For some it’s not a good Friday, so spare a thought this morning for poor Merlyn, the cat of reader daveau. As you read this, Merlyn’s on his way to the vet for excision of the family jewels. Daveau, as you may recall, was the owner of Kitteh Contest entries Bryxie and Keeshu. Daveau’s introduction:
Meet Merlynus. He came into our lives 6 weeks ago as a 4-1/2 month old kitten. This little guy is an unholy terror; dashing through the house on top secret kitteh missions, knocking over plants, scattering papers, upending food dishes, guarding fish tanks and perplexing the adult kittehs. Cuteness is his weapon.
Merlyn is a British Shorthair, from the same general bloodline as his great-great-(etc)-aunt Bryxie, who died a little over a year ago. Not a substitute, mind you, but enough like her to make us smile at the memories, and enough different that he will have his own special place in our hearts.
LAST CHANCE TO SEE!
It’s a day for celebration!
But I must admit to thinking little furry kitteh balls are really cute.
I’ve assisted in quite a few of these surgeries. Cats are simple; Kitteh drugs, a couple of little slits, pop, pop, snip snip. Easy compared to a dog.
Ok, does this comment make me sound really weird?
Oh, and he’s a gorgeous kitteh!
Yes. Rofl.
doh – just worked out what rofl means! not adept at ‘down-with-the-kids’ text/web speak!
[picking himself up off the floor laughing!] …the web Lynn – it’s out there for ever! hee hee!
🙂
Would that be PHUOFL ???
Dog castration is harder? Do explain.
I’ve assisted both cat and dog neuters in the past as well lol. Cats are simple, all the kit you need is a scalpel blade, not including prep stuff. The incision is scrotal and no sutures are required internally or externally (you tie off the testes with their own tubing, heheh). It’s way easier to move anaesthetised kitties around than say, a mastiff. I’ve personally seen a vet neuter a cat in under two minutes.
For dogs you need to open up a surgical kit, which will need to be repacked and sterilised. The incision is made above the scrotum, at the base of the penis and the testes are pulled up through the incision, tied off with dissolving sutures before being removed, and the incision must also be sutured. Dog castrations take a lot longer than cats, and also require more aftercare. I think more there’s more risk from haematoma, and suture removal is needed after two weeks etc.
Thanks! So is there an anatomical reason as well as a size reason for the difference? (Size doesn’t seem to stop farm vets/ranchers from some pretty no-frills castrations of livestock…)
Sometimes wolves in attacking bison would ‘castrate’ a male which would then grow much larger than other males. Less testosterone also equals less physical stress on an animal.
Interesting, esp. as I thought testosterone had a lot to do with muscle mass. Must involve the distribution of said mass as well, I imagine. (Neck, withers…)
No shit. I had a roommate years ago at NDSU who was a hog farmer. Much less fuss.
My sweet goat kids were wethered by the vet, sitting on the tailgate of his pick-up. Did they ever struggle & cry…
That I don’t know, not being an actual vet. I know I’ve asked about this in the past and I think it’s anatomical, but agh I don’t remember for sure, sorry D:
Your info was interesting and pertinent, though. And now it occurs to me–google is my friend. 😀
I’m not even cringing at that. Very informative.
Merlyn may be in the market for some Neuticles.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neuticles
We’re passing on that one. Or two…
I endorse neuticles! The one male cat I knew with them loved to show off his pair whenever company arrived. 🙂
He’d have to get them kitten sized, then upgrade later…
What makes you think he wouldn’t want to go straight for the big guns?
b&
He’d be very popular…
We had our male cat Sam “fixed” shortly after he adopted us in 2007. My then 6-year-old daughter announced to her teacher the next day that Sam had “had his puff-balls removed”.
There is a vaguely appropriate biblical quote from Matthew 19:12 – “…and there are some eunuchs, which were made eunuchs of men: and there be eunuchs, which have made themselves eunuchs for the kingdom of heaven’s sake. He that is able to receive [it], let him receive [it].”
I think this is the biblical teaching that led the early Christian figure, Origen, to castrate himself!
If only that would catch on…
There’s also this: http://www.thebricktestament.com/the_law/male_genital_injury/dt23_01a.html
Brought to you in entertaining lego C:
Gotta love the The Brick Testament! Not exactly the same topic, but love the way the foreskins pile up in this series:
http://www.bricktestament.com/joshua/second_circumcision/jos05_02.html
Thanks! 🙂
Hahaha! The facial expressions got me too.
I hope Merlyn’s tutoring goes well.
God damn, but this is an awkward subject for an adult male….
b&
I know. He’s our first boy cat.
Baihu’s mine, as well. And first kitten, too, so that was the firs time I had to face this particular issue, myself.
b&
It’s much easier on the boys. The girls get a cut in the abdominal wall and stitches and pain killers and a much longer recovery time. Nevertheless, this is so much more, uh, visible…
Oh, come on guys. I don’t cringe when I hear about spaying. Men are really attached to those things aren’t they.
But perhaps if we could see our ovaries, we’d feel the same way. 🙂
But remember, it’s all for a very good reason. Who wants cat spray all over the place and we have waaaay too many unwanted babies.
Oh, we know it’s not that bad. We’re just having a laugh. It will all be forgotten by tomorrow.
I’d venture to guess that you’ve never been smacked in the ovaries? 😉
That’s the image that came to my mind too.
I’ve always loved that Far Side cartoon! Gave it to my vet years ago, and it’s been on the wall ever since…
Just got to work after dropping him off. I’d always called it ‘neutering’, but had to initial on the form next to ‘castration’, which is a lot harder to be casual about.
I have also decided that my new favorite curse/toast/exclamation is “Merlyn’s Balls!” I shall be toasting him tonight.
Please tell us that you did not just write that you’ll be toasting Merlyn’s balls tonight….
b&
Leave it to Ben to go there…
Sorry…but…I mean…well…erm….
b&
My guess is they’d be better roasted and flambéed with a bit of sherry, like they do it in Spain. (Though I don’t think they use cats’)
Neutering can technically refer to both males and females, so castration is more precise.
I don’t like the word fixed. It implies there is something broken.
Honestly, men!
Don’t get them started on circumcision.
OK, steve, if you know anybody who had their cat circumcised, let me know.
My cats tend to mix their dairy and meat foods so that was never an option.
Merlyn, you’ll be a lot happier and nicer and less smelly without them. Any comparison with Homo sapiens is entirely coincidental.
… and then I’m going to the Vet to get tutored!
I see Ben beat me to it!
The deed has done been did.
Poor fella.
Erm, wait. That’s not longer correct, is it?
Poor thing….
b&
We’ll see how guilty he makes me feel this weekend. The spousal unit should be picking him & Fiona (dental work) up about now. I guess everything came out OK. (groan) Or, as a friend of mine said: “Meowch!”
We’re all home now. He seems oblivious that anything has changed. He wants to run around and play, but he’s supposed to take it easy until tomorrow. He did get a pain killer and we’re to continue it for another day. All’s well that ends well.
PS: Everyone at the vet is in love with him. They were carrying him around all day. It’s the eyes.
Glad the operation was a success…not that that’s necessarily how he’ll be looking at it, of course….
Did he get one of those cone things? If so, how’s the rest of the pride reacting to his new “mane”?
Cheers,
b&
Ther grrrls are more concerned with him being a hyperactive kitten than they are about his gender or testosterone level. He was a little unhappy yesterday when his pain meds started wearing off, but he’s still the same guy so far this morning. Easiest cat to pill I ever saw. I hope it stays that way.
We got 2 kittens last July. Then 6 weeks old. Brother and sister. Tomcat was ‘helped’ in December. When he came home he was met, all groggy, by sister’s blazing and sharp nails. She did give him one hell of a time, for a few days. (smell of aenesthesia?).
She was neutred a few weeks ago. Had to stay overnight, due to precaution.
Not a single problem upon returning.
Within the hour she was jumping from windowsills and cupboards. To which our own stitches moved involuntary. By the thought alone.