lot of cats you can usually spot a <2 year old easily enough by the way they look and act. After that it's anyone's guess, though teeth condition and behavior can sometimes get your guess close.

There's a few ways to tell if a cat is spayed. Have the vet shave the belly to look for a scar or do an ultrasound to look for a uterus. The third way isn't as exact, but if you take a female cat in and have her for a few months with no heats, chances are she's spay - though that can backfire in a recently taken in female that is pregnant. Though not all female cats act the same when in heat, some are more subtle.
If I had listened to my intuition on Siri, who had been outside for months as I got her to come to me and tame, I would have realized she was never in heat. She also had no spay scar on her belly because of a suspected pediatric spay.

In any case, if you get this kitty keep her separate, get her fully vetted - two course of deworming, Felv/FIV tested, etc. And take if slow, girl cats can't be rushed. Though on the positive side, if you wish to wait on spaying (if it were even needed), Nora's a girl, too.

A vet should be able to shave her and try to find a scar and will also be able to give you an approximate age based on how worn her teeth are.

Some specialists (we went to a veterinary radiologist for ZsaZsa, a cryptoorchid hermaphrodite who had been spayed but not castrated) can tell by doing an ultrasound.

Originally Posted by jcat

be able to give you an approximate age based on how worn her teeth are.

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Though there is a catch here. In a cat with bad teeth that has been living on trash and who knows what else, teeth can look rough in a young cat. More so if there's something else compromising that cat's health.

Originally Posted by strange_wings

Though there is a catch here. In a cat with bad teeth that has been living on trash and who knows what else, teeth can look rough in a young cat. More so if there's something else compromising that cat's health.

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Not only that, but IME there are vets or shelter personnel who will tell you just about any cat (or dog) is "around two". The question is, do they say that because all they can tell is that the animal is an adult, or do they hope to improve its chances of adoption?

I lost faith in both a shelter and a vet after both told us the boxer we were adopting was around 6 months old. His human parents had been killed in a car accident that landed him in the shelter, and when the police helped the family members get in touch with us, we learned that he was three years old. I also had another vet tell me that a feral I knew for sure was around 8 was "about two".

I know that my vet can usually just feel the spay scar without shaving the tummy. But I agree about the age thing. I have several cats I got at "around 2 years" LOL

Originally Posted by jcat

Not only that, but IME there are vets or shelter personnel who will tell you just about any cat (or dog) is "around two". The question is, do they say that because all they can tell is that the animal is an adult, or do they hope to improve its chances of adoption?

I lost faith in both a shelter and a vet after both told us the boxer we were adopting was around 6 months old. His human parents had been killed in a car accident that landed him in the shelter, and when the police helped the family members get in touch with us, we learned that he was three years old. I also had another vet tell me that a feral I knew for sure was around 8 was "about two".

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It's possible that they lie sometimes. Though I suspect it's more due with just being busy and that it's simply hard to guess...but you can tell when a dog is under a year, especially larger breeds like a boxer.

At the end of the day, it's anyone's guess. Some of us can make a close guess, but unless we saw that animal as a puppy/kitten, it's always a guess.
Though, I have noticed that your (spay/neutered) kitties around 4-10 have a more mature look about them, and often those in their teens can just look older (long fur disguises this somewhat) through the face and way they move. (I put the age of my neighbor's two outdoor cats are at 10+, likely 12, for this reason)
I guessed that my own Siri was at least 4 when I found her, but she could be anything between 5 and 10 now for all I know.

I think I'm probably going to pass on this kitty. I think I'd rather get a cat through our local rescue that tests cats for FIV/FLV and spay/neuters them before adopting them out. I won't have to worry about the new cat possibly infecting Nora with something, you know? We also have Humane Society cats hanging out at the Petsmarts here and they are inexpensive, so that is a possibility.