How Could A Male Cat Died After Neuter?

[Anhvo]

I want to get my 6 months old male cat neuterd. I've done many researchs and found that a cat could die during or after being spayed/neutered. This does freak me out and makes me wonder if that could happen to mine. Please give me some more information about what could make a cat died after neutered and what to consider/prepare before getting neutered. I would be so appreciate for any reply!

 

[denice]

Neutering is a very quick and minimally invasive surgery. Anesthetic can cause major issues though. It is rare but it can happen. Believe me the neuter is worth that very minimal risk. An intact male does not make a good indoor companion, I would say that they couldn't be lived with indoors after they reach full maturity.

The only other complications would be infection and large bruising that takes time to resolve. Neither of those are fatal especially if you get antibiotics as soon as signs of infections show up. Your vet will probably give you a sheet with the signs of infection so you can get it tended to quickly.

The vast majority of cats are fully back to themselves by the next day and have no issues whatsoever.

 

[Willowy]

Most anesthesia deaths in seemingly healthy cats occur because of previously undiagnosed heart defects. So if you're worried, have the vet do a full exam on him including a heart exam. You can also have pre-op bloodwork done to check for other possible undiagnosed conditions such as a kidney defect.

The total chances of a cat dying from anesthesia are 1 in 400. This includes sick and elderly cats. So for a healthy young cat the risk is very very small.

Another (small) risk is post-op infection. If you keep a close eye on him and keep in contact with the vet that can be cured quickly.

As denice said, neutering has a lot of benefits and the risk of complications is very low.

 

[Kieka]

Neutering is less risky than spaying. It is a very minor surgery and minimal invasive. The biggest risk is the anethesia itself and that can be minimized by making sure you have a good surgical center.

Ask the vet what their procedures are during surgery. I prefer an IV in for all procedures so they can administer medication quickly if needed. I also like them to have a staff who is just in charge of monitoring the cat through surgery. Of course, that will cost a little more but it can put you at ease. With how quick neuter is though there isn't a huge need for it. Your cat will probably only be under for 15 minutes for a neuter.

 

[bonepicker]

I’ve had lots of dogs and cats spayed and neutered, no problems ever. Prone to more illnesses if not neutered, not to mention running off under car tires ugh

 

[Lalka]

Neutering is less risky than spaying

Arg, my 9 years old cat spay is scheduled in 2 days >< I'm even more nervous now (not your fault Kieka , i shouldnt be reading the forum before her surgery).
Anhvo I want to tell you that i am also freaking out...but your boy is very young and healthy, its also better do it now than wait like i did. I agree with Kieka, if you are worried talk to your vet about it. Your baby ll be fine

 

[Kieka]

Arg, my 9 years old cat spay is scheduled in 2 days >< I'm even more nervous now (not your fault Kieka , i shouldnt be reading the forum before her surgery).
Anhvo I want to tell you that i am also freaking out...but your boy is very young and healthy, its also better do it now than wait like i did. I agree with Kieka, if you are worried talk to your vet about it. Your baby ll be fine

opps

I have a girl and I called around for her spay surgery. I ended up going with my current vet because they do the IV and have a staff member just moinitoring vitals. After surgery they put a saline drip on to help flush the medications out of their system. My vet also does all the surgeries on one day with a dedicated staff watching over all the cats waking up.

It cost me a good chunk of money but I had a horrible spay experience at a clinic and swore never again. My boys can go to a clinic but not my girls. The horrible experience was a huge jagged scar that healed poorly and that cat developed vomiting and digestive issues within a week of the surgery that never went away. I took her to the vet who performed the surgery and two other who all swore it couldn't be the spay but I wouldn't forgive myself if it happened again.

Look at little Rockets tiny scar, worth every penny with how perfect her spay went. No problems. No scar. Perfect.

20150908_191928.jpg

• Kieka
• Mar 23, 2017

Just to stress for Anhvo I would not even worry about a neuter. Neuters are getting a tooth pulled whole a spay is getting your appendix out in terms of complexity and risk. I went to clinics for my boys and they were 100% ready to go within 24 hours.

 

[Anhvo]

denice W Willowy bonepicker thank you guys for your information. I know I need something like this to calm me down. Cannot express my appreciation through words now you guys won't believe how much this topic stress me out.
Lalka Well I honestly couldn't be more related to your feeling now. Thank you for your reply and best luck to your little precious
Kieka so sorry to hear about your bad experience at the vet. There're still some vets out there doing things on our fur babies just for money and not even put a tiny bit of their heart in their job. I hope she will get better, god always bless you guys and thank you so much for your help

 

[Tom Andrew rip]

Fyi...Nov 22, 2017. Thanksgiving eve. Rip Tom Andrew. Approx 1 year old male tabby, beautiful and strong. Going in for first visit to vet - Leukemia, Rabies, and neuter. It was going to be a few hours, so I went to have the oil changed in the truck...grabbed a cup of coffee, went to the super market for a few last minute items. That's where I received a call from the vet.....Tom Andrew had died . I am still in shock. He wasn't easy to catch, half wild when she first came on the property. I say she because she had the cutest little triangle shaped face I had ever seen...but a little disshevled... I called her rage ann. Over the next few weeks it became apparent.. Raggedy Ann turned into Tom Andrew. He slowly came around, and became one of the clan...he was a little aggressive around the girls, who were all spayed...he couldn't understand why they disregarded him... I knew he would continue to acclimate to his new family and eventually become their protector...in a mostly country, out door for the most part lifestyle... that day didn't end well for old TA. I held him at 7am...and eye to eye I asked him to trust me... " I got this" I told him...you'll be ok. At that point I dropped him a cage, locked the cage...placed in car and went to vet. Was it the car ride? He was still half wild and unfamiliar with travel. Was it the other animals in the waiting room? There was two cats and two dogs...and I don't think he had ever been handled by people besides me....I had fed him all summer and fall., and he still was a little apprehensive with me...was it something the doctor overlooked? Everybody did seem anxious to get thru the day and on to the holiday... Was the cat too scared? Too freaked out in this noisey busy never before seen environment? Or was there an "underlying condition?" The doctor was upset, as were his female staff...he said there was no explanation. The cat was young, healthy, strong, and had a good pulse...the surgery was "routine". He awoke groggy...but soon after had complications, no heart beat, they "worked him over".... but nothing. I did what I thought was right. I took him to the vet, but I didn't bring big Tom Andrew home. I told him at 7 this morning to trust me....today, I hate Drew Cary.

 

[Tom Andrew rip]

The point being....the odds are certainly with you.,,and I believe in spay neuter...but it can go very wrong,,, it happened to me and Tom Andrew today. I really loved that cat. He had a great purr. A lot of tears today.

 

[Anhvo]

T Tom Andrew rip I am deeply sorry to hear about your big lost. This is heartbreaking. Every single word of the story brought me to tears. And to be honest with you, I was too scared to get mine fixed, because I did some research and found a lot of case that cat die during or after being fixed. Maybe I'm selfish, but I love him too much to lose him by any chance. I know this kind of case is not frequent, but who know if mine is included or not. I wish you and your family will be overcome this big lost. Tom Andrew was and is always a special beautiful cat. I hope he will rest in peace, God will always with him from now on. Also, I wish you and your family have a blessed Thanksgiving! Thank you for sharing your story!

 

[Blakeney Green]

I'm sorry to hear of the death of Tom Andrew. That's heartbreaking.

Unfortunately, any surgery can have unexpected negative outcomes. Negative outcomes from neutering are extremely, extremely rare, but they do happen.

That said, there are serious potential negative outcomes if you choose not to neuter, also. Your cat will be at a much higher risk of reproductive cancers, females have a risk of pyometra and pregnancy complications, and the cat has a higher risk of attempting to get outside and all the dangers that entails, including males being more likely to fight.

While neutering is not without risk, in my opinion choosing not to neuter is by far the riskier option.

 

[Tom Andrew rip]

I'm sorry to hear of the death of Tom Andrew. That's heartbreaking.

Unfortunately, any surgery can have unexpected negative outcomes. Negative outcomes from neutering are extremely, extremely rare, but they do happen.

That said, there are serious potential negative outcomes if you choose not to neuter, also. Your cat will be at a much higher risk of reproductive cancers, females have a risk of pyometra and pregnancy complications, and the cat has a higher risk of attempting to get outside and all the dangers that entails, including males being more likely to fight.

While neutering is not without risk, in my opinion choosing not to neuter is by far the riskier option.

I hear you...and of course I cannot dispute the facts or opinions expressed, nor am I an expert in statistical analysis or comparative risk...what also cannot be disputed however is that in this particular case, choosing not to neuter would have greatly extended the life of 1 yr old Tom Andrew.

 

[xmimsterx]

I just saw this two year old post. I started doing TNR (trap neuter release) in my neighborhood not so long ago. Last Sunday, we intended to trap a female but accidentally trapped the neighborhood tom cat who was impossible to trap by other TNR rescuers for years (they just have to work harder to spay all the females to control the over-population). I was very happy and TNR him would mean a much safer and healthier life for him in the community (we live in Astoria of Queens in New York). Yesterday morning I dropped him off at ASPCA and later that day I received the phone call of him passing in anesthesia after his surgery was completed. My heart is broken, especially knowing the fact that trapping him was completely a coincident, and he could have been running free right now if we hadn't gone to the wrong place at the wrong time (he literally has no fixed feeding spot but roaming all over the the neighborhood), it also hurts so much knowing he lived his entire life strolling freely in the streets of Astoria but had to spend the last few hours of his life in a small trap with his urine. Was it an existing heart condition? Kidney disease? We will never know. All I know is that it hurts so much to go feed other cats but will never see him again. RIP O.G. Jack, Astoria feral cats community lost a great leader and a father (literally). You will always be remembered by all of us TNR rescuers and community cat feeders.

Fyi...Nov 22, 2017. Thanksgiving eve. Rip Tom Andrew. Approx 1 year old male tabby, beautiful and strong. Going in for first visit to vet - Leukemia, Rabies, and neuter. It was going to be a few hours, so I went to have the oil changed in the truck...grabbed a cup of coffee, went to the super market for a few last minute items. That's where I received a call from the vet.....Tom Andrew had died . I am still in shock. He wasn't easy to catch, half wild when she first came on the property. I say she because she had the cutest little triangle shaped face I had ever seen...but a little disshevled... I called her rage ann. Over the next few weeks it became apparent.. Raggedy Ann turned into Tom Andrew. He slowly came around, and became one of the clan...he was a little aggressive around the girls, who were all spayed...he couldn't understand why they disregarded him... I knew he would continue to acclimate to his new family and eventually become their protector...in a mostly country, out door for the most part lifestyle... that day didn't end well for old TA. I held him at 7am...and eye to eye I asked him to trust me... " I got this" I told him...you'll be ok. At that point I dropped him a cage, locked the cage...placed in car and went to vet. Was it the car ride? He was still half wild and unfamiliar with travel. Was it the other animals in the waiting room? There was two cats and two dogs...and I don't think he had ever been handled by people besides me....I had fed him all summer and fall., and he still was a little apprehensive with me...was it something the doctor overlooked? Everybody did seem anxious to get thru the day and on to the holiday... Was the cat too scared? Too freaked out in this noisey busy never before seen environment? Or was there an "underlying condition?" The doctor was upset, as were his female staff...he said there was no explanation. The cat was young, healthy, strong, and had a good pulse...the surgery was "routine". He awoke groggy...but soon after had complications, no heart beat, they "worked him over".... but nothing. I did what I thought was right. I took him to the vet, but I didn't bring big Tom Andrew home. I told him at 7 this morning to trust me....today, I hate Drew Cary.

 

[kashmir64]

Most anesthesia deaths in seemingly healthy cats occur because of previously undiagnosed heart defects. So if you're worried, have the vet do a full exam on him including a heart exam.

I have only had one cat die while being spayed. It was a heart defect. 40 years ago, they didn't check these things. Now is different, just ask for the exam first.
This did not deter me, all my cats/dogs are fixed.

 

[kashmir64]

I just saw this two year old post.

I didn't even notice that.

 

[Kflowers]

That it's two years old doesn't make this topic any less current.

 

[VickiJJ]

Most anesthesia deaths in seemingly healthy cats occur because of previously undiagnosed heart defects. So if you're worried, have the vet do a full exam on him including a heart exam. You can also have pre-op bloodwork done to check for other possible undiagnosed conditions such as a kidney defect.

The total chances of a cat dying from anesthesia are 1 in 400. This includes sick and elderly cats. So for a healthy young cat the risk is very very small.

Another (small) risk is post-op infection. If you keep a close eye on him and keep in contact with the vet that can be cured quickly.

As denice said, neutering has a lot of benefits and the risk of complications is very low.

My 5 month old male kitten died yesterday while being neutered. I know it is rare but it happened. They are sending him to have a autopsy at the University of MN. They may not find anything wrong with him. I am absolutely devastated. He was checked 2 weeks ago and he was very healthy.

 

[JeanT]

I always thought neutering a pet would be a minimally invasive surgery too, but my sister's one year old male cat, Sapphire passed away after surgery this month. He woke up after surgery and was placed in his pet carrier. When my nephew went to pick him up, he noticed there was blood dripping out of the carrier and notified the staff. The people who staffed this place could not stop the bleeding and Sapphire died. The staff has given no good reason why he bled to death, but I highly recommend doing research for a better staffed and equipped full-service clinic before taking your pet to in for surgery or other services.