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Worried about neutering

post #1 of 12
7/14/11 at 12:40pm
Thread Starter 
I've just had the most frustrating day... ugh!

I was waiting to get the boys neutered until they were officially 4 months old, which is next Wednesday. Their surgery was scheduled for the first weekend in August.

Then I decided to adopt a new kitten, who's coming on on next Thursday, the 21st.

I tried to push up their appointment and called last Friday to get it changed. It's one of the things where they don't answer the phone, you leave a message and they call you back. It took them this long to get back to me - and I missed their call!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I had to call back and leave another message, and it'll be another week before they call me, most likely.

The boys will not be neutered in time for Joni, the new kitten, to come home.

Do you think I will have a problem with them? They will be 17 weeks on Sunday - and Joni is around 11-12 weeks. I really, really don't want any spraying or tom behavior... I'm so dreadfully nervous now.

Also, how long after Joni comes home should I wait to get them neutered? I really don't know how they'll react but I imagine they'll be a little stressed at least. And she is a little rough in play having lived from ages 6 weeks until now without another kitten - so I'm sure they will all have a lot of fun playing together once they get acquainted, but I don't want her to bother them while they're recuperating.

I'm just so frustrated by all of this. I had hoped to have them neutered and recovered before she even came home and now it's not going at all smoothly like I planned.
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post #2 of 12
7/14/11 at 1:00pm
Boys don't sexually mature as quickly as females, and at barely over 4 months I think you're still definitely in the safe zone. Its at 5 months where males will start hitting puberty, some as late as 9 months.
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post #3 of 12
7/14/11 at 1:03pm
Ah, voicemail, the invention that allows more people to do less work than anything since the invention of the coffee break.
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post #4 of 12
7/14/11 at 1:19pm
I don't think you'll have anything to worry about with them. Usually a girl goes into heat around 5-6 months so you've got a small window of wait time. I'm glad you're wanting to get the boys neutered, though. Great job!
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post #5 of 12
7/14/11 at 2:36pm
Thread Starter 
All right, thanks guys.

I think I'm just keyed up from an awful day. But people tell you these terrible stories of how their cat started spraying and they never could get him to stop even after he was neutered, and ohhh, it starts right at four months and - and so on. I'm a renter so I could have to evict the kittens and pay for a carpet replacement even if they spray only one time and the leasing company finds out. Or I could pay for the carpet replacement and evict myself along with the kitties (which is the choice I'd take of course), and pay the lease termination fee including back months of market value concessions......... ANYWAY but everything's going to work out just fine, so I'm not going to worry about that!

Quote:
Originally Posted by mrblanche View Post
Ah, voicemail, the invention that allows more people to do less work than anything since the invention of the coffee break.
Now THAT is the truth.
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post #6 of 12
7/14/11 at 4:28pm
Our vet made us wait until Tumbles was about 6 mos before she spayed him. (We got him in just after he turned 5 mos with us prodding her!) He hadn't started spraying, thank goodness!
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post #7 of 12
7/14/11 at 5:36pm
Our kittens were neutered when they came home. The breeder does the early s/n with all of her kits (unless there is a medical issue). Im not sure if there is any real reason to wait other than most vets are not comfortable doing the procedure on younger animals.

Im sure things will work out fine with the boys and their new baby sister
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post #8 of 12
7/14/11 at 7:35pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by parsleysage View Post
I I don't want her to bother them while they're recuperating.
Like the others said, it is highly inprobable they boys will be fertile for a while. Even so, serious spraying begins even later, when they are fully grown adults.
So no problems here.

Recovery after a modern neutering of boys takes perhaps 2 days, at most 4.
Probably 2. Efter the 1 day they will be movable.
There are seldoms complications like infections, the wound dries out.

You can surely separate them? If you do have two different rooms.
There may only be a problem if you DONT have different rooms. - In that case, use the bathroom, or try to lend a big dog cage.


Good luck!
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post #9 of 12
7/15/11 at 11:29am
Thread Starter 
I finally got through! The boys are being neutered Wednesday morning, the 20th. The timing isn't ideal since she'll be home the next night - but I'm keeping her separated until she gets to the vet Friday morning anyway, so that will give the boys a 48-hour buffer before they even know she's there (besides being able to smell her).

She'll be in the bedroom, which is sort of the kittens' snuggle zone/comfort area, so I'm going to set them up in their second favorite place - the bathtub! lol! They play & hang out in there all the time. I think they like climbing behind the curtain. They have a sheet & baby blanket that they like to sleep with, so I'm going to put those in there along with their beds, so if they are feeling like they need to get away and can't get to my bed because of the new kitten, they'll be able to "hide" in the bathtub, in private behind the curtain. I'm hoping they'll feel fine by Friday and we can start introductions.

I'm feeling much better today just in general - a good night's sleep, your posts, and the news that they'll be neutered! Thanks everyone!
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post #10 of 12
7/15/11 at 12:48pm
I am a strong believer in 8 weeks/2lbs CAUSE I usually have a litter thats been taken in with mom and fear the worst. My last rescue cat had 3 kittens one with a heary murmur that looked very bad and I REALLY!!!! feared neutering maybe his end and waited WAY to long(8 months or so)

He only sprayed the lasst week or two and stopped minute he got home and the smell went out within the week.

I also have neutered males who came later in life and my friends all adult males and all stopped within a few weeks.

From someone who has alot of cats I would say VERY low chance of pregnancy or spraying-tho you may see dominant behavior that looks like mating(I did from a 3 1/2 month male)
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post #11 of 12
7/15/11 at 2:23pm


I did once have a kitten go into heat right at 16 weeks. There was a tom in the house (a feral locked in the spare bathroom waiting for TNR) so I don't know if that's what set her off or if she would have done it anyway. That is the youngest I've ever dealt with, I don't know that I've even heard of a kitten going into heat any earlier than 16 weeks. So I think you're safe on her end (though I'd recommend getting her spay appointment set up soon anyway--I prefer having it done between 14-16 weeks).

The earliest I've known a male to start spraying was 7 months. Although Tugger was a tough little tom and thought he was all that (started flirting with the girls!) at 3 1/2 months, he never sprayed. So I think you're OK with the boys, too.

Glad to hear you got their appointments worked out! It's always a relief to get that all over with.
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post #12 of 12
7/16/11 at 5:48am
A friend of mine had a male kitten (DSH) who got their less than a year old female pregnant when he was only 4,5 months old. He also had the famous tom cat smell by that time, but he didn't spray..just peed like a girl outside the litter box to mark territory. My Kuura actually has done that too, luckily he doesn't spray or smell, 4 years old an not neutered. But when he rarely marks he squat pees, if we have a female in heat around.

I've had my adult males be fine after neutering within 24 hours and kittens usually recover even faster, so I wouldn't worry about that.
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