Ideal Age To Neuter?

[Neo_23]

The shelter I got my kitten from neutered him at 12 weeks.

 

[FelinskiFamily]

Thanks. I called the vet she said they would ideally do it when the kitten is 7 months old. But I have vaccine appointment for the next Wednesday so I will try and explain she has access to outdoors and see how it goes. I never wanted to neuter Julio before he was one year old so I never asked what's the youngest the kitten can be for the procedure to take place.

 

[FelinskiFamily]

The shelter I got my kitten from neutered him at 12 weeks.

How old is he now?

 

[talkingpeanut]

Again, you can wait to spay if you will keep her inside. There is not really any reason to wait, though. If you do not spay until 7 months and you let her outside she will get pregnant while she is still a baby herself.

 

[FelinskiFamily]

Again, you can wait to spay if you will keep her inside. There is not really any reason to wait, though. If you do not spay until 7 months and you let her outside she will get pregnant while she is still a baby herself.

I don't think it will be safe for her to wait that long, my living room and bedroom have doors that are open February to November almost all the time, only in winter with the heating on I make sure I am not heating the streets She doesn't go beyond the doorsteps for now (she only accompanies me outside, never alone), but that won't last long, and I saw cats wandering around the neighbourhood. Two are female, other is male, neutered, but one has balls bigger than Chuck Norris.

 

[talkingpeanut]

I would aim to have her done at 4 months then, before she goes into heat. If your vet won't agree, we can help you to find a clinic that will. Is she fully vaccinated?

TNR would be best for the neighborhood cats.

 

[lilin]

Hey all!
First and foremost I'm sure this is a fairly recurring topic so I apologize if this thread isn't redundant; didn't see one to participate in on the first few pages.

I have a 4.5 month old male kitten with a LOT of energy! I know that sooner or later he'll need to be neutered, but I wanted to get some opinions on when people feel the best age to get this done might be.

I appreciate that there's some folks, especially fellow Americans, who'll say that the best time to get a cat fixed is "immediately" and I certainly appreciate the reasons for that answer. At the same time, I recall one study in particular out of UC Davis a few years ago that indicated that some fixed pets, especially those who were fixed early, were more several times more likely than their intact peers to develop certain disorders like hip dysplasia later in life.

There's an added later in the fact that my kitten's a Savannah-Bengal mix, and I know both of these breeds are prone to certain age-related health disorders AND difficult-to-accommodate mating habits like heavy spraying. I'd like to avoid both of these as much as possible and am curious if anyone has an opinion on like an "optimal timeframe" to get the procedure done. Thank you!

I actually do genuinely think right now is just about perfect, if I had to neuter a kitten of my own -- that 4 month range. They're old enough to have some extra size and developmental stability on them, which makes them stronger under anesthesia than very small kittens, but also young enough that it's extremely unlikely they'll be going into heat right now.

Yes, shelters and things do neuter very young, as early as 8 weeks, but they don't do it because they think it's ideal. They do it because they don't want to risk an adopter never getting them neutered and making more kittens to fill their kennels.

Also, keep in mind that the disease risk thing goes both ways, and in my opinion, the cost of neutering is greatly outweighed by the benefit. While there are some disease risks that rise in neutered animals, there are also some really serious diseases that fall dramatically. Reproductive cancer and pyometra -- which are very common in unneutered cats, even in middle age -- are relatively uncommon (and in pyometra's case, non-existent) in cats who are neutered before their first heat. All changes to the body -- natural or man-made -- will alter disease risk, but neutering is really a net positive in this department, in my opinion.

So, for the most benefit to both kitty and human, it is ideal if they are neutered before they enter puberty in earnest. Some cats start puberty as young as 6 months, so bare that in mind. This is why I think your kitten's current age would be a good time to neuter.

ETA: Apparently I am out of date! Lots of reports of kittens going into heat younger than 6 months, in which case now is even more of a good time to neuter.

 

[Willowy]

Some cats start puberty as young as 6 months

I had one go into heat on her 4 month birthday. My first cat was 5 months old when she went into heat. The earliest I've heard of from a reputable source is 14 weeks. I'm fairly sure I've never had one wait until 6 months to go into heat! I usually try to have them spayed before 4-5 months but sometimes I procrastinate too long. But of those that did go into heat, they were all under 6 months. I would never recommend waiting that long unless you can definitely keep her safe if she goes into heat.

 

[lilin]

Thank you for your replies.
She probably will get pregnant. Julio (my older cat) keeps the street cats away from our patio (backyard, I am not sure), but cats can definitely jump over the wall, even for a minute and impregnate the kitten as soon as January or February as she will be 6 months then. They are both indoor cats, but Julio does chill in the patio sometimes and I am sure shortly so will she.
So I am thinking about what's best for her as she is the sweetest, cutest, most adorable thing ever (as all cats are) will she get to be a healthy old lady if I have her spayed early on and stop her hormonal development? I understand cats reach maturity at one year old. I don't know anyone with older cats, so if there are people with old cats who were neutered/spayed very young I would very much appreciate a reassurance.

Neutered cats do live dramatically longer than unneutered cats.

Report says spayed and neutered pets live longer - Petfinder

My last cat, who was neutered as a kitten, lived to 15. And frankly, the only reason she didn't live even longer was because she had genetic problems from the outset.

These days, it's not uncommon for indoor cats neutered young to live into their late teens, and some even make it to their 20's. They are lower risk for many cancers, injuries, and other reproductive complications which can occur regardless of whether they ever breed. Often, these problems occur fairly young.

This may seem counter-intuitive that an animal lives more healthfully after being altered, but remember, in the wild, cats rarely ever live past 6 years old, because they're feisty hunters who get into scraps a lot, so they tend to die from injury or infection before their organs ever get to the point of breaking down on their own. So, all these health problems they can develop in middle age just aren't relevant to their survival in the wild, because they don't live long enough to have them.

But when they live with us, they are spared all of those environmental dangers, which means they can easily live two or three times longer. And that's when all these issues with their reproductive systems can become potentially fatal problems, and why it is better for them to be neutered so they can live those long lives without as much sickness and pain.

 

[FelinskiFamily]

I would aim to have her done at 4 months then, before she goes into heat. If your vet won't agree, we can help you to find a clinic that will. Is she fully vaccinated?

TNR would be best for the neighborhood cats.

Thanks, but I live in Spain (maybe Catalonia shortly I don't know there is some serious business going on over here at the moment) I will talk to the vet and explain. No, she is not vaccinated they don't vaccinate before 2 months old, I have an appointment for next Wednesday, she'll be two months next week.

 

[FelinskiFamily]

My last cat, who was neutered as a kitten, lived to 15.

Thanks!

 

[Neo_23]

How old is he now?

He's almost 5 months.

The shelter actually had a policy that you can only foster until the cat is neutered/spayed but I suspect that they neutered him early when I showed an interest in adopting so that they wouldn't have to continue to incur expenses for his shots and deworming.
I was ready to foster for a couple months until he was older for neutering.

I really hope it doesn't have any adverse effects on him in the long run.