How much does it cost to spay a cat at the humane society

by Lynne Miller

As any veterinarian will tell you, spaying your cat should be a top priority for responsible pet owners (regardless of where you adopted or purchased your cat from), but this responsibility may come at a cost. Learn more about the average cost of spaying a cat, in addition to the options you have regarding where to spay your cat and why spaying or neutering is so important.

How Much Does it Cost to Spay a Cat?

While the cost to spay a cat varies, the operation typically runs from $300 to $500 for a female cat and around $200 for a male when it’s done at a private, full-service veterinary practice, said Cory Smith, spokeswoman for The Humane Society of the United States.

Fortunately, there are less expensive options. For a fraction of the cost, cat owners can have the surgery performed by a non-profit spay/neuter service. These services typically cost around $50, and can be higher or lower depending on where you live.

“There’s no reason to fear the quality of those services,” Smith said. “All the surgeries are done by licensed veterinarians.”

Additionally, some pet insurance plans provide coverage for spay and neuter surgery, making the cost even more manageable for pet owners.

You can find a low-cost spay/neuter provider in your area by visiting the Humane Society and the ASPCA websites.

Benefits of Spaying or Neutering Your Cat

Having your cat neutered will fix many undesirable behaviors, including territorial urine spraying, roaming, and being aggressive toward other cats—behaviors often seen in intact male cats. Spaying eliminates the unpleasant behaviors associated with females in heat, making your feline friend easier to live with after surgery.

Neutering a cat at an early age may also protect the animal from a number of serious, even fatal, health problems later in life. Neutering a male cat can prevent testicular cancer and certain prostate problems, while spaying a female between three and six months of age will essentially eliminate her risk of developing mammary cancer and eliminate the risk of pyometra, a potentially fatal infection of the uterus that strikes older, intact female cats.

“Statistically, animals will live longer if they are spayed or neutered,” says Dr. Robin Sturtz, a veterinarian at The Cat Hospital in Williston Park, New York. “They are much less prone to certain endocrinal or hormonal diseases.”

The best time to have your cat spayed is before she has her first heat. While this varies according to your cat’s breed and whether they live indoors or in the wild, most cats reach puberty by five to six months of age. Since each cat’s medical history is unique, it’s best to consult your veterinarian on the ideal time to spay your cat.

During a spay surgery, a cat is completely anesthetized and a surgeon uses a scalpel to make an incision in the abdomen, revealing the reproductive tract. The ovaries and the uterus are removed and the incision is closed with sutures. Usually, the operation is completed in less than 60 minutes, Dr. Sturtz said. Neutering is less complicated. The surgeon makes a single incision over each testicle, removes the testicles, and ties off the spermatic cord to prevent bleeding, typically in 30 minutes or less.

At The Cat Hospital, male cats generally go home the same day, while females are kept overnight. How the animal responds to anesthesia will determine how quickly he or she recovers, with most kitties bouncing back 24 hours after surgery, Dr. Sturtz said. After surgery, your veterinarian should reexamine your cat and he or she should be kept quiet and inside for a few days to ensure a full recovery.

According to Dr. Sturtz, spay and neuter operations are “the least complicated surgery that we do and, for a short procedure, it provides the most benefit for the animal’s quality of life.”

Having your pet spayed will help you and your furry friend enjoy a high quality of life together, and prevent unwanted pregnancies.

Image: Ilike / Shutterstock

Quality, Low-Cost Spay/Neuter

Humane Ohio can offer low-cost spay/neuter prices because, as a 501c3 non-profit organization, donations help keep our prices low. We focus solely on spay/neuter because our goal is to prevent unwanted litters.

Standard of Care

Humane Ohio believes that all animals should receive the highest quality veterinary care possible, even if the services are performed at a reduced cost. All spay/neuter surgeries are performed by licensed veterinarians (DVMs) and all animals entrusted to Humane Ohio are attended to before and after spay/neuter surgery by trained veterinary technicians. Every patient receives pain medication. Humane Ohio has fixed over 150,000 animals and fixes over 19,000 animals a year!

Recommended Vaccines

Humane Ohio recommends that all animals who use our clinic be up-to-date on vaccines. Humane Ohio does not offer vaccines in advance of your spay/neuter appointment, so you should visit your private vet or a local pet supply store that offers low-cost vaccination clinics. Humane Ohio does offer low-cost vaccines at the time of the spay/neuter only. We do not provide vaccine boosters. We focus solely on spay/neuter because our goal is to prevent unwanted litters.

Humane Ohio offers these vaccines at the time of the spay/neuter surgery only:

• Feline FVRCP Combination: The distemper vaccine, included as part of a three or four way vaccine depending on what it contains, protects your cat against three or four different diseases common to cats, including common upper respiratory diseases that cats can catch even if they live indoors. (The vaccine Humane Ohio uses protects against Rhinotracheitis, Calici, and Panleukopenia.) This vaccine is often recommended if your cat is boarded, hospitalized, may come into contact with other animals, etc. It is an annual vaccination unless otherwise noted by your regular veterinarian. The first time your cat receives the three or four way vaccine, the vaccine may need to be boostered (repeated) 3-4 weeks later, but you should check with your regular, personal vet to find out for sure. This vaccine is an additional $15 at the time of the spay/neuter surgery.
• Rabies: This vaccine is for cats three months or older. The rabies vaccine is required by law in most counties because rabies is a public health issue, but laws vary by county so check with your own county. The first time your cat is vaccinated for rabies, the vaccine will be good for one year. Every time your cat receives the rabies vaccine booster after the first time, the vaccine will be good for 1-3 years. This vaccine is an additional $15 at the time of the spay/neuter surgery.

Humane Ohio offers these vaccines at the time of the spay/neuter surgery only:

• DA2PP: The distemper vaccine, included as part of a four-way vaccine, protects your dog against four different diseases common to dogs including Distemper, Adenovirus, Parainfluenza, and Parvovirus. The first time your dog receives the four-way vaccine, the vaccine may need to be boostered (repeated) 3-4 weeks later, but you should check with your personal veterinarian to find out for sure. This vaccination is typically boostered by your veterinarian annually. The vaccine is an additional $15 at the time of the spay/neuter surgery.
• Rabies: This vaccine is for dogs three months or older. The rabies vaccine is required by law in most counties because rabies is a public health issue, but laws vary by county so check with your own county. The first time your dog is vaccinated for rabies, the vaccine will be good for one year. Every time your dog receives the rabies vaccine booster after the first time, the vaccine will be good for 1-3 years. This vaccine is an additional $15 at the time of spay/neuter surgery.
• Bordetella: This vaccine protects your dog against some strains of kennel cough, a highly contagious cough commonly seen in boarding or grooming situations. It is often recommended whenever your dog is boarded, hospitalized, or may come into contact with other animals. Depending upon the type of vaccine given (by injection or intranasal), this vaccine may need to be boostered (repeated), but you should check with your personal veterinarian to find out for sure. This vaccine is an additional $15 at the time of the spay/neuter surgery.

Microchipping

The best way to make sure your pet doesn’t get lost is to microchip! A microchip is a tiny chip the size of a grain of rice injected between your pet’s shoulder blades by a veterinarian. It’s a permanent way to identify your pet if lost or stolen. A wand-like scanner can be used to tell if a pet has a microchip, and most animal shelters and veterinarian offices have one. There is a national registry that lists guardian contact information.

Does getting a microchip hurt my pet?

At Humane Ohio microchips are implanted while the animals are under anesthesia, so it is not painful to the pet. 

How easy is it to change the information if moving?

A simple phone call to the company that manufactures the chips will typically get the job done.

Will the microchip stay in place?

Yes, they stay in place and can’t fall off like a collar or ID tag.

Where can I get my pet microchipped?

You can have this procedure done at any veterinarian’s office, at the Toledo Area Humane Society or at Humane Ohio (at the time of the spay/neuter only).

How will the person who finds my pet know that he has a microchip?

When a pet is microchipped, the pet parent will usually get a tag for their collar with an identification number. The tag also comes with an 800 number to call to find the owner’s name and contact information, but if the collar has fallen off, the person who finds your animal will need to take him to a veterinarian or animal shelter that has a scanner to check for microchips.

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