How are cat spay surgeries performed?

Cat spays are done under general anesthetic so that the cat does not feel anything, of course. We do the cat spays aseptically to make sure the cat won’t get any infections. A spay is done by making an incision into the abdomen and removing the ovaries and the uterus, closing it up surgically, and then recovering and using some post-op pain medication so that the kitty does not have any discomfort during or after the procedure.

Here at Advanced Animal Care and Advanced Animal Care Berea, we have a pretty comprehensive plan for your cat. The reason is we want to make sure that there's no pain involved and that we keep them as comfortable and keep the stress levels down as much as possible.

All of our cats receive an exam before they go under general anesthesia and have their surgical procedure performed, and a veterinarian performs that exam. They all receive some sedation medications so that we help reduce their stress while they're in the clinic because it's not a normal place for them to be. We make sure we get pain management on board to keep them as comfortable as possible while they're here and after the surgery.

Then, once they've got all of those on board, depending on the procedure that your pet is going to be having, we'll place an IUD catheter to give them fluids to keep them hydrated throughout the procedure. We put a breathing tube in to deliver inhalant anesthesia to keep them asleep during the procedure. And then, the veterinarian will perform the procedure. They use sterile materials, sterile drapes, sterile gloves—the whole kit and caboodle.

The procedure itself doesn't take long. The average cat neuter is over and done with in under 15 minutes. And the average cat spaying can be anywhere from 15 to 45 minutes. And then here, I like to put buried sutures in my spays so that you don't have to bring your cat back to stress them out so that we have to take those sutures out later. Those sutures dissolve under the skin in about two to three months. And there's generally a minimal scar there.

Cat spay surgeries involve an ovario-hysterectomy, which means removing the ovaries and the uterus. The procedure is done under general anesthesia in a sterile surgical suite.