We got our puppy spayed at 6 mos and right afterwards we noticed a little more dominance in her behavior. She became much more protective over our home and territorial. She plays well in dog parks and social arenas, but if a dog or person steps foot on our property she's not a happy camper and lets them know it with a nice loud bark. There was no change in her urinating habits though. That changed as she got older not because she was spayed. Our dog was spayed by laser surgery at a local low cost clinic and it was a one day procedure. I was nervous at first but as it turned out, they were the most efficient well run clinic I've ever seen and what amazed me even more is they were just a fraction of the cost our regular vet wanted to charge. They spayed her, did the rabies shot and micro chipped all at the same time and she didn't even need medications afterwards. Instead they gave her a pain killer that lasted 48 hours. She healed without needing the collar and now there is a slight green tattoo marking where the surgery took place for future reference. Really amazing at how far the process has come, it was so easy.

Thanks for the tips! I'll take the cat post and put it in the bathroom where I can shut the door so he can't get at it. I'll keep the deck door shut because he likes to grab onto the screen window ledge on his tippy toes (or is that tippy paws?) and see outside. I plan to use the day to make my apartment more comfortable for both of us and I think I'll pick up a soft pet bed for him and sleep on the floor so he doesn't have to jump up on the bed if he wants to sleep with me. I might even tip the top mattress so its leaning against the wall so that if he does jump on the bed its on the box spring which is half the height (I planned on turning it soon, it will just sit in mid-turn for a bit). Fortunately he hasn't been actively jumping up on counters and tables and my computer desk. I've got very low window ledges for him to sit on so that will give him a place to look out and watch the squirrels and birds on the ground. I'll also vacuum and make sure all traces of catnip are gone, but he never seemed too interested in that (tho there were a couple of times I thought he had gotten into some, he gets bursts of energy and runs around and jumps like he's running an obstacle course). Thank you for the advice and support!

Hi Sylvia, Took Bud in at 4:30 yesterday. They couldn't get a pee sample out of his bladder so they kept him overnight. DH and I felt awful having him stay there. We were there at 8 this morning soon as it opened. We knew he would have pee'd and they'd have a sample so hopefully we could take him home. Otherwise it would have been until 5:30 before we could get him. He does have an infection so they gave him 2 shots which will last 2 weeks. We're to take him in for a follow-up in a couple weeks. So it looks good, and he's real happy to be home! The other cats missed him too.

Tell them: go to my neighbor's house, during spring, when she is fostering dumped 4 day old kittens. Sit with her while she hand feeds them every four hours round the clock. Help her manually express their 'pee/poop' since that's something the momma cat normally does. Then you won't think 'how great it is for my cat to know the joys of motherhood'. Go to the local no-kill shelter and volunteer for a day. Then skip spaying and neutering. There is no reason and no excuse. Your cat is no more special or cute than any of the thousands of cats of all ages, sitting in shelters. My daughter is only 9 and she gets it. Two litters in two days of 5 day old dumped kittens dumped at a vet in a very affluent part of town. These are not feral, they obviously come from domestic cats. I have posted this before. My vet tells the story of calls she gets. Cat Owner: "I need to get my cat spayed." Vet: "Has she recently given birth?" Cat Owner: "yes, this week." Vet: "we cant spay until the kittens are weaned." Cat Owner: dumps kittens, and then shows up with cat to be spayed.