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Join our community of cat lovers on the Mumsnet Cat forum for kitten advice and help with cat behaviour.

Original poster

Is 4 months the recommended age for neutering?

38 replies

AintNobodyHereButUsChickens · 29/10/2023 19:11

Or can I wait until they're more grown? Like you do with puppies? They're 3 months old at the moment, and I'm thinking ahead about when to get them fixed. DH says they're not getting done Hmm I told him to enjoy two fighting tom cats pissing all over the house. Anyway regardless of DHs feelings about it, they will be getting done as soon as they're old enough. To the best of our ability they will be indoor cats so happy to wait until they're a bit more grown up, I'm not so keen on the idea of getting them done when they're still babies.

OP posts:
Jasmin1971 · 29/10/2023 20:50

2.5 kg, not age. Get your kitties weighed at your vet and go from there. I agree with neutering wholeheartedly.

dementedpixie · 29/10/2023 20:56

Yes it is advised at 4 months. Both my boys were neutered at that age. Weight didn't really come into it

Lonecatwithkitten · 29/10/2023 21:00

Unneutered makes travel further and are more likely to be involved in fights and road traffic incidents.
Owned cats from 4 months is the recommendations there appears to be none of the issues of early neutering that are seen in dogs.

TomatoSandwiches · 29/10/2023 21:03

We have a brother and sister we had them neutered and spayed at just over 4 months, boy was 2.3kg girl 2.1 kg.

Springwillcome · 29/10/2023 22:41

My vet said girls can be done earlier (eg 4/5 months) if they’re at least 2 kg but that boys should be at least 6 months otherwise their heads don’t grow to full size. Google it. Male cat development is weird.

Don’t leave it much longer than 6 months tho as the extra testosterone starts to make them fight and get injured, and then even if you neuter them, they keep on fighting as it’s become learned behaviour. Fighting injuries get very expensive…

margotrose · 29/10/2023 23:19

As early as you possibly can. Females can get pregnant from 4-5 months and you really don't want an entire male cat spraying in your house.

Surgery is so simple and they recover in a matter of hours. Don't delay it.

NeverDropYourMooncup · 29/10/2023 23:29

Males become complete knobs around 18 weeks-5 months without it - they'll be forcibly shagging anything that doesn't run away fast enough, even if their equipment doesn't quite work yet. Like one another - the fights and the smell would be spectacular.

It's a really simple procedure for males and they just come back a bit stoned from the vet.

Grumpyoldpersonwithcats · 30/10/2023 08:39

Having owned cats for years there are a whole load of thing described here that I don't recognise.
6 months used to the the standard age to neuter cats - none of mine ever turned into rampant sex machines before this date.
Two of my cats (Karl and Lenny) were done at 8 weeks old at Battersea. (Now pretty standard for rescues) They definitely don't have tiny deformed heads.
Finally my first cat, a stray who moved in with me, was an intact male. He didn't fight, he didn't spray, he didn't smell. In fact he was a perfect gentleman. I only finally had him done when we needed him to go into a cattery. (I do recognise that his behaviour may not have been typical though and OP don't tell your DH this 🤣).
OP - four months is absolutely standard nowadays, there is no need to wait any longer.

Allergictoironing · 30/10/2023 17:44

The head development thing is more about the broadness some entire males develop e.g. my rescue who wasn't done until he was 2 has wide cheeks. Then again my previous boy who was done at 1-ish had a narrow head, but that was probably due to his breeding (we think part oriental).

Trouble is your DH is mistaking how HE would feel, with how the cats would feel. They really, genuinely don't notice they are "missing" anything, they just don't get those urges any more and tend to be much less territorial and aggressive.

Laurama91 · 30/10/2023 18:35

We were recommended to wait until 6 months as our boy was small. I'd just speak with your vet and see what they recommend

JaceLancs · 30/10/2023 22:08

My vet said male kitten needed to be over 2kg - Finlay is 2.3kg and 14 weeks old so booked in for next week

Potentialmadcatlady · 30/10/2023 22:14

Over 2kg is standard but can be done before that if needed.
I just got one of my rescues done- in/out of vets in three hours and it didn’t phase him. I gave him the prescribed pain relief for five days but he was literally back to his normal ten mins after getting home.
The head development is to do with them getting ‘Cobby’
Basically a wider jawline.

cudbywestrangers · 30/10/2023 22:20

We've recently adopted 2 kittens from the rspca and they arrived with us already done at 13 weeks. Think they were a bit over 2kg

AnnaMagnani · 30/10/2023 22:26

The rescue I got mine from did them at 1kg!

It's not like dogs, the sooner it's done the better.

Alainlechat · 31/10/2023 15:50

Our vet said 6 months for boys. Just had ours done at a week under 6m and weighing 2.8kg.

dementedpixie · 31/10/2023 15:51

My vet said 6 months so I used a vet that did it from 4 months. There is a kitten neutering database and that's where I found the alternative vet.

Original poster
AintNobodyHereButUsChickens · 31/10/2023 22:14

Allergictoironing · 30/10/2023 17:44

The head development thing is more about the broadness some entire males develop e.g. my rescue who wasn't done until he was 2 has wide cheeks. Then again my previous boy who was done at 1-ish had a narrow head, but that was probably due to his breeding (we think part oriental).

Trouble is your DH is mistaking how HE would feel, with how the cats would feel. They really, genuinely don't notice they are "missing" anything, they just don't get those urges any more and tend to be much less territorial and aggressive.

I don't really care how DH feels about it, please don't think his stupidity will stop me from getting them done. He'll come home from work one day and it'll have happened! I popped into my vets today actually for my dogs flea/wormer and I asked them about the neutering. They said they'll contact me when the boys are old enough AND as an added bonus I can get them chipped and snipped for £10 each because we get universal credit 😁

OP posts:
Original poster
AintNobodyHereButUsChickens · 01/11/2023 10:44

The vets phoned me this morning to book them in. The nurse I spoke to said they like to do it at 5-6 months when they'll definitely be over 2kg (apparently this is because the pain relief they use is unlicensed for under 2kg?) Anyway they're both booked in for 16th January. Can't wait to get yelled at for starving them the night before and the following morning 🙃

OP posts:
margotrose · 01/11/2023 14:08

Mine was done a fortnight ago and he was furious that he couldn't have any dinner or breakfast 🙈

But when he got home you wouldn't even know he'd had an operation. He jumped out of his carrier, dive-bombed his brother and then climbed the curtains 😂

iloveeverykindofcat · 02/11/2023 05:12

I waited until Zara was 6 months because she was such a tiny little thing. She still is a small cat at 13, just got a bit of a tummy now after being a skinny minny her whole life. Anyway, she went into heat at 5 months. It was not fun!

thecatneuterer · 02/11/2023 06:14

Jasmin1971 · 29/10/2023 20:50

2.5 kg, not age. Get your kitties weighed at your vet and go from there. I agree with neutering wholeheartedly.

Nonsense!!! The recommended age is four months. They can be done (and are in rescues) at 1 kg. If you have males you can leave a bit longer (and new research has suggested this might be beneficial), but six or seven months at most.

However 2.5kg is just madness. Most females would be pregnant before reaching that weight. Some would never reach that weight. If a vet has said this to you they should be struck off.

thecatneuterer · 02/11/2023 06:18

AintNobodyHereButUsChickens · 01/11/2023 10:44

The vets phoned me this morning to book them in. The nurse I spoke to said they like to do it at 5-6 months when they'll definitely be over 2kg (apparently this is because the pain relief they use is unlicensed for under 2kg?) Anyway they're both booked in for 16th January. Can't wait to get yelled at for starving them the night before and the following morning 🙃

The pain relief isn't licensed for under 2kg? How odd? Does that mean they can't operate on a kitten with an injury for example? How come all other vets can neuter at over 1kg (as all vets used by rescues do)? Please, please get them to give you exact details of what pain relief they are referring to and post it here!

thecatneuterer · 02/11/2023 06:20

Allergictoironing · 30/10/2023 17:44

The head development thing is more about the broadness some entire males develop e.g. my rescue who wasn't done until he was 2 has wide cheeks. Then again my previous boy who was done at 1-ish had a narrow head, but that was probably due to his breeding (we think part oriental).

Trouble is your DH is mistaking how HE would feel, with how the cats would feel. They really, genuinely don't notice they are "missing" anything, they just don't get those urges any more and tend to be much less territorial and aggressive.

Second paragraph nailed it.

Original poster
AintNobodyHereButUsChickens · 02/11/2023 08:54

thecatneuterer · 02/11/2023 06:18

The pain relief isn't licensed for under 2kg? How odd? Does that mean they can't operate on a kitten with an injury for example? How come all other vets can neuter at over 1kg (as all vets used by rescues do)? Please, please get them to give you exact details of what pain relief they are referring to and post it here!

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I thought that was a bit strange too! What if a tiny kitten really needed surgery, what are they going to do, turn it away?!

OP posts:
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