# Neutering too Early



## lunangel355 (Jan 14, 2005)

just took my kittens to the vet, and ask about having them spayed and neutered. They told me the best age to have it done is 6 months. Then the girl in the office was telling me how our local spca has been doing it, when they were only 3 months, and they have had several male cats come into their office with terrible problems. She told me, that when they neuter them so young, the tube that runs from their bladder to the penis, is not fully developed, so as the cats got older, they had a lot of complications, and had to be operated on again. The poor little things.


----------



## momof6 (Dec 18, 2004)

I got Ellie from Petsmart, that ran out of a local shelter. She got spayed I would say at two months. Since then she has had constent colds. When I took her to my vet he said that since it was done so early her immune system wasn't developed enough and she got the cold. I know they have to spay them to be able to adopt them out but a kitten that young, I wish I could have made the decision when to have it done. I don't think she would have the problems if they would have waited.


----------



## coaster (Dec 1, 2004)

6 months is the conventional opinion on when to do it, but it's being done earlier now. I think as early as 4 months would be OK. 3 months sounds awfully early to me.


----------



## Gudewife (Jun 27, 2004)

It depends, I think. We routinely spay/neuter shelter kittens at 12-16 weeks (provided that they are in good health and weigh enough) and haven't had a lot of problems with our early alter program. However, any kitten that we're concerned about waits until we're comfortable with him or her having the surgery (and this happens every so often). Our policy is that no animal leaves our shelter unaltered, and most studies have shown that early altering is safe if done properly...our other option is to keep them for 6 months, alter them, and end up with a shelter full of adolescent cats because people only want kittens.

We have one giant guy, a stray around 5-6 years old. He's a total stereotypical big, rangy tomcat...scarred, tough-looking, and raggedy... who's (hopefully) going in for his neutering next week (boy will HE be surprised!). He's so funny, though...you see this huge cat, and as soon as he opens his mouth, a teensy little "mew?" comes out. He was dreadfully sick when he came in, and we didn't think he was going to make it, but he did and he is just a love bug.

(obviously, this is the latest basket-case cat to steal my heart :roll: )


----------



## AddFran (Jul 10, 2004)

Gudewife, I was going to say...it sounds as though you have yet another Shelter-Cat boyfriend.


----------



## Gudewife (Jun 27, 2004)

AddFran said:


> Gudewife, I was going to say...it sounds as though you have yet another Shelter-Cat boyfriend.


 

Yes, he is widely referred to by the staff as my "boyfriend." My husband has two "girlfriends," as well...two elderly females with terrible periodontal disease who crawl all over him. :roll: Great...now there's TWO of us falling for all the unadoptables. I swear, after Assumpta, we are going to have a house _full _of geriatric, sick, and psychotic cats.... :lol:


----------



## AddFran (Jul 10, 2004)

As far as the early spay/neuter thing, I have heard a lot of conflicting reports about it, however they all seem to have to do with bone growth plates and occasionally incontinence in female dogs. 

I have not seen anything about the immune system and can't figure out what the immune system would have to do with spay/neutering. If your cat sufferes from colds it could be something completely unrelated. 

My thoughts on the early spay/neuter are that if you were to buy a cat/dog from a breeder or acquire them somehow or other before they are spayed/neutered, I'd hold off until about 4-5 months. This way they are a little older but you will still hopefully catch them before they go through puberty! 

On the flip-side, I think the benefits of early s/n in shelter animals far outweighs any controversial possible side effects that could occur.


----------



## AddFran (Jul 10, 2004)

Gudewife said:


> I swear, after Assumpta, we are going to have a house _full _of geriatric, sick, and psychotic cats.... :lol:


So maybe her solitary attitude has been a benefit to you!


----------



## spittles (Oct 24, 2003)

At the rescue, we fix them when they are 2lbs (at about 8 weeks). We have NEVER noticed a problem with their growth. Dr. Harmon is so good at doing spays, she only cuts 1/8 inch for kittens 8O 

If you want to fix the kitten older, I would say do it at about 4 months. I have seen way to many kittens go into heat at 6 months. 

Abhay


----------



## AddFran (Jul 10, 2004)

YEP, Abhay's right, Addison went into heat at exactly 6 months. 
Phew, thank goodness we won't be going through that ever again!


----------



## Payge (May 12, 2004)

http://www.winnfelinehealth.org/early-s ... nar96.html

Very complete study done to test the effects of early spays and neuters. IMO the issues brought up are not because of the early spay/neuters.


----------



## emma_pen (Nov 2, 2004)

All my cats that I had from kittens were castrated after 6 months, and this is more the norm in the UK. My surgery does not normally neuter before 5 months of age, with certain exceptions i.e early spraying/heat. We do neuter feral kittens from as yound as 10 weeks or so, just so we know they are done and don't have to catch them again.

We neuter dogs strictly from 5-6 months, again except in certain circumstances. My own girl was speyed at 6 months and I wish it had been my decision, as I might have waited. She is now 2 years old and a little incontinent. I also think there are maturity issues with dogs that don't neccessarily apply to cats. Asha did not mature until very very recently, and she had a real time of it around the age of one year old.

I do think shelters need to neuter before rehoming though, or at least check up on homes that have taken kittens/puppies.


----------



## lotocats (May 5, 2003)

*4 months*

I'd recommend 4 months. My vet usually goes by the weight rather than the age. She won't spay/neuter if they are less than 5 lbs.


----------



## BoscosMum (Apr 29, 2004)

*Re: 4 months*



lotocats said:


> I'd recommend 4 months. My vet usually goes by the weight rather than the age. She won't spay/neuter if they are less than 5 lbs.


Same with my vet......5 pounds.


----------

