If you are looking to book a cat vaccination, please be aware that there is an ongoing shortage of some cat vaccines affecting all UK Veterinary practices. Find out more here.

Cats

Our recommendations for a healthy cat

KITTEN SPAYS

These are carried out to prevent the arrival of unwanted kittens. We usually spay kittens at about 5 to 6 months of age. They come into our surgery for an appointment arranged several days or weeks in advance. We will give your kitten a general anaesthetic and the surgical operation we perform will only be apparent by the small incision site on her left flank in which will be a few sutures. Normally she will have injections of antibiotic and a pain-reliever at the time of the operation. Having removed her womb and ovaries she will not come into season again, and she cannot have kittens. She will need her stitches removing after 10 to 14 days. Care should be taken after she has recovered to ensure that she does not get too fat by overfeeding.

KITTEN CASTRATIONS

These are carried out at the same age as kitten spays, but the operation is less complicated. The main reason for castrating kittens is to stop them fighting, otherwise they could suffer from cat bites which may result in abscesses around the face and on their legs and tail. They do not have any stitches after the operation and are soon back to normal after their operation.

ADULT CAT CASTRATIONS & SPAYS

We normally only carry out operations on adults if they have been missed as kittens. Surgical procedure is slightly more complicated, and so the fee is more than for kittens. Sometimes we have to spay cats in an advanced stage of pregnancy and this should be avoided if at all possible. It is also important to avoid spaying a cat whilst she is producing milk, as this may persist a long time after she has been spayed.