Shots? Surgery? need some advice

janayno

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I have a 7month old boy kitten, and his mom.not sure of her age, she was a pregnant stray that made her way into our home and hearts. I got her fixed a few months ago after the kittens were done nursing. Her surgery went well, from what I can tell. I decided to keep one kitten, Cuz he made his way into my heart. The mom was a stray cat, so I imagined she would go on her merry way after all was said and done, but no. She's mine now, and they definitely both rule my household.
I want to make a vet visit. Hes never been to the vet.He needs vacinations, and needs to be fixed. She needs to be groomed,and probably a checkup and I'm assuming I should get her vaccinations as well.

My questions are, What shots do I get them? Will it hurt the mom if she has had them before? Is he old enough to get fixed? And what should I expect from his surgery?
The mom is what I call a Quazi-outside cat. Will this affect what vaccines I should get both of them?
I need some guidence. Guidence from actual cat people...the internet is too full of ads and controversy. I appreciate any and all advise:)
 

LTS3

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7 months is plenty old enough to be neutered or spayed
Some vets will do it at 3 months old or earlier. Males bounce back pretty quickly after being neutered. They may be a little quiet for a day afterwards but that's just the anesthesia slowly wearing off.

Vaccinations are a hot topic. Some people don't believe in vaccinating cats for anything. Others just do rabies. Talk to your vet about what is recommended. If the mom hasn't had vaccinations in over a year, you can restart vaccinations without any harm. If the mom goes outside, then definitely have the rabies done.
 

mrpurrrfectcat

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My cat was neutered when he was around 7 months old. We couldn't believe how quickly he bounced back afterwards. He slept a little more and that was it!

My cat has his yearly jab but I'm in the U.K so it's probably different.
 

Willowy

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You should get him the FVCRP combo vaccine (commonly referred to as the "distemper shot") and a rabies vaccine. If he goes outside, you might consider the Feline Leukemia vaccine, but it has a history of bad side effects so have a discussion with your vet about whether he really needs it or not. Indoor cats don't need it. And yes, he's definitely a good age for neutering, you want to get it done before he starts spraying!

As for the mama cat, there's no reason to repeat her shots now if she got them when she was spayed. Most vets won't do a spay without at least giving the rabies vaccine, so she probably had something. Do you have the papers from when she was spayed? It should say on there which ones she got. You should get her shots updated after a year, after that it's really up to you and the local laws. Some places require rabies vaccines every 1-3 years. Immunity from vaccines lasts a pretty long time, so some people choose not to get any more shots after the one-year booster. The current vet association recommendation is once every 3 years.
 
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janayno

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She didn't get any shots when she was spayed. Except antibiotics.
I don't plan on him going outside, more than just an enclosed patio.
When do males typically start spraying? Is it just to mark their territory?
 

jenny466

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9 months or a bit earlier for boys to "mature" & I think the same for girls, but not 100% sure. The surgery for both spaying(girl) & neutering(boys) has really come a long way. I had a rescued little girl spayed recently & the incision wasn't more than an inch long. And the paid medications they have now are a GodSend! Missy came home, looked at me as if to say "What's the big deal?"& resumed life as if nothing happened.Vax..here, in PA, distemper & rabies are the law, a must.Then there's a laundry list of other Vax you can get,for Feline Leukemia, the list is long. I only get the Distemper & Rabies,I have this fear of overloading the pet with vaccines, especially cause my one cat has a bad reaction to either the Distemper or Rabies,unknown which, as the shots are given together. There is an antidote for reactions now, thank God, called lyssin.My cat was developing the reaction, uncontrollable shivering & shaking & it worked! Also be sure & know the Vet is using cat vaccines & not dogs!! They did in the past,no choice, but now,there's separate Vax for dog/cat.Keep an eye out & insist on cat Vax, as some will use Dog Vax, it's cheaper for them & you & I pay for what we're not getting! If the Vet tries to say they're the same, time for a different Vet,vax are not the same. This sounds pricey, but you can have what's called "titre testing." If cat has enough immunity showing, no shots needed & you get the tag & certificate as if Kitty had the vax! Sounds great, to me, that = expensive, lol!
 

kittens mom

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I have a 7month old boy kitten, and his mom.not sure of her age, she was a pregnant stray that made her way into our home and hearts. I got her fixed a few months ago after the kittens were done nursing. Her surgery went well, from what I can tell. I decided to keep one kitten, Cuz he made his way into my heart. The mom was a stray cat, so I imagined she would go on her merry way after all was said and done, but no. She's mine now, and they definitely both rule my household.
I want to make a vet visit. Hes never been to the vet.He needs vacinations, and needs to be fixed. She needs to be groomed,and probably a checkup and I'm assuming I should get her vaccinations as well.

My questions are, What shots do I get them? Will it hurt the mom if she has had them before? Is he old enough to get fixed? And what should I expect from his surgery?
The mom is what I call a Quazi-outside cat. Will this affect what vaccines I should get both of them?
I need some guidence. Guidence from actual cat people...the internet is too full of ads and controversy. I appreciate any and all advise:)
Question the office of the vet you call if they use the most current protocol for vaccination and use only cats safe vaccines. The vet should be able to guide you in making sure you cat is protected. Depending on where you live don't forget about heartworm.
 

jenny466

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OH,and yes, it's all about territory! A male unneutred will "mark" the whole interior of your home. Not limited to outside & once they develop this nadty habit, it can easily continue after being neutered. That takes away ability to reproduce & gets rid of the awful smell. Best to get him fixed before he gets any bad ideas! :)
 

molly92

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9 months or a bit earlier for boys to "mature" & I think the same for girls, but not 100% sure. 
Actually, female kittens can reach reproductive age around 4-6 months, and males around 5-7 months (if that's what you were referring to by "mature"). The rule of thumb at the rescue I worked at was spay/neuter as soon as they reach 2 lbs.
 

di and bob

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Males have a lot easier time with the neutering, they bounce back  right away, Two lbs is the minimum weight so your boy is fine. As for vaccinations, I've owned cats for 50 plus years and have had every one of my cats get whatever the vet suggested and every thing went fine. Rabies and distemper are VERY important if even one cat goes outside, next would be the vaccination for feline leukemia, all can be gotten from bites and fights outside and spread to your inside cats. We had numerous cats and kittens die of distemper last year despite extensive medical care and shots given to try to stop it and I would never want anyone to go through what we saw these poor cats go through, they suffered horribly and it spread so quickly, so please vaccinate at least against that. One more suggestion would be to always take BOTH cats in when vet visits are necessary, it saves on fights and aggression that cats have when they come back from the vet and smell different, the cat that stays home will no longer recognize or accept the cat that comes back. All the luck!
 

jenny466

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Actually, female kittens can reach reproductive age around 4-6 months, and males around 5-7 months (if that's what you were referring to by "mature"). The rule of thumb at the rescue I worked at was spay/neuter as soon as they reach 2 lbs.
You're most likely right. I'm thinking "old school" ages on neutering /spaying & have heard both pro & cons on doing it too soon.
 

di and bob

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I remember back in 2001 when I had my Burt neutered, the vet refused to do it until he was a year old, saying he needed the cat's urethra to be fully grown because neutering when they were too young stopped this growth and the cat could have urinary problems. ???? It made sense at the time, but he started spraying before being neutered and has never stopped, THAT I regret. 
 

LTS3

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I remember back in 2001 when I had my Burt neutered, the vet refused to do it until he was a year old, saying he needed the cat's urethra to be fully grown because neutering when they were too young stopped this growth and the cat could have urinary problems. ????
I have heard that, too, from a vet who does reasearch in animal reproduction. Supposedly taking away the testes means that there is no testosterone to help the cat's urethra grow to a normal size that is less prone to have crystals and other stuff clog in. So a 10 year old cat that was neutered at like 3 months old might only have a urethra the size of a 3 month old which is pretty small.

Not keeping the urinary system working optimally and the urine diluted by drinking enough water (or getting water from the food) is a more likely cause of urinary issues in many cas.
 
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molly92

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I have heard that, too, from a vet who does reasearch in animal reproduction. Supposedly taking away the testes means that there is no testosterone to help the cat's urethra grow to a normal size that is less prone to have crystals and other stuff clog in. So a 10 year old cat that was neutered at like 3 months old might only have a urethra the size of a 3 month old which is pretty small.
I think that was a theory for a while, but I've never been able to find any evidence for that in scientific literature.

http://rockymtnlabradoodles.com/newsite/wp-content/uploads/Early-Spay_neuter.pdf

http://avmajournals.avma.org/doi/abs/10.2460/javma.2004.224.372

http://avmajournals.avma.org/doi/abs/10.2460/javma.2000.217.1661

http://europepmc.org/abstract/med/11787153

That first link mentions that: "Prepubertal gonadectomy had no adverse effect on urethral function in the dog or cat as determined by urethral pressure profilometry. Male cats of all three groups [neutered at 7 weeks, neutered at 7 months, and intact males] had similar urethras diameters."

Everyone agrees more research needs to be done on what is the best age to spay/neuter, but the long held conventions of waiting for the first litter, or the first heat, etc, have been disproven and evidence seems to be trending toward earlier being just as safe if not better than waiting.
 
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