It’s warm and bright in our little operating room at Ten Lives and the winter sun is beaming down on the kitties who are waiting for their desexing procedures. Most are snoozing and in some kennels there are soft furry piles of siblings in which it’s hard to tell how many kitties there actually are!
They’ve all reached a body weight over 1 kg which means the females are ready to be spayed, and the males to be castrated.
Usually by May, we don’t have many kittens coming in to Ten Lives, but in recent years the summer breeding season lasts longer and we are busy right through these cooler months.
On duty today there are two vets and two vet nurses. There are two warmed operating tables in action. Spaying is a more complex procedure than castration, so the female kitties spend longer under anaesthetic and have their vital signs closely monitored. They need a larger incision and stitches after their ovaries are removed.
For the males, the operation only takes a few minutes and they are constantly monitored and given oxygen while they are lightly anaesthetised. While they are under, each kitty is tattooed in the left ear to indicate they’ve been desexed, and they are microchipped for identification.
After their ops, they are cuddled up in a warm blanket to sleep it off on a heat pad. They look blissfully comfy.
As the minutes pass, our patients slowly wake up and are offered a little bowl of soft kitty food. They’ve been fasting, so it’s a welcome treat and also means they can be given other medications if needed.
Being desexed means our Ten Lives kitties have a much better chance to live happier and more settled lives and reduces their risk of having a number of medical problems in future. Desexed kitties are much less likely to scent mark in your home, the females won’t be yowling or crying at night because they won’t ever be ‘on heat’, and for both males and females they’re likely to be less aggressive towards other cats. So, besides reducing the number of unwanted kittens, desexing means your cat will be much more chilled out and generally good company.
Just a few days after these operations, our newly desexed kitties are fully recovered and most have been adopted out to begin new lives in their furever homes.
As a V.E.T.S. Club member it is your subscription that allows the Ten Lives vet team to provide the much needed care that these cats received. So, thank you.
Words and images by Sue Medlock, Ten Lives Creative Team