When to fix my 4 month old kittens??

[thundercatxd]

Hi there I have two kittens, one male, one female and the male is now 4 months and the female about 3 months. I had originally set two dates, each a week before they hit 6 months to get them fixed, however I am concerned as to whether I should choose a much sooner date due to some odd behaviour I have been noticing.

I have twice found my male cat on top of the female (she's on her back and meows in distress) so I immediately separate them and she runs away and he has his thing out.. I don't have any cat breeding experience so I couldn't tell if they actually did anything or not.

I've also seen him hold her down biting her neck fur once.

I'm very concerned as I don't want her having kittens but I have also heared bad things about early spays and neuters (kidney problems and urinary tract problems)


Please help me figure out what is best for my kittens!

I also apologize for the describing of the cat mating stuff. Not sure how else to explain it.

 

[mani]

My cats were done at 5 months (both the girl and the boy) and I have no problem with it being even earlier.  They can reach sexual maturity at 4 months.

I've never heard of either kidney or urinary tract problems from early neutering.

 

[nbrazil]

I've heard that as long as a minimum weight is met and/or the vet is skilled with early neutering, that it is not a problem.

I had planned to have my guy done at 6 months, but in response to behavioral issues I had him done at 4 instead. As for the other issues, that is yet to be seen because he is now 7 months. But the probability is low I've since heard. It is up to you.

FWIW, I haven't seen his thing since then (which implies I did before).

 

[zookeeper93]

I just had our 18 week old male done yesterday and his sister goes in next Friday.

Their mother came to us pregnant as a stray. 

I take them to a low cost clinic that advocates TNR.

The criteria is at least 12 weeks of age AND at least 2 pounds. 

 

[karagraaf]

I just rescued a cat she is about 5 months old and 7 weeks pregnnat, which means she got pregnant around 4 months. I had no idea it could happen that early , and I am very worried because everywhere I've read says it can be pretty dangerous for a cat that young to have babies. When I rescued her I had no idea she was pregnant, not like that would have made a difference. J

ust make sure you keep them separated if you wait as long as 6 months, you don't want your kitten to get pregnant this young- I am really worried about mine! I think the risks of spaying earlier probably outweigh the risks of a 4 month kitten getting pregnant. Good luck!

 

[chickee11]

Why don't you get your boy done now- he's older, and the procedure is not as invasive. Then you can wait until later for the girl without the risk of pregnancy.

 

[Willowy]

If the male is fertile already, he can remain fertile for a few weeks after neutering (sperm remaining in the tubes). So just neutering him may not prevent a problem. Better have them both done soon.

Because cats sexually mature so young, neutering at 4 months doesn't count as "early" :lol3:. I think early refers to 8 weeks or something like that. But no ill effects have been shown for early spay/neuter in cats anyway.

 

[thundercatxd]

The closest vet to me refused to do either of them until the 6 month mark So looks like i've got to search around! Do your guys vets spay/neuter before 6 months?

 

[thundercatxd]

I just called to make the appointment but they refused.

 

[thundercatxd]

Called another vet place, "Sorry we can't do them under 6 months. Your female cat has to be 6 months to have a heat anyway! so nothing to worry about!" 

Pretty sure it's possible for her to go into heat sooner! This is really frustrating.

 

[vball91]

Where do you live? There are still some old school European vets who don't believe in spay/neuter before 6 months. However, as you can see from above posts, it is definitely possible for cats to mature and get pregnant before 6 months. Keep trying, but if you can't find a vet to do it, you will have to keep them separated until you can.

 

[trevandbur]

Trevor was done at 4 months. He's now 7 years and has had no problems. I've heard UTI are more common in neutered cats, but I've never heard of the age of the neuter having anything to do with it. But making sure the cat consumes enough water (mine gets canned cat food) should help keep a UTI from happening.

Some vets around here still won't do it before 6 mos but most are now on the "2 months or 2 pounds" rule. I say, the sooner, the better!

Also...if the female was on her back, they were playing or fighting, not mating. That's just not the position cats use...

 

[tnyc]

I worked at a free roam shelter where they encouraged adopters to take home 2 kittens, and they told people it didn't matter if they were a male and a female, and they neuter/spay everyone only after they reach 5 lbs.  

I was always curious, don't these female kittens get pregnant? I was assured that they would not be doing it. I never believed them, but they haven't seemed to have any issues. Why is that? I'm so curious lol

 

[thundercatxd]

 
I worked at a free roam shelter where they encouraged adopters to take home 2 kittens, and they told people it didn't matter if they were a male and a female, and they neuter/spay everyone only after they reach 5 lbs.  

I was always curious, don't these female kittens get pregnant? I was assured that they would not be doing it. I never believed them, but they haven't seemed to have any issues. Why is that? I'm so curious lol

The assumption is that when people take kitens home regardless of gender is that they will/should get fixed. That is the responsible thing to do anyhow. Gender does not matter as once they are desexed it would be the same as if you picked two guys, two girls, or guy and girl.

Also, I managed to find a vet (2 hours away) that said they would be willing to do him at 4 months! Finally!

 

[trevandbur]

As far as the girls not getting pregnant, MOST OF THE TIME they aren't sexually mature until 6 mos. I think a  pregnancy before then would be pretty rare. but the early spay/neuter got pushed so shelters and rescues could adopt out younger cats without having to worry about whether or not they'd be brought back for surgery later. I still think it's a good idea, though.

 

[tnyc]

I see. 

 Thanks for the info! And glad they can do him at 4mths! yay!