Spayed Females Possible Health Problems with aging

gloriajh · Jul 10, 2006

I'm trying to bring this thread from another one because the topic changed from "breeding" issues to "health" issues .... here goes, hope it's OK .... Gloria

Quote:
Originally Posted by Jen
Cats have health problems from NOT being spayed, not from BEING spayed. Without it they can get all sorts of cancers and a really nasty disease.

Anyways, cats can be altered at 2lbs, vets who insist on waiting until 6 months are sort of old fashioned and I would personally want a vet who is a little more up to date with things.

Hey, Jen
Thanks for your input ... I'm aware of the advantages of spaying ... it's just that I have a tendency to try and look at all of the issues - for my own education and information .... I don't just accept stuff because it's the most "popular" information being distributed - I'm sure you know "where" I'm coming from.

I especially appreciated your info about the weight of the cat as a significant guideline for altering ... and, if all the information here, about when a female can come into "season" is accurate, waiting 6 months to alter the female would be just plain crazy. :-)
Gloria

cearbhaill · Jul 10, 2006

I can't think of any reason a spayed cat would age more poorly than one that is not spayed- quite the opposite.

According to my veterinary friends cats don't live long enough to suffer from osteoporosis, and that is the only ill effect resulting from a lack of estrogen I can think of. Hot flashes??

The benefits of spaying far, far outweigh any overlooked benefits of not spaying IMO.

Unless I have misundestood the discussion you wish to have...

gloriajh · Jul 10, 2006

Originally Posted by Cearbhaill

I can't think of any reason a spayed cat would age more poorly than one that is not spayed- quite the opposite.

According to my veterinary friends cats don't live long enough to suffer from osteoporosis, and that is the only ill effect resulting from a lack of estrogen I can think of. Hot flashes??

The benefits of spaying far, far outweigh any overlooked benefits of not spaying IMO.

Unless I have misundestood the discussion you wish to have...

Thank you! You haven't misunderstood my question. I like it that you have contributed the Professionals' (your vet friends) knowledge, too. You've hit on one of my concerns about the bone health. I had to laugh when you mentioned "hot flashes", YIKES! That would be MOST miserable! :-)

I am in favor of the spaying while they're little, too, but just trying to get ideas of the best age - I know I should get the surgery before they come into season, some have said it's possible around 3 months - but, is that more common, or less common - my vet is talking about 6 months - I'm thinking more like 4 months?

BTW, we adopted a brother and sister - and I started my inquiry about them mating on the BREEDERS' forum, but the discussion then led more into health issues, so....if you're interested, you could check the thread "just curious" in that forum.

Thanks for your informative response. Gloria

kalmkat · Jul 10, 2006

I'm not exactly sure all about the health issues a female may or may not have from being spayed as opposed to not being spayed.
BUT, I can tell you that I rescued two kittens, (Scruff and Cookie) that were dropped off close to my house at 2 in the morning. They are both four months now and I've had them since they were three months. She hasn't come into heat yet, and they haven't tried to mate either. I also have 5 other neutered males in my home and they were curious of her at first, but now treat her as "one of the guys". lol She would have been spayed a couple weeks ago but got an eye infection and is still recovering from it.
I personally think that every cat is different and their situations contribute to coming into heat sooner or later. As of late, she is still perfectly fine and her brother has shown no interest in her in any way other than a play mate. Also, he hasn't started spraying yet and gets along with the other cats I have. But like I said, every cat is different. Oh, I also had two other brothers who are almost a year now.(Gremlin and Marshmellow) They were 5 months old when they got neutered, and they hadn't started to spray or anything of the sort before then. So they retained who they were. BUT, my two older cats Blue and Mouse were very aggressive and were constantly in fights with each other from about 4 months old. Just a few examples. So, I think the decision really lies with what you think is best and how they act. I hope I've helped some, Mary

jen · Jul 10, 2006

Originally Posted by GloriaJH

BTW, we adopted a brother and sister - and I started my inquiry about them mating on the BREEDERS' forum, but the discussion then led more into health issues, so....if you're interested, you could check the thread "just curious" in that forum.

Yes I remember that thread. Sorry if I was one of the one's that changed it to more of a health response then a breeding one. Can't ignore things that are very important, just in case you didn't realize these things. Never know, people always get weird when thread topics change a little but that is what discussions are all about. If we ignored other problems that could be happening then we wouldn't be a very informative message board would we?

gloriajh · Jul 10, 2006

Originally Posted by kalmkat

I'm not exactly sure all about the health issues a female may or may not have from being spayed as opposed to not being spayed.
BUT, I can tell you that I rescued two kittens, (Scruff and Cookie) that were dropped off close to my house at 2 in the morning. They are both four months now and I've had them since they were three months. She hasn't come into heat yet, and they haven't tried to mate either. I also have 5 other neutered males in my home and they were curious of her at first, but now treat her as "one of the guys". lol She would have been spayed a couple weeks ago but got an eye infection and is still recovering from it.
I personally think that every cat is different and their situations contribute to coming into heat sooner or later. As of late, she is still perfectly fine and her brother has shown no interest in her in any way other than a play mate. Also, he hasn't started spraying yet and gets along with the other cats I have. But like I said, every cat is different. Oh, I also had two other brothers who are almost a year now.(Gremlin and Marshmellow) They were 5 months old when they got neutered, and they hadn't started to spray or anything of the sort before then. So they retained who they were. BUT, my two older cats Blue and Mouse were very aggressive and were constantly in fights with each other from about 4 months old. Just a few examples. So, I think the decision really lies with what you think is best and how they act. I hope I've helped some, Mary

Yes, you have helped - especially helping to remind me that each cat IS different - and, I just need to be paying attention and make the decisions based on them. :-)

It's the gathering of all the facts, and other people's experiences, that will help me make a decision that will be the best for our family. I guess since this is the first time (since I was a child) that I've been responsible for a female, I'm more concerned about her - doing what's right for her. I already knew she would be spayed, it was the "timing", age factors that concerned me.

Thanks for your kind response, Mary - you have helped!

Gloria

pat · Jul 10, 2006

My experience over the years, the two female cats I didn't spay young, did suffer health issues - pyometra, breast cancer.

My males began trying to breed at 4 months, and in 3 cases (only one in my home and but yes, all 3 were in established breeding programs) were fertile by 7+ months, in one case, the owner had, as I requested, gotten the male fixed just past 6 months of age, unfortunately, he'd already impregnated his two female siblings, leading to a true health issue with one, the other lost 2 of the 8 kittens born, but did manage to come through the pregnancy and delivery well overall as did the 6 surviving kits.

Just my experience,

gloriajh · Jul 10, 2006

Originally Posted by Pat & Alix

My experience over the years, the two female cats I didn't spay young, did suffer health issues - pyometra, breast cancer.

My males began trying to breed at 4 months, and in 3 cases (only one in my home and but yes, all 3 were in established breeding programs) were fertile by 7+ months, in one case, the owner had, as I requested, gotten the male fixed just past 6 months of age, unfortunately, he'd already impregnated his two female siblings, leading to a true health issue with one, the other lost 2 of the 8 kittens born, but did manage to come through the pregnancy and delivery well overall as did the 6 surviving kits.

Just my experience,

Thanks for the information - I'll add it to my "research", I appreciate your experience - everyone sharing his/her personal experience really helps!

I know I'm getting the kittens altered, and any info I can compile will be of great benefit in deciding the "when" issue. :-)

Gloria

gloriajh · Jul 10, 2006

Originally Posted by Jen

Yes I remember that thread. Sorry if I was one of the one's that changed it to more of a health response then a breeding one. Can't ignore things that are very important, just in case you didn't realize these things. Never know, people always get weird when thread topics change a little but that is what discussions are all about. If we ignored other problems that could be happening then we wouldn't be a very informative message board would we?

Hey Jen,
No need to apologize, really! I appreciated the information -

My question got answered,- that of a brother and sister mating ... so it was time to move on to the next logical topic.

I was interested in the topic of the health aspects of altering the female, like - the favorable age, etc.

If I'd had a problem with the "flow" of information, I would have gently brought it (my question) up again. :-), and, besides, when it's "time" to cover something important no one should hold back.

This information is all very interesting, and useful.

Thanks!
Gloria

Spayed Females Possible Health Problems with aging

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