Cat Spay Surgery Cost
Cat spay prices vary between nonprofit low-cost clinics and full-service hospitals. Whether your cat is in heat or pregnant, plus optional bloodwork and pain management, affects the total.
- Written by:
- Pet Surgery Estimate
- Published:
- Jun 17, 2026
- Last updated:
- Nov 12, 2026
- Clinic prices checked:
- Nov 6, 2026
Cost guide, not veterinary advice. This page helps you budget and ask good questions. It cannot tell you whether your pet needs this procedure — only your veterinarian can. Disclaimer
Typical cost
Medium-sized cat, general practice, scheduled, no location adjustment.
Typical cost: Cat Spay (Ovariohysterectomy)
Cat Spay (Ovariohysterectomy)
Estimate confidence: Medium · Wide educational estimate
Low
$200
Average
$350
High
$700+
Estimate in U.S. dollars for U.S. clinics, not a quote. How it's calculated
Estimate confidence: Medium
- Location not provided — national average used
How we calculated this
- Base rangeSpay
- UrgencyScheduled / planned (×1)
- Vet typeGeneral practice vet (×1)
- AgeAdult (×1)
- LocationNot specified (×1.00)
Figures are rounded broad ballparks, not a quote.
Understanding the cost of spay
Cat spays are among the most widely available low-cost surgeries, and published prices reflect that: nonprofit clinics often list a single fee well below what full-service hospitals charge for the same operation.
The AVMA says it, the American Association of Feline Practitioners and the Association of Shelter Veterinarians support spaying or neutering cats by 5 months of age. Unlike dogs, cats are not usually priced by weight, so the main variables are clinic type and what is included.
Watch for surcharges. Some clinics add fees if a cat is in heat or pregnant, while one nonprofit clinic we found states it charges no extra for those. A few add a fee for flat-faced (brachycephalic) cats because of extra anesthetic precautions.
What is in a spay quote — and what is not
What moves the price
- Clinic type (low-cost clinic vs full-service hospital)
- Whether she is in heat or pregnant
- Pre-anesthetic bloodwork and pain management add-ons
Usually included in the quote
- Surgery and anesthesia
- Basic monitoring
Often billed separately
- Pre-anesthetic bloodwork
- Take-home pain medication and e-collar
Extra costs to ask about
- Pre-anesthetic bloodwork
- Pain medication and e-collar
- In-heat or pregnant surcharge
General practice, specialist or emergency hospital?
General practice
Full-service practices usually include or offer bloodwork, IV fluids and take-home pain relief, so the headline price is higher but more complete.
Specialist / referral hospital
Specialists are rarely involved in routine cat spays.
Emergency hospital
Routine spays are not done at emergency hospitals. Emergency surgery on the uterus is usually for pyometra, which is priced very differently.
Estimated cost by clinic type
Medium adult pet, no location adjustment.
| Scenario | Low | Average | High |
|---|---|---|---|
| General practice vet | $200 | $350 | $700+ |
| Specialty surgeon | $280 | $490 | $980+ |
| Emergency clinic | $510 | $900 | $1,800+ |
Estimated cost by urgency
Medium adult pet at a general practice.
| Scenario | Low | Average | High |
|---|---|---|---|
| Scheduled / planned | $200 | $350 | $700+ |
| Urgent (soon) | $250 | $440 | $880+ |
| Emergency | $320 | $560 | $1,100+ |
These are our model's estimates, not published prices. See how the multipliers work.
What clinics actually publish
These are prices U.S. clinics list on their own websites for cat spay (ovariohysterectomy) or a closely related service. Each one covers something different, so read the "Covers" note before comparing it with the range above or with your own quote.
San Diego Humane Society · San Diego County, CA
$175
Cat spay · Nonprofit community clinic
Covers: No extra charge for being in heat, pregnant or overweight; a $60 cardiac/brachycephalic protocol may apply. Page updated January 2026.
View the clinic's price page · accessed Nov 6, 2026
Listed prices are shown for reference only. We are not affiliated with these clinics, prices may have changed since we checked, and many exclude the exam, diagnostics, hospitalization, or medications. See Sources for the full list.
Does location change the price?
The published prices above come from one place (San Diego County, CA). That is not enough to show a reliable regional pattern for spay, and the prices cover different things, so we do not adjust our range from them. The calculator's location step uses general price levels (BEA Regional Price Parities, all items, 2024). For spay, that moves our typical average of $350 to about $390 in California and $300 in Arkansas. Prices between clinics in the same city often differ by more than that.
Questions to ask your vet about spay
Bring these to the appointment or ask for the answers in writing with your estimate. They are about cost and what is included, not about whether your pet needs treatment.
- Is there any extra fee if my cat is in heat or pregnant?
- Are pain medication and an e-collar included?
- Is pre-anesthetic bloodwork required, and what does it cost?
- Is a recheck included, and are the sutures absorbable?
Frequently asked questions
Where can I find low-cost cat spay options?
What we could not verify
- We found only one published U.S. cat spay price (a nonprofit clinic in San Diego County).
Have a published price or an itemized estimate that would help? Send it to us.
Sources and references
Medical background on this page is paraphrased from the sources below. Price ranges come from our cost model; the published clinic prices above link to each clinic's own page.
- Spaying and neutering — American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA). Accessed Nov 12, 2026.
Related procedures
Tell us about your pet
Estimating: Spay for a cat