Why does a cat pee after castration: important nuances you need to know about

Castration is considered to be one of the simplest and safest types of veterinary surgery. If at least basic standards of asepsis and antisepsis are observed, the likelihood of complications developing is extremely low. But still no one is safe from them. Some owners complain that the cat pees after castration. What does this indicate and is there any danger to the life and health of the animal. Let's find out!

Castration or sterilization: is there a difference?

It is widely believed that castration and sterilization are the same thing.
In fact, in the first case, during the operation, the surgeon cuts out the internal genital organs (testicles in males, ovaries in females), and in the second, he ligates the paths along which sperm (or eggs) move - the seminal duct (tubes). A sterile animal, unlike a castrated one, retains the reproductive instinct and can mate (fertilization does not occur). Many owners, when choosing a technique, wonder which is better and safer? Since a sterilized cat retains the production of sex hormones, it can continue “concerts” with the spermatic cords tied. The purpose of the operation is, after all, to normalize the behavioral factor, so castration is the most preferable option.

Mechanism of anesthesia

Some drugs can depress the central nervous system. Moreover, if the dose is chosen correctly, individual brain functions are not blocked evenly. During anesthesia, consciousness first disappears and the animal falls into a narcotic sleep. Almost simultaneously, pain and tactile sensitivity disappears, and many other reflexes are also blocked. However, the activity of the medulla oblongata is not suppressed, and along with it the work of the lungs and heart does not stop (although their functioning may slow down).

Important! But with an overdose of anesthesia, cardiac and respiratory activity can completely stop, which will lead to the death of the animal. All 3 stages of anesthesia occur in stages depending on the increase in the amount of the drug:

• A hypnotic dose only causes sleep and relaxation in the animal, but does not lead to pain relief. As a result, the animal feels everything, although it does not show signs of consciousness.

• A narcotic dose eliminates pain and tactile sensitivity, as well as many other reflexes (pupil, knee, etc.).

• A toxic dose causes respiratory arrest and subsequent death.

Anesthesia has several stages:

• The analgesic stage is characterized by a slight decrease in pain sensitivity, but the animal can be active.

• Excitation. At this stage, there is confusion and strong arousal, as well as high muscle tone.

• Operational stage. It is named so because the animal completely relaxes and does not feel pain, which makes it possible to perform the operation.

• The postoperative stage is characterized by narcotic sleep, which can last from half an hour to several hours, it all depends on the drugs used.

Pros and cons of castration

Among the advantages of castration of cats, the following points can be highlighted:

• the animal stops marking the room;
• the owners get the opportunity to sleep peacefully at night;
• the likelihood of a cat escaping from the house is minimized;
• the pet becomes calmer and more affectionate;
• the risk of your pet becoming infected with infectious and other diseases disappears.

The disadvantages of the operation include the inability to have offspring, for example, in the case when a suitable candidate has appeared, and the owners are not averse to prolonging the mustachioed family.

Nooo! Not my bells!

Indications and contraindications

In addition to the owner’s personal desire for a quiet life, castration also has medical indications for:

• genital injuries;
• malignant or benign tumors;
• congenital anomalies (cat - cryptorchid);
• hereditary pathologies.

However, not all animals can be neutered. Contraindications are associated primarily with the procedure itself, which requires the use of anesthesia and a recovery period. If the cat is weakened after illness or due to age, he has exacerbations of any chronic diseases, heart or kidney pathologies, then castration is not recommended.

Preparing a cat for castration

Is it necessary to prepare a cat for castration? Particular attention is paid to the following points:

• the animal must be healthy (except for indications for surgery);
• all necessary vaccinations have been completed;
• anthelmintic therapy was carried out.

If the owner is attentive to the health of his furry friend, vaccinations and anthelmintic prophylaxis are done in a timely manner, and the cat is in good health, then there are no other recommendations for preparation. If the owner has doubts about the cat’s health, then he needs to tell the veterinarian about it. Examination before upcoming castration may include procedures such as:

• visual inspection;
• blood, stool, urine tests;
• ultrasound examination of internal organs;
• electrocardiogram.

Particular attention is paid to animals that were picked up from the street. They need to be examined most carefully, as hidden infections and pathologies are possible.

A cat named "Dazzling"

Antihelminthics are given 10 days before castration of the cat, if the last dose was more than a month ago; The vaccine is given 30 days before surgery. Sometimes surgery without vaccination is allowed. However, the immune system weakened by the surgical procedure is not able to resist infections - the risk of complications increases. Some clinics offer the administration of a special serum immediately before castration. This significantly increases the cost of the service, but serves as an excellent prevention of the development of infectious diseases during the recovery period.

And the last point in preparing a cat for castration is food restriction for 10 hours before the intervention. At this time, the animal can only be given water. This requirement is associated with the possibility of a gag reflex during or after surgery (reaction to anesthesia).

Danger of difficulty urinating

If treatment is not started in time, the animal will begin to lose weight and activity, hair will grow, and the disease will have time to become chronic. These include pain every time you try to pee, restless or exhausted behavior. Retention of urine in the body can cause intoxication of the cat and serious consequences for its body.

Some diseases, such as urolithiasis, can cause complete blockage of the urinary tract. This will provoke inflammation and rupture of internal organs, resulting in the death of the pet.

It is advisable to conduct regular examinations with a veterinarian and monitor the condition of the cat. Any disease, even not too serious, can become purulent, chronic or life-threatening for your pet. To avoid this, it is important to monitor the animal, and at the first sign of strange behavior, it is better to immediately contact a specialist.

Methods of cat castration

Modern veterinary medicine offers two methods of castration of cats: surgical and chemical. Most often they resort to the first option. If anesthesia is contraindicated for an animal, then a chemical or medicinal method can be used.

Surgical castration

Surgical castration is carried out according to the following algorithm.

• Administration of anesthesia to the animal.
• Removal of hair in the scrotum area.
• Treating the surgical field with an antiseptic.
• Cutting the skin.
• Separation of the testis from neighboring tissues and removing it from the wound.
• Ligation of the spermatic cord - its ligation with a special suture material (prevents blood loss).
• Cutting off the testis.
• Antiseptic treatment.

Sutures are not required. The incision site begins to heal on its own in the first days after the operation, and by the beginning of the second week the wound heals completely.

Chemical castration

Chemical castration is the subcutaneous injection of a medicinal hormonal substance into a cat. The method is reversible; after removal of the implant or expiration of its validity period, the ability to fertilize is restored. The duration of activity of the active ingredient is about 6 months, in some cases up to 1.5-2 years.

In addition to the need for periodic administration of medication, medical castration has other features. For example, veterinarians note the presence of a reverse effect during the initial period of implant installation. The animal begins to make sounds with redoubled force, marks more often, and becomes more nervous and irritable. This phenomenon is due to the mechanism of action of the drug: neuro-endocrine reactions are first sharply enhanced, and then just as sharply inhibited.

The chemical method of castration of a cat is not suitable if the animal is completely healthy, there is no need for procreation, and the operation itself aims to normalize the pet’s behavior. At the same time, you should choose it if the cat has contraindications to surgery or if mating is planned in the future.

Castration of a cryptorchid cat

One of the hereditary diseases of cats is cryptorchidism. In an animal cryptorchid, during intrauterine development, the testicle (one or both) does not descend into the scrotum. Their location in the groin area serves as an indication for castration, as it poses a threat to the health of the pet (for example, the formation of malignant tumors).

Castration for diagnosed cryptorchidism will cost the cat owner more than a regular operation. If the veterinarian cannot identify the location of the abnormal testicle by palpation, an ultrasound scan is prescribed. In any case, during castration, both appendages should be removed, since the remaining one will produce hormones and the animal’s behavior will not change.

Why did I pee in the mistress’s shoes...

The cat cannot go to the toilet - alarming symptoms

Untimely outflow of urine can provoke life-threatening conditions for the cat. In stagnant urine, pathogenic bacteria multiply rapidly. The bladder may not be able to withstand the strain. General intoxication of the body is no less dangerous for the health and life of the pet.

Therefore, it is so important to learn how to identify the first symptoms of painful and difficult urination. The following signs of trouble should alert the owner:

• the cat sits in the tray for a long time, spins around, chooses a pose, but in the end the tray is dry;
• the animal screams while trying to urinate;
• cats constantly lick the urethral area and meow pitifully;
• traces of blood, pus, and white flakes are visible in the urine;
• a sudden change in the color or odor of urine;
• urination disorders are accompanied by fever, lethargy, drowsiness, refusal to drink or severe thirst;
• the animal refuses to play, becomes aggressive, restless;
• the abdominal wall becomes painful and tense;
• cats meow and scratch when you try to pick them up.

If one or more symptoms appear, it is necessary to show the animal to a specialist for diagnosis and treatment.

What anesthesia is used to castrate a cat?

The operation to remove the testes is short (castration time is about 5 minutes) and simple, but requires the use of painkillers. Different methods are used for this:

• inhalation anesthesia - injection of gas into the lungs of an animal using a tube or mask, rarely used due to its high cost;
• injection anesthesia - the most common, represented by the injection of painkillers and sedatives into a muscle or vein of a cat (dangerous for animals with heart pathologies);
• local anesthesia - injections under the skin or into the spinal cord, are rarely used.

Most often, a combined method of anesthesia is used for castration. For example, before installing a tube in an animal’s mouth, you need to limit its motor activity - give an injection with a sedative.

Cat after castration: how to care

What to do after castration of a cat? First of all, you need to provide the animal with rest for the time it is under anesthesia. How long the anesthesia wears off depends on the chosen method of pain relief and the individual characteristics of the pet; its deep phase can last from a quarter to two hours, and complete release is possible after 6-8 hours. If the cat is at home, the owner is required to take the following actions.

• Provide your pet with a spacious, level place. When the cat begins to regain consciousness, he may fall, hit himself, or bury his face in something, blocking the air supply. The ideal choice is floor.
• You should place an absorbent cloth under your pet in case of uncontrolled urine leakage.
• The lighting should be dimmed to avoid irritating the light on the eyes.
• At low ambient temperatures, the cat needs to be provided with warmth (a heating pad, a radiator, a blanket).
• It is imperative to monitor the condition of the wound: slight wetting is normal, but if the bleeding does not stop, you need to seek help from a veterinarian.
• Since blinking does not occur under anesthesia, in order to prevent inflammatory processes in the cat’s eyes due to drying out, instillation of saline solution or any eye drops that do not contain antibacterial components will be required. You can use water for injection or a solution intended for lenses.

When the pet begins to recover from anesthesia, it may behave inappropriately: hiss, meow, stagger, bump into objects, urinate on itself. It is necessary to provide him with peace, to protect him from excessive attention and curiosity of his family (people and animals).

You can feed the cat on the second day after castration, and give water no earlier than 4 hours later. Further care consists of preventing infection of the wound. To prevent your pet from licking it, he needs to wear a special collar. You can prevent small particles of cat litter from getting in by replacing it with a napkin for a while.

How to tell if your pet has urinary problems

An attentive owner will definitely pay attention to any changes in the pet’s behavior. This could be frequent urination - the cat will start running to the litter box frequently, literally every 10 minutes. The problem may turn out to be more dangerous - the tray is clean, but the animal is clearly behaving unusually.

Additional symptoms that your cat cannot urinate or is in pain to do so:

• meows or whines pitifully;
• constantly licks the genitals;
• the color or consistency of urine has changed;
• blood, flakes, pus, mucus appeared in the tray;
• the smell or color of urine has changed dramatically, becoming sharp and unpleasant;
• drinks a lot;
• doesn't want to eat;
• nervous, moves restlessly around the apartment;
• does not allow you to feel your stomach; when you try to do this, it hisses and scratches;
• bends the hind legs or stretches them out uncharacteristically;
• doesn't want to sit on his hands.

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Most of these symptoms indicate that the cat is unable to go to the toilet. This is a reason to see a doctor.

The first thing that will change in the animal’s behavior is that it will begin to walk in circles around the tray, as if not daring to sit in it. Sometimes the owner thinks that this behavior is related to the search for a partner, but this is a mistake.

A plaintive, painful meow will indicate that even rare urination does not bring him relief.

Attention! Puddles may appear in unspecified places - on sofas, carpets, pillows. Do not rush to scold a cat if nothing has changed in its life. She probably can't control the process.

How to tell if your pet is in pain

When is the best time to castrate a cat?

Master, I didn’t understand something...

At what age is it best to neuter a cat? Experts recommend performing the operation within 7-9 months. It is believed that up to 7 months the animal’s body is not yet sufficiently developed to tolerate the intervention well. After 9 months, most mustachioed pets have already entered puberty, which is manifested by appropriate behavior. There is a possibility that even after castration this stereotype may persist.

Castration of an adult cat requires greater responsibility and care on the part of the owner and veterinarian. The older the animal, the higher the risk of complications. An older pet may have a history of chronic diseases, intolerance to any medications, or decreased activity of the immune system, so adult cats are operated on only after a thorough examination or treated without castration using medication.

Risk of surgery

Any operation can complicate the animal’s condition. To reduce the risk of developing negative processes and death, you should entrust your cat to qualified veterinarians in trusted clinics. It is important to conduct a preoperative examination for the presence of pathologies and characteristics of the body. Experts suggest sterilization should be carried out after 6 months of age (when the body is already developed) before the first heat, but not older than 8 months. Thus, the cat will reduce the risk of developing pathologies in the reproductive organs or nipples. Older animals also undergo such operations, but the risk of adverse reactions increases.

You should familiarize yourself with the breed characteristics. Pre-operative examinations of the body are especially important for Maine Coons, British and Scottish Folds, as well as Russian Blues and Persian cats. An experienced anesthesiologist will insist on tests, because the breeds are predisposed to congenital pathologies of the heart muscle. And having studied these qualities, he will need to use a smaller amount of anesthesia, or surgical intervention may be contraindicated due to the high probability of death.

After recovery from anesthesia, the animal must be warmed.

Thanks to this, any surges in blood pressure or heart rate are immediately controlled. Moreover, after waking up, cats have a low temperature, if at this time you do not warm it with a heating pad or a warming dropper, then the animal may die. However, the owner must understand that there is no completely safe anesthesia. Therefore, the risk of death cannot be excluded. In mature animals, the anesthetic risk is much higher, but veterinarians do not consider old age a contraindication to surgical interventions.

Where is it better to castrate a cat: at home or in a clinic?

Castration of a cat can be carried out both in the clinic and at home. The doctor’s algorithm of actions and the requirements for conditions remain the same. Both options have advantages and disadvantages.

Place of castration

pros

Minuses

At home

• no stress from an unfamiliar room
• no need for transportation
• minimal risk of getting an infection
• material savings

• the owner must be nearby (you will need to take days off)
• impossibility of providing emergency assistance if the animal becomes ill

In the clinic

• You can leave the cat under the supervision of doctors until complete recovery
• comprehensive medical care for your pet
• providing urgent care for complications

• stress for the cat
• there is a possibility of contracting an infectious disease
• higher service price

Does a cat mark after castration?

The most common question from owners is: do cats mark after castration? If the operation was performed before the pet reaches puberty, then the leaving of marks, provoked by hormonal levels, is not yet fixed on a subconscious level. In this case, the cat will not mark the room.

When the testes are removed after the neuroendocrine system for regulating the sexual instinct has been established, residual effects in the form of marks are possible. This is due to the ongoing production of testosterone. As its level in the animal’s blood decreases, the cat’s sexual desire and corresponding behavior will decrease. Gradually this phenomenon will disappear.

Folk remedies

Vaseline oil has become quite widespread among folk remedies. It must be given to the cat in the morning on an empty stomach. The dose is calculated according to the weight of the pet; one milliliter of Vaseline oil should be added per kilogram of the animal’s body weight. After taking the medicine, you must wait until the evening. If the cat still does not go to the toilet, give your pet another dose.

Some pet owners advise feeding their cat Vaseline oil every hour, while increasing the serving size. This opinion is based on the fact that when using petroleum jelly, the product is not absorbed into the intestines, due to which its undigested remains simply flow out of the anus. If the cat does not want to drink the oil, the required dose can be poured into the animal’s mouth from a syringe without a needle.

Another folk remedy is regular or condensed milk . It is recommended to buy classic condensed milk, which consists, in addition to milk itself, only of cream and sugar.

How much does it cost to castrate a cat?

How much it costs to castrate a cat depends on a number of factors:

• clinic level;
• castration method;
• complexity of the operation (simple removal of the testes, removal of a tumor, etc.);
• type of anesthesia;
• care after the intervention (pet’s stay in the clinic, complications that arise, etc.);
• therapy before and after surgery (administration of immune serums, the need for antibacterial agents, immune, restorative drugs).

On average, the price for castration is in the range of 900-1500 rubles. In some clinics, the cost of the service reaches 7000-8000 rubles or more.

Urgent medical care

First aid in a veterinary clinic involves inserting a catheter. Only a professional should insert a catheter, after first flushing the bladder with antiseptics. This operation is painful, so it is performed under general anesthesia. After catheterization, the veterinarian performs a series of tests to find the cause of urinary retention.

Important: you should not insert a catheter often - after this procedure, swelling of the urinary tract occurs. If the doctor sewed in a catheter for several days, you need to keep the cat in a special collar during this time so that it does not injure itself and does not remove the catheter.