Hi all..at what age do you recommend getting my little girl spayed?. I've found all different answers when looking this up, from 8 weeks to 6 months. Any info appreciated.

My little girl Pearl was done at around 16 weeks, I was going to wait a little longer because she is a tiny cat but she came into season and I couldn't stand all the calling so I had her done then.

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Clare
Magic (brown spotted boy born 31 March 2012)
Pearl (seal Lynx Point girl born 1 October 2015)
Bristol, UK

Katniss was neutered at 12 weeks. She had a very bad wake up from the operation, I wished we waited a bit longer, as I think at 12 weeks they are still just babies. Then again most cats are fine being neutered early. I'd wait as long as possible, you'll know once they come into season. I'd book an appointment then.

Hi lilzzz, I remember reading back last year the problems you had with Katniss scratching and biting, I assume you got the problem sorted or she grew out of it.

It's just when I saw your name and Katniss I remembered.

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Clare
Magic (brown spotted boy born 31 March 2012)
Pearl (seal Lynx Point girl born 1 October 2015)
Bristol, UK

Lolll Clare, I've just posted another scratching issue with her.. but other than that she has grown up a lot since then!

I'm glad things worked out OK for you, I know you were worried about maybe having to rehome her.

My Magic was a nightmare when he was young for biting my hubby's feet luckily he grew out of it and since we've had Pearl it keeps him occupied.

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Clare
Magic (brown spotted boy born 31 March 2012)
Pearl (seal Lynx Point girl born 1 October 2015)
Bristol, UK

Oh it's not all fun and games with her, some days Dan still wants to rehome her, but intend to shrug it off now, because I know it's just not going to happen. Katniss is hard work, but she is part of the family and she realises that now. Dans quite excited about taking her for walks. She has chosen her walking jacket and everything (it has to be camo).. the other day she was telling me how in 5 years time, we should move to Spain for a bit and Katniss would have a big (enclosed) garden to run around in.. so even with all her flaws, she is not going anywhere!

Sorry for hijacking the thread..

I would recommend spaying around 4 months, before she goes into her first heat. Once a cat is in heat, there is extra blood flowing into the spay area and many vets are hesitant to cut a cat open at that point. Females can go into heat as early as 4 months -- so don't take the chance. If she goes into heat, there is a possibility she will start spraying around your house.

I've just booked Lyra in to be spayed..Friday 17th is Spay-day. She will be 19 weeks old I'm off work that weekend so I can be with her the whole time. What have been your experiences with trying to keep the furbaby calm while healing? TIA

She may have to wear the "cone of shame." It's important that she stay calm and quiet and not bite at her stitches. Usually when they come home, they are still groggy from the anesthesia. Every female cat is different. Hopefully, she will just want to snuggle and sleep in your lap! Just know that things usually get better by the day and within a couple of weeks, she is back to normal again. The main thing is that she doesn't pull on the incision. Some vets use thread stitches, some use glue that holds the incision closed. You want to make sure you check it daily and if it turns red or starts to swell up, she needs to go back to the vet. But I'm sure she will be just fine.

Pearl was spayed when she was in season, they didn't seam to think it was a problem.

I got her a soft cone as the others are so hard but she only wore it for one day and ripped it off.

Luckily she didn't have any external stitches, they were internal ones and skin glue but she never touched the wound and being the right little madam she is I could not keep her calm, she raced round like nothing had happened, if it was a human we would have to rest for weeks.

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Clare
Magic (brown spotted boy born 31 March 2012)
Pearl (seal Lynx Point girl born 1 October 2015)
Bristol, UK

There are multiple schools of thought here.

First of all, the original veterinarian school of thought was 6 months - which was complete arbitrary and based on nothing.

Secondly, Dogs and Cats are completely different with regards to spay / neuter. It's been shown through multiple studies that there is no difference in growth / development between 7 weeks and 6 months (note that there is a difference when done after 18 months).

The CFA is now completely fine with pediatric spay / neuter (to the point where they now allow them to show as kittens). The recommendation is not based on age but based on weight (> 2 lbs).

I've been having conversations with a few vets recently about spaying / neutering between 8 and 12 weeks and the main concern they have is the surgery itself. The main issue is anesthetic risk - there may be additional complications due to their younger age. We are consulting with a veterinary anesthesiologist about minimizing risk to pediatric patients. I can follow up when I hear from them.

In your case, 19 weeks shouldn't be a concern.

Thanks for all your replies. Today is the day, I dropped her to the vets this morning..Lyra wasn't very pleased with me, she kept expecting me to give her breakfast!
I am going to have to keep her caged for as long as I can, as my dog is obsessed with any sort of injury, she has to lick at you to make it better, her sense of smell is heightened with her being blind, and I know she wouldn't leave Lyra alone

Anyway, looking forward to seeing my baby soon...feels very strange her not being here.

I'm sure everything will go well and soon she will be on the road to recovery. It is important that she not bite the incision area. Unfortunately, cats do not understand and at some point, it is going to start itching and driving her crazy! Let us know how she does.

She's home, in her cage and hating it! She's rolling around in her litter try But I need to keep her in the cage for as long as possible to protect the wound from our dog. I am getting a cat T.shirt from a friend tomorrow, as the cone of shame lasted about 2 mins!!!

Oh, and no way is she showing signs of being drowsy..when i picked her up, the nurse said she was bouncing around the cage