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When should I have my kittens neutered?

post #1 of 11
5/21/11 at 12:01pm
Thread Starter 
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.
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post #2 of 11
5/21/11 at 12:08pm
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)
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post #3 of 11
5/21/11 at 12:21pm
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.
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post #4 of 11
5/21/11 at 12:21pm
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.
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post #5 of 11
5/21/11 at 3:35pm
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.
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post #6 of 11
5/21/11 at 4:57pm
My vet said that four months is the ideal age between rapid healing and size/weight for ease of surgery and safety.
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post #7 of 11
5/21/11 at 5:25pm
Thread Starter 
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.

Quote:
Originally Posted by Arlyn View Post
Finding a vet that does early spay/neuter.
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.)

Quote:
Originally Posted by Willowy View Post
I've never known a boy who started spraying (or otherwise acting "tomcatty") before 7 months. Ask your vet what he/she prefers.
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...
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post #8 of 11
5/23/11 at 11:53am
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.
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post #9 of 11
5/23/11 at 3:59pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by marsch21 View Post
We spay and neuter at 10-12 weeks. By then our kittens are around 3lbs.
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.
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post #10 of 11
5/25/11 at 11:16am
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.
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post #11 of 11
6/1/11 at 9:54am
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.
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