6 months for spaying

[PiperIsTerrysChoclateOrange]

I want to let my kitten out, but not until she is spayed and all vacs are up to date.

The vet said he doesn't recommen it till 6 months.

MrsH, that's very funny. Did he look like ?

What a lovely cat.

She's big enough to do now. We do our kittens for rehoming at 8 weeks and our clients' cats at four months. Find another vet. Six months is much, much too late and also shows that your vet is out of date with current thinking.

I do kittens about 4/5months of age, size is very important the small the patient the higher the anaesthetic risk. All the studies at 16 weeks were done by shelters where the increased risk and in truth the slightly increased death rate is more acceptable.
I am happier to do males at 4 months, but females I like their surface area to volume ratio to be reasonable. The smaller they are when you open their abdomen the more heat they lose in surgery which is the significant factor in the risk.
All these decisions should be made with a full conversation with your vet about the benefits and disadvantages so that you are fully informed.
I operated to a gerbil yesterday - really high risk, but the owner was fully informed of the risks and benefits.

I'm hiding this thread as I keep reading it as '6 months for spying' and getting all excited.

Mine was done at 4 months, and she is / was unusually small. Vet said do ASAP after they notice the outside if you don't want kittens. He also said that they recover faster if done early.

I feel I need to ask, Lone - did the gerbil make it through OK?

Yes Cozie it did, I have tiny hands ( think 10year old child) so I get the tiny things.

Do you have to wear magnifying glasses for a job like that, Lone?

Oh Dear, Thomas Richard. You'll need to stay alert to catch the 2015 Litter Tray equivalent of 'Jean has a long mustache'.

I'm glad to hear it, Lone.

Oh, if we're sharing ... This isn't the one that got out.

This one is.

Our kitten is 3.5 months (ish) and vet said he would spay her at 5 months. When I took her for second vaccinations though he said she looked bigger than expected, so would do it earlier. I'm booking her in in 4 weeks, so she'll be 4.5 months.

I too worry about her going outside. She is desperate to get out, she watches our oldcat and old dog go in and out of the garden, and she waits laying on our shoes by the door ready to pounce outside so far I have managed to stop her! I have to pick her up every time one of the others goes in or out, which gets quite time consuming as you can imagine!

The coming weather may just be your friend on this one if you're in the UK. A summer morning with smells and sounds and flobbly young birds is a far cry from late October/early Novemember showers and cold. But Yes, it's worrying - and I'm afraid to tell you that it doesn't get a whole load better when they mature. A certain point past their usual time of return and you might find yourself pacing, even with the most experienced cat.

I had my boy done at 4 months, I was told its best to do it as soon as their testes have dropped.
He's 6 months now and I let him out in the day when we are at home but would rather he stayed in because if I can't see him I get frantic that he's lost!!

They're better kept in at night, right enough. Even The Lodger, who was used to doing his thing at 2 in the morning before he moved in, accepted it with remarkably good grace.

(And the airing cupboard with piles of warm-ish towels had a particularly large impact on him.)

Kitten is happy ATM being on the window sill with the window slightly open.

I'm working on getting our girls to come to a whistle. (It means food or a treat!) I am also trying a lead and harness
They won't be going out until they are much bigger and totally settled, jabbed, neutered and chipped! They will tolerate the harness and I hope it would mean they can explore safely when the time comes and not bolt if scared.
And defo coming in at night. (Well probably early morning. Buggers!)

Al current guidance recommends from 4months of age as this is when cats start to hit puberty.

Risks of low temp due to smaller body weights can be mitigated with appropriate thermoregulatory suport

Lots of info here from University of Bristol
www.langfordvets.co.uk/sites/default/files/Neutering%20article%20revised%20300413.pdf

Our lovely boy is being neutered on Friday at 12 weeks . He's a rescue kitten but has built up a lot since we got him . He's desperate to get out in the garden , we have let him out with us but he won't be allowed on his own for a while !

My 4.5 month old girl is getting done next week. Vet said she was big enough. I was going to wait but she's so desperate to get out and with three kids in the house it's hard to keep her back!

She's wild as well. Has scratched my furniture and carpets to death, scats and sprints about! She needs to burn off some energy.

Will definitely supervise her outdoors at first though

KenDodds argh so cute and fluffy!

My two turned 1 recently, they're still beautiful but I do feel nostalgic for when they were tiny.

They were neutered at 5 months and we started letting them out from 6 months. We keep them in at night though.

His name is Big Dave !

Oh so cute and lovely kitties. Mine is not spayed yet but desperate to be out, we are doing accompanied excursions only on a harness and lead. She doesn't mind at all. I want her to be an out door cat, but big main road nearby. So trying to establish a safe territory. Not many other cats around, occasional feral visits though.