Shave my cat

[slimfandango]

One of my cats went on her usual jaunt, and came back a week later with a nice shave! Imagine my surprise!
It's about 10cm by 5cm, kind of on her thigh / hip. She's quite into her appearance, but don't think it was her, since I've left razors around before, and she never touched them. The (electric) razor has gone down pretty much to the skin.
Why the heck would anyone do that? For a laugh? Do you have to shave cats to inject/neuter them?

[PurplePixie]

You generally need to shave a cats forepaw to take blood etc..but the kind of shaving you describe sounds exactly like someone has had the cat spayed.

You could put a collar on the cat with a message asking for this mystery 2nd owner to call you so you can clarify who actually owns the cat.

[crisgal]

if she'd been spayed less than a week ago, she'd still have some stitches showing wouldn't she?

Maybe some ********* have done it for reasons only known to *********.

Either way, she'll need loads of tlc. I'd take her to the vet just to be sure she's ok.

In the meantime you could read a great children's story about a cat with more than one secret life called "six dinner sid"!

[Fern57]

A 10cm x 5cm sounds too big to be a shaving prior to a spaying. If it has only been a week since it was done there should be a scar present. Cats get their front foreleg shaved for the anaesthetic before being spayed or neutered. Tom cats don't have their 'bits' shaved at all usually.
Is your cat male or female? Has his/her paw been shaved too? Is there any sign of stitching on the large shaved patch?

[Fern57]

Sorry - didn't read the 'she' bit. Disregard question about is your cat male or female.

[natalie_1982]

My little boy cat had his pom poms removed last year and he wasn't shaved bar a tiny (no more than an inch square) patch around his pom pom area.

Take him to the vet you use as chances are if the 'other owner' has had the sense and kindness to get your cat operated on, they may have had him chipped too, obviously their details will be there.

What will you do if you find s/he has another owner on the side?  Do you feel used and cheated?

[Jeanie]

May perhaps have been a local cats protection group if they thought the cat was feral - but I would presume they would then take the cat in and try to rehome her.   

[Melliexr]

I was told by my local vet that it's common for cat protection groups to catch ferals, have them spayed, then release them back where they found them. We have several ferals living in the fields around us, they seem to get by very well. One of them has adopted us as the best soup kitchen around, she was definitely feral, and she's been spayed. She's now quite tame (although she will NOT be picked up).

[natalie_1982]

Or, take her now while she is still shaved and the vets will be able to tell you what operation she has had done!

[Noweia]

Animals can be shaved for ultrasound examinations, the scanner has to be close to the skin to work.

Have you discovered what happened yet?