Spaying sick cats

We adopted two kittens from a shelter on Saturday - brother and sister, 6-7 months old. They haven't been spayed yet. They have been vaccinated against the herpes virus, calicivirus, chlamydia and leukopenia.

From the first day they have a cold. They have a stuffy nose and sneeze all the time. It hasn't gotten any better yet. Otherwise they seem happy, they eat and play.

Since they're so big already, we're worried about them mating and want to have them spayed as soon as possible. But I'm pretty sure they shouldn't undergo surgery in this state, right? I don't want to endanger them.

Is it easy to recognize if the girl is in heat, so that we could react on time? Is it necessary to separate one of them in a different room for now? They're still getting used to their new home, I don't want to stress them unnecessarily. Especially since the illness could last for weeks...

Wait. They came from a shelter and are NOT spayed or neutered? For sure? 

It sounds like they have a URI, a vet might want to put them on an antibiotic before the surgery. I've been told that if noses are congested enough it can be difficult to anesthetize properly. I'm sure it varies on individual conditions though. Just call and ask a local vet about it. 

It does take some immune strength to recover from surgery, so it would be best if you can avoid it. Of course pregnancy is to be avoided too! Are they on antibiotics? If so, and the illness is bacterial and not viral, you should see improvement quickly. Then you could get them in for spay/neuter.

If you feel like you need to hurry, get the male done first---it's a less invasive surgery and requires less anesthetic, so it should be safer for him. Fertile males may keep sperm in the tubes for a few weeks after neutering but he probably isn't fully fertile just yet.

Sometimes you don't notice a cat in heat, especially if a male gets to her quickly. But a 6-7 month old male whould be pretty clueless at first so hopefully you'll get some warning!

CinqChats said:

 
Wait. They came from a shelter and are NOT spayed or neutered? For sure?

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Yep. We were surprised too.

Thanks for the tips. We'll go to the vet and see what he says about it.