Learn about kitten desexing

When you bring home your little bundle of fur, you’re probably dreaming of the long happy life you’ll share together. From spending hours chasing toys around your home to lazy afternoons cuddled together on the couch. One of the best ways to ensure this becomes a reality is by desexing your kitten.

Desexing your kitten (also known as spaying or neutering) is essential in reducing the thousands of unwanted, abandoned animals in New Zealand. Not only does it stop overbreeding, it has a heap of other benefits which you’ll learn when you read on.

Oh, and even better - if you adopt a kitten, you’ll probably find they’ve already been desexed. Which means less time worrying about that, and more play and snuggle time.

What is desexing?

Desexing involves the surgical removal of a kitten or cat’s reproductive system. For female cats, this is their ovaries and uterus. For male cats, it’s their testicles.

In New Zealand, it’s classed as major surgery and can only be done by a vet. Desexing has many different names, including spaying and neutering, but they all mean the same thing: surgery that stops your kitten or cat having babies or making another kitten or cat pregnant.

Why should I desex my kitten?

There are so many benefits to desexing your kitten. The most important one is that it prevents overbreeding. Sadly, there’s a huge number of unwanted and abandoned kittens (and other animals) in New Zealand. Desexing helps reduce this number. A female cat can give birth to 3 litters of kittens a year. On average, there are 4 kittens per litter. That’s around 12 kittens per year per cat.

Other benefits include:

• Behavioural. Desexing your kitten reduces roaming (when cats go in search of a mate) which means they’re less likely to be hit by a car or be exposed to infectious diseases and parasites. It also reduces fighting, aggressive behaviour, excessive noise, and urine spraying.
• Health. Desexing reduces your kitten or cat’s chance of developing some cancers and eliminates the risk of other cancers and uterine infections (in females). These health benefits mean desexed kittens and cats generally live longer, healthier lives.

When to desex a kitten

Kittens should be desexed before puberty (this is when they can get pregnant or make another cat pregnant) - somewhere between 3 and 6 months old or if they meet the minimum weight of at least 1kg.

What happens during kitten desexing surgery

Kitten desexing surgery happens in a sterilised operating theatre and is performed by a qualified vet. Here’s what happens during the surgery.

• Your kitten won’t have any food in the late evening the night before the operation, although water is ok.
• On arrival, the vet team will thoroughly examine your kitten and possibly take some blood to make sure their vital organs are working well and they’re safe for anaesthesia.
• If the blood tests come back normal and your kitten seems in good health, the team will give your kitten a sedative. This reduces any anxiety and helps to keep them calm. You will also notice a shaved patch on their front leg this allows the team to give your kitten any IV (intravenous - i.e. in their veins) medications or fluids throughout surgery.
• Your kitten is given a general anaesthetic and they’re prepped for surgery.
• Once surgery is complete, your kitten is given an injection of pain medication and is observed until they wake up in recovery.
• About 10-14 days after the operation, you’ll go back to the vet for removal of their stitches.

Kittens usually recover from the anaesthetic quite quickly and they’ll be monitored during this time for any unusual reactions or bleeding. Most kittens are allowed to go home the same day.

Post-op recovery

How quickly and well your kitten recovers depends on their at-home care. Your vet will give you instructions but generally a kitten should be confined when they’re back at home and you should try to limit their running, jumping and other strenuous activity. You also shouldn’t bathe your kitten until their stitches are removed.

Your kitten’s infection risk can be reduced by following your vet’s instructions, using any pain meds even if they don’t seem to be in pain, and stopping them from licking their surgical site (ask for a cone). Signs of infection include:

• Excessive swelling
• Redness
• Heat
• A bad smell
• Discharge from the surgical site

If you spot any of these signs, call your vet. You can expect your kitten to eat normally within 2 days of surgery. They should be back to their normal activities 7 days after surgery.

Risks

Like all surgery, desexing a kitten has some risks. These risks include pain, infection, opening of the surgical site, and excessive bleeding, all of which can be life-threatening. There are extra risks from the general anaesthetic too, including death.

The vet team is well aware of these risks and takes many steps to reduce them. Blood tests and health checks before surgery identify any underlying health conditions. During surgery, your kitten’s heart rate and breathing is closely monitored. They will also be monitored as they wake up.

We hope this guide answers all your questions about kitten desexing. If you need any further help or have a question we haven’t answered, contact our friendly Pet Direct Customer Care team on 0800 200 240 or email support@petdirect.co.nz.

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