pros & cons of female neutering

[emma_pen]

I am a veterinary nurse at a busy practice so can help you here.

firstly, my siamese won't be an out door cat...so even if she weren't to be spade, she wouldn't be able to mate.

True, but bear in mind that accidents happen. Cats in season will try everything and anything to get out of the house. And if she does get outside, she could wander for miles in search of a mate, and get mated by any tom cat who could potentially have a number of diseases. I hear this all the time that cats are housecats, but believe me, these cats get out. If your girl is speyed she will have far less desire to escape.

what exactly happens during the operation?

A very small incision is made, usually on the cats flank. Because your cat is a Siamese, I would always offer you the option of a midline spey, where the incision is on her abdomen rather than her side. This is because quite often with Siamese, the hair can grow back slightly darker and leave a darker square patch on her side. This is purely for cosmetic reasons, and makes no difference to the cat. If you want her done midline, you'll have to request it.
Through this incision (at my practice, its usually around an inch long) the entire uterus & both ovaries are completely removed. In cats, this is usually a simple and straight forward procedure. The chance of post-op infection is rare and there are very rarely complications.
In my experience, a young slim cat takes about 20 minutes to spey from anaesthetising to coming off the table.

do they still put a 'tube' down their throw to help them breath

Yes, we use ET tubes. It is much safer and more reliable to use them than a mask. A mask allows gas to escape and is a less reliable anaesthetic. Our tubes are sterilised and flushed after every use, and we only use very small ones for cats. Yes, it is possible to get irritation and even infection from the ET tube, but this is rare. I am sorry you had such a bad experience. All I can suggest is that you discuss your concerns with a vet before your cat comes in to the surgery.

how likely is it for something to go wrong during Rina's operation?

I am not going to tell you it is not likely at all. There are risks with all anaesthetics and surgeries. But in a young healthy cat, the risks are very rare. We neuter approx 40 cats every week and rarely see problems. If you have a favourite/preferred vet, request that this vet does the surgery personally.
The risks of infection are greatly reduced in cats than dogs, as the procedure is somewhat less invasive, no more than a finger goes into your cats abdomen, and everything that is lifted out of the abdomen is removed. Because the wound is so small, healing is very quick and clean in 99% of cases.
The op itself can be more difficult if the cat is in season, as this means her uterus is larger, more vascular and more fragile. This does not stop us speying the cat, however, and we do many cats in season without problem, as a lot of people don't realise and neither do we until the cat is opened up. Also, a lot of cats once in season do not really come out of season all summer unless speyed.

would she be in emotional pain to not have the op?

I wouldn't exactly say 'pain' is the right word to use, but it would certainly make life easier for you and her both to have her speyed. Seasons can be very traumatic for a confined cat (I should know, I have a cat in season in my spare room!) and like I mentioned earlier, some cats continually come into season every fortnight all spring/summer.

Hope this helped somewhat, and can help you come to your decision.
Ems

[Snoof]

I agree with what everyone else has said. Also, while she may be barking up the wrong tree with your mum's cat, unless he's been neutered he'll most likely mate with her anyway if she's in heat.

I think it's going to be more productive for you to take her to a different vet if you're uncomfortable with this one. Yes, it'll require more travel time, but it'll give you more peace of mind - and bear in mind most people don't have a vet around the corner (I don't) and still have no trouble getting their cats altered.

Best of luck!