Question regarding Spaying.

altzarina

TCS Member
Thread starter
Adult Cat
Joined
Sep 20, 2005
Messages
168
Purraise
1
Location
India
I have read everywhere that a female cat should be spayed at 5-6months before she gets into Heat. But my vet says that my kitty should have her first periods and only then she will spay her? I dont get it. I thought spaying should be done before the periods. When did you all get your kitties spayed?
 

emb_78

TCS Member
Top Cat
Joined
Aug 12, 2005
Messages
3,095
Purraise
1
Location
Wisconsin
Originally Posted by altzarina

I have read everywhere that a female cat should be spayed at 5-6months before she gets into Heat. But my vet says that my kitty should have her first periods and only then she will spay her? I dont get it. I thought spaying should be done before the periods. When did you all get your kitties spayed?
YOUR VET IS WRONG!!!!!! Do it before her first heat!!!
 

crittermom

TCS Member
Top Cat
Joined
Oct 26, 2005
Messages
6,437
Purraise
2
All Vets are different. Mine will do spays/neuters as young as 8 weeks old.Some won't do it before 6 months.
mine believes in doing spays/neuters BEFORE they go into heat or become sexually mature. My mother-in-laws Vet believes in letting them have a litter FIRST is better.
(I've tried getting her to us another vet, but she won't)
I would call around and get some other opinions.
 

MoochNNoodles

TCS Member
Veteran
Joined
Apr 30, 2005
Messages
36,646
Purraise
23,465
Location
Where my cats are
I believe the most common pratice here is to spay before going into heat. That is what we have always done with our kittens. I'd call for other oppinions too.
 

missymotus

TCS Member
Top Cat
Joined
May 8, 2005
Messages
9,234
Purraise
254
My vet says before first heat is best, I got the kittens done at 13 weeks.
 

petnurse2265

TCS Member
Super Cat
Joined
Dec 20, 2004
Messages
741
Purraise
4
Location
Denver Co.
Before a cat goes into heat the uterus is a small organ that is not really doing anything but hanging out. When a cat goes into heat for the first time the blood supply to the uterus is drastically increased, which means more vessels to ligate, and more of a chance of a ligature slipping and causing excessive bleeding, maybe even bleeding out. Also if a cat is spayed before her first heat cycle she has no chance of developing mammary cancer, after her first heat cycle her chances are greatly increased.

I would call around to other vets and ask their input on spaying.
 

semiferal

TCS Member
Top Cat
Joined
Jul 15, 2005
Messages
1,890
Purraise
9
Location
in my apartment
It used to be the thinking that it was better for a cat to have her first heat. We now know that this is incorrect. Cats who experience a heat cycle even once have an elevated risk of mammary cancer. The risk of mammary cancer for a cat who has never had a heat cycle is very close to zero. And evidence is quickly mounting that 3-4 months is the ideal age to spay a female cat, rather than 6 months as is currently the most common practice.

The body of knowledge about veterinary medicine is growing exponentially and what was considered standard practice even 15 years ago is in many cases totally obsolete now. One of the most important questions to ask a vet is how he or she keeps up with new developments in the field and puts them into practice. It's one way that you will know that your pet is getting the best that modern medicine has to offer.
 

horatio

TCS Member
Adult Cat
Joined
Nov 17, 2005
Messages
160
Purraise
1
I do agree about spaying b4 the 1st heat. Anyway, different vets might hv different opinions. I wud suggest get a 2nd opinion (vet) abt this...
 
Top