Ideal age to neuter?

[Archiesmomma]

Hey everyone, I just joined and have a 3.5 - 4mo old kitten, Archie. I plan on having him neutered, but with a few questions.

My mom recently had a 6mo male neutered and in the months since, he has had urinary issues. Can anyone advice to different ways to neuter a young males that may or may not have anything to do with his neuter?

I could just be being a paranoid mom too, but I'd rather ask than not! Thanks guys

 

[Furballsmom]

Hi! Welcome!!
This article below may be useful.

Also, is your mom feeding canned/wet food to her cat? The extra moisture in canned food (a person can even add a little extra water to a meal of canned food) can give their digestive system what it needs to function better and can help with the urinary issues.

When To Spay Or Neuter A Cat?—Your Questions Answered - TheCatSite

Discover the best time to spay or neuter your cat for health benefits. Read our comprehensive guide for insights.

thecatsite.com

 

[cookiedough03]

Hi the vet clinic I've been to recently neuter 8 months+ and doesn't do the procedure on younger kittens, so they asked me to return when my cat is at least 8 month. First, I was confused because I heard cats can be neutered at 4 months. Then some googling led me to this video, which basically explains why kitten should not be neutered at 4 mo because it will likely mess up their endocrine system . hope this helps.

 

[Willowy]

There have been studies, and there's no evidence that age of neuter affects the urinary system in cats, or that early neuter has any negative effect in cats (large dogs do show some negative effects). Urinary issues are usually due to insufficient water intake, or just plain bad luck (some cats are individually prone to urinary problems).

I haven't noticed any problems or particular benefits with neutering at any age. Usually the tomcat behaviors don't start until after 10 months. So. . .pick any convenient time between 2 and 10 months, it's all good .

Now, if he's allowed outside, is an escape artist, or you have an unspayed female, you want to have it done around 4 months so he doesn't cause any unwanted pregnancies.

 

[Sylvia Jones]

Thanks for posting this video I have read studies ( wish I could find a video) that recommend a older timeline for spay/neuter in cats also. Their musculoskeletal system can be adversely affected by early procedures. It would be great if the US was more open to sterilizing instead of complete desexing as this vet stated

 

[Willowy]

It would be great if the US was more open to sterilizing instead of complete desexing as this vet stated

I think that's great for dogs. But I don't think many people want to live with an intact cat, sterile or not. ..well, I don't, for sure .

Anyway the studies don't show any negative skeletal effects in cats or small dogs.

 

[IndyJones]

Pediatric spay and neuter is fairly commonplace in rescues and shelters. I've never seen any adverse effects from it.

 

[stephanietx]

Kittens can be spayed and neutered as young as 2-3 months or 2 pounds. My guy was about 5 months old when he was neutered and he's not had any negative urinary issues.

 

[white shadow]

.
Hi Archiesmomma and welcome to the forum!

This topic was the focus of its own entire forum on TCS almost two years ago! The idea was to educate and inform folks about the latest from Veterinary Medicine concerning 'early' spay & neuter. You might want to scan the threads and discussions - they're all right here.

You'll find the supporting, modern practices covered thoroughly here: FelineFixByFive.org.

Now, you said

My mom recently had a 6mo male neutered and in the months since, he has had urinary issues.....​

Were those 'issues' related to infection........or, urinary crystals/stones ?


Oh........ C cookiedough03 - That Dr. Becker video is dated.........7 years ago !
.

 

[kittenmittens84]

Hi the vet clinic I've been to recently neuter 8 months+ and doesn't do the procedure on younger kittens, so they asked me to return when my cat is at least 8 month. First, I was confused because I heard cats can be neutered at 4 months. Then some googling led me to this video, which basically explains why kitten should not be neutered at 4 mo because it will likely mess up their endocrine system . hope this helps.

Dr. Karen Becker also churns out all kinds of articles and videos about some questionable things with very shaky evidence (vibrational healing! cure your pets with tumeric! dogs are dying younger than they used to because of ~toxins~!) so I would do secondary research on stuff she says before making a decision about your own cat

 

[cataholic07]

There have been studies that it early spaying/neutering does not affect urinary problems, like Willow said. I volunteer in a rescue where we have spayed/neutered thousands of kittens at 13 weeks old without any problems at all. Urinary issues is more because of diet or genetics only. If you are only feeding dry food your cat has a higher risk of getting UTIs. If your cat is overweight they have a higher risk of utis and diabetes. Diabetes also can increase the chance of utis. My cats were all fixed at 13 weeks old and have been very healthy.

 

[denice]

Dr. Karen Becker also churns out all kinds of articles and videos about some questionable things with very shaky evidence (vibrational healing! cure your pets with tumeric! dogs are dying younger than they used to because of ~toxins~!) so I would do secondary research on stuff she says before making a decision about your own cat

I feel the same way about her. She is unconventional on many things. There is no evidence that pediatric spays/neuters cause long term issues in cats. I go to a cats only clinic and for cats that are in their forever homes they like to wait until at least four months. You can wait a bit longer for a male, they usually don't develop the unwanted behaviors like spraying, darting for the door and roaming for extended periods of time until around 9 or 10 months.

Rescues have kittens spayed/neutered at 2 months or 2 pounds but that is so they can get those cute little fluffballs that people instantly fall in love with up for adoption.

 

[jefferd18]

I was told some years back by my vet that early neutering in cats can cause urinary infections in cats, so I usually wait until they cat is eight months old before I get him neutered. The only reason that shelters do it so early is because people want cute little kittens instead of eight month old cats.

 

[moxiewild]

In the same vein as others have mentioned, current scientific evidence is actually in favor of pediatric neutering beyond any other age range.

I have some background in scientific literacy, so I look directly at the data first, then reputable organizations (not individual vets, unless there is something special about a specific cats case). Every major veterinary and feline health organization advocates both pediatric and juvenile neutering.

Neutering within any age range has certain risks, but they go up the older a cat is. Pediatric and early juvenile neutering appears to be superior safety-wise, as far as evidence goes, though - they heal quicker, they process anesthesia quicker, etc.

The caveat to this, is that many regular practice vets won’t do a pediatric neuter. However, this is because many older vets weren’t taught, or only did it during school and are now out of practice, or otherwise aren’t comfortable in their ability - not because it has more risks. Pediatric neutering (particularly spays) requires slightly different surgical and anesthetic techniques.

A lot of vets will do juvenile neuters though, but of course, some still require animals to be 6 months+. It almost certainly has to do with a vets personal comfort and experience and/or how well they’ve kept up with their education in this specific area.

Also, the endocrine/musculoskeletal concerns are about large breed dogs - and technically only golden retrievers, as far as the evidence goes (but it has been extrapolated to large breeds). Even these findings are only preliminary, and more research needs to be done to establish anything conclusive either way. The same findings have not been found in similar studies of medium and small breed dogs, nor in cats.

Many things could cause urinary issues. Even if it had to do with the neuter, it would be an outlier, and most likely due to factors other than age.

 

[Willowy]

My old vet retired last year, and the new vet who bought the practice is FRESH out of vet school (graduated May 2019!). She will neuter male kittens as soon as their testicles drop, but won't spay female kittens until 14-16 weeks. I haven't been able to talk to her about the reasoning, so I don't know if that's her personal preference (maybe she doesn't like fishing around inside them for tiny ovaries?) or if that's something the vet school taught is beneficial. Someday, when we're allowed to chit-chat with vets again, I'll ask her.

 

[MissClouseau]

Male cats might get urinary issues over stress. My one cousin's new cat who isn't neutered yet got blocked shortly after he got adopted and he stayed at another house for 2 days.

 

[di and bob]

I have had kittens neutered at a young age, and at a year old, no difference in any getting urinary issues. I had my Burt neutered at 9 months and he started spraying in the house a short time later. I quit doing them older then. I would say 6 months is about right if you are worried.