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Schedule OnlineLast reviewed: September 2026. Written by Mike Wesselink, DVM, from surgical work at The Pet Advocate in Tracy, California.
A cat spay costs $255 to $587 across clinics nationally, averaging about $322 for a healthy female under six months. A cat neuter costs $168 to $385, averaging about $212. Private hospitals typically charge $300 to $500 to spay and $200 to $300 to neuter. Low-cost and nonprofit clinics often run $50 to $150 for a spay and $35 to $150 for a neuter.
At The Pet Advocate in Tracy, a female cat spay is $130 and a male cat neuter is $105.
Those national figures come from the 2025 Synchrony study reported by CareCredit. PetMD puts a private-hospital spay at $300 to $500 and a low-cost clinic spay at $25 to $150.
| Where you go | Female cat spay | Male cat neuter |
|---|---|---|
| Private veterinary hospital | $300–$500 | $200–$300 |
| National average, healthy cat under 6 months (CareCredit / Synchrony 2025) | $322 ($255–$587) | $212 ($168–$385) |
| California average, under 6 months (same study) | $429 | $283 |
| Low-cost or nonprofit clinic | $50–$150 | $35–$150 |
| The Pet Advocate, Tracy CA | $130 | $105 |
“Spay or neuter a cat” covers two different businesses. A full-service hospital prices a routine cat inside a practice that also stocks emergency drugs and overnight wards. A high-volume spay clinic prices the surgery and a short list of essentials. Both use licensed veterinarians.
Some owners arrive with quotes past $1,500. Those bills usually stack an office exam, required bloodwork, IV fluids, and overnight monitoring onto a straightforward case.
A cat neuter costs less than a cat spay because the male surgery is short and external. A neuter removes a male cat’s testicles through a small incision. Most males do not need skin sutures.
A spay removes a female cat’s ovaries and uterus through the abdominal wall. That surgery takes more time under anesthesia.
At The Pet Advocate the published gap is $25: $130 to spay and $105 to neuter. The extra money is extra time and monitoring, not a different standard of care.
Clinic type moves a cat spay or neuter bill more than anything else on this list. Full-service hospitals carry overhead for work a routine cat never needs. High-volume clinics do this surgery all day and can hold the fee to the procedure itself.
Older cats and pregnant cats cost more because the surgery takes longer and the risk is higher. A cryptorchid male — one or both testicles still undescended — can add a fee too. The missing testicle may sit under the skin or in the abdomen, and finding it is extra work. Those fees are confirmed on exam rather than published as a one-size surcharge.
For an owned female in heat, I prefer to wait about a month after the cycle ends. The vessels around the uterus are engorged during heat, which makes the surgery slower.
The clinic takes healthy cats from four months to seven years. Weight and health screens are on the surgery requirements page. Cats five years and older need pre-anesthetic bloodwork before we proceed. That test is $100.
Clinics in higher cost-of-living areas charge more. CareCredit’s California averages are about $429 to spay and $283 to neuter, above the national $322 and $212, which is why some families drive to a high-volume clinic instead of using the nearest hospital.
Two quotes that look far apart can both be honest. Some clinics fold bloodwork, an IV catheter, and fluids into the headline. Others leave those out. Compare the line items.
Pain medication, a cone, a microchip, and vaccines are often separate. A pain injection is $15, feline pain tablets are $20, and an E-collar is $18. Pain medication and the cone together add $33 to $38.
Owners ask why one clinic quotes a little over $100 for a cat spay or neuter and another quotes $1,200. The surgery on the cat is the same.
Corporate groups have bought many general practices over the last decade. From what I have seen, those groups raise prices and standardize them across every location they own.
Most general practices also require a paid office exam before they will book surgery. In the Tracy area those exams run $60 to $130. The Pet Advocate does not charge an exam fee to book a spay or a neuter.
A full-service hospital stocks drugs and equipment for cases a routine cat never needs, then passes that overhead through in the price. Doing this surgery all day is what holds a published cat price down.
The cat still gets monitored anesthesia and a licensed veterinarian.
Nonprofit and high-volume clinics use licensed veterinarians and send most cats home the same day. A spay at one of these clinics often runs $50 to $150. A neuter often runs $35 to $150.
The cheapest clinics may skip bloodwork or IV fluids to hold the price down. Ask what each quote includes before you compare.
If your cat has a heart murmur or a history of seizures, I refer that case to a full-service hospital. Some cats need a setting built for higher-risk anesthesia.
A cat spay at The Pet Advocate includes a pre-surgical exam the morning of the procedure, monitored general anesthesia, the ovariohysterectomy, recovery in an individual kennel, and same-day discharge with aftercare instructions. A licensed veterinary technician watches her vitals the whole time.
A cat neuter includes the same exam, anesthesia, monitoring, and same-day recovery. The surgery itself is external. Most males do not need skin sutures.
| In the published $130 / $105 fee | Usually extra |
|---|---|
| Morning pre-surgical exam | Pain injection ($15) |
| General anesthesia and monitoring | Feline pain tablets ($20) |
| The surgery | E-collar ($18) |
| Same-day recovery and discharge instructions | Pre-anesthetic bloodwork, $100, if the cat is 5 or older |
| No separate office-visit fee | Vaccines, microchip, or deworming if you add them |
You drop the cat off in the morning and pick up that afternoon.
I recommend the pain medication and the cone. I do not require them. Rescue groups often opt out so they can cover more cats on a fixed budget, and the anesthetic plan already includes pain control for the procedure itself. The take-home tablets cover the days after you leave. The cone keeps the cat from licking the incision open.
The American Veterinary Medical Association’s Fix by Five campaign supports sterilizing a cat before five months of age.
The Pet Advocate’s $130 and $105 fees do not change with age. Waiting past the first heat can add a pregnant or in-heat complication, which can add a fee after exam. Age, indoor status, and first-heat timing are covered in when to spay or neuter your cat.
These are the cash prices on our prices and rates page. Card payments add 3 percent.
Cat weight does not change those fees. A five-pound cat and a fifteen-pound cat pay the same $130 to spay or $105 to neuter.
| Service | Cash price |
|---|---|
| Female cat spay | $130 |
| Male cat neuter | $105 |
| Pain injection | $15 |
| Feline pain tablets | $20 |
| E-collar (cone) | $18 |
| Pre-anesthetic bloodwork | $100 (required at 5 years and older) |
| Spay or neuter deposit, applied to your total | $20 |
Optional same-day add-ons, if you want them at pickup: FVRCP $30, FeLV $35, rabies $25, microchip $30, deworming $12.
You choose the add-ons. The deposit holds your spot and comes off the final total. The clinic takes cash and major cards. It does not take CareCredit, checks, or mobile pay.
One client from Ceres compared local quotes before she booked:
“We are from Ceres ca and drove to tracy to take our cat sleepy to be seen, it was way cheaper then our area they want 300 to 900 without medication or anything! So we paid about $189 or something with a $20 deposit with appointment.”
— Jessica, Google review
That $189 line is the surgery plus the add-ons she chose, not a different base price.
Nationally, a cat spay averages about $322 ($255–$587) and a cat neuter averages about $212 ($168–$385) for a healthy cat under six months. At The Pet Advocate a spay is $130 and a neuter is $105.
A female cat spay costs $255 to $587 across clinics nationally, with an average near $322. A private veterinary hospital usually charges $300 to $500. A low-cost clinic charges $50 to $150. At The Pet Advocate, a female spay is $130.
A male cat neuter costs $168 to $385 across clinics nationally, with an average near $212. Private hospitals often charge $200 to $300. Low-cost clinics often charge $35 to $150. At The Pet Advocate, a male neuter is $105.
Yes. A cat neuter costs less than a cat spay because the male surgery is short and external. At The Pet Advocate the difference is $25 ($105 versus $130).
Full-service hospitals carry higher overhead and often require a paid exam before surgery. Corporate ownership has pushed general-practice prices up across many clinics. High-volume clinics charge less because this surgery is most of what they do.
The AVMA’s Fix by Five campaign supports spaying a cat before five months of age. Four to five months works well for owned cats. The Pet Advocate accepts healthy cats up to seven years old.
Most cats return to normal within 10 to 14 days. Limit jumping and keep the incision clean and dry during that window. Appetite usually comes back the next day.
Most pet insurance treats spaying or neutering as elective and does not cover it. Some providers offer wellness add-ons that reimburse part of the cost.
Yes. Pregnancy or heat can raise the bill. Pregnancy adds surgical time and an additional fee after exam. For an owned cat in heat, I usually ask owners to wait about a month. The Pet Advocate does not publish a flat surcharge because the extra work depends on the individual cat.
A routine cat spay or neuter can cost under $100 or past $500. Most of that gap is the clinic you choose.
If you live near Tracy, you can schedule the appointment online. The Pet Advocate is open Monday through Friday, 8:00 AM to 4:30 PM.
Mike Wesselink, DVM, runs The Pet Advocate in Tracy, California. He earned his veterinary degree from the UC Davis School of Veterinary Medicine in 2015.