What is the current spaying procedure for a female cat?

I have a 4 year old male cat, but I help my friend and neighbor take care of her 4 month old female kitten at times.  She is not very computer literate, so I told her I'd help her research this problem.  

The kitten, named Heidi, will need to be spayed as soon as she is old enough.  Do vets have to cut them open to do this procedure, like a hysterectomy or is it more like a tubal ligation?  

I had a female cat many years ago, but she had a litter very early, before the time the vet said she could be spayed.  Then she got pregnant again before the first litter was entirely weaned, so we had the kittens aborted and a total hysterectomy was done.  I had a tiny baby at that time, and couldn't deal with another litter!  Anyway, the vet gave me the impression that the total hysterectomy was a more drastic procedure than what is normally done, but that was many years ago.

My friend had a bad experience with spaying a female cat in the past.  The incision wasn't stitched up right, and the cat didn't recuperate well, and had to be cut again, but by a different vet.  So, understandably she is nervous about doing it again.

In the US, a full ovariohysterectomy is standard. I understand that in much of Europe, ovariectomy is more common. So it depends where you live. A tubal ligation would not be desirable in most circumstances, as the cat would still go into heat with all associated health and behavioral consequences.

To find a good surgeon, she can check online reviews and ask other pet owners in the area. Sometimes the high-volume spay clinics are better; they do so many that they get to be very good at it. But some clinics aren't so great. So the reviews are important so you can see what other people have to say.

Thanks for the information!

Pretty sure they cut them open. Females need to have rest and quiet for about two weeks after the surgery. Sorry to hear about the bad surgery. It does happen though, but it's more common than not for everything to go just fine. 4 months old seems well old enough to perform the surgery. Sometimes vets just need to be pushed to do it. They'll say it's too young, when really it's their preference. My local shelter and the ASPCA do spay/neuter surgeries when they're at least 2lbs, old enough to have anesthesia. A 4 month old should be closer to 5, so she should be fine!