Early spay/neuter

I'm a Swedish breeder and early neutering/spaying isn't common practise here, yet. Until just recentlt Swedish breeders (registred FIFÃ[emoji]169[/emoji]-breeders) had the possibility to place their kittens in a reserve register, meaning offspring couldn't be registred after those cats unless the breeder chose to put the cats in the original register. The purpose was originally to allow breeders to evaluate their breeding work before allowing the offspring to be used for breeding. But, the register has been closed because some breeders abused the register. They registred ll of their kittens in the reserve register and demanded extra money (from the buyers who wanted to breed) to put them in the original register. So it isn't possible now.

Now, some breeders are thinking about alternatives and early neutering/spaying has been mentioned as an alternative. Of course this alternative would make it impossible for the buyers to breed if they want to. I fear that this would effect the genepools in a negative way. Many of the breeds in Sweden already have small genepools and many of us actuarally want our buyers to keep their males fertile so they can be used for breeding. Father one litter at least before being neutered. This to make ensure the genetic variation.

Since we don't have any experience on early neutering/spaying I'm asking you American breeders. Has early neutering/spaying in any way had a negative effect on the different genepools?

All comments are welcome.

I think early spay/neuter can actually help. It gives breeders the choice to alter a cat being sold for a pet, and choose to keep those cats whole that will be beneficial to their breeding program.

Originally Posted by Sol

Many of the breeds in Sweden already have small genepools and many of us actuarally want our buyers to keep their males fertile so they can be used for breeding. Father one litter at least before being neutered. This to make ensure the genetic variation.

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I can understand your concern about breeding within a small gene pool, but I would hesitate about selling males as pets and not having them neutered before they reach sexual maurity. Buyers could end up with a spraying male and it's not always easy to eliminate this behavuior once it's begun.

From what it sounds like...there is a consensus that males can be done "ealier" than females. Females should be closely monitored by the breeder to ensure that if it is to be bred...that it is breeder quality? If not, the female should be fixed prior to receiving ownership papers? I think that makes sense.

In case you haven't seen these, here are a couple of studies about Early Age Spay/Neuter and arguments about if it is safe or not:

http://www.winnfelinehealth.org/repo...ly-neuter.html Study by The Winn Foundation

http://www.ahimsatx.org/easn/easnmm.htm Early Age Neutering: Perfect for Any Practice by W. Marvin Mackie, DVM, and article for vets about the procedure.

Originally Posted by Anne

I can understand your concern about breeding within a small gene pool, but I would hesitate about selling males as pets and not having them neutered before they reach sexual maurity. Buyers could end up with a spraying male and it's not always easy to eliminate this behavuior once it's begun.

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I'm not the least worried about selling fertile males. Swedes are quite responsible when it comes to neutering. Practically all Swedes have their males neutered because they're well aware of the risk for spraying. Last summer I sold four males, three were sold as pets and they have all been neutered. The one that isn't neutered is active in breeding. I keep in touch with all of my buyers and I make sure they have their cats neutered if they're not interested in breeding. Last year only 291 Devon Rex were registred in Sweden so I am very concerned about the genepool. And I personally don't feel comfortable with having very small kittens on the surgerys table. And I don't know about any Swedish vet that would neuter/spay a cat in such young age, but like I said I'm sure early spay/neuter will become more common in Sweden.

All I can say, is that I had my Bengal, Simba neutered at 4 1/2 months. I think it was a mistake. I should have waited until he was 6 months old. He is very small, and Bengal's are usually at least medium to large in size. He is a year old now, and is only the size of a 6 month old kitten. He's a little larger than he was when I had him neutered, but he is a lot smaller than both of my Siamese cats. Other than his size, he seems healthy and extremely active. In fact I thought the neuter would calm him down a bit, but that has not been the case. He is a holy terror around the house.

Please read valanhb's links (the first one is a good one). Early s/n does not stunt growth.

"The results of the comparisons of weight showed some differences between the three groups. Males weighed consistently more than females, but this was uniform in all groups. The studies of body composition and body fat indicated that Group 1 (neutered at 7 weeks) and Group 2 (neutered at 7 months) were identical and were generally fatter than Group 3 (neutered at 12 months, after they were sexually mature). Investigators point out that by 12 months, the male cats in Group 3 were already exhibiting the normal adult male characteristics of decreased weight and the development of jowls, which accounts for some of the differences. It has also been noted that in the course of follow-up, the differences between the weight in cats from Group 1 and 2 and Group 3 are becoming less apparent."

"There was no difference observed in the growth rates in all three groups, although the males grew faster in all groups. Increased long bone length was observed in both males and females in Groups 1 and 2. This appeared to be due to the fact that physeal closing (closure of the bone growth plate) was delayed in Groups 1 & 2. This explains why cats neutered and spayed as kittens are frequently larger (longer and taller) than unaltered cats or cats altered later in life. This seems to be particularly true for males."

"While the final results will depend on the analysis of long-term follow-up, the indications are that early neutering is not detrimental to the overall health of the animal."

Originally Posted by HopeHacker

All I can say, is that I had my Bengal, Simba neutered at 4 1/2 months. I think it was a mistake. I should have waited until he was 6 months old. He is very small, and Bengal's are usually at least medium to large in size. He is a year old now, and is only the size of a 6 month old kitten. He's a little larger than he was when I had him neutered, but he is a lot smaller than both of my Siamese cats. Other than his size, he seems healthy and extremely active. In fact I thought the neuter would calm him down a bit, but that has not been the case. He is a holy terror around the house.

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I had Zeus done when he was 3 1/2 months old and he is a big boy now! He weighs in at 13 pounds and is 3 feet long. When cats are sexually mature, their bone growth shuts off. That probably explains why most females that aren't spayed are much smaller than their spayed counterparts. I do believe that males don't produce as much testosterone, that may be why your bengal is smaller. My bengal was pretty big and she was spayed at 3 years (not by me, by her previous owners). How heavy is Simba?

I can't comment on the breeding aspect of things because I have no idea, but two of my cats were spayed at 8 weeks old. The procedure went well and they are healthy and normal kitties today.

I have read a lot about early spay/neuter and have even noticed a new word invented: "speuter". I have consulted my vet about the whole thing. He agrees with me. He would never spay or neuter any cat or dog until the 5th month and preferably the 6th month because the kitten must have time to develop properly, and it doesn't matter whether the kitten is purebred or not.

Not being purebred doesn't give a license for wholesale experimentation as to how early one can spay or neuter. This kind of experimentation is no better than selling cats and dogs to laboratory experimenters and borders on animal cruelty. On a recent forum that is now closed, I was attacked unmercifully because I allowed my "non-purebred" to breed. She had 4 beautiful kittens that I still have on my farm. Because I allowed my "non-purebred" to breed and kept her kittens, I was told that I had needlessly caused the deaths of 4 other kittens in an animal shelter because they were kittens I could have adopted. I have never heard of such foolish arguments. In any event, for those of you breeders who agree with me on the spay/neuter time of no earlier than 5 months, I salute you for having foresight and common sense. Thanks

Originally Posted by Caspar

I have read a lot about early spay/neuter and have even noticed a new word invented: "speuter". I have consulted my vet about the whole thing. He agrees with me. He would never spay or neuter any cat or dog until the 5th month and preferably the 6th month because the kitten must have time to develop properly, and it doesn't matter whether the kitten is purebred or not.

Some posters have said that it's okay to spay/neuter early because these are not purebred kittens. Not being purebred doesn't give a license for wholesale experimentation as to how early one can spay or neuter. This kind of experimentation is no better than selling cats and dogs to laboratory experimenters and borders on animal cruelty. On a recent forum that is now closed, I was attacked unmercifully because I allowed my "non-purebred" to breed. She had 4 beautiful kittens that I still have on my farm. Because I allowed my "non-purebred" to breed and kept her kittens, I was told that I had needlessly caused the deaths of 4 other kittens in an animal shelter because they were kittens I could have adopted. I have never heard of such foolish arguments. In any event, for those of you breeders who agree with me on the spay/neuter time of no earlier than 5 months, I salute you for having foresight and common sense. Thanks

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I personally wouldn't have a kitten "speutered" before the age of 6 months. I let my cats grow up and develop normally before having them neutered/spayed and I have never had any problems with "unwanted kittens" because I've waited with spaying/neutering. I don't care what the reports about the subject say about it

Swedish studies do say that early spay/neuter affects growth. The sex hormones affect the growth palates closing process which causes the legs to grow for a longer time than supposed to and the cat gets longer legs and a heavier body. Longer legs and a heabier body doesn't seem like a good equation to me. Anyway, during the time that the growth palates are closing the legs are more sensitive and that can result in broken legs, in extreme cases of course.

However, my worries are that early spay/neuter will affect the genepool of my breed. Many breeds in Sweden have very small genepools and I fear that early spay/neuter will cause the genepool from stop growing. We need as many animals as possible in our breeding programs. We even use cats of other breeds to avoid inbreeding so when Swedish breeders start to talk about early spay/neuter I wonder if they have thought about the potential consequences.

Sol, thank you for your very uplifting post. You are like a breath of fresh air. I was beginning to wonder if I was the only one "crying in the wilderness".

Your comment about the length of legs interests me. I had a feral kitten take up at my farm. I really never knew his age other than the fact that he was very tiny and we guessed about 6 weeks old. He was on his own and quite capable of taking care of himself, but we always felt it was God's will that he found us, and we saved him from a very uncertain future. We eventually had him neutered, and we can only guess at his age, but his hindlegs never lengthened to that of an adult cat. He still walks like a kitten, has a heavy body, weighs about 15 lbs. He has never been able to jump too high but compensates by chinning himself and muscling up on the furniture. He is otherwise a normal cat, other than the develpment of his hind legs. Perhaps we neutered him too early.

Caspar: That you'll never know. Maybe the cats hindlegs are poorly developed due to malnutrition in his early childhood (his mother might have had to little milk) or maybe it's a genetic defect. There's no way knowing. He seems like a healthy and strong cat

And you are absolutely not alone with your opinion about early spay/neuter. Most Swedes are very sceptic to "speuter", and I hope it'll stay that way

Originally Posted by Sol

Caspar: That you'll never know. Maybe the cats hindlegs are poorly developed due to malnutrition in his early childhood (his mother might have had to little milk) or maybe it's a genetic defect. There's no way knowing. He seems like a healthy and strong cat

And you are absolutely not alone with your opinion about early spay/neuter. Most Swedes are very sceptic to "speuter", and I hope it'll stay that way

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Thank you, Sol. I'm glad someone else thinks it wise to speuter at 6 months as well. In addition, I took the liberty of checking your website to see your cats. I have never heard of that breed, but then again, I never knew much about cats until I got married and inherited my wife's Siamese cats. Now I'm a confirmed cat lover. You have some beautiful cats and a way of picking up some extra money as well.

Originally Posted by Caspar

Thank you, Sol. I'm glad someone else thinks it wise to speuter at 6 months as well. In addition, I took the liberty of checking your website to see your cats. I have never heard of that breed, but then again, I never knew much about cats until I got married and inherited my wife's Siamese cats. Now I'm a confirmed cat lover. You have some beautiful cats and a way of picking up some extra money as well.

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Thank you My cats are my darlings. My little clowns. Living with a Devon Rex is a circus

Originally Posted by Sol

Thank you

My cats are my darlings. My little clowns. Living with a Devon Rex is a circus

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Sol, I mentioned to my wife that I talked to a Swedish lady who raises Devon Rex's. She was awed and exclaimed, "What beautiful cats!" Well, I guess I am the only one who never heard of the breed. I am just late getting into cats and their mannerisms.

Talking about my feral kitty. I believe his mother was killed by an animal. I heard mournful mewing across the swamp but was unable to discover its origin. Within a week, I found him sitting on the valve cover of my diesel powered truck. Within 2 weeks, we discoverd his brother, since they favored. We found him a home so all's well that ends well.

I am all for early age spay/neuter. I have talked to many vets who are actually very favorible of this process.

I love this study:

http://www.winnfelinehealth.org/repo...ly-neuter.html

Katie

This is nothing but a study on experimentation on a helpless subject and the bad part about these studies is that the kittens are actually bred for this study. It is interesting that anyone would want to conduct these experiments in the first place. I wonder who pays for this research and why because this research doesn't come free?