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My cat needs spaying. What are the risks of surgery and anesthesia?

Updated On September 23rd, 2025

Pet's info: Cat | Mixed Breed | Female | unspayed

So nothing serious but I just have a quick question so my mom is taking to get her cat fixed soon and asked if I want to take my female cat along to get fixed also but then we talked and I want to get my cat fixed but wat if something happens, I have 3 other cats that r males but their fixed I just feel lke she’s not the happiest when she’s in heat but she’s my only little girl and if something went wrong in surgery I cld pent Handel that! Wat are the chances?

2 Answers

Most Helpful Answer

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Answered By Dr. Strydom, DVM

Veterinarian

Published on April 21st, 2018

The chances of something happening to Princess under anesthesia is very minute. That doesn't mean there is no chance. She is a living, breathing being and just like in humans, anything can happen. Veterinarians use very safe anesthetic drugs that are often what is used in humans despite all the safety precautions adverse reactions can still happen. While no one can give you a guarantee, I can tell you that the benefits of having her spayed far outweigh the risks of the procedure. Unspayed animals have an extremely high instance of mammary cancer which is often life threatening. Here is a link to an article that reviews the benefits of spaying. ( https://www.petcoach.co/article/spaying-ovariohysterectomy-the-benefits-in-cats/ ) Hope this helps. Best wishes.

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    Answered By Laura Johnson VMD

    Veterinarian

    Published on January 11th, 2018

    HI, thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! In the US spaying cats and dogs is very common. Most Veterinary clinics place IV catheters, give IV fluids, intubate and have them on inhaled gas and oxygen. We monitor them with pulse oximetry and EKG and track blood pressure. Despite how often we do it, it is a major surgery with removal of the ovaries and entire uterus. Cats tend to be "easier" then dogs and the procedure is quicker. The biggest, be it rare, complication would be bleeding or an unpredictable reaction to anesthesia. Sadly no surgery or anesthesia is risk free but the likelihood of a complication is very very small. I feel the health benefits outweigh the small risk. I hope this helps and I wish you and Lucy the very best!

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Related Questions

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Hello Doctor, I have a cat which is 2 years old.. Fews time it has got seizures.. for past two three months I have not seen it having seizures. I want to get it spayed. Is it safe to spay a cat getting seizures? What are the risk involved in spaying
I am sorry to hear about your kitty! We do routinely do surgery in many pets that have seizures, and as long as we are aware ahead of time we can prepare for this concern by doing things such as selecting certain drugs for anesthesia and having an IV catheter in place in case a seizure occurs so we have quick access to a vein to administer medication. I would say that the risk of not being spayed is a greater health risk than the risk of being spayed. I would, however, recommend having your cat examined/have work-up done which may involve bloodwork and ultrasound to ensure there isn't a cause for seizures such as a liver shunt that needs to be addressed if your cat hasn't already been examined for the seizures. I would also recommend you have your cat spayed at a full service vet clinic and not a spay/neuter low cost clinic because of her issues she is going to need more intensive monitoring than they can offer. The risks involved in spaying are the same for any surgical procedure
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What percent chance is there of my cat dying due to spaying ?
I don't have a number for you - but the risk is very, very low (less than 1%). A spay is a common, everyday, low-risk surgery and the complication rate is extremely low. To provide one anecdotal example: I've been practicing for 7 years, have performed spays weekly, and have never had a spay patient die.
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i m afraid to spay my cat because of possible complications. what are the risks of the surgery?
Risks involved in cat spay surgery are minimal, it is a very simple surgery that all vets are comfortable with as well as having a lot of experience performing it (usually several times a week). you should not be worried about having this surgery done for your cat.
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I want to spay Lucy.can it be dangerous for her?are there any risks?I'm so worried about her
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my cat is on heat and she remains VERY sick while on heat. my vet sugested to get her operated while on heat. my questn is, is it safe? and my cat is very sick very lethargic can she die during operat4on? my anxiety is 10000%
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Hi My dog’s breed is bichon frise, she is 7 Month old and she has not been spay yet , I'm so scared of anesthesia and her doctor told me if you don’t spay her , she may be ill in the future , What should I do?
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I took my cat to the vet to get neutered only to get a call that she almost died and had to be resuscitated because she had a bad reaction to the anesthetic. The doctor says that the dosage was too strong for her and wants to try operating again in 1
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Hi there, We have a 4 year old cat who has recently had kittens. We have been told by the vet that we can get her spayed when the kittens are 2 months old. We would like to know any preparations we can make to make sure her getting spayed goes as smo
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Hello. I want to spay my cat because recently she's attempting to go outside for mating and i'm scared that she get hit by a vehicle. but i'm hesitant about having her spayed because i heard that the Surgery is harder for female cats and they need mo
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