Does waiting to neuter until full maturity make toms bigger?

I've heard of people waiting to neuter toms until they've reached full maturity because it'll give them a chance to get to their biggest possible size. Is this true? Does neutering them at 6 months make them smaller than waiting til they reach maturity?

I neutered Link at 2 pounds, about 9 weeks. He is now 13 pounds and very long. If it stunted his growth any it isn't noticable. My Moms male is 9 pounds (neutered at 2 pounds) and my sisters male is 13 pounds (neutered at 4 months). My previous cats were all neutered around 3-6 months and were all average or above average male DSH size. Personal experience tells me, no it doesn't affect growth.

Logically, since there is no way to know how big a cat could have been how could anyone say that they were stunted to begin with? Yeah, maybe a study that on average neutered males are physically smaller might convince me. But unless it was a multi-regional study with thousands of participants there is just so much genetic diversity and you can have diversity within litters too. I do know early neutered male don't develop spines on their penis but I'd think that would be uncomfortable so I say bonus.

Just found a study comparing three groups of cats where litters were evenlu split into 3 groups and fixed at 7 weeks, 7 months and 1 year. No difference in size among the males EXCEPT the year males were slightly leaner then the 7 week and 6 month neutered and had some development of jowls. But that weight difference vanished within 3 years. But comparing males in the same litter with same mom and dad; when they were neutered had no discernable affect on long term adult weight. However, growth plates closed later on the early neuter so early neuter males were longer than later neuter males. The researchers noted that the earlier nueters recovered quicker. And that after month 7 the unaltered males became less affectionate.

It is a limited study and may not be applicable everywhere/everybreed. But, it seems early neutering is a quicker recovery, more affectionate cat and taller/longer cat. I'd say waiting will have the opposite affect desired and result in a shorter, stockier cat that is less affectionate and possibly develop spraying behaviors.

http://cfa.org/Owners/CatCare/SpayNeuter/EarlySpayNeuter.aspx

Yes, my own experience is that late-neutered toms are stockier and early-neutered males are leggier. It's not a huge difference though.

I think not all cats grow to be of the same size when they reached adult age.
My boy was lanky when he was at 3 weeks old and still is now and he was neutered when he's 6 1/2 months old. He's almost 11 months and still lanky.
Neutering earlier does not inhibits growth as Kieka mentioned about the closure of growth plates. I read somewhere that it mentioned that early neutering will retain the 'baby face'. I see that my boy is still growing, not as fast as when he was much younger but his face is still small compared to toms that are not neutered which developed a large face with jowls from age 6 months. This does not happen to neutered cats.

Thank you all! I feel like neutering my kitten at 6 months will be perfectly fine now. I enjoy his baby face and sweet temperament. Definitely don't want that to change.

Yes, do it.