Getting kittens fixed ... any ideas?

evnshawn

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Well, Pepsi's kittens are a week old now. They're so cute ... fat, sleepy balls of fur, and she's such a good mommy.

Anyway, my vet won't spay/neuter until 4 to 6 months of age. I've never had a cat with kittens before (and never will again unless I foster), so to some of you who are more experienced: what's the best way to ensure that these kittens WILL be spayed/neutered after adoption? I feel bad that Pepsi got pregnant, and I do not want to contribute to the cat overpopulation problem. OTOH, I don't think we will be keeping these guys till they're six months old. We already have four cats. Nine would really be over the top.

Thanks for any suggestions.
 

gayef

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Well, breeders normally include a spay/neuter clause in their sales agreement, perhaps you can incorporate a similar clause in your adoption agreement? Maybe you can charge a small adoption fee and offer to refund it when they send you proof of spay or neuter?
 

tnr1

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Originally Posted by evnshawn

Well, Pepsi's kittens are a week old now. They're so cute ... fat, sleepy balls of fur, and she's such a good mommy.

Anyway, my vet won't spay/neuter until 4 to 6 months of age. I've never had a cat with kittens before (and never will again unless I foster), so to some of you who are more experienced: what's the best way to ensure that these kittens WILL be spayed/neutered after adoption? I feel bad that Pepsi got pregnant, and I do not want to contribute to the cat overpopulation problem. OTOH, I don't think we will be keeping these guys till they're six months old. We already have four cats. Nine would really be over the top.

Thanks for any suggestions.
The only way to ensure that the kittens are fixed is really to get it done before they go into homes. Unfortunately, even with contracts that require spaying at 6 months things happen....a door is left open, a 5 month old kitten gets out and viola...you have the possibility of another pregnant cat. I would set up appts now to have the kittens all fixed at 4 months of age and require that the adoptor take the kitten to be spayed/neutered at that time. That way you 1. know the kitten has an appt to be fixed and 2. will know if the adoptor misses the appt. I would also require the kittens are indoors only and have no access to getting outdoors until they have been fixed.

Katie

P.S. I have had too many experiences of the "oops" pregnancies to trust a contract or even offering cash back.
 

vettechstudent

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Could you call around and try to find a vet in your area to do early spay/neuter?
I just don't like the contracts.Our group used to do them(before I was with them)and they had a lot of problems with people not getting the animals spayed/neutered.
 

gayef

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While everyone's experiences will be different, I have never had a problem with contracts. I do screen my kitten buyers thoroughly for the several weeks leading up to the sale and have complete faith in them before I agree to sell them a kitten though and it is for this reason that I do tend to be more comfortable that they will abide by my requirements.

And I also recognize that in different areas, especially rural areas, early spay/neuter just may not be available. Early spay/neuter is a good thing and one that I hope will continue to be utilized - but until more vets get the experience of performing them and until more can be trained to effectively anesthesize younger animals, I am afraid it it not going to be as mainstream as the idea of waiting until the animal is 4 to 6 months old and weighs at least whatever these reluctant vets feel comfortable with.
 

momofmany

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I noticed you are from Kansas City. Wayside Waifs in Grandview will do kittens at 2 pounds (or about 8 weeks old). They are also a low cost spay/neuter clinic. PM if you need more contact information.
 

tnr1

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Originally Posted by gayef

While everyone's experiences will be different, I have never had a problem with contracts. I do screen my kitten buyers thoroughly for the several weeks leading up to the sale and have complete faith in them before I agree to sell them a kitten though and it is for this reason that I do tend to be more comfortable that they will abide by my requirements.
Gaye...I also think it is a different experience when someone is going through a breeder versus going through a shelter or rescue or through a situation like evnshawn is dealing with.

Even our rescue which charges $150 per kitten and included spaying as part of the adoption (and required it within the contract) had incidences of cats coming back to us pregnant. That is why we now spay/neuter all our kittens at 8-10 weeks of age.

I still believe that if you cannot have the kittens fixed before they go into homes...the best way to ensure these kittens are spayed is..1. only adopt them in your local area and 2. set up the spay appt. ahead of time. Have the new owner complete a contract, but definately follow up and make sure the appt. is kept.

Katie
 
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evnshawn

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Originally Posted by Momofmany

I noticed you are from Kansas City. Wayside Waifs in Grandview will do kittens at 2 pounds (or about 8 weeks old). They are also a low cost spay/neuter clinic. PM if you need more contact information.
Great! Thanks. I hadn't had any luck finding anyone so far. I will definitely call WW.
 

5catsandcountin

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Find another vet. It is common practice to have kittens fixed around 2lb which is around 8-10 weeks. It sounds like your vet is not up on new knowledge, which means he may not be up on a lot of important new knowledge.
 

musicobsession

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Originally Posted by evnshawn

Great! Thanks. I hadn't had any luck finding anyone so far. I will definitely call WW.
I just saw this thread and was going to post, but Wayside was already posted! Thanks! Yes, we do kittens at 2lbs/8wks! I am not sure what it costs for outside cats to be done, since we usually are just doing our own kittens...

The only reason vets won't spay until cats are older, is because they want bigger stuff to work with. It's really weird. My cat was 4months old when I adopted her from a vet and I brought her back 2 months later to be spayed... (no contract because my boyfriend's sister worked there and knew the family's pet history and such). You might try printing some info and giving it to your vet if he or she seems ignorant about it, but I think most know they can do it young, but they just refuse...

But did you know spaying before 6months offers health benefits like reduction in risk of breast cancer and other similar illnesses?!
 

leto86

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Find another vet.. the shelter I volunteer for just sent 4, 10 week old kittens in for their spay. It all depends on the vet.
 
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