Need advice about pediatric neutering

To get right to the point, our two kittens are now about 10 weeks old, give or take, and they weigh about 2.5 pounds. I'd like to have them neutered as soon as possible, but everywhere I ask I'm told they don't neuter kittens that young. We even asked at a local university that offers veterinarian courses and that treats animals in their clinic. No luck. We could push the issue and ask them to make an exception for us, but we're leery of turning the kittens over to them for a pediatric neuter when no one has any experience operating on such little ones. However, neither do I think it's a good idea to wait until they are 6 months old (some places have even told us to wait until they're 8 months). Would it be safe to split the difference and have them done at 3 or 4 months? Or is that still too young to place them in the hands of someone who is used to operating on older cats?

Did you specifically ask for paediatric neutering or did you ask how early they will neuter?

Both. In the first case, a friend of ours called the university and asked at what age they'll neuter, and the answer was that they normally start at 6 months, but will do so at whatever age we want. Wanting more information, we went today in person and asked specifically about having our 10-week-olds done. The person we talked to gave us the runaround about how they won't develop properly and that they need to wait until they are older. When I pressed him about how much experience they have with neutering such little cats, the answer was none.

I didn't specifically mention pediatric neutering at the two vet clinics we visited, because both places gave me the same song and dance--6 to 8 months so they'll develop properly. I believe that smaller places such as those would perform even fewer operations and are much less likely to handle a pediatric neuter well, so I didn't ask if they'd be willing to give it a try. I suppose it wouldn't hurt to ask if they've ever done such a procedure, though.

I see you are in South America. Do they have TNR programs? I had my feral male kittens done at 12 weeks. That seems to be no problem here in the states. I agree that waiting until they are 6 to 8 months old is a bit long. Is there a specific reason they give for the wait? I'm just curious. Neutering is a bit simpler operation then spaying. Having them done at 3 or 4 months would be a good compromise if you can find one willing, and I do not believe it risky at all to allow it to be done by a vet who is used to a bit older cats.
 

I'm not aware of any TNR programs here; I think it's unlikely that there are any. There are very few shelters, and the ones I've heard of seem to care more about dogs than cats. There's no real type of animal control to speak of. The reason they gave for not wanting to neuter at this age is just that the animals need to "develop more," and that early neutering will affect their growth; which tells me I'm dealing with a level of education that is at least 20 years behind that of developed nations. It's very frustrating since there is no reason for it; the studies that have been conducted are readily available.

Sorry, we must have been posting at the same time. I see you say their reasons. I wonder if by "they won't develop properly" they are referring to a male cats tendency for urinary blockages. Which I don't think has been proven to be less likely to happen in males that are neutered later. I don't know, just wondering what else they could mean.

I would try and push for having them done at least at 4 months of age. Maybe you could be the voice of reason and change.   Or just wait it out till 6 months. It won't hurt them and they still won't be mature yet.

I don't think waiting until 6 months is too bad for males. Wait, they are both boys, right? I think I'm remembering correctly, LOL. If one is a girl my answer would be totally different :tongue2:.

To be safe you could wait until 5 months and then tell the vet they're 6 months old, they won't be able to tell the difference. But I've had a lot of boys done around 6 months and none developed behavioral issues from it. 8 months is pushing it but still not too bad; most boys won't be spraying at that age. After that you're really risking some trouble, though.

It is frustrating that they aren't more up-to-date, but do you want your boys to be the test subjects? Probably not.

You know, I honestly don't know what they are referring to. I spent some time last night reading up on studies that have been done about the effects of early-age sterilization, and the only "development" that was affected is that of organs such as the penis or vulva, but the studies showed that that particular issue did not lead to further complications. In fact, it was also showed that cats who are neutered early grow larger in size than those who are neutered later because their bones continue to grow for a longer period of time. I have a strong feeling that everyone here is simply repeating something they were taught by people who didn't have all the facts (and that they have unnecessary sympathy about kittens losing their "manhood").

About urinary blockages, from what I read last night, the studies have shown that those aren't more likely to occur in cats that have been neutered at an early age; in fact, the only risk involved seems to be the risk of the surgery itself--poorly administered anesthesia, hypoglycemia, and hypothermia.

@Willowy, yup, you're right about not wanting them to be the test subjects; that's a good point. (And yes, they're both boys!)

Another reason we'd like to have them done sooner rather than later is that the owner's cat is still not spayed. They want her to have another litter before they have her fixed, because her last kittens were just soooo cute. I agree, they were (and are) adorable, but come on! </rant> We don't want them to be bothered by her being in heat. I don't know if that could cause precocious puberty or not, and I really don't want to find out the hard way.