Sterilization of cats (laparoscopy): features of the method and reviews

2024 Author: Priscilla Miln | [email protected]. Last modified: 2024-01-07 12:45

Puberty in cats occurs around 8-9 months. Of course, not all owners of such pets are ready to spend time caring for kittens. Therefore, many cat owners today resort to the humane method of terminating the reproductive function of their pet - sterilization. The most gentle method of carrying out such a procedure at the moment is laparoscopy. Neutering cats using this technique is almost painless.

Need for surgery

Many owners of fluffy four-legged animals consider castration or sterilization procedures unnatural. However, being unable to fulfill its needs for procreation, the cat becomes extremely restless and can cause a lot of trouble to its owners - ruin furniture, make endless attempts to run away into the street, scream loudly, etc. In addition, unsterilized animals kept in the apartment, often develop various kinds of inflammation of the reproductive organs, and even serious problems arise withhe alth.

Sterilization will help prevent such troubles. After such an operation, the cat feels calm, does not get nervous and does not rush to the street. Cannot occur in a sterilized animal and no disease associated with reproductive function.

How to choose a clinic

Pet owners who decide to have a laparoscopy should first of all take care of where the procedure will actually take place. Doing this type of surgery is allowed only in a veterinary clinic. Any procedure aimed at removing the reproductive organs, even the most gentle, requires, first of all, the complete sterility of the room.

Some veterinarians offer cat sterilization by laparoscopy at home. In no case should you agree to this, even if the specialist promises to reduce the price. After surgery at home, a cat can develop various complications due to an infection in the wound.

Also, before carrying an animal for laparoscopy, of course, you should definitely make sure that the clinic and the veterinarians working here have a good reputation. High-level specialists always carry out such procedures exclusively in the operating room and at a fairly high cost. Among other things, the owners of the animal should definitely read, of course, the reviews about the chosen clinic.

Age

When can a cat have a laparoscopy? Operations according to this technique have the samethe peculiarity is that animals usually tolerate them quite easily. The optimal age for sterilization using this technology is 8-9 months. However, if necessary, this procedure can be done for older cats, including those who have already brought litters. Often, laparoscopy is prescribed even for elderly animals. There are no complications in pets, even old ones who have undergone this operation, in the vast majority of cases.

Preparation

Despite the fact that sterilization of cats by laparoscopy is not too complicated, the animal for such an operation, like for any other, of course, must be carefully prepared. Before taking your pet to the clinic, you must:

• remove all fleas from the cat and remove ticks, if any;
• cut your pet's claws.

If blood-sucking insects are present on the cat's body during the operation, it will endure the procedure much more difficult. The claws of the animal are cut before laparoscopy so that it cannot injure itself by combing the seam.

Having paid for the operation at the clinic, you should definitely ask the veterinarian when exactly it will be performed. This information is actually very important. 12 hours before surgery, you should stop giving food to the cat. After anesthesia, pets in some cases may feel nauseated. If the cat remains before the procedure without food for several hours, it will not vomit in the postoperative period.

What is laparoscopy

In routine cat spaying, veterinarians perform a traditional abdominal operation. After such an intervention, animals most often feel unwell and take a long time to recover. Laparoscopy - sterilization of a cat, in which it is not made long, as in abdominal surgery, but very short - only 1 cm - incision.

Pre-animal, of course, euthanized. Laparoscopy is performed, like a conventional abdominal operation, under general anesthesia. The doctor pumps carbon dioxide into a small incision made on the cat's body. Next, a small camera is inserted into the wound.

Thanks to this technique, the veterinarian gets the opportunity to see the internal organs of the cat. At the next stage, using a special tool, the doctor removes the animal's reproductive organs through an incision.

Final stage of the procedure

During the process of sterilization by laparoscopy, a cat can be excised:

• only ovaries;
• ovaries and uterus.

In the latter case, the operation will cost more, of course. However, it is precisely such laparoscopy that experts advise doing to pets. If only the ovaries are removed from the cat, the risk of developing inflammatory diseases will still remain after sterilization. If the animal also lacks a uterus, its owners will be able to avoid such problems by 100%.

At the final stage, the doctor may:

• sealing the wound with medicalglue;
• sew it subcutaneously with absorbable sutures.

Sterilization of a cat: laparoscopy or abdominal surgery?

Thus, the reproductive organs are removed from the cat's body using this modern technology through a very small incision. Compared to conventional abdominal surgery, laparoscopy therefore has the following advantages:

1. Sterilization by this method, as we found out, is suitable for cats of all ages. Laparoscopy can be prescribed for almost any animal. The answer to the question of at what age cats are spayed of this variety can be either 6 months or 15 years old.
2. No risk of developing infectious diseases. Such problems in cats after laparoscopy almost never develop.
3. No need for long-term care of the surgical suture. The owners will most likely have to treat the wound on the pet’s body no more than 2 times.
4. Short postoperative period.

It is allowed to take a cat from the veterinary clinic after the usual cavity sterilization no earlier than a day later. All this time, doctors monitor the condition of the animal in order to prevent the development of any complications. After laparoscopy, the animal can be taken home within a few hours after the intervention.

Post-op care

In the first hours after such an operation, the owners, of course, will need to monitor the condition of their pet. Since the laparoscopyusually very quickly, the animal is most often anesthetized using light means. However, anesthesia has a certain negative effect on the body of pets, of course, in this case as well.

After sterilization by laparoscopy, the cat will appear lethargic and stiff for a while. Some animals in the postoperative period may even periodically fall asleep and wake up. On arrival home from the clinic, therefore, the cat should be put to rest in her favorite place. At the same time, for a couple of hours it is worth making sure that the pet does not throw back its head. If a cat suddenly vomits in this position, it may choke on vomit. All the effects of anesthesia in a laparoscopically sterilized animal usually pass by the same day in the evening.

Bandage for cats that have undergone such an operation, in most cases, is not assigned to be worn. It will be possible to feed a pet 10-12 hours after laparoscopy. The same goes for drinking.

Care in the following days

Thus, the answer to the question of how long a cat departs from sterilization by the laparoscopy method is only a few hours. Animals recover after such a procedure, as a rule, very quickly. If the pet remains lethargic during the day, its owners should still contact the veterinarian. Laparoscopy is a gentle operation. However, even this method of removing the reproductive organs is considered much more complicated than, for example, the same castration of cats.

In anyIn the event that the postoperative wound in a pet is delayed as quickly as possible, its owners should:

• avoid active play with the animal for a few days after laparoscopy;
• don't let the cat lick the seam or scratch it.

Of course, a pet will most likely try to “heal” the wound left on her body on her own. If persuasion does not help, and the cat still licks the seam, it is worth putting on a protective belt.

Sterilized by any method, including laparoscopy, animals subsequently, unfortunately, begin to show a tendency to gain excess weight. Therefore, the owners of such a pet, most likely, will have to reconsider its diet. The cat will need to buy food designed specifically for spayed quadrupeds.

If the fluffy pet is kept on a natural diet, the owners will need to reduce the portions offered to her. Also, more low-calorie foods will have to be introduced into the cat's diet.

Cons of the procedure

The advantages of laparoscopy, therefore, are many. The downside of such an operation, most owners of fluffy pets, considers only its rather high cost. The price of cat sterilization by laparoscopy in most clinics is 4-7 thousand. In the regions, this procedure is cheaper. In Moscow, for an operation using this technique, of course, you will have to pay more money.

The need for anesthesia is of course also considered a disadvantageprocedures. Unfortunately, not all cats tolerate anesthesia well. However, laparoscopy is still a more gentle operation than even, for example, the use of hormones. After all, intervention in the body of an animal in this case has to be carried out only once. Hormones should be given to the cat periodically.

What you should know

Cats are allowed to undergo laparoscopy, of course, not at all times. In no case, for example, should such an operation be performed during the period of estrus in an animal. At this time, surgery may result in heavy bleeding.

Sometimes cats do laparoscopy after giving birth. In this case, such an operation is allowed only about 3 weeks after the animal stops feeding the kittens. The mammary glands of a pet must fully recover before laparoscopy.

Sometimes it happens that after 3 weeks of waiting, the cat becomes pregnant again. Laparoscopy of animals in the early stages of gestation can be carried out according to the rules. However, in this case, only a specialist is able to decide on the possibility of such a surgical intervention.

Positive reviews of cat spaying by laparoscopy

The owners of furry pets have a very good opinion about laparoscopy. As most owners of cats who have undergone such an operation note, the recovery of their pets after it really goes very quickly. The cat practically does not suffer and quickly begins to lead a familiar lifestyle. It is not difficult, according to usersInternet on specialized forums, and caring for a fluffy pet after laparoscopy.

Are there negative reviews?

The price of spaying a cat is practically the only disadvantage of laparoscopy, according to pet owners. Conventional abdominal surgery to remove the reproductive organs is cheaper.

Besides this, many owners of furry pets consider their own emotional stress to be a disadvantage of such a procedure. After all, laparoscopy is a surgical procedure. And while the cat lies on the table under anesthesia, and the doctor performs certain manipulations on it, many owners experience fear associated with the possibility of losing their pet.