When should I have my kittens neutered?

I've read a lot about early neutering and how it's not necessary to wait until the full 6 months as is "traditional" - but haven't really seen a metric in terms of when they should actually be fixed!

My boys are 9 weeks tomorrow. When is a good time to have them neutered? Thanks.

I think you can have your kittens neutered at about 4 months...vets are cautious about neutering before then because the anesthesia can be dangerous to very small and young kittens. So, there isn't really any hurry

(my Mourek was neutered at 4 months and he was fine)

Not really an age for pediatric neuter/spay, the guideline is 2pounds or heavier and healthy, and finding a vet that does early spay/neuter.

Many vets, along with reputable rescues and shelters, including the one I volunteer with, which operates its own spay/neuter clinic, are advocates of early spay/neuter. Our rescue/clinic fixes kittens when they reach at least 8 weeks old and 2.2 pounds. We've found it to be completely safe and that pediatric patients bounce back from surgery very quickly.

Good luck with your little ones.

Any time that's best for you and your vet, between now and when they're 6 months old . Really, with boys you have a bit longer--girls really should be spayed before 4 months, because they can go into heat that young--so exact timing isn't too important. Although if someone has an intact female in the house for some reason, any males should be neutered by 4 months as well, because there's an off chance he'll be fertile at that age. I've never known a boy who started spraying (or otherwise acting "tomcatty") before 7 months. Ask your vet what he/she prefers.

My vet said that four months is the ideal age between rapid healing and size/weight for ease of surgery and safety.

Thanks everyone! Sounds like some time in the next 3-6 weeks should be right. They're having their first vet exam on Wednesday so I'll know their weight at that point and can also ask for the vet's opinion.

Originally Posted by Arlyn

Finding a vet that does early spay/neuter.

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That's very true... mine will be fixed at the SPCA here in Richmond. They are among the cheapest ($25 for each male I believe) and they do a lot of good work with trap & release, rescue adoptions, etc., so I like to support them. (One might ask, so why haven't you called them to ask? Their phone number is only for leaving a message if you have a pitbull or a feral... everything else is done online now - and their online website doesn't state an age.)

Originally Posted by Willowy

I've never known a boy who started spraying (or otherwise acting "tomcatty") before 7 months. Ask your vet what he/she prefers.

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That's what I'm hoping, Willowy! Some people have scared me about the spraying. "Don't let them start because they'll never stop, even if you have them neutered!" Spraying is in the Pet Addendum to my lease as a cause for eviction...

We spay and neuter at 10-12 weeks. By then our kittens are around 3lbs. Our vet is a very skilled surgeon but likes to wait until they are close to 3lbs.

Originally Posted by marsch21

We spay and neuter at 10-12 weeks. By then our kittens are around 3lbs.

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Thanks! Mine are just past 9 weeks, so by the time they get a surgery scheduled, etc., it will likely be around this timeframe.

Thanks everyone for your insight! Much appreciated.

My vet recommends that boys are done between 4 and 6 months. I took my last one in at 4 months to the day because he was humping everything he could find (had to keep the stuffed animals hidden) and torturing my female cat. :/ He's two now and still aggravates her to no end. I think in his case, 4 months was too late.

I had all my kittens in the past 7 or 8 years done at 8-12 weeks. They bounce back so fast and act like nothing happened within hours. It's great. I don't want to take the chance of them learning any bad habits.

My cats I adopted from a rescue are 8 weeks old and both little females have been spade at 8 weeks, which was yesterday 6/21/2012

I've never worked with a vet before that would do it before 4 months old. I know that, in dogs, spaying/neutering too young can  lead to urinary problems as they get older, but I'm not sure if that's a worry with cats. I think the biggest concern I'd have is anesthesia complications- I honestly don't think the risk is any higher in a younger cat, I think it's more that emergency care is more difficult in younger cats. I know it's much easier to quickly get an IV catheter into a 5-6 month old cat then it is to get one in an 8-12 week old.

Our vet wouldn't spay River until she was 6 months, but this was too late in my opinion. By that time she had already been in heat TWICE. If she was an outside kitty we would have been in big trouble.

Well this is on old thread, but I get mine desexed (and microchipped) at 10 weeks which is in between their 2 kitten vaccines and before they go to their new homes at 12-14 weeks. My vet works with lots of breeders and very used to the finer surgery on little ones.

They recover so fast, like nothing has happened too.

My little male kitten is 8 weeks old but only weighs 1 and 1/4 pounds. I think I'm going to have to wait until he's 4 months.

Think ill wait till 4 months for Salem and Kitty is gonna get done as soon as the kittens are weaned!

As soon as your vet will do it.  Ring them and ask.