When is the best time to spay/neuter kittens?

MCromwell

I lost my 4 month old kitten to FIP last month. He came from a shelter, and had been neutered before he was 8 weeks old. Chewy (pictured below) was also shelter cat, spayed before I adopted her at 4 months old.

We're adopting this time from someone fostering a pregnant cat, who had her kittens on March 1. We are getting a male and a female, mid-May at age 12 weeks. The organization we're adopting through covers the cost if it is done in the first 6 months of life (signed a contract saying we would spay/neuter prior to then). 

Would you do it immediately, or wait until closer to the 6 month mark? Has anyone seen it make a difference in health and/or behavior personally?

 Thanks!

 

 

 

 

NicsFish

Hi!

Sorry to hear you lost a furbaby to FIP - I also lost a rescue kitten to FIP, she was about 3 months and had not been spayed.

I recently adopted another rescue kitten who is 4 months old and has just been spayed and seems fine. While doing my research,I learnt that most shelters insist o. Sterilizing the pet before sending to the new home, to gaurentee that it's done... Too often people have good intentions but then don't get around to it. I was told by one shelter that kittens as young as 8 wks  had been sterilized by them and as yet they had not lost a kitten as a result (which I believe as they were very honest about other things that I'd have expected them to not mention). 

Also depends on the vet though, some will not do it before 6 months... While others will...  

Exciting getting new kitties!!  

RedheadBaker

The org I fostered kittens for altered as long as they weighed at least 2 pounds (usually 8 to 10 weeks). I lost one kitten whose heart stopped mid-surgery out of 9 kittens total that I fostered. I don't know if he had an undiagnosed heart condition or not.

5dogs

I prefer to wait until they hit at least 3lbs but California requires all animals be spayed or neutered prior to adoption (since January 2000)... so that being said, the shelters/rescues are doing them at 8 weeks here.  

I fostered kittens for a local rescue group for several years and only had one complication due to spay/neuter and the cat had an underlying heart issue. Kittens are resilient creatures and were usually bouncing off the walls a few hours after getting home (aka they were totally back to normal).

SillyStraw

My rescue waits until kittens are 4 months until before spay/neuter.  We will adopt out before that but the adopter signs a contract to have it done at the 4 month mark and puts down a refundable deposit that they get back after they kitten is fixed.

Most shelters do it earlier so it is done already but if I had a choice I'd wait till the kitten is somewhere between 4 and 6 months.

kellbell1919

Most of our foster kittens have been speutered at 8 weeks or 2 pounds.  We had one kitten develop a UTI and were told it was possibly as a result of being spayed too early, but in terms of long term development I haven't seen issues.  In fact, some of them have grown to be huge!

Personally I would wait until 16 weeks.  I would not wait until 6 months because there is a chance that female cats will go into heat before 6 months and that could be a disaster (especially if you have a male/female combo).

 

Good luck and thanks for finding room in your heart to save another kitty.  FIP is a horrible disease and pretty difficult for shelters/rescues to identify before symptoms appear, by adopting a kitten born in private rescue you're definitely limiting chances of exposure.  Definitely make sure you have a new litterbox, new food bowls, etc because they're not sure how long the virus lives.

 

Thanks,

Kelly

Harlows*Secret

How are all of these shelters/rescues doing these neuters so early?  You should wait until both testicles have dropped and that usually happens between 5-6 months.  If both testicles aren't down, you have a cryptochid neuter where you have to go in through the abdomen and find them.  Much easier and easier on them if you wait until they are both dropped.

MCromwell

kellbell1919:

Most of our foster kittens have been speutered at 8 weeks or 2 pounds.  We had one kitten develop a UTI and were told it was possibly as a result of being spayed too early, but in terms of long term development I haven't seen issues.  In fact, some of them have grown to be huge!

Personally I would wait until 16 weeks.  I would not wait until 6 months because there is a chance that female cats will go into heat before 6 months and that could be a disaster (especially if you have a male/female combo).

 

Good luck and thanks for finding room in your heart to save another kitty.  FIP is a horrible disease and pretty difficult for shelters/rescues to identify before symptoms appear, by adopting a kitten born in private rescue you're definitely limiting chances of exposure.  Definitely make sure you have a new litterbox, new food bowls, etc because they're not sure how long the virus lives.

 

Thanks,

Kelly

 

Thanks everyone for the advice.. I think I'm going to shoot for right around 4 months old. I'd push it father if I didn't have a male/female combo. 

And Kelly- I got a new litter box, actually 2... I'm changing it again 4 weeks prior to getting kittens incase Chewy was still shedding virus (surely she was exposed as well)... From time time Ernie was hospitalized and no longer in the house to when we bring the kittens home will be over 12 full weeks... from what I've read, virus can only live 6 weeks in carpet, less everywhere else. I'm *still* paranoid though. 

5dogs

Harlows*Secret:

How are all of these shelters/rescues doing these neuters so early?  You should wait until both testicles have dropped and that usually happens between 5-6 months.  If both testicles aren't down, you have a cryptochid neuter where you have to go in through the abdomen and find them.  Much easier and easier on them if you wait until they are both dropped.

Pediatric spay/neuter is what is now typically taught and more "newer" vets are comfortable with it (at least this has been my experience after 11 years of rescue). CA law states we have to s/n before the pet is released to their new owner... keeping an animal an extra 2-4 months in a shelter case will not happen, our shelters are busting at the seams and our state is broke (and ready to cut the mandatory hold time on lost pets down so they can be euth'd faster and save $$$).

That said - a pediatric neuter does not require an abdomen cut. All of the surgeries I've observed have been localized and require minimal stitching. My vet allowed me to observe a full day of a spay/neuter clinic a few years ago (I was a trained tech but it was more for rescue/information)... it was actually really interesting to watch.