So your Vet says you can’t spay/neuter your new kitten until it is 6 months old…???
Is your vet telling you your kittens cannot be fixed until they are 6 months old? Do you have a cat who had a litter, and you want to find them homes, and you’d have them all altered first – but you don’t want to keep them that long? So you give the kittens away unaltered…
Here’s where the confusion lies – the AVMA endorses the document put out by the Veterinary Task Force on Feline Sterilization for Age of Spay and Neuter Surgery ( click http://www.winnfelinefoundation.org/…/fix-by-five-focus-ver… to see the document) which states veterinarians should recommend sterilization BY 5 months of age – not that they SHOULD wait until age 5 months, but to do it NO LATER THAN 5 months. If you read the document, it states clearly
“Current scientific evidence documents benefits of spaying kittens before the first estrous cycle, including the following:
• Decreased risk for mammary carcinoma1-4
• Elimination of reproductive emergencies such as pyometra and dystocia
• Avoidance of unintended pregnancies that may occur as early as 4 months of age
• Potential decrease in behavioral problems linked with cat relinquishment.”
Note – the first estrus cycle (Heat cycle) can occur as young as 4 months. As they state, pregnancy can occur at age 4 months. And they go on to say “Current evidence does not support an increased risk for cats of complications or long-term adverse health effects with pediatric (6-14 weeks) or juvenile (>16 weeks) sterilization.” I can personally tell you I have trapped MANY 4-month-old kittens that were already pregnant or in heat and I have documentation to prove it! These are babies having babies!
For those who have a veterinarian telling you the kitten needs to wait to be spay/neutered, you need to be aware that veterinarian is either not keeping up with current data or is personally uncomfortable doing spay/neuter on young kittens. But it is irresponsible if s/he tells you the kitten needs to wait to be altered until that age – if s/he says they are not comfortable doing the procedure so young, that is a different story and you should respect their decision, and simply have the kittens altered elsewhere. Kittens should be altered before being rehomed, as even well-intentioned new cat owners frequently fail to “get around” to having it done, and THEIR cat now goes on to reproduce, and the cycle continues.