neutering kittens

[ganesh]

What's the best age to neuter, I have a male and a female kitten and therefore want to get them done together. I have heard that if you do it too early you cwn damage normal growth, and too late can harm urinary systems in later life. Any ideas?

[pixie_woo]

I know it's 6 months for a female kitten. My kitten is 5.5 months old and has come into season early but the vets wont neuter her until 6 months. She is currently climbing the walls of my house as I am having to keep her inside!
I don't know about male kittens, sorry.

[ganesh]

Thats interesting. Although I wanted a non-professional opinion, my vet has just recommended 4and a half months, which I thought sounded a bit young. Oh well wait to hear a few more answers,I guess. Thanks anyway.

[divegirl]

Hi, my female kitten is booked in for about a months time, by then she'll be 26 weeks, four and a half months does sound alittle young to me. Sorry can't help you either with the boy.

Lisa x

[ganesh]

Actually, I may have that slightly wrong in that if you work it out in weeks she would be 22 weeks at suggested op date. I suppose that really counts as 5 and a half months. I dont want her to come into season, especially as she has a brother as well!

[suzy64]

mine were both done at the same time, one boy, one girl, born early July neutered early Dec, so about 4 and a bit months...this was on the advice of the vet and the CPL

[smudge]

We had our Smudge spade at 6 months old, as recommended by the vet.

She was fine after she'd had her stitches removed the following week, bless her.

[drgnrdr]

If you ask 5 dif vets you will probably get at least 3 diff answers. Get it done as early as possible, usually by the time they get big enough and get some weight on them would be best, that's why they get it by 4 months and the males can have it done around that time also. If you can catch the male before he starts to exercise the muscle area to mark "spray mark", or get into the "habit" of it., you'll be able to avoid the hassle of him marking after he's neutered, (females and males have the ability to spray).
Since the humane society gets thousands coming in, their vets see alot of animals, more than your vet will see in his (private practice) lifetime I am sure. They need to make sure all animals are spay/neutered before being adopted, so they do it early also and I have seen LOTS of cats and dogs from the shelters, they all developed just fine. Big strapping animals some of them. Have it done at 4 - 41/2 months, like your vet says, they may actually keep up with the new research coming down the pike.
pixie-woo's animals are the big reason why they do it early, some do come into season early.

[smudge]

Whoops, sorry ganesh - I didn't mean the vet used a 'spade' on our Smudge - she was of course spayed!!

Just had to mention that, as it tickled me when I re-read what I'd typed!!

[peanut]

I adopted my dear Peanut @ 2 months old and the Humane Society had just neutered him. Anyone who is qualified to do this type of work should be able to tell you if its too soon or too late.

[campbellking]

with our cats, Trumpton, who came free with the house (buy house, get cat free scenario), was an unneutered adult. Had to wait until his abscesses from fighting other males had cleared up before the vet would operate (have the suspicion that he wasn't very good at defending himself).
Campbell we had from about 10 weeks old, and she was neutered at 6 months as recommended by the vets. She's taller than Trumpton, who has short, stubby bandy legs, so I don't think neutering had any influence on growth. Incidentally, neutering cured Trumpton's habit of peeing on any plastic bag that was hanging around, so maybe it had a positive effect on his urinary system!

[ganesh]

Love the name Trumpton,by the way. In response to peanuts note I would say that from all my answers 4-5months sounds ok but vets,like doctors arent ALWAYS right, and the first lady who answered me said that her vet wouldnt do her cat until she was 6months and she came into season early. So vets obviously differ in opinion.

[clair3934]

6 months is the reccomended age to ensure that the cat is big enough to cope the the anesthetic if the vet thinks that a younger animal is big enough to cope and will neuter a younger animal then thats fine but really it's up to you if you want your cat done at 6 months then tell the vet this

[elaine33]

I have just taken advice from my vet as I have two kittens who are half brothers. My vet has said 22 weeks. As I want them both done at the same time the youngest will be 22 weeks and the older one 24 weeks. Also it is not too expensive only �35 per kitten and my vet is giving me a discount to have them both neutered on the same day.