Berkeley Heights Animal Hospital
269 Springfield Avenue, Berkeley Heights, NJ 07922
(908) 464-0023
- Females that are not spayed have a higher risk of developing mammary tumors and uterine infections.
- Female dogs and cats never stop going into heat completely, so there is a risk of potential pregnancy problems at an advanced age.
- Males that are not neutered can develop behavioral problems, such as urinating in the house and being aggressive.
- It helps to reduce the overpopulation of dogs and cats.
All that said, if you've gone out intentionally to bring an animal home, then you were probably given all of the information you need about when it would be time to spay or neuter them if the procedure wasn't done already. But what about those stray animals that you see sitting on your front porch sometimes or soaking up some sun in your driveway?
If you come across a stray cat and are considering rescuing it, here's how you can tell if it was already spayed or neutered:
Inspect the cat's abdomen.
If the cat is cooperative and will let you hold and handle them, flip it onto its back and look at its abdomen area. The fur on this part of the cat is typically shaven before a spay or neuter procedure, so if the fur here is mostly missing or looks shorter than the rest of the cat's body, that could mean they were recently spayed or neutered. However - keep in mind that this isn't the only surgical procedure that requires fur to be shaved, so you'll want to check the cat in some other ways too in order to confirm what has actually been done.
Look for a scar.
Particularly in female cats, a scar should be visible in their lower abdomen if they were spayed recently. You may have to move some of the fur on the cat's abdomen to get a good look if it's already started to grow back, and you should be looking for a straight, thin line that runs down the center of the cat's lower abdomen.
Compare the cat's ears.
A rather obvious way to tell if a cat has been spayed or neutered is to check their ear - if one of the ears looks like it's been clipped, that's a sign that the procedure was most likely already taken care of. You may also find a tattoo within the cats inner ear, or for females, a tattoo marking may be near the scar. Tip - if you find an "M" tattoo, this does not give insight into spaying and neutering, and rather means that the cat has been microchipped.
Aside from all of the self-checks you can do, one surefire way to figure out if a cat has been spayed or neutered is to schedule an appointment with your veterinarian. They certainly know everything to look for and can give you their professional insight on the situation!
For those of you in Summit, Berkeley Heights, Murray Hill, New Providence, Plainfield or Westfield, New Jersey, you can always count on the team here at Berkeley Heights Animal Hospital to help with spays and neuters.
To learn more about our spay and neuter services, as well as our other veterinary care services, please call (908) 464-0023 or visit our website today.
Inspect the cat's abdomen.
If the cat is cooperative and will let you hold and handle them, flip it onto its back and look at its abdomen area. The fur on this part of the cat is typically shaven before a spay or neuter procedure, so if the fur here is mostly missing or looks shorter than the rest of the cat's body, that could mean they were recently spayed or neutered. However - keep in mind that this isn't the only surgical procedure that requires fur to be shaved, so you'll want to check the cat in some other ways too in order to confirm what has actually been done.
Look for a scar.
Particularly in female cats, a scar should be visible in their lower abdomen if they were spayed recently. You may have to move some of the fur on the cat's abdomen to get a good look if it's already started to grow back, and you should be looking for a straight, thin line that runs down the center of the cat's lower abdomen.
Compare the cat's ears.
A rather obvious way to tell if a cat has been spayed or neutered is to check their ear - if one of the ears looks like it's been clipped, that's a sign that the procedure was most likely already taken care of. You may also find a tattoo within the cats inner ear, or for females, a tattoo marking may be near the scar. Tip - if you find an "M" tattoo, this does not give insight into spaying and neutering, and rather means that the cat has been microchipped.
Aside from all of the self-checks you can do, one surefire way to figure out if a cat has been spayed or neutered is to schedule an appointment with your veterinarian. They certainly know everything to look for and can give you their professional insight on the situation!
For those of you in Summit, Berkeley Heights, Murray Hill, New Providence, Plainfield or Westfield, New Jersey, you can always count on the team here at Berkeley Heights Animal Hospital to help with spays and neuters.
To learn more about our spay and neuter services, as well as our other veterinary care services, please call (908) 464-0023 or visit our website today.
