Castration

[rach]

Our vet charged £50 today and that was cheaper than the £65 quoted at Medivet, our local chain.

[sheryl]

Sorry but this post worried me a little bit - Muw is a cat not a squaddie!! If you cant afford £35 to have him "done" what will you do if he is suddenly taken ill and needs urgent Veterinary help ??  because if money is that tight you probably wont be able to afford insurance ??
No matter what the T.A taught you medically PLEASE dont attempt to do anything to your cat.

[Ela]

I'll have to save up, so Muw will have to wait a while longer.

Are you on benefits or low income? If so CP will help with a £15 voucher. Our branch is having a special offer next month where all cats can be neutered/spayed for £5 each.
Please get him neutered as soon as possible as apart from the problems already posted testicular cancer and FIV & FeLV are more likely in unneutered toms.

[Gill (sneakiefeline)]

I know this is off topic but also please get him insured cos if you struggle with money then this is really essential. M&S do a very good low cost insurance with no excess, you usually have to pay the vets before you can claim the money but it can be a life saver for your cat. There is a 14 day waiting period at the start of most insurances when you cant claim so it is best to do this asap, no good trying to do it once they need treatment.

[Desley (booktigger)]

I do hope you can find the money for it before he starts spraying- what part of the UK do you live in, maybe someone one here can recommend a reasonably priced vet? Mine charge around £36ish Please do leave it up to the pros. One other very good reason for having it done that hasn't been mentioned is that it eliminates the risk of testicular and prostrate cancer.

[badger]

Thanks, everyone.  Don't be worried - I wasn't going to do anything hasty!  I don't have any veterinary training, though I do have some training from my time in the TA (British Territorial Army) of medical procedures in the field, and I also have quite a lot of experience in a related field, as a cuts man at the local boxing club, which has given me a lot of experience in staunching bleeding and applying stitches.  My girlfriend is also a (trainee) nurse, but it sounds like I'll have to leave it to the pros after all.

Thanks again for all the advice.  I'll have to save up, so Muw will have to wait a while longer.  Still, I'm sure he won't be complaining!

[Fiona2]

oooooo noooooooo!, I missed that too  , it seems from what you say, quote: "I don't know much about cats yet" that you wouldn't have any veterinary training, definately definately definately very important to get this done professionally.

[Susanne (urbantigers)]

Oh gosh - I missed that!  DIY castration is definitely not recommended (for cats anyway  ).  It may be a minor op but complications can still happen and the cat needs to be under the care of qualified vets and nurses until he's come around from the anaesthetic safely.

[Sam (Fussy_Furball)]

Badger,

Just want to reiterate that although it is a relatively simple operation it is still an operation that is carried out under general anaesthetic (sp?) and as such there is always the possibility of complications ... Hence the need for the procedure to be carried out by a Vet and only a VET.

[Gillian Harvey]

No Sam you're not the only one 

Badger, as Sam said, medical training (in what exactly? are you a vet?) or not, the procedure should only be undertaken by a vet.

[Vixs]

My little boy had his op this morning and it cost £36. 

[Sam (Fussy_Furball)]

Muw is about 8 months old - I'm not sure exactly because he was living in the cellars for a while before I took him in.

Most of them say it is routine and straightforward so is it really necessary to get it done professionally?  I have some medical training and experience in dealing with various injuries. 

Sorry am I the only person thats thinks this statement is slightly worrying??!!!!!    Unless you are a qualified vet then it is ESSENTIAL you get it done professionally!!!

Contact your local Cats Protection / PDSA or RSPCA and see if they offer either vouchers towards the cost or they may carry out the procedure at their local surgery.  If your are on benefit the PDSA are your best bet http://www.pdsa.org.uk/page112.html

[Michelle (furbabystar)]

You could speak to the CP (Cats protection) or RSPCA to see if they could help with the cost.
Also Celia Hammond do very cheap castration.
But it is very very important that you get him done, Not doing him will prob lead to his early death either through being run over wandering to find a female or by catching FIV or FEL

There are other things you have to think about too -
Injections
Worming
Fleaing

and emergency treatment.

If you are on a low income you can contact PDSA or BLUECROSS

[Susanne (urbantigers)]

It's £37 for a male neuter at my vets, and they aren't the cheapest vets around.  It would be worth contacting your local CP branch to find out their policy on handing out vouchers.  Also maybe RSPCA - they had a stall in my local shopping centre recently advertising free neutering for dogs - not sure if they were doing it for cats too but worth enquiring at your local branch in case they can help.

[Fiona2]

I would try other vets, 50 quid seems a bit excessive, don't know what area you are in, I am in Manchester and we recently got a female cat neutered, cost £40 but the female op is more expensive than the male as it is a more invasive operation, so I would reckon the male op should be more like £30. Others on here will be able to advise on help with costs, there's the pdsa if you are on any benefits and the cp.
I have four toms all neutered but it's a few years since so not sure of the cost now but definately best to get them done. One of ours was a stray, he took months to get near he was so shy and nervous and was never happy in the house with other cats, kept to himself and sculked about, soon as we got him neutered he was a changed cat, happier, more friendly, relaxed and playful, and he doesn't hide away on his own any more.   

[Smudgey]

Is there another vet you could try or Cp (i think it is) they'll help with it in certain areas, the others on here know more about it than me, check with local rescues they sometimes have offers on especially since you technically rescued him
Good luck

[badger]

Muw is about 8 months old - I'm not sure exactly because he was living in the cellars for a while before I took him in.

Thanks for the advice.  It seems I should certainly have him castrated from what you say.  It doesn't seem inexpensive, though - I've looked at some of the prices vets charge here (the UK) and they are very expensive, at least for me.  Most of them say it is routine and straightforward so is it really necessary to get it done professionally?  I have some medical training and experience in dealing with various injuries.  I'd appreciate some advice because I'd like to do the right thing but, as I said, the vets seem very expensive (around 50 pounds is a lot of money for me  )

[Tiggy's Mum]

Hi again Badger, how old is Muw? Neutering is normally done at 6 months but some vets will neuter earlier, especially if you have a female cat as he can make babies while he is still one himself!  Neutering is a relatively minor and inexpensive op, he will be bouncing around the same day and will not notice anything is amiss!

OK, now here's a few reasons why you should get him neutered...

1) He will be far less likely to wander looking for a mate and get lost in the process.

2) He will be far less likely to spray his pungent smelling wee around your house.

3) He will probably become even more affectionate.

4) He won't be able to contribute to the thousands of unwanted kittens that are already looking for a home.

And now here's what could happen if you don't get him done....

1)  He will have a much bigger territory and the chances of him getting lost whilst wandering looking for a mate are much greater.

2) He will get into fights and could contract FIV (the feline version of HIV) or worse.

3) He is very likely to spray urine around the house to mark his territory,  it will smell much worse than it does now by the time he reaches sexual maturity.

4) He will contribute to the thousands of unwanted kittens looking for homes.

[badger]

I've just got my first cat - a tabby, called Muw - and he's a great companion, always purring and affectionate.  He hasn't been castrated yet and I wanted to know whether it was absolutely necessary.  What will happen if I don't get him done?

I don't know much about cats yet, as you can probably tell.  I'm a quick study, though!