What Age Do Kittens Need To Be Fixed

Standard spay and neuter at five to six months.

What age do kittens need to be fixed. Some experts suggest getting a kitten spayed or neutered when the cat is as young as two months old. The bc spca supports early age spay neuter procedures for dogs and cats. Younger kittens may heal and bounce back more quickly than their older counterparts and no long term side effects have been noted in cats fixed at a. Finally waiting until after the first heat somewhere between eight to twelve months of age he says.

To avoid behavioral changes or issues from developing it s best to get your kitty fixed prior to puberty. At 6 8 weeks of age kittens are not ready to stop nursing. Fix early for health. Some vaccines might be given together in one injection that is called a combination vaccine.

You can safely have a male kitten neutered at eight weeks of age if your veterinarian determines the cat is sufficiently healthy. There are three general options. If you don t see her monitor the kittens from a distance for a few hours. Fixing a kitten at a younger age is pediatric neutering among the many veterinarians and organizations that endorse it is the american veterinary medical association.

Consult your veterinarian to determine the best time for your pet. Kitten vaccines are usually first given at about six to eight weeks of age and repeated approximately every three weeks until about 16 to 18 weeks of age. It needn t be an early neuter. Before you do anything remember never separate kittens from their mother cat.

Learn more about kittens and their needs as they grow in our kitten guide. Really any opportune time between. Kittens as young as 8 weeks old can be spayed or neutered although some veterinarians recommend the procedure be performed between 4 and 6 months of age according to the cat care clinic. Early or pediatric spay neuter is done at six to eight weeks of age.

The usual recommendation is before six months of age for cats and before six and a half months for dogs. Cats can become sexually mature as young as 4 months old and if you re cat male or female has access to the outdoors during this time they could be contributing to accidental litters. Kittens need to weigh at least 2 pounds before surgery according to web md. If their mother returns leave them be.

Usually a mother cat will begin denying opportunities to nurse between 8 and 12 weeks of age and thus the kitten learns to deal with frustration in a natural way. Sterilizing your pet while young before the first heat cycle has been shown to reduce certain cancers specifically mammary tumors. There is some debate about when cats should be fixed.