Does it hurt the cat for long? How long does it take to do the procedue/what do they do? Whats the recovery period. Our vet is German so I don't fully understand what she is saying.
Also at what age can a dog be done?
We have a 2 (in June) year old cat, and an 11 week old dog.

All my cats have been to the vet for "The Op" and never have one of them had any problem with being in pain. They look a bit funny when they come home and the wound has to kept free of the cat wanting to lick it but the vet will guide you through all that. It is a long term thing that a short time of looking silly does not matter, as the fur soon grows back plus once the stitches are out the cat will never give the wound a second thought. The reward is a happy cat that will never be the cause of concern when mixing with other cats looking for a tumble in the grass.

A cat can (and should) be spayed at 5 months, but any time after that is no problem. The vet should give a painkiller to ensure they have no post-op pain. You take them in first thing (no food after 8pm the previous night) and pick them up around 4pm. Give them a light meal that evening and let them rest. Then the next day they should be more or less back to normal. They will have a small wound on a shaved patch on the flank with stitches which have to be removed by the vet 10 days later.

Two of mine were jumping around on the tops of cupboards the following day. Cats are not like us, they have no concept of what has happened to them so as long as they are not in pain they carry on as usual. (You should try to get them to rest for a day or two, but there is only so much you can do.)

If your cat is not more or less back to normal and eating the next morning, call your vet.

Don't know about dogs, I am sure someonelse will answer that part.

Not being able to fully understand what your vet is telling you is a major issue though, personally I would find another vet if that is the case. If they are ill you want to be able to fully understand his diagnosis and instructions.

when i had my siamese spayed i was really worried that it was going to be like when i had my dogs spayed.

i couldnt believe how quickly she recovered, the only difference in her was that she was very sleepy, i kept her in a quiet room away from my dogs, i let them say hello to her but then put them out of the room.

i stayed with her and kept a close eye on her until she had fully come round.

She will be allowed water, and try to get some plain chicken, feed her tiny amounts a few hours after getting her home, as she could go off her food, plus it will help her to come round a bit quicker, dont feed her to much as she may vomit.

The following day she will probably do what my cat did, and started strutting her stuff around the house as though nothing had happened, we actually put a collar on her to try and slow her down, not from fear of her biting stitches, just so the cone would stop her from jumping around like a nutter!

As regards your dog, if its a boy, then the operation is very minor.

If its a girl, then my advice would be to allow her to have her first period, i have two girls and from two seperate vets they both agreed on them waiting for them to have a period as it allows there hormones to settle, it is also supposed to help calm them later on in life, girl dogs who get done prior to having a season tend to be a bit flighty and giddy, whereas after they can be a bit calmer.

Spaying in dogs is a bit more stressful than a cat, but it all depends on the individual dog.

They will give your dog a course of painkillers and probably give them a long lasting antibiotic injection. they will be a little stiff and sore but after 2-3 days they should be back to normal.

If it where me and the 11 week old pup is a girl i would wait until she has her first period, contact another vet if you are unsure of your own, if you have had trouble understanding the vet, a nurse at the practice will be more than happy to explain/answer questions that you may have about the procedure etc, if they are bit funny with you then just change vets.

hope this helps a little.

I picked my boy cat up yesterday after he had the 'op'! I live in Germany and after talking to my mum (she has 4 cats, all done!) What she was told and what I was told is different.

I dropped Loki off at the vet at 8am and picked him up after work. I was told that he was allowed a small amount of food and water that evening and then back to normal this morning!

I was expecting him to have a lampshade on to stop him getting at his stitches but he did'nt have one! I asked about when I could let him out again and the Vet said the next day. Well he seemed a bit wobbly on his back legs last night! I let him back out at about 1pm today as he seemed absolutely fine!

good luck!