How long is the waitlist to get cats spayed and neutered?
Owners put off getting multiple cats fixed because long waitlists make the process discouragingly difficult to schedule. This delay leaves multi-cat households vulnerable to unwanted inbreeding among related animals.
What people tried
Every workaround mentioned in the threads below. We haven’t tested any of them — and nobody here is claiming they worked.
Found another way around this?
Share your steps and trade-offs so fellow engineers don't have to reinvent the wheel. No account required.
- 1separating the catsDid this help you?
- 2monitoring them closelyDid this help you?
- 3Neuter or spay both cats early before sexual maturityDid this help you?
- 4Keep the cats permanently separatedDid this help you?
- 5Put one of the cats in a cageDid this help you?
- 6Let someone else adopt one of the catsDid this help you?
- 7Calling local rescues for low-cost or free spay servicesDid this help you?
- 8staking out a different spot than the porch to set the trapsDid this help you?
- 9Asking for advice on online forums such as RedditDid this help you?
- 10Observing the cat's behavior for signs of spraying or mating interestDid this help you?
- 11Consulting a veterinarianDid this help you?
In their words
Unedited, grouped by where they were said, most upvoted first within each place, each linked to the thread it came from.
“The only issue is I cannot afford it and am not sure how to proceed.”source ↗
“Friend said to call rescues but I'm unaware who does spaying for free or low cost.”source ↗
“Will they came back to get more food if i trap them on the porch?”source ↗
“I just realized now that the inbreeding happens with cats, and that cats go in heat several times in a year, and I wouldn't want to stay on watch waiting for the female to be in heat and separate her, nor keep them separated and nor put one of them in a cage.”source ↗
“I just feel so sad now knowing that the only option is to neuter/spay them very early or let someone adopt one of them.”source ↗
“I would've liked to at least get a kitten litter from them.”source ↗
“This is great to hear but I can only imagine the waitlist how long it will be.”source ↗
“I haven't gotten them fixed yet, but I do need to soon”source ↗
“I’m unsure whether I should have him neutered because he doesn’t seem interested in mating at all, and I’m worried that neutering him might be unnecessary or affect him negatively.”source ↗
“I’ve read a lot about cats developing problems after being neutered because they had underlying issues beforehand. I wrote down the things I’ve noticed about my cat because I wanted to ask if I should do anything before getting him neutered, or if this is normal and all he needs is to be neutered.”source ↗
Where this came up
People with this problem also raised
- 2How to tell if a cat is spayed without vet records
- 6How to trap and transport an unfamiliar stray cat to the vet
- 21How to tell if a neighborhood stray cat is in heat
- 8How to set up a home for a newly adopted declawed cat
- 3Will my cat get depressed leaving a multi-cat home?
- 2Cat intestinal blockage surgery recovery experiences