The single most important thing in this whole topic, and it is in the last line of the original post: ask about pain relief before you book.
It is still not given as standard by everyone here. The reasoning you will sometimes hear is that pain keeps the animal quiet so it does not tear its stitches. That is not how it works — a painful animal is a stressed animal that heals worse, eats less, and is more likely to interfere with the wound, not less.
Ask three questions when you book:
- What pain relief does the animal get during and after, and do I go home with any?
- Is it inhalant anaesthesia or injectable only?
- What is the plan if something goes wrong overnight?
A good clinic answers all three without getting defensive. I have walked out of one that got annoyed at the first question.
Costs I have paid or arranged, past 18 months:
- Cat spay: Rs 6,000–12,000 depending on clinic
- Cat neuter: Rs 3,000–6,000
- Dog spay, medium: Rs 10,000–20,000
- Dog neuter, medium: Rs 6,000–12,000
The spread is enormous and it does not map neatly onto quality — but the very cheapest end is usually cheap because something on that list of three is missing.
On recovery: the cone. Everyone hates it and everyone takes it off early and then rings the vet at midnight. Ten days. A soft one or a recovery suit works if the animal is miserable in a plastic one.
On the myths — one addition to the ones you listed. "Let her have one litter so she is calmer" is the one I hear most from older relatives, and it is entirely backwards. It is also how a household ends up with six cats and a genuine problem.
And the practical one nobody mentions: a female in season cannot usually be spayed that week, so book ahead rather than deciding on the day you notice.
