Spaying and neutering, explained
One short operation means fewer kittens born on the street, a calmer cat, and a lower risk of some cancers. It's the single most useful thing you can do for a Mumbai cat.
The quick version
- Spaying is for females (the ovaries and usually the uterus are removed). Neutering is for males. People often say "neutering" for both.
- Kittens can be safely done from about 2 months old, once they weigh around 1 kg. Your vet will tell you what they recommend.
- Most cats go home the same day. Recovery takes about two weeks.
Why it matters
- No unwanted litters. A street cat that isn't spayed can have kitten after kitten.
- For females: no heat cycles (the yowling), and a lower risk of womb infections and mammary cancer.
- Less spraying, roaming and fighting, which means fewer bite wounds and fewer cats hit by traffic.
If you feed a colony, neutering is how the colony stays small and healthy. Ask local NGOs about low-cost neutering drives.
Get ready before surgery day
- A quiet room with little furniture to climb on
- A litter box with shredded newspaper or low-dust litter
- A recovery cone or surgical suit (ask the vet which)
- The pain medicine the vet prescribes
The two weeks after
- Stay close for the first 24 hours.
Don't leave the cat alone. Offer a little water and a small first meal; it may feel sick from the anaesthetic.
- Keep it indoors and calm.
No running, jumping or rough play for two weeks. Keep other pets and children away for the first few days.
- Stop the licking.
Licking can open the wound. Use the cone or suit. A cone fits when it reaches past the nose and two fingers slide under the collar.
- Look at the wound once a day.
Keep it clean and dry. No baths, and no creams unless the vet prescribed them. Mild swelling can take a few weeks to settle.
- Give every dose of pain medicine.
Never human painkillers. Some are deadly to cats.
Call the vet if
- The wound bleeds, smells, oozes, or opens up
- The gums look pale or white, or it's hard to wake
- The belly is swollen or painful to touch
- It strains to pee or can't pee
- It won't eat or drink for more than a day, or hasn't pooed in two days
- It keeps vomiting, or struggles to breathe
Where this comes from
- PetMD: spayed cat aftercare, by Michael Kearley, DVM (benefits, 14-day recovery, aftercare, warning signs)
- Alley Cat Allies (safe from two months or two pounds, about 1 kg)
This guide is a draft and hasn't been checked by a vet yet. Your vet's instructions come first.