AIBU to think that cat groups should get their facts right.

[Shootfirstaskquestionslater]

AIBU to think that cat groups on Facebook should get their facts right before they go round spouting rubbish. I had to take my 17 month old cat to the vets today because I thought their was something seriously wrong with her because she wants using her back legs turns out it's just her first ever season the vet said to take her in when it's finished and they will spay her and my youngest kitten can be done at 6 months old. This girl from a cat group told me that the vet is wrong and old fashioned and that cats should be done at 4 months old. I would like to think that a trained vet with years of experience knows more than some cat warrior.

My vet goes on weight I think they have to be over 2kg. Age has never been an issue.

My latest rescue was done at 13 weeks. He's a boy, if that makes a difference.

My first boys were done at 5 months about 14 years ago. (I lived in a flat at the time)

My first girl was 6 months. (Again lived in a flat)

My other rescue fur baby was done at 7 months as that's when I got her.

Unspayed females can get pyometra and die as a result. If not breeding they should always be spayed. You say it was your opinion to keep her unspayed and put her health at risk and yet you've started this thread to moan about a rescue workers opinion on spaying younger as being wrong because it's not come from a vet? I guarantee no vet will advise leaving a female unspayed. It seems you are demonising a rescue worker for doing exactly what you did, have an opinion on when is the "right" time.

It may surprise the OP to learn that vets are human and - despite their lengthy undergraduate degree - can offer out-dated or even incorrect advice. It's fairly old fashioned know to suggest you have to wait until 6 months (although it can be a reasonable course of action in some circumstances). I've heard a lot worse advice from vets though...

It was an absolute nightmare and so stressful. My lads didn't know what to do with themselves, they just ran away everytime she came near them. They weren't intact, so couldnt accommodate her anyway! She kept doing the crab walk, sidling up to them and verbally pleading with them. I kept her seperate as much as possible. I was constantly checking with the vet to have her done. It felt like a lifetime of waiting.

Why would you decide not to have the 17 month old spayed, that's not fair on her

Our vet would not neuter our BrotherCat, when he was 5 months old - she wanted to wait a few more weeks. SisterCat, not even 6 months old threw herself at him during the Bank holiday weekend - paddling, presenting her rump to him....Poor boy mounted her head! She was so annoyed, she attacked him! Cue spaying of one cat in early pregnancy by her brother, who clearly got it right eventually!

I took my cat to a different vet as mine said 6 months whereas up to date advice is to do it at 4 months. Mine were done at 4 months but had to travel to a different town to get it done

Cats*

www.cats.org.uk/what-we-do/neutering/enr/menu-early-neutering - put in your postcode to find vets who will neuter owned cats from 4 months

Like I said my choice was to leave her because she is a very small cat there is no chance of her getting out and my male has been neutered so I decided not to have her done. My cat my decision.

I agree that everyone seems to have different advise but everyone seems to agree that it's not based on age but on weight.

want2beme I can only imagine how much of a headache that must've been for you.

checklist your poor cats reminds me of the time our female dog attached herself to our male dog cue a lot squealing and blood he had no idea that's what you did with it because he had been done at 6 months old and the female was in season she got done after that.

Actually you'll find that all of the major rescues (Battersea, rspca, cats protection, blue Cross, PDSA) recommend four months as they have put extensive scientific research into this and found four months beneficial as it's when cats hit puberty and there are no adverse effects.

6 months is what a lot of 'old school' vets were taught. It's not what current research recommends. So you can rant about it and call them 'warriors' all you want but their comment is based on sound expert welfare advice.

(trust me, it's what I do for a living)

On a related note, some of the rescues neuter at 8 weeks...

On another note she's probably small because she's been left unneutered for so long. Lots of cats have a growth spurt after neutering.

She was extremely small when I got she was only 6 weeks old and over run with worms and fleas which was a nightmare to get rid of that's why I left her because it took me so long to get rid of the worms and fleas.

Also her mum was small so I think it's the type of cat that she is.

My two torties are tiny. We had to delay spaying for that reason.
But not for 17 months.
Neither did it take you 17 months to sort the fleas and worms.
And cats can always escape. Unless you don't have doors and windows!

You've got to love this place sometimes?

AIBU? Majority say yes and OP still won't concede that maybe she is being just a weeny bit unreasonable.

OP, why don't you go the whole hog and get the thread deleted?

"Thank you for your information, I will seriously consider it" and then just do what the vet says anyway.

I have my reasons for dealing the biggest one being her size even though shes 17 months old she's the size of a 6 month old kitten.

I do have doors and windows but how many cats do you know that would be willing to run down 4 flights of stairs just get outside or jump out of a 3rd floor window. I live in a block of flats like I said there is no chance of her getting out. She is booked in to be neutured and the vet will be doing it when she is out of season and my tortie will be done at 6 months old I am taking my vets advise.

You actually said you had no plans to neuter her as your male was neutered and you didn't see why she should be. Maybe your vet should have advised you regarding all the health risks seeing as you value their advice so much.

Because I never planned to get her neutured because money was another problem it was only when I was told that I might be able to get help with did I start to think about it but I was still unsure mostly because of her size. The way she was acting today frightened me to the point that I just took her to a random vets without any kind of appointment expecting to hear the worst only to be told that she's actually going through her first ever season not really sure why she was so late having her first one but there you go.

If money is a problem I hope you have insurance. My old girl cost me £60 plus a month at the end on thyroid pills and painkillers.
No matter how short money is you need to provide health care.

I will get pet insurance for all of them as soon as I am fit enough to return to work. Listen I go without just to feed my cats I am trying my very best to look after them on what little money I have it's not like they are being neglected.