Is Early Spay/neuter Associated With Orthopedic Problems
Three fairly recent articles discuss orthopedic concerns associated with early neutering of large breed dogs. These articles have led to confusion about the appropriateness of and age at which spay/neuter surgery should be performed.16-18 These articles were published in open access journals and have generated questions from veterinarians and the general public. With regard to these articles, 2 key points should be considered. First, the articles focus on large breed dogs, and their findings should not be extrapolated to cats. Second, no similar studies have found a relationship between spay/neuter and orthopedic conditions in cats.
Benefits Of Spaying Or Neutering Your Cat
According to Dr. Jennifer Coates, veterinary advisor with petMD, spaying a female cat before her first heat cycle virtually eliminates the risk of mammary cancer. She says that this condition is especially serious in cats since feline mammary cancers tend to be very aggressive in comparison to other species.
Spayed female cats also cannot develop ovarian and uterine cancers or a potentially fatal uterine infection called a pyometra, Coates adds. Other health-related issues related to spaying include negating the possibility of the complications that can occur with pregnancy and birthing.
For male cats, Coates says that the benefits of neutering are primarily behavioral, although the procedure does eliminate the possibility that a cat will develop testicular cancer as he ages.
Anyone who as ever tried living with an intact male cat will tell you that the vocalizations, escape attempts, roaming, fighting and urine spraying associated with normal tom cat behavior can get old really quick, she says.
Feline AIDS and leukemia can both be spread between cats through bites, often spurred on by sexual competition, says Coates. So, reducing the urge to mate also reduces the likelihood that your cat will contract one of these oftentimes fatal infections.
What Is The Best Age To Spay A Kitten
So when can a kitten be spayed? There is debate among veterinarians about the time to spay/neuter your cat.
There are three different times in which you can spay a kitten.
First, Early or pediatric spay/neuter is done at six to eight weeks of age.
Second, Standard spay and neuter at five to six months. Finally, waiting until after the first heat, somewhere between eight to twelve months of age.
As someone who has had kittens neutered at nearly all the ages, I want to give you guys my opinion.
Phoebe, was spayed after her first time in heat. And honestly, I do not recommend it! At the time I had just found her and did not realize she was about to go into heat. But knowing what I know now, I would definitely spay my cats prior to their first time in heat. This allows them to not have to go through the stress of being in heat.
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Spayed Vs Neutered Difference Between Spay And Neuter In Cats
Getting your cat fixed is a term used for spay/neuter procedures in cats.
- Spaying: It is a sterilization procedure in cats where the uterus and ovaries of female cats are removed surgically. After this process, the female cat is not able to reproduce anymore.
- Neutering: Also known as castration, this sterilization procedure in male cats removes their testicles. After this surgery, your male cat will be unable to father the kittens. Neutering prevents unwanted kittens, roaming, fighting, and urine marking in house.
The best part of taking this surgery is that the cost of spayed or neutered surgery for your cat is much less than cost of having and caring for their kittens.
How Much Do Kitten Shots Cost
Depending on where you live, the individual veterinarian’s prices, and the type of vaccine, the cost of your new kitten’s first vaccination may cost around $20-$45 per shot. Veterinarians will also want to perform a physical examination of your kitten before administering what shots your kitten needs.
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Addresses Feline Welfare Issues
This is one of the results of unmitigated population growth in cats. If there are too many kittens getting born, there may be not enough people to adopt them and care for them. These cats will live in back alleys, thriving on whatever scraps of food they could find. It exposes them to many diseases and a lot of dangers.
Is Early Spay/neuter Associated With More Surgical Or Anesthetic Complications
In 2000, Land reported on a survey of 85 veterinarians who had collectively performed approximately 200000 early spays/neuters .12 The veterinarians unanimously stated that early spays/neuters were safer, faster, and easier than the same surgeries in dogs and cats 6 months of age or older.
In a prospective study of dogs and cats, Howe compared short-term complication rates among 3 groups of animals: sterilized at younger than 12 weeks, at 12 to 23 weeks, and at 24 weeks or older.13 Researchers measured complications during anesthesia, surgery, and the immediate postoperative period and classified complications as being major or minor . For incidence of major complications, they found no differences among the 3 groups. However, for incidence of minor complications, they found a significant difference rates were highest among animals in the oldest group and lowest among those in the youngest group.13
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Spaying And Neutering Make Your Cat Easier To Live With And More Content Living With You Too
Facts first: one-third of cat relinquishments to shelters are related to the sexual behaviors of intact cats. We already know that cats in shelters dont have good odds. Can you imagine the likelihood of a cat with behavioral problems getting adopted?
The Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association states that spaying and neutering reduces the likelihood that cat will be given up to a shelter for behavioral reasons. Even if there were no other reasons to spay and neuter your cat, that should be enough.
If youve ever lived with a tom cat, you can skip ahead to the next section. I dont have to convince you that living with intact cats can be a nightmare.
What do intact cats do? They are very creative about finding ways to escape the house, for one. Males fight, and both sexes spray urine. Intact cats vocalize a lot! Females go into heat for four to five days every three weeks during breeding season and during this time they yowl and urinate frequently, sometimes all over the house.
One of the advantages of Feline Fix by Five Months is that you prevent your cat from ever reaching sexual maturity and developing the habit of urine spraying. Once a cat starts spraying urine, it can be a very difficult behavior to change, even if you decide to spay her then.
For more information about urine spraying, read this post, Why do cats spray or mark with urine?
What Happens After The Surgery
Some people worry that their cats personality will change. This isnt true but you might see a fall in certain behaviour roaming, mounting, fighting or spraying urine.
People also worry that their pet will get fat. Neutered animals might have slightly lower food requirements so you just need to feed them a little less.
Page last updated 22/03/2021
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It Does Not Produce Health Problems In The Kitten
One of the reasons why some veterinarians do not recommend neutering a cat earlier than 6 months of age is the risk of health problems. However, the VTFFSs review of scientific literature showed that early neutering does not cause any health issue in the growing cat. It does not affect the kittens physical and musculoskeletal development. Early neutering also does not lead to problems in the cats behavior.
Oh No I Got My Kitten When He Was Only 4 Weeks Old
Sometimes kittens are adopted at a very young age. Rescued kittens can be as young as a day old – separated from their mother for unknown reasons. In other cases, backyard breeders or irresponsible cat owners who allow their cat to breed, may be unaware of the guidelines and separate their kittens too early.
If you already have the kitten in your possession, all you can do is learn all you can about kitten care and try to provide your kitten with the appropriate environment and stimulation he or she needs. Please spay and neuter your kitten in time as well.
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Reasons For Neutering Or Spaying A Kitten
You can have your kitten neutered or spayed as early as 6 weeks of age and the kitten weighs at least 2.2 lbs. For newbie pet parents, however, the idea of feline sterilization may be a very new and odd concept. Some may not feel the need for sterilization at all. Here are some of the reasons why you should have your kitten neutered.
Caring For Your Cat After The Spaying Process
After being spayed, your cat will likely experience several mood swings and behavior changes.
To help them deal with these life changes, you need to set out a few precautions to ensure they remain comfortable during the process.
There are several things you can do to ensure the safe recovery of your cat after spaying.
Here are some steps you can use to ensure your cat remains comfortable after being spayed:
- Create a quiet area in your home for your cat to recover
- inspect the incision area daily to check for any potential infections
- Try to stop your pet from licking their incision
- Reduce the physical activity of your cat for at least two weeks after surgery
- Dont bathe your cat for at least 10 days after spaying
These are all things that will enable you to ensure your cat recovers fully and comfortably. They will also help safeguard your cat from developing infections near the incision area.
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Best Age To Neuter A Cat: Everything You Need To Know
Neutering or spaying your kitten can help solve a lot of behavioral issues in cats. These can include territoriality and aggression. Feline sterilization can also help curb the incidence of disease while controlling the population of cats. Though there are a growing number of cat parents who recognize the need for neutering their pets, one question remains. At what age should they have their kittens or cats neutered or spayed?
Neutering May Extend The Life Of Your Male Cat
The Banfield State of Pet Health report showed that neutering seems to be associated with a longer life for male cats, too. Neutered males had a life expectancy of 11.8 years, versus only 7.5 years for intact males.
How does neutering extend the life of male cats? For one, it eliminates the risk testicular cancer and reduces the risk for prostate cancer.
It also reduces aggression in male cats, and with it, the desire to roam and fight. If your intact male cat is allowed outdoors, or escapes, hes more likely to be injured in a fight, or even in traffic, as his mind is only on one thing.
Feline AIDS and leukemia are spread between cats through bites, and these bites can be the result of sexual competition.
So, neutering reduces both the urge to mate and the urge to fight about it, and reduces the likelihood that your cat will contract one of these often-fatal infections.
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Why Should I Spay/neuter My Cat
There is more than one good reason, so we leave you with a complete list:
Benefits Of Spaying Your Female Cat
Population Control
Your tiny little kitten may actually be mature enough to have kittens of her own before she is even six months old. By spaying your female cat before she is mature enough to have kittens, you help to reduce the population of unwanted cats in your neighborhood.
Not only that, female cats can have as many as four litters a year. When we consider that the average litter can range in size from two kittens to as many as ten kittens, that is a staggering number of unwanted cats.
Animal Health
Spaying your kitten before she has her first heat can help to reduce her risk of pyometra as well as mammary tumors. It’s also important to note that female cats carrying infectious diseases can pass serious conditions on to their kittens who go on to spread the disease even further. Pregnancy and the birth process can be risky for young cats, and costly to their owners.
Save Wildlife
It is estimated that cats in the USA kill between 1.4 billion and 3.7 billion birds each year. Keeping the numbers of homeless cats to a minimum can help to save the lives of countless birds and other wildlife.
Deter Nuisance Behaviors
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Getting Your Boy Cat Snipped
If you have a male cat, he’ll need to have a simple operation called ‘the snip’. This can stop him from spraying in your house to mark his territory, which can be very smelly, and getting nasty injuries from fights. He’s also less likely to wander off and get run over, as cats who’ve been snipped tend to stay closer to home.
What’s more, having your cat snipped will protect him from a nasty disease called FIV, which is the cat version of HIV. It’s spread through cat bites, often between males fighting over a female. It can’t be caught by people.
When Is A Cat Too Old To Be Spayed
I am thinking of adopting a 6 year old female not spayed. When is a cat too old to be spayed? When does heat stop?
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By: Katie Gerloff El Segundo, CA
Replied on 04/19/2011
A spayed female cat will not have reproductive tract problems, will have less urinary tract infections , eliminates the possibility of bacterial infection in the uterus, and significantly fewer cases of mammary cancer . If the bacteria gets into your pet’s bloodstream, it can be fatal. Your cat will no longer have heat periods, unwanted offspring, and their tendency to roam will be decreased. Most pets become less aggressive toward people and other animals.While spaying & neutering animals at a young age will give them the best chance to avoid such medical and behavioral issues it is never “too late” to correct this mistake. To prevent risks associated with anesthesia your veterinarian can perform pre-anesthetic blood work to determine if your cat is healthy enough to process anesthesia. This is typically recommended regardless of the age of your pet but is especially recommended in older animals. Cats do not experience what humans identify as menopause. Most cats will continue to go into heat until the end of their lifespan. However, as they grow older they will go into heat less often, but will never completely stop. As they grow older they will also be at higher risk for experiencing the above life threatening medical issues.
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Benefits Of Spaying Or Neutering Your Adult Cat
Just like with spaying or neutering your kitten, getting your older cat fixed helps lower the risk of health issues that are common in intact cats.
Some of the risks of leaving an older cat intact include pyometra, which is a life-threatening infection of the uterus and is more common in older cats, Dr. Satchu said. Neutered cats are at a lower risk of developing testicular cancers and prostate problems.
Additionally, a neutered male or spayed female cat is at a lower risk of wandering away to seek out mating opportunities, regardless of his or her age.
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But What If My Cat Is Just Going To Be An Indoor Cat
Even indoor cats should be spayed and neutered. The risk of an indoor cat escaping and contributing to cat overpopulation is very, very real. But even if your cat never goes roaming, there are significant health and behavioral advantages to spaying and neutering. Spaying and neutering will make your cat healthier and happier to be living with you. More on that below.
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What Care Is Needed After The Surgery
There are three main conditions to uphold giving the prescribed medication, keeping the surgical area clean and preventing any kind of trauma.
For the first, and despite cats extraordinary abilities to spit out pills and avoid any external maneuvers, medication for pets is becoming increasingly palatable which makes it easier for cats to take their medication. And if your cat is one of the exceptions, dont despair! Try pill pockets or other strategies to trick your cat into taking medication with little fuss and, remember, itll only be for a few days.
For further tips on post-surgical care, dont miss our previous article.