Earliest possible to spay?

Could I get Sophie spayed when the babies are 4-6 weeks old? If not when? I really don't want to risk her getting pregnant again. She has already gone into heat since she had her babies and tried desperatly to bolt out the door so i'm scared to death she will get pregnant again. I found a nice nearby low cost spay/neuter nearby so I can get her and all babies spayed/neutered. Her babies are 2 weeks old and I want to go ahead and make an appointment since it takes about a month to get in.

I would wait until 8-10 weeks, until the babies are eating solid food and don't need so much of mums milk. You can get the babies done at that time too, as long as they weigh 2lbs.

If you are concerned about her getting out it would be best to keep her in a bedroom or somewhere so there's 2 doors between her and the outdoors.

8-10 weeks? I have heard 6-8. It's very hard to keep her locked away here as my bedroom doorknob is broken and my bathroom door doesn't close well so my dogs push it open all the time. There is no way to really confine her in my house. Well right now she is in a dog kennel most of the time with her kittens but she is leaving it more and more. What kind of risk is it for her if I get her spayed early?

I would wait 8-10 weeks. That what my Vet told me after Meeko had Yoshi.

The early age spay/neuter study done by the Winn-Feline Foundation was based on kittens of 7 weeks of age, though as Missy pointed out, it's really more based on size. Some clinics use 2 pounds as the minimum, some use 3.

Laurie

I'm not talking about earliest spay for kittens i'm asking for momma. Thanks for all the advice so far. I will wait 8 weeks.

Originally Posted by Lindsey88

I'm not talking about earliest spay for kittens i'm asking for momma. Thanks for all the advice so far. I will wait 8 weeks.

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You should speak with your trusted vet about this as opinions on when to spay a nursing queen will vary. Most will tell you to wait until the milk dries up. That can mean 10 to 12 weeks or longer, depending upon how long your girl lets her kittens nurse.

Your girl is providing 100% of the nutritional needs of her litter and if you actually find a vet to spay her when the kittens are only 6 to 8 weeks old, then she isn't going to want to nurse her babies. The spay procedure will cause her milk to dry up and then she won't be able to nurse. So that means that YOU will then have to take over for her and bottle those babies, even if they are eating solid foods on their own.

The longer and more naturally the kittens can stay with mom and nurse normally, the better adjusted and more socially well-rounded the kittens will be.

It is best to let nature take it's own course and wait for the milk to dry up.

Cats can feed after being spayed (our mum cat had to be spayed when they were born due to complications, and has been a good mum), but the main problem doing it at 4-6 weeks is she will be away for the whole day, so they are without their food and warmth. Also, while rare, there is the risk of something going wrong and her not making it. Our vet will spay while they have milk, but apparently it is more risky, most vets will ask for a minimum of a week after they stop feeding - you could take them away from her at 8 weeks, and have her done a week later.

Originally Posted by booktigger

Cats can feed after being spayed (our mum cat had to be spayed when they were born due to complications, and has been a good mum), but the main problem doing it at 4-6 weeks is she will be away for the whole day, so they are without their food and warmth. Also, while rare, there is the risk of something going wrong and her not making it. Our vet will spay while they have milk, but apparently it is more risky, most vets will ask for a minimum of a week after they stop feeding - you could take them away from her at 8 weeks, and have her done a week later.

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I would not take the babies away from mom at 8 weeks, that is much too young.

Originally Posted by booktigger

Cats can feed after being spayed (our mum cat had to be spayed when they were born due to complications, and has been a good mum), but the main problem doing it at 4-6 weeks is she will be away for the whole day, so they are without their food and warmth. Also, while rare, there is the risk of something going wrong and her not making it. Our vet will spay while they have milk, but apparently it is more risky, most vets will ask for a minimum of a week after they stop feeding - you could take them away from her at 8 weeks, and have her done a week later.

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You were lucky. Removing the ovaries also removes the hormones responsible for milk production. While I am certain it is possible for a queen to continue nursing, I would question the amount of milk production as well as the quality. Did you supplement your kittens after your queen was spayed?

Originally Posted by Jen

I would not take the babies away from mom at 8 weeks, that is much too young.

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I whole-heartedly agree that 8 weeks is WAY too soon to take the kittens away from Momma. Those last 3 to 4 weeks spent with her can make the difference in kittens when it comes to socialization and behavior.

Luck wasn't really in it, mum and kitts wouldn't have survived without the c-section due to complications. As it was, only 2 of the 5 survived, and we haven't had to supplement them. It isn't ideal, but is possible. They look fine to us (admittedly small for their age, but with the condition of mum and the labour issues, we arent surprised)



I actually meant just to let her milk dry up, as it has to be better than her having another litter so soon. It is common in the UK for kittens to be rehomed at 8 weeks old.

I think the poster was talking about spaying mom cat and how old the kittens she has would be before spaying mom. If mom is in heat, call your vet and ask them when to schedule the spaying. The kittens may or may not be able to nurse after spaying.

The vet may want you to hold off a few more weeks to allow the kittens to nurse a little more before weaning them. Even if kittens are eating solids at 7-8 weeks old, many are still nursing from mom.

You will just have to confine her far from the door so she cannot escape and get pregnant again.

As far as the babies - they can be done as young as 8 weeks and 2 lbs, but personally I'd do them at 3 months old. You should keep everyone together till 10-12 weeks old anyway

The vet told me when they are weaned fully it will be ok to get her spayed. I just went back and forth through e-mail all day. Our plan is to get Sophie spayed when kittens are about 8-10 weeks old. This place is very new and seems nice. The person I was e-mailing with was also very nice.
http://www.westgeorgiaspayneuter.com/index.html