Opinion on when to spay indoor kitten

[franksmom]

So I am getting a new birman kitten in a few weeks and am figuring out what will be best for her health wise, and I was wondering people's opinion on the best age to spay? I am leaning towards waiting until she is 6-8 months, but I notice there are a lot of people on these boards who advocate early spaying, so I wanted to hear other opinions when it comes to what is best for her health.

First of all she is a purebred who is under contract to not have kittens and will never go outside- I know people will say she could escape but I am very very careful and my 4 year old ragdoll has never once gotten out. I also had a really bad experience with my ragdoll with an early neuter as he had it done at 12 weeks (while still at the breeders) and developed a terrible URI which was blamed on the stress of surgery (he has never gotten one since). My third issue with early spaying is my kitten is a birman and they are notorious for having problems with sedation and the breeder recommends waiting until she is 8 months.

I am pretty much on board with waiting until she is 8 months but want to make sure this does not put her at risk of cancer because she will probably have one heat before we get her spayed? I know it is now convention to have it done earlier but is it really best for the health of the cat or just best to prevent early pregnancy? Pregnancy is not an issue in my case and only would like answers related to what age is best in relation to health. I understand people are very passionate about making sure there are not more unwanted kittens and if I had a cat that was likely to ever go outside or even escape (birmans like ragdolls are not really driven to be outside like some other breeds) I would for sure have them desexed asap, but again in my case this is not an issue.

 

[eb24]

I agree that your situation may be slightly different. In seeing all the early spay and neuter advocacy posts you have to remember who the posters are and who the majority of the audience is. Many of those advocating juvenile/pediatric alters (myself included) have some sort of rescue background (even a lot of the breeders do). And, many of the posters are first time cat owners or those who maybe don't have as much experience on what having a cat in heat can be like and all the extra precautions that need to be taken. When in doubt it's best to always err on the side of caution and do the surgery sooner rather than later. But, it sounds like this is not your first purebred kitten and that you are very familiar with the Birman breed. Also, since you are going through a registered breeder (given the contract) I know it's not a decision you made hastily as any purebred cat is quite expensive. 

I honestly do not know if there are health benefits or risks to waiting, and I think the argument can be made either way. On the one hand, young kittens tend to rebound from the surgery more quickly, and you don't risk having them develop any behavioral issues from going into heat. On the other, while I know very little about Birman's, I do believe that most of the Oriental breeds are more prone to complications during surgery ( I think because of the shorter nose). Given all that, I'm not sure what would be best in your particular situation. Based on what you have said I have little concerns about unintended pregnancy- it's all about doing what is in your new kittens best interest. Honestly, this is probably a perfect question for your breeder. They will know at what age is best. Given that most breeders do not release the kittens until after they are altered there may be some health benefits to waiting. Otherwise, the breeder would have likely had it done already. 

So, I would ask your breeder and then ask your vet as a second opinion. I'm sure between those two you can settle on an age that you are comfortable with. Best of luck bringing your new girl home- I can't wait to see pictures! 

EDIT: I re-read and see you pointed out the same sedation concern. It's worth asking if that risk decreases with age. 

 

[Willowy]

Personally, I've had females spayed at all ages and I don't see any difference no matter what age it was done (except that the surgery is very hard on older females, but since you'll be getting her done before a year that won't apply). The few studies that have been done on the subject also show no differences in cats, although there seems to be some benefit in waiting for dogs. Mammary gland cancer risk does increase with each heat, but the effect of one heat cycle is likely negligible. However, most vets prefer to spay before she ever goes into heat because it's easier on the vet and the animal. I totally understand not wanting to spay a very young/small kitten, but any time after 12 weeks should be fine, IME.

I don't know how much stock I'd put in the breeder's recommendation, being that it's so different from what most responsible breeders do. Some people have wacky ideas! But talk to your vet, see what he/she recommends (with the understanding that you want what's BEST, and pregnancy isn't a risk), and weigh all the options.

 

[franksmom]

Thanks so much for your responses! I am going to do some more research and talk to some vets. I need to find a better cat vet though who has more experience with purebreds. Most vets don't seem to get that there are breed specific issues in cats just like dogs.
I have always gotten all my animals (both rescue and purebred) desexed before they sexually matured so I am a little worried about letting her go into heat before getting it done. The breeder said it would be a "baby heat" and not be a full one, which sounded weird to me.

Any responses from people who have birmans or orientals would be helpful. Did you wait until they went into heat before spaying?

I really don't want to make it harder for her. Unfortunately I fell for a female and it is so much harder on them ( I have a female dog and the surgery was rough on her). I am planning on doing laser surgery so hopefully it won't be too bad for her.

 

[eb24]

It does become more complicated to plan once she goes into heat. If having a cycle the surgery becomes much more dangerous and most vets will not do it. And, at first her cycles will be inconsistent so you may find yourself scheduling and canceling! Unless you have a health reason to wait (which I know is what you are researching) then I would still say it's better done before she gets to that point. 

Baby heat? Yeah that sounds weird to me too. Hard to pinpoint yes (because you don't know how often she will call or what symptoms she will show) but I don't know about a baby heat. 

I have emailed your thread to another user with a lot of experience with Orientals. Hopefully she will have some advice. 

 

[orientalslave]

My breeds are Orientals and Siamese, not Birmans, so I have no Birman specific knowledge.  However I do feel that getting your cat spayed before she first comes into call is best for her.  It gives the best reduction of risk for breast cancer, and of course if she accidentally gets out (it happens) there is no chance of a pregnancy.

First calls are often shorter and not as strong, but my breeding girl's first heat was pretty obvious, especially since her neutered brother was trying to satisfy her!

I have found a web page on Birman-specific health issues and as I read it, if her kidney values are OK there should be no extra risk.  However even if there is a problem I think I personally would still get her neutered with appropriate extra care - they are not going to improve with time.

http://www.fabcats.org/breeders/inherited_disorders/birman.php

Most vets in the UK routinely neuter cats that are 5 months old with no problems, with no preliminaty blood work.  It's not as specialist as neutering a 12-week kitten - they are a lot larger so heat loss is less of an issue.  Of course every anasthetic has a risk, and the operation for a female cat is a bit bigger and longer than for a male so presumably the risk is slightly higher.

 

[franksmom]

My breeds are Orientals and Siamese, not Birmans, so I have no Birman specific knowledge.  However I do feel that getting your cat spayed before she first comes into call is best for her.  It gives the best reduction of risk for breast cancer, and of course if she accidentally gets out (it happens) there is no chance of a pregnancy.

First calls are often shorter and not as strong, but my breeding girl's first heat was pretty obvious, especially since her neutered brother was trying to satisfy her!

I have found a web page on Birman-specific health issues and as I read it, if her kidney values are OK there should be no extra risk.  However even if there is a problem I think I personally would still get her neutered with appropriate extra care - they are not going to improve with time.

http://www.fabcats.org/breeders/inherited_disorders/birman.php

Most vets in the UK routinely neuter cats that are 5 months old with no problems, with no preliminaty blood work.  It's not as specialist as neutering a 12-week kitten - they are a lot larger so heat loss is less of an issue.  Of course every anasthetic has a risk, and the operation for a female cat is a bit bigger and longer than for a male so presumably the risk is slightly higher.

Thanks so much for the information and the helpful link! I am unsure too about waiting for after the first heat as well, mainly due to the cancer risk that you state.

The breeder I am getting her from is super experienced and has a lot of champions + is involved in the breed association. So that is why I was going to follow her advice, but I think I need to do some more research. Hopefully I can find a good cat vet in my area who is used to dealing with Birmans, so I can talk this over some more.

Thanks again for your help!

 

[orientalslave]

Some super-experienced breeders are like some vets - old school when it comes to matters like when to neuter. 

You will be very lucky to find a vet experienced in handling Birmans, suggest that instead you look for one experienced in early neuters as your cat should be easy for them.  Do mention your concerns to them so they can discuss them with you.