Common Surgeries Your Cat May Need & What They Cost

Taking your cat for regular veterinarian visits can help ensure they stay as healthy as possible. While we’d love for our feline friends to never have to undergo surgery, sometimes it’s necessary to give them a better quality of life.

Whether you want to be financially prepared in case a cat surgery comes up or if your cat is scheduled for one in the future, knowing the cost can help. Keep reading for a list of common cat surgeries and how much they may cost — as well as how pet insurance can help make these costs more affordable.

Common Cat Surgery Costs

How much cat surgery costs will depend on your vet, your cat’s specific needs, their health condition, your location, and the procedure being done. Other variables that can impact the overall cost of a surgical procedure are pre- and post-operative needs, X-rays, ultrasounds, bloodwork, diagnostic testing, anesthesia, a potential hospital stay, surgical complications, and other necessities.

Spay or neuter

Spaying or neutering your cat is a very common procedure. A spay can cost $200 – $500 while a neuter can cost $100 – $300.¹ But you may be able to find a low-cost clinic that charges less than $100 for either procedure.

Oral surgery

Cats can be prone to dental diseases, including periodontal disease, gingivitis, and tooth resorption.² This can lead to more extensive dental work needing to be done, especially in senior cats.

If your cat needs a tooth extraction this can cost $50 – $150 per tooth. If your cat needs something more serious like jaw reconstructive or removal surgery due to damaged tissue, abnormal cell growth, or unhealed fractures, (aka a mandibulectomy) this can cost $1,500 – $4,000.³

Teeth cleaning can also be considered a form of surgery since it may require anesthesia. This can cost around $330 – $370.⁴

Mass removal

Skin lumps and bumps as well as internal masses may need to be removed if they’re affecting your cat’s health and well being. Costs can depend on whether the mass is on the surface of your cat’s skin or if it’s internal, as well as the location on their body (close to vital organs, joints, face, etc.), what kind of mass it is, and its size.

Surgical removal of a mass could cost anywhere from a few hundred to a few thousand dollars, and typically rise if cancer is involved.

Bladder surgery

Cats may develop feline lower urinary tract disease, which encompasses a few different conditions. One of these conditions is bladder stones. If they’re small enough, stones can typically pass through urination or be removed through less invasive methods. However, when the removal of bladder stones in cats requires surgery, the cost for a cystotomy can be around $900 – $4,000.⁵

Wound surgery

If your cat has been injured, a vet may need to close the wound and repair any internal damage based on the type of injury. The procedure to clean and suture a wound may cost $800 – $1,500, however, if your cat’s injury requires surgery, it could cost you $1,500 – $3,000 or more.⁴ The more extensive the damage, the more likely the cost will rise.

Orthopedic procedures

Cats may need orthopedic surgeries to repair fractures, broken bones, joint problems, ligaments, and more. Costs typically vary based on the specific procedure needed, the severity of the problem, and the weight of your cat. Because there’s so many variables in these types of surgeries, costs could range from a few hundred to a few thousand dollars.

Foreign body extraction

Foreign body extraction surgery usually involves the stomach or intestines, although it could be elsewhere in the body depending on the situation your cat has found themselves in. Your cat may have ingested something that got stuck in the gastrointestinal tract or they could have been punctured by an object that is now stuck in their body.

Procedures for removing foreign bodies may involve ultrasounds, X-rays, endoscopies, and surgeries. Depending on the severity of the damage done by the foreign object and where it’s located, surgical procedures to remove them could cost a few hundred dollars to over $5,000.⁶

Eye surgery

There are a few different types of cat eye surgeries that you may encounter.

Cataracts can develop in your cat’s eyes — either one or both — as eye lens proteins degrade with age or due to genetics. Surgical procedures to remove the cataract and replace the eye lens so blurry vision is restored may be possible. Cat cataract surgery can cost around $2,000 – $3,500.⁷

Sometimes, if there’s too much damage to a cat’s eye(s), the best way to give them a better quality of life is to remove the eye. Enucleation, or cat eye removal surgery, can cost around $1,000 – $2,000.⁷

Cherry eye — a prolapse of the third eyelid — is not as common in cats as it can be in dogs, but surgery may cost you around $300 – $1,000 to correct. And if your cat has eyelids that roll inward or outward, surgery to correct that can cost around $500 – $2,000.⁷

MetLife Pet Insurance Can Help Cover Costs

While these estimates can help you better prepare financially, contact your veterinarian for a more accurate cost estimate for your situation. Depending on the surgery and recovery efforts your cat needs, your vet bill may end up in the thousands.

Having a MetLife Pet cat insurance policy can help you get the care your cat needs and worry less about the cost. Our policies may be able to reimburse you for up to 100% of covered costs related to surgery — like exams, diagnostics, the procedure itself, hospital stays, and medications.⁸ However, pet insurance typically doesn’t cover pre-existing conditions, so enrolling while your cat is still healthy is a great way to ensure coverage later on when you need it.

See if a pet insurance policy is right for you and your beloved cat by getting a personalized quote today.