How to understand when to give your cat a contraceptive injection

Cats, like any living creature, have a need to reproduce, because this is inherent in nature. However, the pregnancy of pets is not always a joyful event for their owners, since in the future this can result in a number of problems. The main one is where to place the kittens that are born. Contraceptives for cats will help prevent this situation.

Classification by type of impact

Depending on the composition, contraceptives for cats are divided into two main groups:

1. Drugs with a high content of hormones that cause false pregnancy. If such a contraceptive is taken, the cat calms down, mistakenly believing that it has continued the race.

2. Low-dose hormonal drugs. More modern medications that suppress the cat's need to mate and have a sedative effect.

According to the method of administration, contraceptive drugs are divided into drugs in the form of injections, tablets or drops.

Varieties and release form

How do the pills work?

Natural remedies calm the animal for a short time.
Such long-acting contraceptives for cats are recommended to be given only as prescribed by a veterinarian and in a strictly prescribed dosage, since tablet contraceptives have a number of contraindications and adverse reactions. Drugs are divided into the following types:

• Natural. They contain useful components that do not harm the pet. The disadvantage of such tablets is that the effects pass quickly, as a result of which the risks of pregnancy are high.
• Unnatural. It is more effective, while the cat calms down quickly and does not ask the cat.

Veterinarians do not recommend frequently giving pregnancy pills for cats with unnatural ingredients, since their long-term use can lead to negative consequences.

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Injections against partying

Some owners dare to inject their animals with Covinan.
Some owners choose contraception in the form of injections. An effective drug is “Covinan”, the effect of which lasts for six months or 12 months. It is important that the first injection from a cat is given by a veterinarian, and in the future the procedure can be carried out independently at home. If the female is already pregnant, then it is better not to use the medicine, since negative consequences are possible. Like the cat IUD, condom and other contraceptives, injections have a number of advantages and disadvantages, which are presented in the table:

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Drops: are they effective?

Such drugs do not directly affect the hormonal background of the animal.
To prevent your cat from becoming pregnant, it is recommended to use such contraceptives instead of castration or sterilization. Such products are easy to use and rarely cause negative reactions. Contraceptive drops for cats can have a natural or non-natural base. Their main action is aimed at simulating hormonal levels, while the level of hormones in the cat’s body is not regulated. The female's sexual desire does not decrease during estrus, and the pet gets pleasure without having sex.

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Sterilization as a radical method of solving the problem

When birth control pills for cats and other types of medications do not give a positive result and the pet still shows anxiety and aggression during heat, it is recommended to castrate it. At the same time, veterinarians warn that long-term use of even the safest oral contraceptives negatively affects the health of the animal. Manipulation is performed in several ways:

• medications;
• application of chemistry;
• radiation intervention.

The advantage of sterilizing cats is that there is no need to constantly buy and monitor the dosage of medications, and the risks of developing cancer are also reduced.

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Contraceptive injections

Today, veterinarians often use Covinan injections as contraceptives, eliminating estrus for up to 6 months. The first injection should be given exclusively by a doctor, and all further injections can be done independently.

The drug should be administered before the onset of estrus, otherwise it will not work. Moreover, it can cause health problems. Contraceptive injections for cats are highly not recommended if the animal is pregnant. Contraindications to taking Covinan are such severe diseases as endometritis and kidney inflammation, because the administration of the drug can lead to complications. Also, the medicine cannot be used if the injection is given for the first time to a cat that has reached 5 years of age.

The advantage of injectable contraceptives is their ease of use and reversibility, that is, after the end of the injection period, the cat is again ready for mating and can become pregnant. If pregnancy is undesirable, a second injection is given.

Indications for use

Indications for the use of hormonal contraception in cats are the need to prevent estrus once or the need to constantly eliminate it in the case when the cat cannot be sterilized due to contraindications to surgery.

Indications for the use of hormonal contraception in cats are the need to prevent estrus once

The drug is also prescribed if during the operation, at the owner’s request, the tubes were only tied, and after a while the estrus resumed again. Sterilization may be prohibited in case of severe pathologies of the cat’s liver, kidneys and heart, as well as in cases of intolerance to anesthesia.

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In rare cases, the drug is included in the complex therapy of uterine tumors. Such treatment requires constant monitoring by a veterinarian and does not allow the pet to prescribe the drug independently.

At what age and in what dosage it is permissible to use the drug for each specific animal should be determined by a veterinarian. Unauthorized use of hormonal drugs poses a serious danger to the cat.

Pills

Contraceptives for cats in tablets come in two varieties: natural and chemical.

Natural contraceptives are based on the beneficial properties of plants and other natural ingredients. Their effect is usually mild and short-lived. Contraceptive tablets for cats, made from plants, have a sedative effect and calm the animal for a certain time. The advantage of such medicines is that they have a positive effect on the cat’s body and do not contain harmful components.

Chemical contraceptives in tablets affect hormonal levels. After their use, the animal ends its love games and after a certain time calms down. The medication begins to act within 24 hours.

Some manufacturers of contraceptive pills recommend taking birth control continuously, based on the belief that such treatment will help eliminate estrus permanently. In fact, excessive intake of hormones will not only not save your pet from sexual desires, but can also provoke the development of diseases of the reproductive system in the cat.

Features of the use of drugs

First of all, you should understand that synthetic progestins have many contraindications. These are diseases of the reproductive system, breast tumors, diabetes, pregnancy and lactation, individual intolerance and some others. It is not recommended to use these drugs before or during the first heat.

In addition, you cannot simply “give a pill” whenever the owner wants it. Taking veterinary oral contraceptives should begin no later than the third day from the start of estrus, and even better - on the first or second, in order to accurately reach the proestrus stage. Use the drug for 5–8 days (schedules may vary).

There are also long-acting preparations. These are injections or the recently appeared version of “Spot-On” - drops on the withers, for example, the multicomponent contraceptive “Ovostop”. They can be used once every few months. Multicomponent preparations contain fewer progestins; behavior correction is achieved through the complex effect of all ingredients. But contraindications remain.

If your cat experiences too frequent or “draining” heats, you should consult a fertility specialist. Firstly, the cause may be a tumor. And secondly, the course of taking medications may differ from that recommended in the instructions.

Thus, before using contraceptives, contraindications should first be eliminated. This can only be done by a doctor, since many diseases often occur hidden.

It is also important to follow the recommended frequency of using contraceptives to interrupt estrus - no more than 2 times a year, no later than the 3rd day from the start of estrus. You should know that the day when the cat begins to openly go crazy and take the typical stance with the tail retracted if stroked in the rump area is not the first day of estrus. Most likely, this is already the third day and the last one allowed for taking contraceptives. The first day is the relatively quiet stage of proestrus, when the cat purrs, walks thoughtfully, takes a stance, but if you scratch her sacrum, she runs away or tries to scratch her owner. This means that she is not ready to mate. In some cats, proestrus is almost invisible.

Giving contraceptives after the third day, more than twice a year, changing doses, course of administration, forgetting to give the drug and resuming its use at random is completely unacceptable. To avoid estrus altogether, contraceptives are started during the period of sexual rest.

Contraceptives in drops

Contraceptive drugs in the form of drops have the same properties as tablets. They can also be of natural or chemical origin, but most often such contraceptives are made from natural ingredients. As a rule, these are a variety of herbal infusions and decoctions. The effect of taking drops is not based on the regulation of hormonal levels, but on its imitation. They have the ability to imitate sexual satisfaction, which makes the cat calm until the next heat. However, the drug should be given to animals with caution.

Contraceptive for cats (drops) is easy to use: it is much easier to drop the product into the animal’s mouth than to force it to swallow a pill.

The effect of contraceptives on the body

Flea drops for cats: remedy, tablets

When faced for the first time with the question of what to do to prevent a cat from becoming pregnant, some breeders begin to make mistakes because they do not know how this or that remedy works.

People who do not have veterinary education pay attention to the so-called “natural” contraceptives for cats. However, such herbal remedies do not have the effect of regulating sexual desires in an animal and are not able to prevent accidental conception. They only help stabilize the pet’s mental state, reducing its nervous excitement. In case of sexual intercourse, they will not have any contraceptive effect. In addition, the effect of them is achieved only after a long course of administration.

Synthetic or chemical drugs come in two varieties:

• monohormonal, which contains only one hormone;
• bihormonal, they contain two hormones at once.

Monohormonal drugs that contain megestrol acetate have the desired effect only at high concentrations, which can negatively affect the animal. Bihormonal ones contain two hormones or analogues of animal hormones, due to which their concentration in the preparations is lower and the pet’s hormonal background is regulated more delicately.

Cat in heat

Important! Drugs from both groups, acting on the cat’s body, change hormonal levels, as a result of which the cat loses the ability to become pregnant due to lack of ovulation.

Popular contraceptives

The most popular today are the following contraceptives (for Maine Coon (cats) as well):

• “Sex barrier” - reduces arousal, protects against unwanted pregnancy and minimizes negative consequences. Available in drops and tablets.

• "Gestrenol" - have a contraceptive effect and inhibit sexual desire in cats. Produced in tablet form.

• “Stop-Intim” is a hormonal contraceptive in drops that suppresses sexual arousal, delays and interrupts estrus in cats.

• “Libidomin” - blocks the onset of ovulation, inhibits the development of estrus, reduces libido. Available in the form of capsules, tablets and drops.

• “Counter-sex” – relieves sexual arousal. Can be purchased both in tablets and drops.

• “Antisex” - popular hormonal drops and tablets that reduce excitability, block ovulation and stop estrus.

Complications from self-medication

Unfortunately, widespread availability coupled with inappropriate administration regimens has caused serious hormonal tumors in animals.

Increase in the size of the mammary glands

This is one of the not the most terrible, but common pathologies. Veterinarians have come across cases where the glands have enlarged to the size of an average lemon in a few months. In this case, only surgery is indicated to remove both rows of glands, the uterus and the ovaries. The intervention is complicated by the fact that the skin stretched by the protruding mammary glands has to be excised; as a result, the skin on the abdomen after the operation will be in a tense state, which greatly worries the animal. The rehabilitation period depends on the size of the removed glands and lasts up to a month. Of course, the owner will have to tinker a lot more with restoring the pet.

Endometritis

This is the second risk from using contraceptive drops and pills. The lining of the uterus changes structure, causing it to become rigid and twisted. The animal may not show a clinical picture of the disease for a long time, and the inflammatory process will degenerate into a tumor over time. When discharge becomes noticeable, the cat loses weight, and the tumor is palpable, the veterinary surgeon often cannot do anything - the patient is inoperable.

Pyometra

The third highest risk of birth control complications for cats. In a closed form, pus accumulates in the uterus, which does not come out through the vagina. In the open form, leakage is observed, which decreases during the course of antibiotics. When the uterus ruptures, the animal dies from peritonitis. Treatment for pyometra in cats is only surgical. During the operation, there is a risk of pus entering the abdominal cavity, which provokes peritonitis. Even with a normally performed operation, the doctor cannot guarantee success: the inflamed inner layer of the uterus tends to form adhesions with nearby organs.

Ovarian cysts or tumors are present in 50-70% of cats operated on after courses of contraceptives. They can reach the size of a quail egg, are easily palpable and often, in the absence of ultrasound examination, can be mistaken for enlarged kidneys.

According to average clinic statistics, up to 95% of patients who sought surgical help due to uterine pathology were given birth control pills one or more times.

Sterilization as an alternative to contraceptives

Of course, contraceptive drugs, due to their ease and reliability of use, are in great demand. However, they are good to a certain extent. Veterinarians consider contraceptives harmful, because hormonal intervention, even in small doses, does not go away without leaving a trace. Contraceptive medications can cause side effects and negatively impact your pet's health. Therefore, if the owners categorically do not accept a new addition to the cat family, then the most humane option would be to carry out the sterilization procedure.

The advantage of this method of contraception is that it provides a permanent effect and reduces the risk of developing cancer in cats.

Today, there are three options for sterilization: medication, chemical and radiation.

Radical method - absolute sterilization

In a city apartment, the best solution to the intimate problems of a four-legged friend is increasingly becoming a surgical operation - sterilization. Obvious advantages have earned her popularity.

Firstly: irreversibility (therefore you need to think carefully - to cut or not to cut, but to continue buying medicine for your beloved “girl”).

Secondly: the animal’s behavior becomes balanced and calm, since the cause of anxiety and uncontrollability has been eliminated.

Third: minimizing future cancer (scientific data confirms that sterile cats almost never get cancer of the mammary glands and uterus).

Disadvantages of the radical method: the risk of kidney and bladder stones, the need for a special lifelong diet (otherwise the cat will quickly gain excess weight).

Professional cat breeders will never agree to surgery. All other owners need to spend a lot of time thinking, talk with family members, and only then make a decision about what kind of birth control for cats is necessary for your furry beauty. On one side of the scale is eternal peace and comfort, on the other is constant care and close contact with your beloved cat. Each owner will make the choice himself.

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Contraceptives for cats: which is better?

Hormonal contraceptives, according to veterinarians, are considered a very effective way to prevent unwanted pregnancy in cats. The choice of a particular drug should be made on the basis of a joint decision between the doctor and the animal owner. In addition to effectiveness, it is also important to consider the safety of the drug for the health of your pet.

There is an opinion that the use of certain contraceptives can cause infertility, diseases of the uterus and ovaries in cats, and even cause cancer. Such pathologies do sometimes occur. In particular, this applies to cases where drugs with a high content of hormones were taken. With the correct selection of a contraceptive and its dosage, all risks are minimized.

However, the best and most reliable method of cat contraception is sterilization. The best time to carry it out is the period between the first and second estrus, that is, when the animal is 8-10 months old.

Popular drugs and their effects

You can determine what is best for your pet only through personal experience, after consultation with a veterinarian. Below are the names of the most popular products.

Depo-Provera (Depo-Promon)

Deworming tablets for cats: anthelmintic drugs

The contraceptive drug is of synthetic origin. The composition contains medroxyprogesterone, an analogue of the hormone progesterone. The drug is available in tablet form or in a syringe with a suspension ready for administration.

Depo-Provera is used if it is necessary to prevent estrus and ovulation one-time, or regularly. It can also be used for animals with tube ligations. If the drug is administered by injection, it is used as a long-acting contraceptive for cats.

The dosage is selected individually for each cat, and the injection can only be given by a veterinarian in a clinic setting.

Important! The drug has serious contraindications, which include oncological pathologies, allergic reactions, bleeding.

Acetobumedone

The action of drugs that contain acetobumedone is aimed at regulating sexual heat and preventing unwanted pregnancy in cats. The active substance blocks areas in the brain responsible for the production of follicle-stimulating and latinizing hormones, which affect egg maturation and ovulation.

Such drugs have a gentle effect on the hormonal system of the cat’s body, helping to avoid unwanted pregnancy. You just have to stop using the drug, and after 3 months the animal’s reproductive capabilities are restored.

Important! Under no circumstances should you give your cat medications containing acetobumedone intended for cats.

Cowinan

Prolygestone, which is part of it, is a steroid hormone that disrupts the maturation of follicles in the ovary and prevents the development of estrus. This hormone promotes changes in the mucous membrane of the uterus, making it more viscous, which is why the fertilized egg cannot implant in the cavity of the organ. The functions of the mammary glands are also suppressed.

Important! After discontinuation of the drug, the concentration of the hormone gradually decreases and the animal’s cycle is restored. The hormone is excreted from the body in feces and a small part in urine.

Ethinyl estradiol

The drug is an artificial estrogen, a derivative of estradiol. The hormone, acting on the body, reduces the secretion of sex hormones from the pituitary gland.

Thus, in females, the maturation of the egg is inhibited in the body and the cervical mucus thickens, which makes the penetration of sperm into the uterus difficult. The drug prevents the complete restoration of the uterine mucosa and the implantation of a fertilized egg.

The hormone is easily absorbed and excreted from the body within two days. The animal's reproductive function is restored 4 months after the last dose.

Progressive method

The most advanced method of temporary chemical castration at the moment is the placement of an implant called Suprelorin in cats. This implant is a small cylinder inserted under the skin of the animal. The implant contains deslorelin acetate as an active ingredient. This substance is slowly, constantly, in small doses released into the cat’s blood, suppressing the secretion of follicle-stimulating and luteinizing hormones, and in males it reduces spermatogenesis and testosterone levels.

Unlike surgical castration, chemical castration is completely reversible. The introduction of an implant blocks sexual activity for a period of 0.5-1.5 years. Cessation of the action of the substances leads to a gradual restoration of sexual functions.

Administration of Suprelorin to a cat is an ideal option for owners who want to evaluate the behavior of the animal after surgery or in the case of animals used in breeding for the temporary cessation of sexual activity.

Unfortunately, this implant is a fairly new development, so there are no objective statistical data on side effects for cats.

What to replace it with?

Chemical castration of cats can cause a serious blow to the health of your pet. Therefore, some owners solve the problem with special tablets or drops. However, like injections, these drugs also have a lot of contraindications and restrictions, but still there are fewer of them. The main components included in the drugs change hormonal levels and sometimes lead to complications in the form of tumor formation.

The only relatively safe method is sterilization surgery. To prevent the cat from wandering, castration is performed, and the cat's ovaries are completely removed to prevent pregnancy. After surgery, recovery and rehabilitation are required. Special care for a sterilized animal is also necessary. However, after such a procedure there are no such terrible complications, the animal leads its usual lifestyle, but there are no longer hormonal surges and sprees.

Contraindications and complications

Depo-Provera does not apply:

• when the heat has already begun;
• if there is an individual intolerance to the components;
• for bleeding in the genitourinary system, the etiology of which is unclear;
• for liver diseases (the drug is adsorbed in the liver, so it can aggravate the course of the disease);
• during pregnancy.

Important! The product is not used for neoplasms in the mammary gland. The injections have many side effects common for the synthesis of hormones, including:

The injections have many side effects common for the synthesis of hormones, including:

• weight gain due to increased appetite;
• the appearance of malignant tumors. Breast tumors occur especially frequently;
• the occurrence of inflammatory processes in the uterus (pyometra);
• polycystic ovary syndrome;
• disturbances in the activity of the endocrine system;
• apathy;
• allergic reactions;
• diabetes;
• hair loss;
• damage to the central nervous system;
• diarrhea and other diseases of the gastrointestinal tract.

All side effects have not yet been fully studied.

How to give the drug to cats

The instructions for Depo-Provera assume that the owner can administer the drug independently. But this is not recommended; the pet will need to be monitored by a veterinarian for some time after the injection.

The dosage of Depo-Provera for cats is as follows:

• 1 ml of the drug for a cat whose weight does not exceed 5 kg;
• 2 ml for a cat weighing more than 5 kg. In this case, the dosage is approximate. The exact dose of the drug must be determined by a veterinarian.

If it is impossible to visit a veterinary clinic when administering an injection, you must follow the following procedure:

1. Part the fur and treat the skin with an antiseptic.
2. Draw the drug into a syringe and shake. The syringe is used disposable. If there are several pets, then the injection is administered to each with a personal syringe.
3. It can be administered intramuscularly (into the thigh) and subcutaneously (into the fold of the withers).
4. Ideally, after this medical procedure, it is better for the cat to lie down.

How the cat feels after the injection

Immediately after the injection, the cat may be lethargic for some time. In some cases, the animal's appetite may increase sharply. Other side effects are not immediately noticeable. The drug was originally developed for humans. It is not yet possible to fully predict its effect on the cat’s body. Therefore, constant monitoring in a veterinary clinic is required.

However, based on currently available reviews from owners, if the dosage is observed, pets feel satisfactory.