Hi Everyone!

It's me, Finn, hoping you all had a wonderful Christmas and wishing you a Happy New Year! Now that the rush of the holiday season is behind us, we can get back to talking about how you can keep your Fantastic Feline healthy and living the good life!  

Recently, I spent the day with my friends at Yorkshire Veterinary Hospital, doing some real investigative research on the importance of having your cat spayed or neutered. I think it's always better to teach from your own personal experiences, and who better to tell you what it's like for a cat to be neutered than - well, a cat who has just been neutered?

You may have heard that male cats who are neutered before they reach sexual maturity (at around six months) are far less likely to engage in territorial spraying. Territorial Spraying is a fancy way of saying that the litterbox has suddenly become optional, and your bed linens and other household surfaces acceptable substitutes. The risk of potentially fatal diseases like testicular cancer, prostate cancer and prostatitis is greatly reduced by neutering your male cat. It is also true that neutering by six months can help prevent or reduce other unwanted feline behaviors, such as male aggression and the urge to roam in search of a mate. Neutered males are often more focused on being members of their human families, rather than trying to get out and create families of their own!

Female cats that are spayed before they reach sexual maturity (between four and six months) have virtually eliminated the risk of common reproductive cancers. A female cat in heat can be a very undesirable housemate, often pacing and wailing loudly throughout the night. The veterinarians at Yorkshire Veterinary Hospital recommend that all cats are spayed or neutered, even if they are kept (as they also recommend) exclusively indoors - it is the best way to ensure that your beloved feline friend lives a long, healthy life.

Now that I've given you some of the reasons why it's so important to spay or neuter your kitty, I can tell you about my own very important day. Maybe after I explain how easy it was for me, your purrfect buddy won't be so worried when it's their turn!

There ARE certain elements of the story I'd recommend you leave out, like the part where I couldn't eat past 10 p.m. the night before surgery. I know that's so I'm safe under anesthesia, but I thought I was going to starve!!

First, I arrived at Yorkshire bright and early in the morning, and met Kelly, one of the veterinary technicians. She immediately noticed how handsome I am, and mentioned it several times while she made sure my human understood everything I was going to be doing that day.

Kelly told me that the first thing we needed to do was see how much I weigh, so she put me on a special scale just for cats. She didn't tell me how much I weighed, but I'm sure it was perfect.

Next, Kelly took me into the treatment area of the hospital, where two of Yorkshire's veterinary technicians, Nick and Brandy, took some blood (to make sure I'd be safe under anesthesia) and placed an IV catheter in my leg, so I could have fluids during surgery. Now, I'd be lying if I said this was my favorite part, but Brandy was so gentle with me, and Nick so quick about taking the blood, that I barely felt a thing. I did, however, let them know in my loudest voice that I am not accustomed to such indignities.

You may be wondering why such a young, handsome fellow like myself needed to have bloodwork done before having surgery. Isn't that just for older pets? Presurgical bloodwork is very important, no matter how old or young your pet is. It will tell the veterinarians whether or not a pet is currently fighting an infection, how healthy the pet is overall, and whether or not the liver and kidneys are functioning well enough to tolerate anesthesia. It's also a good idea to get bloodwork done for a younger pet, because it gives your veterinarian a baseline so that they are better able to assess your pet's overall health throughout their lifetime. I'm sure glad I had Nick and Brandy there taking care of me, they made it so much easier!

Now, I was all ready to meet Dr. Corrina Hamann, one of Yorkshire's amazing veterinarians. She also noticed right away how amazing I am, and I really liked her too! Oddly enough, not too long after meeting Dr. Corrina, I started to feel really, really sleepy. I don't mean the kind of sleepy where you find a good patch of sun and start your bathing ritual - I mean the kind of sleepy that isn't like any other kind of sleepy.

Come to think of it - you can see the sleepy coming on in this picture, can't you?

I guess I must have actually gone to sleep, because the next thing I knew I was waking up in the arms of one of the veterinary technicians. Don't ask me which one, because I felt a little too woozy to notice. They made me a soft nest of blankets to rest in while I recovered my normal superior reasoning skills, and then my human was there to take me home - just like that!

Boy, was I glad to get back on my own couch again! I slept alot that first day home, and my humans were very careful about making sure I didn't jump around or play too much. You should have seen the way they all fussed over me! It was awesome!

When your feline friend is ready to be spayed or neutered, I highly recommend calling the folks at Yorkshire Veterinary Hospital. From beginning to end, they took such good care of me!

I also recommend letting your cat borrow your E- reader during recovery, it makes it so much easier to stay still when you've got something good to read.

Well, it's been nice spending time with you again. Did you know that February is Dental Health Month? I'll be back soon to talk to you about keeping your cat's teeth healthy and strong!