Spaying My Cat?

Question

Hello,
My cat is 2 years old and Im in the process of getting her spayed. What is an average reasonable price to pay for a cat spay? Also, Ive been advised to take her to the animal shelter but I was told by my brother that at the shelters they dont use any anesthesia or pain meds. and the people that do it are school interns learning how to become a vet. and that they always mess up that they'll make me sign a waiver stating that they are not responsible if something happens to the cat. And also that if the procedure is not done right that the cat can get a hernia. How true is this?

Answer 1

Your brother is full of crap. I have worked both at a shelter and at a spay/neuter non-profit clinic. Federal law requires all vets at shelters to be fully board certified. Furthermore, they ALWAYS use medications and anesthesia. Anything else would be animal cruelty.

If they do have a waiver, it is generally an anesthesia waiver. You have to sign one when YOU get surgery too. Some animals, and some people, react badly to anesthesia and no matter how hard you try to revive them, it just won't happen. This is however, extremely rare. At Animal Allies we spay or neuter over 8,000 animals a year and in the last 5 years we lost ONE cat. The cat was 9 years old and her owners had been notified previously that geriatric animals face a higher risk.

Hernias do not come from being spayed. Umbilical hernias are common in both cats and dogs, and are usually easily treated. Inguinal hernias occur in the joints near the legs and are usually caused by genetic weakness or injury. Since a spay does not touch these areas, the likelihood of a spay causing a hernia is about 0%.

Most private vets seem to charge over $200 for a spay. This is a lot to pay, especially since you will also have to pay fro shots and the office visit. You can find low-cost spay and neuter in your area by looking at http://www.lovethatcat.com/spayneuter.html#nc

ALL of these clinics use board certified vets and follow all federal and state requirements. You are actually MORE likely to have an intern at a private vet that a non-profit or government run facility.

Answer 2

Spaying done at animal shelters is a no-frills procedure, but they do use a general anesthesia and the surgery is done by licensed vets. (Only licensed vets can perform surgery.) The cats may or may not get post-op pain medication...you would have to ask what the policy is at your local shelter. I believe they should get it - they have had major abdominal surgery, which is painful, and they heal faster if they are not in pain.

Generally speaking, spays at animal shelters are safe and well-done, but not the ideal.

Cats do sometimes develop umbilical hernias after a spay. It's not necessarily a sign that the surgery was not done properly. Sometimes the cat pulls out its stitches too soon, which can be prevented by putting an E-collar on her so she can't reach the incision.

Costs of a spay vary widely. Some communities have low or even no-cost spay clinics from time to time, some organizations will provide coupons for discounts on spays at vet clinics. The cost also varies according to how old the cat is, how fat it is, and whether it is in heat. At the vet hospital where I work in Portland, Oregon, a spay of a normal cat less than a year old, normal weight, not in heat, is about $125. That includes pre-op tranquilizer to calm the cat, the surgery, gas general anesthesia administered by a certified vet tech, antibiotic, anti-inflammatory, and pain medication, post-op close monitoring, and removal of the stitches 10-14 days later. We 're neither the cheapest nor the most expensive clinic in the area.

Answer 3

Your brother doesn't know what he's talking about - you can't perform surgery on an animal without anaestheisa, it would kill them.

Just ring around local vets and get them to quote you the price for a cat spay, so you can find the cheapest price in your area. Be aware that the higher price you pay, the better treatment you should get. I'm not saying a lower price spay would be bad for your pet at all - you'll be safe at a vets.

Ignore all the cruddy rumours you hear about shelters. If you don't like what goes on when you go to a shelter, you don't have to do it! You don't HAVE to sign anything! And for the record, trainee vets perform spays only uner veterinary supervision, so they don't mess up. And the most common cause of a post-op hernia is a cat who runs around a lot in the week after surgery.

Chalice

Answer 4

As it has been mentioned above spay/neuter clinics at shelters do follow proper and humane procedures when doing surgery on your pets. They are offered so that people of lower income can be responsible pet owners and have their pets fixed. The big draw back is a lot of places have a 'traveling' vet that is only in the area for maybe two days, therefore if you have complications, ie popped stitches, bleeding, etc., you would have to go to your vet as there would be no follow up with the clinic. Also you usually pick up your pet before all anesthesia is worn off and for a lot of people that is a disconcerting ordeal.
Depending where you are you can have it done as low as $40 or in some places $120. Just depends on where and who is doing it.
I do push towards vet for follow up meds and visits.

Answer 5

Yes that is partially true. Alot of shelters do make you sign waivers before any type of surgery is done on your animal. Yes, they do have interns learning in a hands on environment but they do have the knowledge to do the procedure at hand. My cat was spayed when she was a year and a half old and we took her to a shelter to get it done. The total cost was around $40.00 but I live in Alaska so I am sure the pricing will be somewhat different where you are. As far as a hernia is concerned that is also partially true. It can happen and I know this because it happened to my dog when she was spayed (took her to a pet hospital). As far as the anesthesia is concerned they might do that at some places but none I have heard of. They need to have the animal calm when they are doing surgery so they normally use something to relax them. I hope this has helped you.

Answer 6

anesthesia MUST be used to perform surgery, it is considered animal cruelty if they did not use it and the animal would die of shock. NO animal shelter is going to perform surgery without anesthesia. Most vets do not use pain killer after surgery either. Cats are especially sensitive to pain killers and it could kill them. Most vets don't want the animal going home feeling too well or normal as they would be way too active and end up tearing open their incision area or hurting themselves. Animals have NO idea they have had surgery so it is best that they do feel a little abnormal after surgery so that they will not overexert themselves.

Answer 7

it's true that they don't care if something happened coz my cat died 3 days after beening spayed. when i took her home, she looked so bad & been crying that i felt so bad, i tried to be with her coz she didn't feel like moving around & i coulda she she was in so much pain. i felt so bad.

better to do some background research on those animal shelter before taking them there or try asking some friends for some advice. GOOD LUCK!

Answer 8

Your right do not take them to those places they are cruel and this is not fair to your cats bc this is a major surgery and they should be well taken care of not to mention this is an overnight process.

That is why I have yet to get mine spayed bc I am so worried for her not to mention here in the DC area its almost $400.

Answer 9

I always go to a certified vet I'm not taking any chances with my babies..... I only paid like $40 to get him neutered.... it's your pets life... $40-$50 you can get that easily. Have a yard sale if you don't have the money and you can have it in a day.

Answer 10

silver: i felt so sad when i read your post. i love cats alot, sorry to hear that :(

and back to the topic, i think you should bring your cat to a certified vet, it's the safest although it must cost alittle. but nothing is more important than her life and health.