Is it a lot safer to have a kitten neutered at a vet office rather than a spay/neuter clinic?

My kitten is now said to be "very healthy" with no swollen lymph nodes.    He's also about to turn five months old and I'm considering having him neutered now(or at the age of 6 months).  There's a spay/neuter clinic here where I could have him neutered for $30(I believe).  I'm concerned about infectious diseases, however.  I'm not sure what happens behind the scenes at a s/n clinic but I imagine there are a lot of cats/kittens back there when it's a s/n day.

I would happily pay the $250 I was quoted for a neuter if it meant less risk to him during/after surgery and less risk to my other cats.  Should I avoid the spay/neuter clinic?

Side question:  They require that he be vaccinated for rabies prior or at the time of the neuter.  I had wanted to wait until he was six months old to do his rabies vaccination.  No one will use the 3 year vaccination before he has a 1 year on file.  Is it safe to vaccinate a cat at the time of surgery? 

If you have the money and it makes you feel better, use your vet.  But honestly, I don't think you'd have any problem at a clinic.  They are still run by vets and the facilities are always sterilized and safe.  It would be entirely unethical for the staff not to follow the same procedures used in a hospital setting.

Spaying and neutering are both fairly simple surgeries for animals and they typically recover fast and well.  

I don't know about the rabies vaccine situation so hopefully someone else will respond to that.  

It's usually recommended to have the 1 year PureVax rabies vaccination done first and then the following year do a 1 year booster and the year after that start the 3 year vaccine. From Merial web site: PUREVAX Feline Rabies 3 YR is recommended for the vaccination of healthy cats 12 weeks and older for prevention of disease due to the rabies virus. A 1 year booster vaccination is required after primary vaccination, followed by a vaccination every three years. http://merial.com/en/press-releases/merial-introduces-purevax-feline-rabies-3-yr-vaccine/

Hi Sivyaleah

      I have used a clinic , kitico and the SPCA.  All cats did fine.  The last two males I took to the vet.  The first ones at the clinic cost 50.00 and the vet was 140.00 for a male and 185.00 for a female.  The SPCA does is for around 35.00 for those that need it and clinics notch the ear to show it was feral, otherwise they charge a small fee.

All of my cats are alive and well.  The one through the SPCA is about 14 years old.

My friend asked the clinic for me & this was their reply, which I appreciate:

"We do try to keep the animals as isolated as possible and everything as clean and sterile as we can, but unfortunately it is always a possibility that there may be a virus floating around in the air that we cannot control. Being vaccinated at least two weeks prior usually goes a long way towards preventing anything contagious, but it is unfortunately always a risk. We do tend to see fewer animals on Thursdays, as we do not transport in pets from other counties on Thursdays. However since she has an immune comprised cat at home, I would still recommend either quarantining for two weeks post surgery just in case, or use a full-service vet for the neuter as they tend to do many fewer surgeries in a day. "