Worried

I just actually really put thought into this..When I adopted Bella she was just turning 9 weeks, and they said she was spayed 2-3 weeks before that..
She has stitches, so when I got her we took her to the vet, and she said she weighed like 1.5 give or take .2....cant really remember...

So when she was spayed she couldnt have weighed more then 1

Do you think she's ok? what if its not done right? or would the only risk would have been her dying, meaning that if she's ok now, shes ok???
I dont know what the risk would be, her health, or the procedure being done correctly..

The shelter was very rude, and I have been dealing with so many problems, Im starting to drive myself crazy, wondering if they just gave her stitches, and she isnt really done I know it sounds crazy, but Ive been through the ropes with her already..

I don't know but I will pray for the little darling certainly because I hadn't even read the whole post but was calculating when you got the baby and when they say the baby was spayed. My doctor wouldn't even think about spaying my baby until after she was six months old., of course she got pregnant at 9 and 1/2 months but still. I just can't even fathome spaying that early. Maybe I'm wrong but my doctor was fussing at me when I was takign her in at 5mths!

The clinic I go to told me the earliest they will spay a kitten is 4 months old but I am thinking about waiting until she is 6 months old.

It seems like your baby was done way to early and I would have the vet check her out really well. But I am sure that someone with more experience will come by soon and if you better information.

Pediatric spays are absolutely fine, if not better than waiting until six months. If a vet has the experience to do them, which one in a shelter certainly does, there is no problem whatsoever any more than the slight risk that comes with any spay simply from the anesthesia. Yes, they are smaller, but the vet just has to learn to do the surgery on a smaller cat. Oh, and if they gave her stitches and there is an incision, she's spayed. It takes about as much effort to do that as it would to spay--it's a very simple, routine procedure.

Younger cats heal better, also some cats go into heat as young as four months old. I wish more vets would do pediatric spays, but if they're not comfortable with it then you wouldn't wnat your to be the first! Mine was spayed at four-ish months. Alot of times by the time a cat that young comes home they don't even know they just had surgery. Zissou's only evidence was that she was a little sore so she didn't want to jump on the counters.

Basically, there is absolutely nothing wrong with a spay that early, and truly the earlier you can get it done the better.

Originally Posted by ms_joshica

I don't know but I will pray for the little darling certainly because I hadn't even read the whole post but was calculating when you got the baby and when they say the baby was spayed. My doctor wouldn't even think about spaying my baby until after she was six months old., of course she got pregnant at 9 and 1/2 months but still. I just can't even fathome spaying that early. Maybe I'm wrong but my doctor was fussing at me when I was takign her in at 5mths!

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Exactly. Had your kitten been spayed before adoption, or even spayed at 5 months when you initially asked, there would not have been an oops litter. If more kittens were spayed and neutered prior to adoption, the excess of kittens would be drastically slowed down.

I am not trying to make this a personal attack against you. But your case demonstrates reality.

Alliread, I think Bella will be just fine. My agency does pediatric spays and neuters, and we have not had any negative effects. Bella is now protected from many types of cancers, and from a pregnancy!

I agree, your kitten should be just fine. My kittens are early spayed and neutered around the 2lb mark, and I have never had a problem. The more vets that will do pediatric altering, the better. I do believe it will become more and more common. It isn't new thinking, it has been around for MANY years.
I think anything over 4 months is waiting too long. Everyone will have things pop up in life, and it can take us off track, unfortunately many pets will go unaltered during the times people get busy and that leads to accidental matings.
Young kittens heal so much quicker than adults, or even older kittens. The incision is smaller, heal time is quicker. A female spayed before she has a heat cycle is 200 times LESS likely to develop mammary cancer, and of course it limits infection or cancer of the uterus. I have seen many females go into heat as early as 4 months, and I have heard of a still nursing 5 month old male impregnating his mother.
The advances in technology make giving anesthesia much simpler now, and it isn't as much of an issue. As well, the myths surrounding early alter, such as stunted growth, thinning of the urethra, have been proven unfounded.
Please, do a "google" search on pediatric spay and neuter, and here are a couple of links that are very informative, that will hopefully ease your mind.
http://www.winnfelinehealth.org//hea...ay-neuter.html
http://www.winnfelinehealth.org//rep...ly-neuter.html

I do agree with Beckiboo, I do believe and hope that pediatric altering will become more common, but I wouldn't want my kitten to be their first patient. I am VERY comfortable with our vet, and have been with him for awhile now.
I also have older adults that were neutered at 11 weeks that have never had any health issues.
I hope things get easier with Bella. I wish you well.

Originally Posted by ms_joshica

My doctor wouldn't even think about spaying my baby until after she was six months old., of course she got pregnant at 9 and 1/2 months but still. I just can't even fathome spaying that early. Maybe I'm wrong but my doctor was fussing at me when I was takign her in at 5mths!

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And that is exactly why pediatric spay and neuterings should be done! They are perfectly fine and any vet who insists on waiting until 6 months or older is extremely old fashioned and as I have said before, ms_joshica, I would seriously consider finding a new vet! I would not want to take my cats to someone who is that behind the times on this stuff. This is our cats health, it is just like family doctors, there are so many medical advances, why would you want to keep paying good money to someone who isn't even up to date in the vet world?

It really makes me mad when I hear that vets insist on waiting until over 6 months, that is absolutely ridiculous! Especially when all these accidental litters come from it.

Cats can be spayed or neutered at 2lbs is the smallest I know, if the OP's vet does it earlier then more power to ya, that is great! All vets need to step up and update their policies.

Thank you all for your responses...I love the spaying/neutering young too..
I myself got mine fixed after 2lbs..between 2lbs and 3...
I was just worried about her because she couldnt have been much more then 1lb, and only what maybe 6-7wks...shes still so tiny, probably not even 2lbs...
The vet I took her to after I got her, doesnt like the shelter, and said she wouldnt even adopt a hermit crab from them, but at the same time said her incision looked good...

The only thing on her that looked good at the time...

I just wasnt sure if there was risks when would they be, during the operation, or months down the line..
But you answered that with the anesthesia comments..
Thanks again

Originally Posted by ms_joshica

I don't know but I will pray for the little darling certainly because I hadn't even read the whole post but was calculating when you got the baby and when they say the baby was spayed. My doctor wouldn't even think about spaying my baby until after she was six months old., of course she got pregnant at 9 and 1/2 months but still. I just can't even fathome spaying that early. Maybe I'm wrong but my doctor was fussing at me when I was takign her in at 5mths!

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There are still some doctors, that are not familiar with the practice of pediatric spay and neuter. IMO, in the past, it has been the vets who help out with rescue organizations, and now many breeders are also taking up this practice, so it has had more light shined on it, and more and more rescue organizations, breeders, and pet owners are seeing the many benefits of pediatric altering. Nothing against your vet, but the reports and studies have been done and the reasons, and he may still have more of an "old style" practice.
If and when this practice becomes more common, hopefully many of the accidental cat and dog matings will come to an end.
I am sorry your cat got pregnant, accidents will happen. I hope she has been spayed now, and enjoying her freedom from heat cycles.

Originally Posted by Meldonn

The clinic I go to told me the earliest they will spay a kitten is 4 months old but I am thinking about waiting until she is 6 months old.

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Please do not wait until 6 months! The idea is to spay them BEFORE their first heat cycle, not after and by 6 months she can already go into heat and get pregnant. Especially do not wait until 6 months if she goes outdoors and is in any contact with intact males. 4 months is perfectly fine, I even do it sooner. Remember it can be done at 2lbs or younger according to the OP, so please, do not wait that long.

Originally Posted by alliread

I just wasnt sure if there was risks when would they be, during the operation, or months down the line..
But you answered that with the anesthesia comments..
Thanks again

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If you have time, the links I provided above should give you more comfort, they cover much more of the questions you may have.

When my husband and I were interviewing vets, we printed this article to give to the vets who did not alter.
http://www.catvet.homestead.com/EarlyAlter.html
We did get a few good responses, but as I said earlier, I wouldn't want my kittens to be the first patient. There also were some vets, who were adament about waiting 6 months, and the reasons given, were the same given by others years ago, that have been proven unfounded.

My sister's cat from the shelter was an orphan, neutered at 4.5 or 5 weeks old. He never had any problems from that, if it helps ease your fears about her being so little. She'll be fine.

thank you... i cant help but worry

Aren't the person that adopted the kitten from a shelter set up at a pet store, and the kitten was sick? The shelter wouldn't help you out or anything? If so, how is the little one doing? I can understand why you would be leery at anything that place did.

Nope the shelter would not help me out, I guess you havent read any of my posts. When contacting them, she told me I should have known better, that all shelter pets are diseased and sick. And what did I expect a healthy kitten????
I couldnt believe my ears, She said that someone should have told me how sick she was. First my belief is a sick kitten shouldnt be adopted UNTIL healthy, second, they could have told me, wrote it on her forms, and even provided the antiobiotics, even if they increased the rate I had to pay for her...
And she told me I should have noticed, well, I was only there for 3 min before walking her to my car...They did no checks at all, no landlord calling. Like when I filled out the paperwork, I honestly thought that it would take days, she handed her to me, and I left.

They were at a petstore...A WELL KNOWN PETSTORE...
And I am currently on strike from them as well for letting this go on..
I went back that same weekend, to try to track down one of the shelter workers, and seen that the cages inside consisted of 20 sick cats..

Only theirs was noticable, my girl didnt start sneezing and weezing until the car ride home.

She told me if I was a pet person, I should have known...WELL UMMM I adopted from a shelter, to provide a homeless pet a wonderful life, I did it that way, instead of a free ad "which there are 100's in the area" because I wanted a HEALTHY KITTEN, one with shots, etc..Not a sick one..
I rambled enough, but I am still sick about the issue..I spoke to her today, and all she said was that I should be lucky she is still alive, that they saved her from death...I doubt it from the looks of things.

I am looking into even fostering now, of course not with them..
And little Bella is DOING WONDERFUL, all done on medicine, and the most active cat in the house..Thanks for asking, everyone said it would take a while to clear up, and it didnt..Im amazed, and it shows they could have done something for her.
She even made best friend status with Garfield , my other kitty...