Need a good vet/vet hospital in Aberdeen, Scotland & London

[Masuru]

Hello everyone!

I moved to Scotland from abroad with my pet cat just 3 weeks ago. I need to find a good vet and vet hospital for him. It is a male cat, 1-year-old. Right now I only need to check his health in general (planning to check his heart, other inner organs and get a blood test done). After that I need to get him castrated, as he is getting older and older. I haven't got him castrated back home because of a few reasons, unfortunately. So, looking forward to hear your advice!

I care for my cat a lot and I want to find a really good doctor. I would also appreciate it if someone writes a few words about how they castrate male cats here - what kind of anesthesia vets use, and so on. Because in my country (Russia) in some places they use general anesthesia only, I have a bad experience with that. In some places, not my hometown, they use local anesthesia, I don't know exactly how it works. But in forums I heard from those who got their cats castrated with local one, and it was great... So, give your opinion please.

P.S. Also my acquaintance asked me to find out about a good vet in London. She has a female cat which also needs to be castrated. The owner wants it to be done with a laparoscopy...

Many thanks!

[Lilith]

Hi there - as far as I know a vet will only castrate a cat under general anaesthetic. Most procedures, such as x rays, are done under a general because of the need to keep the cat still; can you imagine trying to hold a cat down for castration even if it was painless?

They DID use to do it when the cat was conscious; I got my first male kitten in 1962 and took him to the RSPCA clinic (charge, 10/6) I was asked to leave for a few minutes (I was only 10) and returned to see him standing on the table, looking rather annoyed, but with the deed done! I only hope it was painless for him!

But I really feel the general anaesthetic is the best option; your boy won't know a thing and he'll come back to you the same day.

About your friend's female cat - why does she want a laparotomy done? Is it for cosmetic reasons? For instance with Siamese cats, when the fur is shaved from the flank it grows back darker, so vets do a 'midline' spaying, which means making the incision in the abdomen, so that the cat's fur isn't disfigured; any owner can request a midline instead of a flank spaying. The stomach does have to be shaved of course but it isn't as noticeable.

Hope this helps

[Masuru]

Hi there - as far as I know a vet will only castrate a cat under general anaesthetic. Most procedures, such as x rays, are done under a general because of the need to keep the cat still; can you imagine trying to hold a cat down for castration even if it was painless?

But I really feel the general anaesthetic is the best option; your boy won't know a thing and he'll come back to you the same day.

Hope this helps

Thank you If it is the only option I will go for it. As for local anesthesia, they definitely don't fight with cats They give muscle antidynamic if I call it right. I believe it has less negative effect on cat's health. I wanted to use local a. because of its bad effect on heart, liver and other organs. Why should we use it when avoidable? Especially if a cat has some undetected heart disease, it can end up in death. That's why I want to go for heart check for him first...

As for my acquaintance, I don't know why she wants that... Maybe she thinks it's safer or better for cat. I don't think she cares much about fur

Anyway, I hope I will find a good professional.

[booktigger]

I'm very surprised you were able to bring an unneutered cat into the country. Male cats have a very light anaesthetic and are normally done in 10 minutes. The vet will listen to their heart before the anaesthetic to ensure they can cope with the anaesthetic. Vets do offer pre anaesthetic bloods before an operation, you may have to ask for it as it's normally only done on senior cats

[Masuru]

I'm very surprised you were able to bring an unneutered cat into the country. Male cats have a very light anaesthetic and are normally done in 10 minutes. The vet will listen to their heart before the anaesthetic to ensure they can cope with the anaesthetic. Vets do offer pre anaesthetic bloods before an operation, you may have to ask for it as it's normally only done on senior cats

And what is strange in it? In the UK Government website there is not a word about it. Also my cat does not belong to any breed, so he is not a treasure which cannot be moved

I am glad that here they give short time anaesthetic. Because I have got my 2 older cats castrated back home and one of them was asleep for about 2-3 hours, and another one could't wake up from noon till night, I was afraid I would lose him. That's why I am so worried now...

And I feel blood test is necessary in my case, because 1) I don't know his parents and childhood history; 2) My parents fed him with Whiskas for almost half a year... Who knows what effect it gave...

[Lilith]

Hi, I just found this -

(link removed as no longer working)

I confess I'd never heard of the procedure for cats, but I always like to look things up!

I don't know if this surgery is handy for your friend, it has 4 branches in the South but of course London's a very big area and again I don't know it.

[Masuru]

Thanks so much

[SalMarie]

Hello, I'm new here, but used to work at Ardene House Veterinary Practice in Aberdeen. It's a very good practice with great hospital facilities. They (and any decent UK vet) will council you on the most appropriate anaesthetic for your cat. They will do a clinical examination and pre anaesthetic blood checks to be sure the cat is healthy, and that heart, kidneys and liver have no obvious problems. If all these are normal, the risk with modern anaesthetics is very very low, so don't worry! Good luck with everything!