Elective Surgery for Your Kitten
Declawing
Many peopewho keep their cats indoors prefer to have their front paws declawed. This surgery is done under anesthesia and requires 3 days of hospitalization. We recommend that it be done as soon as your kitten has started his or her vaccination series, hasd been tested for internal parasites and weighs at least 2 lbs.
Declawing can also be done at 6 months of age, in conjunction with spaying or neutering. Occasionally, we will declaw all four feet, but this is hard on the cat and is seldom necessary.
The older the cat, the more painful the declawing is, so please decide early if you want your cat declawed. If you start trimming your kitten’s nails every 4-6 weeks (we can show you how), and train it to use a scratching post, you may not need to declaw at all. Declaw surgery done with a laser provides reduced pain, swelling and lameness after declawing, and is highly recommended.
Neutering
The average lifespan of a neutered pet is 40% longer than that of an unneautered one. Unspayed females will usually develop breast cancer or severe uterine infections by the time they are 8-10 years of age. Unspayed females also are in heat frequently, during which time they are noisy and troublesome to live with. Worst of all, millions of unwanted kittens are put to death in this country every year because there aren’t enough homes for them all.
Unneutered male cats have very strong smelling urine, which they like to spray in the house to mark their territory. They are also prone to wander in search of female cats and are also very territorial. These traits lead to high rates of death from being run over by cars, fight wounds and contagious illnesses. Male cats are also, of course, equally responsible for pet overpopuation.
We recommend spaying (surgical removal of the ovaries and uterus) of female cats, and castration (surgical removal of the testicles) of males, for all pets that will not be used for purebred breeding. This should be done when your animal reaches 6 months of age. Your animal will be a happier, healthier, happier pet, and you will have done your part to reduce the pet overpopulation problem.
While your pet is anesthetized we can also remove any retained baby teeth, flouride the new adult teeth or implant a microchip ID. Laser surgery is also an option and provides reduced pain, swelling and bleeding.
We will send you a reminder when your cat reaches the age to be altered. Please call us at this time to schedule a surgery appointment.