Conference misery::feline_v1

My cat is 6 months old and my vet said it was the perfect age to have
him neutered.  Most vets suggest that you have your cat neutered between
6-8 months.  I'm sure that varies depending on which vet you talk to.

Just a year ago, my vet wanted to wait until Kiwi
was 9 months old to neuter.  We compromised on 8
months.  He had not started spraying or anything
at 8 months.
I would think Angell Memorial Hospital in Boston
would be a good source for the most recent devel-
opments on this issue.

Donna

 Just as in .1, we had our male and female (litter mates) 'fixed' 
 at six months - on the vet's recommendation.

 Neil

Any cat I have had (male and female) has been neutered or spayed at
six months of age, as recommended by different vets and have not had
any problems. 

The reason there's variance between vets is probably because the best time
depends upon the individual catten's (between kitten & cat) development.
Not all humans mature at the same time either.

Usually, your vet will have enough of a medical history to know
what's a good time.

Steve Kallis, Jr.

Since Maine Coons mature late, they should be neutered late. When I got Zorro,
the contract I signed included never declwing him and not neutering him before
he was a year old. I was told that neutering Maine Coons too early can stunt
their growth.

	Jon

By whom were you told this?

By the breeder.

   My vet prefers to neuter at 9 months.  He does make exceptions though.
Pip had an umbilical hernia.  They usually go away in a little while.  Pip's
was getting bigger so at 6 1/2 or 7 months, Dr. Creel went ahead and did
the surgery for both.  (Anesthesia is dangerous no matter how routine the
surgery, so he prefers to combine when he can.)
   Cinnamon, Sam,and Gandalf were all neutered at 9 months.  No spraying
or sexual behavior occured before (or after) the operation.  Merry was neutered
a little early (around 8 months) because even though he wasn't spraying he
was getting amorous with the afghan that sits on the back of the couch. 
He never did spray.  His afghan lust has diminished since the operation.
I only catch him at it a couple of times a year now and it's getting rarer.
Nazzie will 9 months in a couple of weeks and we're about to have him neutered.
He has never sprayed or shown any sexual behavior.
    I think you're safe to wait as long as 1)he stays inside where he can't
get any girl kitties in trouble and 2) his mom is spayed.  (Cats couldn't
care less about incest.)
                  
tlh

Our family has had two full toms for 12 years each, and we've never had any
trouble with spraying inside the house.  Of course, these cats were allowed
outside.  Is spraying inside the house a problem with indoor cats only?

--PSW

RE: -1

When I was growing up, we had a Main Coon that was allowed outside but still
sprayed when he was allowed in the house. He stopped once we had him neutered.

I was speaking to my vet this week about getting my kitten 5 month old kittens
fixed next month. My vet said that the curent practice is to wait until the
male is 8 to 10 months before neutering. Part of this is due to reducing
the risk under anestisa, but more important, they feel that it gives the
cat's uniary tract more time to grow so that the cat may be less prone to
FUS, etc.

Deb

It would seem that all vets do not read the same journals.  Or at
least do not believe everything they read, as Dr Clough said explicitly
that "waiting for the urinary tract to mature to reduce FUS chances"
was NOT current practice.  At least not HIS current practice, but he
spoke like this was general medical knowledge.

  In a case like this, I would would tend to wait.  We don't *know* one way
or the other whether early neutering is nasty, but I never heard anything
bad about waiting on neutering (other than concerns about spraying, etc.).
             
   It's sort like what my vet said to me when I asked if Brewers yeast would
help keep fleas away from the cats.  He said that he'd never seen any evidence
about it's effectiveness one way or another but it couldn't hurt and it might
help so why not try it?
                                                            
tlh

    If you are neutering your cat for the purpose of controling spraying
    it would help to understand why cats spray.  They spray to outline
    their territory.  They do this not so much to ward off other males,
    but to attract females.  It is part of the mating instinct.  If
    you have no unspayed females at home and you keep your cat inside
    there is a very good chance that he won't ever spray.  There are
    exceptions to this rule, however.  The reason for early neutering
    is to neuter before the cat matures and is ready to attract females.
    
    One of our cats was a tom for about 13 years and he sprayed constantly
    at first.  Now that he is fixed and seperated from the whole females
    he has stopped spraying altogether.
    
    There is hope for male cats afterall.
    
    Jo Ann