Is there any risk in waiting to 6 months to neuter kittens?

Question

I have 2 4 month old male kittens, and none of the local vets will do neutering until they are 6 months old. Is there any risk in them developing negative male cat behaviors (spraying, sexual aggression, excessive territorialism) before the 6 month mark?

Answer 1

I think there is because you think six months and then you make an appointment and before you know it it is seven months and that is too late. Tell the vets you want it done at five months - they may do it just for the business, then and in future. You are the boss and you don't have to agree with everything the vet says.

Call 1-800-SpayUSA to see if there is a clinic near you where it might be done by the time they are five months old. That's plenty old enough as many kittens are now being neutered in shelters at two months before being put up for adoption.

Answer 2

Most cats do not come into their sexual prime until after 6 months. I wouldnt really worry about spraying, sexual aggression of the being overly territorial until after 7 to 8 months old.

Both of my male cats were neutered at 9 months and had just the week prior started to spray. I think as long as you do it early enough and they havent been spraying that long or never started it usually isnt a problem. There are occasions when some cats will continue to spray or start spraying even with a neuter. While that is not the norm, I would be prepared for a "Just in case"

Answer 3

Not that I know of. Vets are professionals and they have their reasons for waiting. Whether it is for the safety of the kitten or merely for convenience (once the kitten gets big enough for the vet to be able to actually see what's inside!).

I have been around cats and kittens my whole life. Cats stay very youthful and behaviorally "moldable" for a while after they have seemingly left their "kitten" stage.

Most likely, your kittens will be fine. Once the cats are neutered, they mellow out.

Worst case, if any sort of behavior occurs, it will be spraying, but that is highly unlikely. With kittens that young who are already exposed to each other, they shouldn't become territorial.

Every cat is different, though, and if a problem does arise, the kittens are still young enough to train. We had outdoor, un-neutered male cats and for the most part, they rarely got territorial in the 15 years that we had them.

Don't worry about the problems just yet, though :) It's better to take the vet's advice right now and deal with the problem if it arises later. Just make sure if any problems do arise, that you don't treat the cats like they are bad. They don't realize they are being bad.

Goodluck!! And enjoy your kittens! I'm sure the rest of the cat lovers here are jealous and wish they had new little friends haha

Answer 4

I think you have gotten some good responses, but I just wanted to chime in and say that I'm not sure about spraying and territorialism, but they can definitely show sexual behaviors by 6 months. My MIL has an unneutered 5 month old, and he already tries to mount the girl cats in the house. Additionally, my friend also had 2 boys (brothers) like you, and I believe she waited until about 6 months or so to neuter - they were already starting to hump each other! I can't believe none of your local vets will perform the surgery until 6 months - I know some old school vets can be quite opinionated on this issue, but that's ridiculous! 5 months is certainly old enough - we adopted our female kitten from an animal welfare organization at 3 months, and they had already spayed her!

Answer 5

Usually not. The reason most vets like to wait til 6 months is for development reasons. Testiculat development plays a big part in urithra development. If you don't wait til they are fully developed then you could run into health problems later in life such as cancer or a tendency towards bladder stones and infections. As long as you get it done right at six months you shouldn't have a problem with sparying and such. If you wait a month or two after that it could start to develope. I hope this helps.

Answer 6

I had a girl kitty and she was spayed really young, I think about 5 months because cats that young can have kittens. I dont think there will be any harm in waiting. I dont think a cat that young will develop negative behaviors. Just take care of him and love him. The worse thing that could happen is that he could be a daddy.

Answer 7

It is preferred by some to do it young. A lot of the older type vets still are having problems excepting juvenille neutering. Try to get them in by 5 months. 6 months is iffy because that is when it all starts. Here is info on what happens between neutering at about 6 weeks, 6 months, or later.
http://www.danesonline.com/earlyspayneuter.htm
http://www.vivo.colostate.edu/hbooks/pathphys/reprod/petpop/early.html
http://www.petfinder.com/journalindex.cgi?path=private/shelteroperations/nutsandbolts/sheltermedicine/2.21.19.txt
http://www.spayusa.org/media/pdfs/prepubal_neutering.pdf
http://www.nal.usda.gov/awic/pubs/SpayNeuter/earlyspay.htm

Answer 8

The organs are mature at 6 mos. They can get preg by 4-5 mos but vets like to wait 6mos. Testes are not big enough --they are just tiny structures -to be removed. That makes it harder on the cat-- the risk is nerves could be cut too if done too young. The penis is tiny too, so...

Answer 9

Here in NYC the ASPCA pratices the 2mo/2lbs rule (meaning at that point it is safe to neuter)

I remember when I was younger they all used to say 6mo, but I do think negative behavoirs can develop by then. We have a female cat that we spayed at 7-8mo and she definately still displays heat behavoirs that she had developed beforehand.

Check this out too.

Answer 10

That should be okay. Usually as long as you get it done before 8 months, you are okay.