Worries about NEUTERING : 🥺

[Mrcclms]

Hello everybody,

My Scottish cat Adam is 13 months now.
He is indoor only.


Haven't neutered him yet cause I never liked the idea and kind of pushed it back.

In terms of behavior, he never sprayed. He only humps the blanket lol

He is a very happy and active cat.

He only meow quite a lot and lately at night as well.

I'm kind of torn. I know most says it's for their health but It's hard to bring into surgery a cat that seems so fine and happy.



Another note, I'm european, In Italy a neutering procedure is a super easy experience, it costs 80 euro only, you get the cat back after few hours and he is perfectly fine. On my italian cats I don't remember I have ever noticed the scar/wound post surgery and cats were totally fine.

I live in Miami and the vet instead made it quite a big deal. Big surgery, $350 dollars, he will have to wear a cone collar for a week, medications post surgery OMG !

I'm even starting to think that the procedures are different between Europe and the USA.


Anyway, I'm leaning towards doing it in 1-2 weeks.




Any honest opinion would be greatly appreciated! Thanks !

 

[Kitty Mommy]

I would check with another vet. The cone seems unnecessary to me for a simple procedure. The last cat i had neutered he only stayed at the vet a few hours afterwards, mostly because he was groggy from the anesthisia and there was no cone or medications recommended. It's been awhile so I don't recall the cost. In my area the local vets will do a spay/neuter clinic a few times a year at reduced cost. Is there something similar in your area? Even our female was sent home after a few hours and a spay is much more invasive.

 

[Talien]

I live in Miami and the vet instead made it quite a big deal. Big surgery, $350 dollars, he will have to wear a cone collar for a week, medications post surgery OMG !

That vet is trying to rip you off, find a different one. $350 and a cone for what is essentially an outpatient procedure? F-that. At MOST you should be sent home with a few days worth of pain medication on the off chance your Cat experiences any discomfort, but for males that is very rare unless it was a hack job.

 

[MissClouseau]

I live in Istanbul, surrounded by street cats. Females are mostly spayed but most males aren't unfortunately. They are STRESSED. As in, they are significantly more aggressive than females and even worse when it's mating season which isn't far away by the way.

It just cannot be food for their general health.

 

[jen]

Call around, there are usually low cost neuter options all over the place. The US is a stupid sue-happy country and everyone has to cover their butts so clinics sometimes go overboard with aftercare and everything just in case. Anyway the cone is unnecessary, a little licking of the wounds to heal is perfectly ok. Males bounce right back from a neuter. Even pain meds are usually not necessary either. Places around me do it for $25 so just google or call a local animal rescue shelter and ask for low cost neutering resources.

It is definitely healthier overall for them to be neutered. Less desire to spray (he hasn't yet but just wait!) and less destructiveness to mate. Plus the horrible urine smell ugh, that alone. Intact male cats are the worst smelling and your whole house will smell like it especially once the spraying starts.

 

[verna davies]

I agree with the previous posts. Its a relatively easy and quick operation for a male cat. Mine was home in a couple of hours, no cone needed and no stitches or meds needed. Phone around other vets and get prices and procedures.

 

[jen]

I just searched "Miami low cost neuter" and a lot of places to call came up.

 

[JamesCalifornia]

~ I agree with everyone about seeing another vet. Definitely have your cat neutered. They live longer with less urinary problems.

 

[Kieka]

For males, low cost centers are a great option and they really don't need much in the way of aftercare. Your guy is still pretty young and if he is humping a blanket the spraying is probably not too far behind. I'd get it done soon before he does start spraying.

 

[Mrcclms]

Thanks so much for all the feedbacks. That's what I thought and remembered from having 2 male cats in Italy.

The thing is that sometimes paying more (even tho 350 is outrageous) make you feel safer and more responsible. I'll see if there is a more honest place that is still 15min away at most

 

[Mrcclms]

PS:

Is blood work required / mandatory / recommended ? Some vets I talked to told me it's MANDATORY for them (their prices are 300-500$ per neuter). Another said it's not if the cat is relatively young and after the vet visit looks healthy

 

[jen]

It is up to individual vets/clinic. Most of the low cost places do not require it at all, thus keeping prices down. The more expensive places usually do require it, they also have extra monitoring and drugs in place and vet techs involved during the procedure too. For a young one it likely isn't a big deal, but the older they are I would absolutely have bloodwork checked. There are likely wavers to sign so that if you skip the bloodwork and something happens/if the cat is too ill for it then they aren't as liable. Remember cats hide whatever is wrong, when they finally show signs of a problem it is usually far advanced.

 

[Mrcclms]

Called a new one now.

She said between 450 and 550 dollars.


In Italy you can treat cancer for humans for free !

 

[jen]

If you call a regular full service vet clinic it will be more. You need to find the low cost clinics.

If you are near here, its $20:
Spay or Neuter Surgery

There is also Humane Society of Greater Miami, Project PetSnip, and The Cat Network Inc I see on a simple google search.

 

[Mrcclms]

That's the one I just booked for next month. I know that Miami Dade Center is a state of the art facility for adoptions also

My point was not the cost itself, it's more the fact that being overcharged this much make me distrust them somehow

My regular vet, the one I was planning to go to for the neutering for $350, when he got the the quote initially was $450 and then we all found out they double billed some exam. I was disappointed and since that moment I looked for alternatives

 

[jen]

$450 and up is crazy, but prices can very so drastically throughout various parts of the US. An office exam is usually between $30-50 at a regular old vet clinic where I am from, but I lived in Los Angeles temporarily and the cheapest I could find was $80. Just for a quick exam. Surgeries are always different based on procedure, post-care, medications, and veterinarians. No 2 clinics are the same for everything.

 

[Kieka]

I'm in Southern California and our cheapest around me is $40 (as long as not pregnant). My boy got neutered for that but we also had to provide proof of rabies vaccine or that was an add on service they would require. My girl got spayed for $400-500 (I forget exactly) but I had a bad experience with a female at a clinic and my girl had been sickly so I didn't want to take any risks. But generally, vet prices vary so much from area to area. My regular vet is $45 for an exam but other vets are up to $70.

 

[She's a witch]

In Italy you can treat cancer for humans for free !

In Italy you can become a veterinarian for free (=from public money), but here in the US you need crazy amount of money to become one. If you need to pay off the student loan as most of people do, your services must have an adequate price. Plus, well, general medical costs are known to be crazy expensive here comparing to the rest of the world, so no wonder the vet services are affected too

 

[Meowmee]

PS:

Is blood work required / mandatory / recommended ? Some vets I talked to told me it's MANDATORY for them (their prices are 300-500$ per neuter). Another said it's not if the cat is relatively young and after the vet visit looks healthy

The blood work is up to you but I would do it because it can hopefully rule out any problems with anesthetics, that is usually why they do it. Some dvm will not give anesthetics without blood work. He does not need a cone or pain killers most likely. Maybe shop around at another dvm for a lower price. Neuter is essential for their health imo, if he escapes he will be more likely to get into fights, catch diseases and breed etc. Quinn was 6 months at neuter and my dvm didnt do bw as I recall because he was healthy. But to be extra safe I will do it if there is another time. I knew that the dvm was excellent who did his neuter and they monitor them while under sedation.

 

[jefferd18]

Welcome to the site!- there are a lot of wonderful and knowledgeable people here.

Even for Miami that is is still way too expensive and that is the first time that I have ever heard of a cat having to wear a cone after being neutered. Shelters will do the surgery at a fraction of that cost and many veterinarians participate in what is called Nickle Neutering.

Having him netured will definately cut down on the risks of cancer and other health issues. The bonus is, is that you waited until he is over six months to have it done, thus cutting down on the risk of him battling urinary blockages in the future.