Member

Posts: 22
From:
Registered: Sep 2003

posted 09-20-2003 08:50 PM         

---

Hi everyone, I am new to the boards and also a new cat owner. We have a dog (female-welsh springer spaniel-3 years old) and about 3 weeks ago we got an 8 week old male kitten. My question is about spaying/neutering. How early should we do this and what are the pros and cons of waiting or doing it earlier? Thanks so much in advance.

IP: Logged

Member

Posts: 996
From:sheridan, wy
Registered: Aug 2003

posted 09-20-2003 09:33 PM         

---

Read the post entitled will my kitten change? It is about halfway down the first page. Towards the end of the post there is a little discussion about spaying and neutering as well as some links to articles. I am an advocate of spaying young, around 10 weeks. Especially with males since the surgery is not very invasive for them. Neutering young means they will recover faster have less side effects, and they wont start spraying. The schools of thought on this have really changed. They used to say to wait until they were 6 months, now they say 8 weeks is the minimum. A lot of places go by weight rather than age. I think they have to be 3 lbs. Read that post and it should give you some more information.

IP: Logged

Moderator

Posts: 1591
From:NY, USA
Registered: Oct 2002

posted 09-20-2003 10:42 PM         

---

The age requirement would depend on your vet. Some vets wont do it until 6 months of age while others will do it sooner. I had 2 of mine done at 4 months.
Pros: Young kittens recover more quickly, you may prevent some territorial marking (spraying) by having it done before the kitten reaches sexually maturity, you may prevent the kitten from instinctivly wanting to roam or fight, you may reduce certain cancer risks.
Cons: In very young kittens there is a greater risk in using anesthetics. Many vets these days are prepared for this and use precaustionary measures.
IMO, I would discuss this with your vet but would definately have him neutered no later than 6 months of age.

IP: Logged

Member

Posts: 22
From:
Registered: Sep 2003

posted 09-21-2003 09:43 AM         

---

Thank you very much. He is now 11 weeks old and still 2 pounds so I think we will wait until he grows a bit but I dont think we will wait until he's 6 months old.

IP: Logged

All times are ET (US)