Sterile Cat.. Should She Still Be Spayed?

Grape

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I just adopted a 6 year old cat. She is inbred, cross eyed, and sterile. Is it still healthier for her to be spayed even though she is sterile or should we leave her the way she is?
 

catapault

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How do you know that she is for sure sterile? Does she not go into heat? Has she been observed mating but no pregnancy resulted?

There are possible issues for an unspayed cat, above and beyond pregnancy.

I would say yes, spay her. But talk to the veterinarian if that will clarify the situation for you.
 

jen

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I would agree to absolutely spay her if she is healthy enough otherwise. Unfortunate cats don't care about inbreeding so many are, and cats that have the markings of yours with possible Siamese ancestry sometimes have crossed eyes. That really doesn't affect anything.
 

Kieka

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Getting a cat spayed can help prevent reproductive cancers and reduce a cats risk of other cancers. It also prevent pyometra, a potential fatal condition that is more common with older females.

On a personal level, I have been down the road of reproductive cancer with a rabbit before. The guilt of knowing that if I had just gotten her spayed I could have prevented her horrible death still eats at me years later. With cats you can usually find a spay clinic under $100 and every penny is worth it to prevent your cat from getting cancers that are 100% preventable with the spay.
 
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Grape

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I would agree to absolutely spay her if she is healthy enough otherwise. Unfortunate cats don't care about inbreeding so many are, and cats that have the markings of yours with possible Siamese ancestry sometimes have crossed eyes. That really doesn't affect anything.
She is not Siamese that is my 5 month old spayed kitty, Grape. This is a 6 year old calico cat that has been with one owner (and intact male cats) her entire life and that owner got her as a kitten from a place where inbreeding was going on to the extent this cat came out wonky. Her tail is weird, even her meow sounds odd. Her name is Noodle because they say you can cuddle her any which way and she will go limp in your arms and eat up the love. I don’t have any problem at all with getting her spayed if it’s better for her health. I guess I should ask a vet.
 

denice

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Has she been examined as far as her reproductive organs? I don't remember the technical name for it in cats, we had an expert forum here on genetics and she used the terms but I don't remember what they were. Male calicos came up in that forum and she could have a blending of reproductive organs. Has she ever gone into heat or displayed male tendencies like spraying and wandering? I know male calicos are usually sterile but they display all the things that go with a mature intact male.
 
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Grape

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I doubt she has been examined like that, I don’t think she has had extensive vet services but seems healthy other than her wonkiness. Here is her photo :)
 
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Grape

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I asked her previous human and found out she still probably goes through cycles because she gets extra every month even though she doesn’t get pregnant and I don’t want her being aggravated in that way so I’m leaning toward getting her spayed. But I also called the vet who basically said the cancer-prention benefit of getting spayed is minor and cats who aren’t spayed don’t really go around getting cancer all the time and I need to weigh the benefit at thisbpoint vs. anesthia and other risks and it’s just a personal choice.
 
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Grape

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Previous post was supposed to say she gets extra lovey every month. Is there any way to edit posts?
 

Mamanyt1953

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You will get the editing feature after 5 days of membership and 20 posts. Be patient, it will come!

The American College of Veterinary Surgeons says that spaying before six months reduces the risk of mammary cancers by SEVEN TIMES, and spaying at ANY age reduces the risk by 40-60%. And there are other reproductive cancers, as well, AND the risk of pyrometria. I don't consider a 40-60% reduction in risk to be minor, myself.

Mammary Tumors | American College of Veterinary Surgeons - ACVS
 
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Grape

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Well that depends on how many cats are getting it to begin with. If 1 cat gets it every 20 years for example, a 40-60% chance really isnt very much at all. I’m sure it’s more than that, but that illustrates her point. But really, 40% of what? Does anyone know the statistics?
You will get the editing feature after 5 days of membership and 20 posts. Be patient, it will come!

The American College of Veterinary Surgeons says that spaying before six months reduces the risk of mammary cancers by SEVEN TIMES, and spaying at ANY age reduces the risk by 40-60%. And there are other reproductive cancers, as well, AND the risk of pyrometria. I don't consider a 40-60% reduction in risk to be minor, myself.

Mammary Tumors | American College of Veterinary Surgeons - ACVS
 
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Grape

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So I read up a little on pyrometra and I’m going to get her spayed. I already had the appt scheduled before I posted but I wanted to make I was doing the best thing. I’ve never had an unspayed cat before so I know very about them.
 
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Grape

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Very *little about them
 

Mamanyt1953

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Well that depends on how many cats are getting it to begin with. If 1 cat gets it every 20 years for example, a 40-60% chance really isnt very much at all. I’m sure it’s more than that, but that illustrates her point. But really, 40% of what? Does anyone know the statistics?
LOL, since you asked, and I quote the Manhattan Cat Specialists, who are leaders in feline oncology, "It is estimated that one out of 4000 cats develop breast cancer. This may seem like a small incidence, but in fact, breast cancer is the third most common tumor in cats and accounts for 10 to 12 percent of all diagnosed tumors in cats."

It really doesn't seem like a huge number, but when it is YOUR cat who develops it, it is suddenly very large, indeed. And, since spaying does so many other good things (up to and including having a randy queen trying to back up onto your bare toes...do NOT ask me how I know this), spaying is just good guardianship.
 

Kieka

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Well that depends on how many cats are getting it to begin with. If 1 cat gets it every 20 years for example, a 40-60% chance really isnt very much at all. I’m sure it’s more than that, but that illustrates her point. But really, 40% of what? Does anyone know the statistics?
Out of eight rabbits, I've had one with cancer. Out of six cats, I've had one with cancer (and three are my current crew and under 7 years old). I don't know any exact numbers but having been there two in the last ten years I would take any step necessary to reduce the risk of cancer in my future animals. My rabbit got neutered even though it only eliminates the chance of one type of cancer for males and surgery is riskier for rabbits then cats. His life could have very easily ended during surgery or during recovery because rabbits are super sensitive to medications. But that risk was 100% worth it because having seen two animals dying slowly cancer that is something I don't ever want to go through again. Even a 5% reduction in risk is worth it to not see you animal suffer or know that you could have stopped it.

I am glad to see you are going through with the spay
 
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