*spalko*

mildlymailyn

I know MrsSheeler always goes to you for kitten advise My kitten, Primrose, will be 4 months September 4. I have to spay her, I am going back and forth about the declawing because she is so gentle (we declawed our older cat, Willow, because she was attacking me for no reason and she has only settled down since we got the little one), and the vet said we can do it any time now. They didn't want to spay or declaw Willow until she was 6 months so I am not sure why they can do Prim any time now. I was thinking we can do it in October, do you have a suggestion?

TIA! 

spalko

If you do decide to declaw Prim, the sooner you do it the better it is for her. Declawing an older cat is much more painful so doing it at a younger age is the preferred way to go. We tell clients that kittens can be spayed/declawed starting between 5-6 months. We do this to make sure they are big enough (weighing at least 4 pounds) to handle the anesthetic and pain meds that are associated with the surgery. Does the vet you go to offer laser surgery? Laser surgery is actually a much better surgery option because it offers less chance of bleeding and infection as well as shorter hospital stays. If they do offer it (some places will offer it at an increased price), I would highly consider going with that. The other advantage to doing both procedures at once, is that you don't have to put Prim under anesthetic twice which always come with some risks. I would suggest that if she weighs more than 4 pounds by October, doing the surgery then will be just fine. Just talk with your vet if you aren't comfortable with something. After all, you want to feel 100% comfortable leaving your pet with them and they would like to know if something is making you uneasy. If you have any other questions, just let me know