February marks Spay & Neuter Awareness Month, an international event that encourages pet owners to neuter their pets. Leading vet charity PDSA is using the occasion to share the story of one-year-old Olive and remind cat owners of the importance of neutering their feline friends.
PDSA Vet Nurse, Nina Downing, explains: “For females, spaying involves removing the cat’s ovaries and often their uterus (womb). Doing so not only stops unwanted pregnancies, it also prevents or reduces the risk of several life-threatening diseases, including cancer of the womb and ovaries, as well as pyometra, a very serious and potentially fatal that infection in the womb.”
Olive’s story
One-year-old cat Olive was rushed to her local PDSA Pet Hospital for emergency surgery after her owner noticed alarming symptoms.
Marie, (35), explained: “Olive is basically a quirky little cat with a big personality. If he’s not cuddling with us, he’s running around doing “zoomies”. So when he got messy, we knew something wasn’t right.
“My 10-year-old daughter, Tiffany-Rose, adores Olive – they are very close. But while she gives her usual concern, she notices that Olive is not acting her normal self and wondering if something was wrong. When Tiffany-Rose told me I went to her, and that’s when I saw the discharge coming from her back, which worried me.
“I quickly called the team at my local PDSA Pet Hospital. When I explained his symptoms they asked me to take him immediately.
When the vet examined Olive, they were concerned about her symptoms, so she was admitted for further evaluation. PDSA Head Nurse, Kay Brough, explained: “When Olive arrived, she seemed fine on her own, however discharge from the vulva area could be a sign of a uterine infection. We took her in for an ultrasound scan to look at her womb.
“The scan confirmed the diagnosis of pyometra so we put her on a fluid drip, prescribed her some antibiotics and gave her some pain relief to keep her comfortable while we prepared for the operation.
“Pyometra, sometimes known as “pyo”, is an infection within the uterus (womb) that often leads to sepsis if not treated promptly. Any unneutered female cat or dog is at risk of developing of pyometra. Symptoms can include a discharge like Olive experienced, stomach bleeding, drinking and urinating more, and changes in their energy levels.
An operation to remove her womb took place and she was given time to recover before Marie was contacted to collect her.
Marie said: “It’s scary how quickly it all happened, and if my daughter hadn’t recognized that Olive wasn’t her usual self, I’m not sure where we’d be today. In the end, PDSA saved his life.
“Fortunately, Olive came home that night. The vet told me the surgery was a success with no complications, and he should recover well at home with us. After two visits to check on her recovery, we were given the all clear and she is now back to her normal boisterous and loving self.”
