Age to get kitten spayed?

[emx384]

My kitten will be 6 months old on the 21st July. My vet recommended spaying her at six months old, although said she could be spayed as soon as five months old. My predicament is - I am going away on the 25th July for 5 weeks - I have somebody coming to stay in my house to look after my cats whilst I am away so there is no problem in terms of keeping her in until I get back if I had to. I would like to be around whilst she recovers from her operation though - in which case I need to have her spayed at 5 months old or wait until she is 7 months old.
Would it be unfair to her (in terms of her enjoying kittenish things) to get her spayed and have to recover at a young age? Or would it be more unfair to keep her inside over the summer when she loves being in the garden (supervised at the moment!)

I am a responsible owner and would never allow a cat to become pregnant � so its not a case of it 'being fairer than allowing her kittens', I suppose really I am wondering what she will be like post op? Will my playful kitten become all grown up too quickly?

[burnhal]

If she hasnt already then she will be coming into her first season pretty soon. So I would get it done as soon as possible- recovery time is around two weeks. Better than having her coming into season- yowling the house down to try and get out and every Tom in creation lurking round the house!! And no- she wont become grown up too quick- possibly more affectionate but doesnt affect their kittenishness! I think all cat owners on here will tell you that cats act like kittens for far longer than you would think! Ours is a spayed five year old and is still daft!

[bensmum]

She should be ready now and won't take long to recover from the operation. Then, once you are back from holiday, she will be ready to go out. Be very careful if you let her out in the garden now even under supervision because she could come into season any time and could take off very quickly - she is too young for kittens really.

[LottieAnne]

Yes I agree. Get her spayed as soon as possible. A queen in season becomes like a Houdini and will probably find a way out however careful you are. It will not make her any more grown up and will be all over in 24 hours apart from having the stitches out. I have seen a kitten spayed that day tearing around and climbing up the curtains as if nothing had happened. Good luck!

[emx384]

Thanks for all the advice - I am going to have her done before I go away as I can imagine she would be a nightmare if she came into season in terms of trying to get out!