# Spunky Kitten... to Boring Cat? Help!



## twilightgirl (Feb 17, 2009)

I have a kitten who is about 6 months old and I think its about time to get her spayed... Now I know I don't want baby kitties anytime soon and its nearly impossible since I live on the 3rd floor of an apt. building. But since I wanted to do this my boyfriend said that she may not be as playful and spunky as she is now if we get her spayed. Is this a possibility? and if it is... how can we keep her hyper and energetic as she is as a kitten?


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## Heidi n Q (Nov 22, 2006)

twilightgirl said:


> ...how can we keep her hyper and energetic as she is as a kitten?


Keep playing with her. 
Your cat will have fewer medical and behavioral problems if she is spayed now, than if you don't spay her or delay her spaying surgery. Young cats also heal much quicker from surgical procedures. If you keep an "arsenal" of cat toys and play with her regularly, she should remain an active and playful kitty for many years. All of our cats are playful, of course, some are more active than others, but they will all get a move on when the fancy (or the right toy!) strikes them.


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## marie73 (Jul 12, 2006)

These are my twins about 5 days after being spayed. They still chase each other around the house, several times a day - almost two years later.  











Spaying won't make her boring at all.


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## Padunk (Oct 20, 2003)

twilightgirl said:


> I have a kitten who is about 6 months old and I think its about time to get her spayed... Now I know I don't want baby kitties anytime soon and its nearly impossible since I live on the 3rd floor of an apt. building. But since I wanted to do this my boyfriend said that she may not be as playful and spunky as she is now if we get her spayed. Is this a possibility? and if it is... how can we keep her hyper and energetic as she is as a kitten?



They'll inevitably tone down a bit with age. If you continue to play daily and keep her young at heart, she will remain active for many years. My 8 year old still has quite a bit of spunk in her. Spaying her will have two main benefits. 1) her main focus will to be your pet. An intact female's main focus is to reproduce. 2) Spaying her will eliminate the risk of Pyometra. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pyometra

You'd be surprised what an intact tomcat will do to get to a female in heat, and you'd be equally surprised at what a female will do to get out of the apartment when she's in season. 

Best of luck,


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## Mitts & Tess (Sep 4, 2004)

Kittens can get pregnant by 5 months. Its imparative you get her spayed right away. Its very taxing on their systems to get pregnant so early and they will continue to keep having litters which destroy their health. I totally agree that spaying her will bring her focus on being your companion animal not to get out of your house, crying all hours when in heat, not caring about you!

Ive read where a tom cat climbed to a second story window to enter thru a broken screen and got to a cat in heat which hadnt been spayed yet. Mother nature's urge to reproduce in animals is strong and creative!


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## OwnedByACat (Jan 11, 2008)

LOL Marie! That picture kills me! :lol: 

Lucy will be a year old next month, and she's been spayed since october of 2008. She's still a little beast, and has the most energy in this house. To me, settling down is a "mature age" thing, although Pesty is still a freak too, and he's 3 1/2! :lol:


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## sungeun11 (Feb 18, 2009)

I am not sure about that but I am debating on getting my cat neutered or not? I know that when I go back to the USA and move into an apartment with my brother-in-law, he has a cat too and I am not sure how that will go?


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## doodlebug (May 13, 2006)

Not only does spaying reduce the desire to escape to find a man, eliminate the risk of pyometra, it also eliminates the risk of reproductive cancers later in life. And believe me, once your BF listens to a cat in heat for a couple weeks, a short break and then another heat, your boyfriend will be making the appointment. Given the number of homeless/unwanted cats in the world, there is just no good reason not to spay a cat that is not part of a reputable breeding program. 

Spaying will not slow down a cat one bit, but age will. As mentioned, keeping life interesting with toys, games and interactive play will keep your cat young.


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## Bethany (Jul 19, 2006)

twilightgirl said:


> But since I wanted to do this my boyfriend said that she may not be as playful and spunky as she is now if we get her spayed. Is this a possibility? and if it is... how can we keep her hyper and energetic as she is as a kitten?


The answer to the second question: you can't. If I knew a way to keep cats as energetic as kittens, I'd be using it to keep myself as energetic as I was when I was 10! (Heck, I'd settle for as energetic as when I was 20.)

Your cat will slow down as she gets older... such is the fate of all mortal creatures.  However, she won't become a lump: she'll still chase and play, just not as often or as recklessly as when she was a kitten.

Anecdotally, I think one way to keep your cat energetic is to make sure you're feeding them a high-quality food. I've talked to a number of people whose lazy cats perked up and started playing again when they switched to a better cat food. I know my parents' cat became remarkably more energetic after they switched from a corn-filled "diet" cat food to a high-quality standard food (and he didn't gain weight, either.)

Spaying/neutering doesn't make a cat fat or lazy. I've read that the belief it does comes about because people tend to spay/neuter at around the age when kittens:
(1) start settling down to become grown-up cats, so slow down a bit naturally
(2) start needing fewer calories than they did when they were growing kittens, meaning they gain weight if you feed them as much as they did before.

I gather a fixed cat does burn slightly fewer calories than an intact cat, but that just means you need to feed them slightly less. If a cat gets fat, it's not because it's fixed, it's because its person is feeding it too much!

Please fix your cat. Besides the health benefits and the benefits of not calling (females) and reduced spraying (males), the world doesn't need more kittens. And as previously mentioned, unfixed cats are very clever about finding ways to make kittens even when you think you have them safely shut up inside!


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## twilightgirl (Feb 17, 2009)

Gosh you all have been sooo helpful, with all of your comments and advice! Thank you!! 

Marie! Your little twins were sooo adorable!  

Again, THANKS!


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## marie73 (Jul 12, 2006)

doodlebug said:


> Not only does spaying reduce the desire to escape to find a man,...


 8O 

I called my vet, but they won't spay me.


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## OsnobunnieO (Jun 28, 2004)

marie73 said:


> doodlebug said:
> 
> 
> > Not only does spaying reduce the desire to escape to find a man,...
> ...


Heck, I WORK for a vet and they won't spay me either...


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## doodlebug (May 13, 2006)

Anyone ever told you ladies that you're a little strange? :lol:


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## sungeun11 (Feb 18, 2009)

Hey there can be a lil humor in here too


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## gunterkat (Aug 19, 2006)

:lol: :lol: :lol: rcat


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