Is it okay to get a kitten fixed?

Question

Is it okay to get a kitten nutered im not sure how ols she is. She is a little bigger than the palm of my hand

Answer 1

Some veterinarians have gone to an early spay/neuter time frame - I believe 2 months is when they will do that. The best thing for you to do, is talk to your veterinarian about this, whether or not early spaying is the way s/he does things. Your kitten might be too young for that at the moment, but it can't hurt to ask about it, and maybe set up the appointment for when the kitten would be old enough.

Answer 2

It's all in the teeth at this age:
This is the timeline, you may want to have a vet check to make sure as well.
Center (4) Incisors (front teeth between the canines) 3-1/2 to 4 months (14-16 weeks)
Outer Incisors (still beaten the canines) 4 to 4-1/2 months (16-18 weeks)
Canines 5 months
Upper molars (called a premolar) 4-1/2 to 6 months (depending on tooth)
Lower molars (called a premolar) 5-6 months for all
Upper molar in back, no baby tooth, just the molar at 4-5 months

For a female, I'd say get her fixed at 5-6 months.

Answer 3

At that size, she is likely to be far too young to be desexed. Many vets do advocate early spay/neuter, which can be done from 8 weeks of age, but it is far safer (and easier!) to wait until the kitten is about 6 months old. By this age, they are far better able to tolerate the anaesthetic drugs, are more able to regulate their body temperature, etc., so cope far better with anaesthesia than an 8 week old.

By 6 months, a kitten will also have completed its initial vaccinations, so will not be at risk of contracting disease (especially parts of the 'cat flu' complex, which are carried by a huge number of cats with no illness) from other cats in the clinic.

Your vet will be able to give you a fairly accurate judgement on her age by looking at her teeth.

Answer 4

Absolutely! A kitten can be spayed at neutered as soon as it's 8 weeks old and/or at least two pounds in weight. A lot of shelters are doing this early spay/neuter now for several reasons - it's a simpler operation with the animal being small, it's less traumatic for the animal and it ensures that the animals being adopted out are already spayed/neutered - they don't have to rely on adopters promising to bring them back at six months like shelters used to.

Heres an article on it if you want more info: http://www.danesonline.com/earlyspayneuter.htm or just type "early spay neuter" in a search engine and you'll find lots of info.

FYI - thank you for being responsible!! There's SO many unwanted cats and kittens at the shelters!

Answer 5

She's still too young. She needs to be at least 3 months old, preferably closer to six, before she can be fixed, simply because it is major surgery and trying to operate on a kitten that small is liable to kill your kitten.

Talk to your vet about how old she needs to be and get her checked out. He should be able to tell you how old she is (at least roughly) and let you know when he feels she'll be ready to be fixed.

Answer 6

No vet would fix a kitten that size anyway. Take the kitty to the vet and all your questions will be answered.

Answer 7

Sounds to me like this kitten may be a bit too young for to be fixed.

I would call a veterinarian, or even your local ASPCA, though, and get their opinion on this.

Answer 8

Please research early spay neuter. The risks outweigh the benefits. Personally, I am uncomfortable getting an animal fixed before 6 months. Good luck!

Answer 9

not until she is at least 6 months old. You can take her to a vet and he/she can tell you approx. how old the kitten is, and when you should bring her back to be fixed.

Answer 10

She's too young. You need to wait until the kitty is at least 6 months old.