Spay/Neuter Clinic

Does my cat need spayed or neutered?

Well, that depends.  If your cat is a female, she needs to be spayed.  Your pet will be required to undergo general anesthesia for this procedure.  A spay, also known as an ovariohysterectomy, is a surgical procedure in which both ovaries and the uterus are removed.  

This is performed by making an incision through the skin and into the abdomen.  Your pet may have skin sutures or staples that will need to be removed, but usually there are dissolvable sutures in place.  

If your cat is a male, he needs to be neutered or castrated.  This procedure is performed with heavy sedation.  A small incision is made on each side of the scrotum to remove male cat’s testes.  There are usually no skin sutures or staples required for this procedure.  

There are several benefits to spaying and neutering your cat:

1. Reduce the risk of unwanted litters.
2. Reduce the risk of pyometra in females.
3. Reduce the risk of dystocia in females that do get pregnant and have complications.
4. Reduce the risk of testicular torsion in males.
5. Reduce the risk of males roaming and being injured in the process.
6. Reduce the risk of some unwanted behaviors in both male and female cats. 

At Columbia Animal Shelter, we are able to provide low cost and high quality spay and neuter procedures for your pet.  

Our Process

Please review the Spay/Neuter Clinic general information and price list of services offered.

Columbia Animal Shelter’s Spay & Neuter Clinic is held on Tuesdays. In order to reserve a space on the surgical schedule a $50.00 non-refundable deposit is required. This deposit will be deducted from your total cost upon pick-up.

Our prices and a complete list of our available add-on services can be found below.

Pennsylvania state law requires a current rabies vaccination for your pet. Please bring proof in the form of a Rabies Certificate (tags are not acceptable forms of proof). If unable to provide proof of up-to-date Rabies, one will be automatically administered at a cost of $30.00.

If you wish to schedule an appointment for your cat, please fill out and submit the Spay & Neuter Clinic Intake form below and a shelter representative will be in touch.

To Schedule An Appointment, Your Pet:

• Should be in good health.
• Should not be overweight.
• Cats should be at least 3 months of age or younger than 5 years of age.
• Smaller and medium breed dogs should be at least 6 months of age or younger than 5 years of age.
• Larger breed dogs will need to be older than 1 year of age and younger than 5 years of age.
• Dogs greater than 50lbs are only scheduled at the discretion of the veterinarian.
• If a male, should have two testicles that can be felt upon examination.
• If your female dog is in heat, we recommend postponing the surgery until 6-8 weeks after the last signs of heat. If you would still like to proceed with the surgery you will be required to sign a high-risk surgical waiver, and an additional cost will be charged.
• We do not spay/neuter small animals such as rabbits.  We also do NOT spay/neuter certain *high risk* breeds such as Dobermans and brachycephalic breeds such as English or French bulldogs, Pugs and Persian cats.
• We are unable to perform general anesthesia on pets with pre-existing conditions, such as a heart murmur, as these patients require a different anesthesia protocol then we are able to accommodate in our low cost clinic. 

Drop off is at 8:30 AM the morning of your appointment. Please allow up to 20 minutes for drop off as all surgery check-ins arrive at the same time. Dogs must be on a non-retractable leash and cats must be in a hard-sided carrier. Remember to bring proof of vaccination along if your pet is current on vaccines. Pick up is at 4:00 PM the same day in the same manner as drop off. Please allow time to go over post-surgical instructions with a member of our team.

Our veterinarian reserves the right to decline services on any patients that may be at an increased anesthesia risk for an elective procedure at our clinic.

After reviewing all the requirements for our Spay/Neuter Clinic, please complete this form in its entirety.  A shelter staff member will reach out to you to schedule an appointment and to collect your $50 non-refundable deposit.  

Does my pet really need preoperative blood work? 

The short answer is, yes!

Performing a complete blood count and chemistry blood profile on even the youngest patients can detect blood disorders, blood protein or blood sugar concerns, electrolyte abnormalities, as well as detect any abnormalities to liver and/or kidney values.

Preoperative blood work can also serve as a baseline for what is normal in your pet! With future bloodwork, your veterinarian can determine if there are abnormal trends to certain lab values that may be indicative of underlying disease.

If you’ve selected an option for preoperative bloodwork, a shelter staff member will schedule this appointment separately from your surgery appointment.  These appointments are made with the shelter veterinary staff and are scheduled on Thursdays.  Payment for preoperative blood work is expected at time of service.

Post Operative Care