When is the best time for neuturing your kitten?

[carolyn melvin]

Help!
We live in Germany (but we're British) we have two five month old kittens.
The vet said they are too young to have them spayed/neutured, because their brain is not fully developed yet. We would like to go on holiday for a week and have to put them in a cattery. However we don't want to come home and find our female pregnant. When is the
earliest a kitten can start to re-produce? As they are starting to get very friendly with each other.

Carolyn and Jon

 

[tigger]

I have always heard it was 6 months. I got Tigger spayed when she was 8 months. For males, though, I have heard 4 months....

 

[sandie]

Yeah I have always gotten my females done by 6 months. They can go into heat as early as 5, which is not good for them. Males can safely be done by about 4 months. You may want to find a vet that will at least do your male before you go.

 

[rene]

I tell people who adopt from me that the males should be neutered by four months as they will never become "males" and spray - that pretty much holds true. I spay my females at 6 months - but we have spayed them at 4 and 5 if they were semi feral and have had no bad consequences. Massachusetts spays and nueters all their pound animals at 8 weeks - you cannot adopt from Brewster Animal Rescue LEague if the animal is not first altered. My Dogo Argentino was gotten from Brewster and they spayed her when she was a 12 week old Puppy! She is now almost four years old and just fine. But, to be safe with a domestic pet, I would say spay at 6 months, but have that boy neutered now!
Rene

 

[Anne]

The AVMA recommends 4 months for both males and females. They also say that as early as 8 weeks is perfectly safe.

 

[nancyu]

I have a male and female and had the male neutered at 5 months because I was concerned about spraying and the female I got spayed when she was 5.5 months. Both went through it very well and are adjusted. I would do it as soon as possible because you DON'T want to have to deal with any possible pregnancies or spraying! Both of mine never went into heat and are like brother and sister. The male has NEVER sprayed!!