• Surgical removal of undescended testicles Testicle: cryptorchid.

Uses

• Prophylactic removal of testicles to prevent fertility and reduce male sexual behavior, or to eliminate the risk of developing diseases related to testosterone, such as testicular neoplasia Testis: neoplasia or torsion.

Advantages

• Domestic cats kept as pets may benefit from castration to reduce urine marking Indoor marking, aggressive behavior Aggression: towards people and conditions associated with roaming such as bite wounds, trauma and contracting infectious diseases.

Disadvantages

• Potential complications related to anesthesia and surgery.

Time required

Preparation

• 5-7 min.

Procedure

• Prescrotal location: 5-10 min.
• Inguinal location: 15-20 min.
• Abdominal location: 15-25 min.

Decision taking

Criteria for choosing test

• Undescended testicles may be located in the prescrotal region, inguinal region, within the inguinal ring or within the abdominal cavity anywhere between the caudal aspect of the kidneys and the inguinal ring.
• Attempt to determine the location of the undescended testicle(s) prior to surgery.
• Carefully palpate the inguinal and prescrotal region for the presence of the testicle(s) Testis: clinical examination.
• In some cats, the location of the testicle, the presence of the inguinal fat pad and hypoplasia of the undescended testicle may make identification by palpation difficult.
• Be prepared for an abdominal approach if the testicles(s) cannot be positively identified in the prescrotal or inguinal region.
• Consider the use of ultrasound to help confirm the location of the testicle.
• Consider the possibility that the cat may be monorchid or anorchid (very rare) and therefore one or both testicles may not be present.
• Check the penis for the presence of barbs when evaluating a suspected anorchid cat. Penile barbs are associated with functional testicular tissue.