Should I have my 12 year cat spayed?

Status
Not open for further replies.
Robert and Frisky

Robert and Frisky

Member
It has been a while since I have been on here. Frisky is doing well and in good health other than the diabetes. She is currently on 3.5 u(u-40) Prozinc insulin. The vet is wanting me to have Frisky spayed but I am worried about having it done given her age. The only reason I never had her spayed was because she never goes outside. Am I just worried with her age if it is the right thing to do.
 
Robert and Frisky said:
It has been a while since I have been on here. Frisky is doing well and in good health other than the diabetes. She is currently on 3.5 u(u-40) Prozinc insulin. The vet is wanting me to have Frisky spayed but I am worried about having it done given her age. The only reason I never had her spayed was because she never goes outside. Am I just worried with her age if it is the right thing to do.
Click to expand...

Well, I have definitely heard of older cats being spayed. 12 isn't *that* old and should she somehow get out, it would not be a kind thing! My question is....how have you handled her being in heat all this time! Sugar was so awful I couldn't get her spayed fast enough. Personally, healthwise, I don't think it would harm her.
 
Spaying is for health reasons beyond just being able to have babies. Cancer is one of the worst offenders of taking our feline companions from us. Spaying reduces the risk of some of those cancers significantly to completely.

Mammary cancer is the 3rd most common cancer in cats and is most common in female cats that have not been spayed.

Spaying removes any possibility of cancer of the ovaries or uterus.

Pyometra, a possibly deadly uterine infection, can't happen without a uterus.

We are currently working to get the cushings disease under control in a 14 year old dog we rescued in order to get her spayed. My SIL (Maxi's vet) just doesn't think it is worth the risk to leave her not spayed even though she is so old she is not likely to be parenting any pups.

I wouldn't put it off. I know surgery and anesthesia of any kind on our babies is scary, especially the older ones, but some of the stuff you can risk is pretty scary too.
 
Thanks for the replies. I guess my biggest concern is that my mom had 2 cats 3 or 4 years younger than Frisky that got mammary cancer 6 months to a year after she had them spayed. Up to that point both cats were in perfect health. I guess I am going to have it done when I am on vacation the last week in February so I am at home with her the first few days when she comes home. I have struggled with this for about a year now but I guess it is one of those thing that is damned if you do and damned if you don't.

PS
"how have you handled her being in heat all this time!"
For the most part when she is in heat she just becomes an acrobat in her chair she likes to sleep in. She just flips and rolls around. She has never cried or meow at all. at least not where I can here her.
 
Robert and Frisky said:
Thanks for the replies. I guess my biggest concern is that my mom had 2 cats 3 or 4 years younger than Frisky that got mammary cancer 6 months to a year after she had them spayed. Up to that point both cats were in perfect health. I guess I am going to have it done when I am on vacation the last week in February so I am at home with her the first few days when she comes home. I have struggled with this for about a year now but I guess it is one of those thing that is damned if you do and damned if you don't.

PS
"how have you handled her being in heat all this time!"
For the most part when she is in heat she just becomes an acrobat in her chair she likes to sleep in. She just flips and rolls around. She has never cried or meow at all. at least not where I can here her.
Click to expand...

I would suspect the mammary cancer timing was totally coincidental. I've had many female cats spayed and never a case of that. Think about how many are spayed every year.
 
Wow! Frisky definitely isn't a Siamese. Mine was less than 6 months old when she went into her first heat. It cost me extra to have her spayed while she was in heat, but it was worth it to not hear her yodel all night long!

My co-worker just lost a dog due to uterine problems, that was the second person I know to have that happen to their dog. I just always spay and neuter my animals, it's just kind of automatic for me.
 
I lost a wonderful dog, who I loved like a child, at age 11 to a horrible uterine infection because she was not spayed and I was afraid to do it at her advanced age, thinking like you, that she was indoors only. I will never forgive myself. Please have her spayed. She will be much healthier.

Melanie & Racci
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top