Conference misery::feline

    I know that most people choose to have their cats spayed at 6 months
    for a couple of reasons. One, because the cat is strong enough to
    handle the surgery by 6 months (most times). Two, because it's right
    around 6  months old that a cat goes into heat. Some before and some
    after. Lately I've heard a new reason for waiting the six months, but 
    I'm not sure if it applies to both males & females....I've heard that
    the cat may not be completely developed before 6 months & that when 
    the do the operation they may not "get" everything. I've also heard
    that it's better to get the cat fixed before it goes into it's first
    heat, as some swelling of the organs may occur and this could make it 
    difficult to "get" everything too, causing pseudo heats.
    
    I've heard that an early neuter of a male can cause urinary problems
    later, but I forget exactly what that's all about (as I don't have
    males).
    
    Bonnie

    I recently had my three 6-months old kittens spayed, and wouldn't you
    know it?  One of them was in full-fledged heat!  So yes, by the sixth
    month it IS possible!  Oh, and one more thing -- because she was in
    heat it cost me a significant amount more to have her spayed.  I don't
    know if this is true for all vets, but that's my experience.  
    
    Nancy

    When Holly first came to live with me, she was very run down from being
    sick, etc.  The vet said to wait until she recovered to have her
    spayed.  Well, in about two weeks she went into heat.  He then said to
    being her in shortly after she'd gone out of heat, that while she was
    in it her organs would be swollen and it was harder to do the
    operation.  So, I assume that if you can time things to be between
    heats, the operation is less difficult and less expensive.
    

    You have a 5 year old unneutered male cat in your house?  Being a
    breeder, and knowing what that can mean as far as spraying, and tom cat
    urine smell, I would say don't worry about Alex right now, take Rico in
    and get him fixed first.
    
    I base my decisions on when to spay on the individual cat.  I won't
    subject a Birman female that weighs less than 5 pounds to general
    anesthesia.  Birman females generally reach 5 pounds by 6-7 months of age.
    
    If you wish to avoid Alex being bred by Rico, you need to get one of
    them altered right away. The presence of an intact male could bring her
    into season early, like any day now.
    
    Jo

    I'll second that.  According to the vet it was Sweetie's presence (he's
    had a vasectomy, as opposed to the more usual operation, courtesy of
    the sophisticated surgical vet who did the op at the same time he fixed
    Sweetie's pelvis from a car accident from before I got him) that
    brought Holly into heat earlier than the vet had thought.
    

    But then, even if Rico is fixed, it will take a few weeks before he
    will no longer be "potent", right?  So the female would still have
    to be kept out of his reach.  Or do them both together, and then don't
    worry as much.
    
    Nc

    Karen--->(re:.3) My vet tells me that cats don't really have a cycle
    that can be timed. Anyone else know anything about this? My vet sez
    that a cat can go into heat for a week, back out for three or four 
    days, back in for two weeks, out for a month, back in for a week, etc.
    In other words, they do not have a regular cycle like dogs do, which
    can be timed or predicted. THerefore it's hard to make an appointment
    for a cat who has already gone into her first heat.
    
    I had this happen w/ Callie. At 6 mos, I made the appt for Callie to
    be fixed. (no, she wasn't broken, I just still use that word.) The day
    after I made the appt (which was a week in advance), Callie went into
    her first heat! GAAAAW, did I feel bad. I even called Roberta to talk
    to her about it. I just felt SO sorry for my poor girl. She cried &
    cried, and even yelled at me! I had to call the vet & cancel the appt, 
    because I didn't want to have it done while she was in heat. The vet
    suggested that I bring her in two days after she has stopped showing
    signs of being in heat. This way he may be able to catch her before she
    begins a new cycle. This is what I'd suggest to anyone who's cat goes
    into heat for the first time. Your circumstances may be different
    though, and your vet can tell you what's best for sure.
    
    Bonnie

    .6 is right (I think it was .6), if you get Rico neutered, you will
    still have to keep them separated for a couple of weeks because male
    cats will still have some degree of viable sperm just after they are
    neutered.
    
    Cats do have a regular heat cycle, with different stages, but the
    length of each stage varies from cat to cat, and from heat cycle to
    heat cycle.  And, until they are in the estrus stage, most owners won't
    recognize that the cycle has begun.  Unlike dogs, cats do not cycle
    just twice a year though.  Cats can have MANY, MANY heat cycles in one
    year.  A cat could conceivably have a litter about every 63-70 days if
    given the opportunity!
    
    One thing I did want to mention though, the Winn Foundation has been
    funding a study on early spaying and neutering and they have found that
    it has no adverse affects on the animals later in life.  They no longer
    feel that early neutering will affect the development of the male
    urinary tract.  There was an article in the CFA Almanac this month
    about a humane society of sorts that was started by a group of CFA
    breeders.  At this shelter, they spay/neuter the animals at the age of
    7-8 weeks, and they report that the program is working out beautifully. 
    They say that the recovery is much easier on the animal too.  If I can
    find the time, I will put the article in here, but those of you that
    wish to find it on your own, it is in the December issue of the CFA
    Almanac on page 28.
    
    Jo

    WOW! Thanks for that info, Jo! I'm really surprised....and enlightened!
    
    Bonnie

    I also strongly suggest you get Rico neutered immediately.  Alex could
    be in heat and you might not know it.  There is such a thing as a
    "Silent heat".  And yes, keep them separated for 3 weeks.
    
    Do not believe that you can chaparone them if necessary.  I used
    to believe that and Angel went and had three kittens just to prove
    I was wrong.  
    
    Nancy DC
    

    Although we're not 100% sure...
    
    We think it may be too late!  8^o
    
    K.C.

    Bummer...totally uncool. I don't know how welcome this advise is, but
    it's really not too late. You can still bring the female in to have her 
    spayed and have her pregnancy terminated. It sounds awful, I know, but
    if it'll cut down the population of unwanted kittens by only ONE
    litter, it's not THAT awful. (IMO, of course.)
    
    As I said, this is only MY opinion. I don't want to get into a "right
    to life" debate w/ anyone who may not agree w/ me. As I value your
    differences, please value mine.....(OK? :*))
    
    Bonnie

    
    Yes, it isn't too late if you want to pursue the option of an abortion.
    Don't worry, it isn't against their religion!  :-)  There was a stray
    kitten, only 6 or 7 months old, outside the Mill once that was preggie.
    A nice man adopted her, had her pregnancy terminated, then had her
    spayed.  She is now happy and healthy and living with him and his other
    animals on a farm.  By the way, just to help you make up your mind, I
    have heard that it is not very good for a young cat to have kittens. 
    It can actually put the mom's health in jeopardy and sometimes cause
    deformity or not-fully-formed kittens.  This happened to my cousin
    and only two kittens survived, one of which had an underdeveloped
    stomach....had to be on a special diet all its life.   
    
    I could be wrong on this...maybe other more knowledgable feliners
    can comment.  (or beat me up!  :-)  )
    
    Nancy

    My family had a young cat who had kittens (years ago). All of the 
    kittens were underdeveloped. None made it. It was awful.
    
    Do you know for sure yet? I know that if it was my cat that I'd really
    love to see her have babies & let her be a Mom for a few months, but in
    my heart, I don't think I could really do that. Not after visiting the
    cat shelter and seeing all of those animals in need of homes.
    
    I hope you do what's right for your situation.
    
    Bonnie

>>	I know that if it was my cat that I'd really love to see her have 
	babies & let her be a Mom for a few months, 

Many, many people feel that way.   In a book I am reading about raising 
your own show dogs (cats can be included too) It brought out a very good 
point about breeding your beloved pets.

Every time you breed an animal you are taking the chance that nothing 
will go wrong and that their will be no complications.  But as many 
breeders know lots can go wrong, many times you loose puppies/kittens 
and infact some time you can loose the mother too. How tragic that would 
be to loose your feline companion!

The point the book was making was that you need to really consider if 
you should put your beloved pet in a situation where her life or health 
might be compromised in order for her to have one litter and experience 
motherhood, something which really isn't necessary for a cat to lead a 
fulfilling life.  You'd be taking a big risk.

Something to think about

Valerie

    Depending on your female's age, this pregnancy could be very dangerous
    for her.  If I remember correctly, she was very young, like 5-7 months?
    
    Jo

    Hi,
    
     On the same turf, but maybe a different pasture.
    
     My brother-in-law purchased a really cute Siamese kitten. He lives in
    Florida. I'm pretty sure it's only a pet quality kitten, because it
    only cost him 110.00.
    
     Here's the problem. He is going to breed her "just once". I don't
    think it's to see her be a mother though, cause I mentioned to him that
    cats don't need to be bred to be happy, and he said he knew that.
    That's when he mentioned how much he had paid for her. I get the
    feeling that he wants to breed her to recoup the money he spent on her!
    She's a total love too! I gently tried to pursuade him to think about
    the whole thing. Mentioned that if something goes wrong, he may lose
    her and the kittens. But it all seemed to flow off him. I also told him
    that he may not be able to find a breeder who will stud for him,
    because she is pet quality, but he seems to think he'll have no problem
    when the time comes. I hope he can't, and she drives him crazy yowling,
    and he spays her to shut her up!
    
     I love my brother-in-law very much, and he is sort of short of cash,
    but I hate the thought of him using his kitten as a source of income,
    just to introduce more pet quality kittens into the world. I guess he's
    one of the many people that figure, "My cat is a purebred, I have
    papers to prove it, why shouldn't I breed?" Sigh...
    
     Has anyone ever had this argument with someone before, and how did you
    handle it? Any advice that will not alienate him, (we just got back
    together with him after years) I would love to hear it. If the
    situation wasn't so touchy, (we never had probelms with him, but he
    lost contact with the whole family for a long time) I would have let
    him have it both barrels, but Nick would have been really upset with me
    if I did that to this brother.
    
     Mostly I guess I just wanted to vent some frustrations for feeling
    unable to get the point across without getting abusive, which I would
    have anyway, if he "just wanted her to have the joy of motherhood", but
    that's really not the case. He's not planning on keeping any kittens as
    far as I know. He wants to sell them all. Of course when/if they are
    born, he may not be able to resist. ;-)
    
     Thanks for listening anyway.
    
    Y
     

If your brother-in-law is a little short on cash these days, I'd be more than
happy to show him the vet bills for the litter of kittens Meggie had!  And
I was lucky with Meg...  I know all you breeders out there are living in the
lap of luxury, getting rich off selling baby kittens, but frankly I think
his reasoning is (OK, it's past Christmas...I don't have to be nice any more)
STUPID.  Period.

Mary, who's way past the bah humbug stage

    Hi,
    
     Thanks for that input. That's how I feel. It's a pretty stupid idea to
    risk his little girl, just so he can sell her kittens. If the kittens
    have problems, or she has problems herself, it could cost him a lot
    more than what he could sell the kittens for!
    
     I think I'll write to him and try explaining the wrongness of his
    thoughts again. Gently of course. I really don't want to lose him
    again, just after we renewed our relationship with him. He's really a
    very nice guy. It surprised me no end when he came up with this
    rationale for breeding her. It may not be the money, it may really be
    the let her have one litter and let her experience motherhood. It just
    struck me as trying to get back his investment on his kitten. It will
    be a little while yet before she even goes into heat. Maybe I can
    convince him before he breeds.
    
      This is pretty much the way the conversation went. Let me know what
    you would have thought in my place.
    
    Me: Are you going to have her spayed?
    
    Him: Yes, but I'm going to let her have one litter first.
    
    Me: You know, a cat doesn't need to have kittens to live a long happy
        life.
    
    Him: I know, but she cost me 110.00!
    
    Me: Speechless! I didn't really know what to say to that! I was totally
        unprepared for that comment!
    
    So what would you folks have thought?
    
     Hmmm, maybe he's thinking of breeding her so he can afford the spay?
    I'll try offering him an FOA certificate, all paid for! If he refuses
    that, I'll at least know it's not to get the money or the spay. I'll
    keep working on him though. I may get through to him yet!
    
    Thanks for the reply again!
    
    Y

If Meg had only cost me $110 in vet bills, she would have been a bargain...
Perhaps the reason he paid $110 was that the breeder was trying to recover
some of his/her costs!!

Maybe this will help....Meg, who came to me as a pregnant stray, managed to
run up a bill, along with her babies, of close to $500.  That doesn't include
6 tons of litter, kitten food, flannel sheets with the little lambs on them,
and a few hundred other things.....given that, if the kitty has 4 kittens,
and he's lucky to sell them for $100 each, he's in the hole for another
$100.......  Finding homes for Meg's babies, who were in perfect health, with
first and second shots, wormed, etc., wasn't easy.  I was very lucky that
three of them went to Feliners who gave them wonderful homes.  The fourth
kitten is currently sleeping on my down comforter...

Mary

    I think that your brother-in-law is being very naive.(sp).  If the fact
    that he could lose his cat, she could die, is less important to him
    than his desire to "recoup" his loss in buying her, then I can't think
    of any argument that I could come up with that might help him
    understand.  First of all, he got his siamese at a bargain pet price. 
    I would think that the fact that he paid so little for her would make
    him happy enough.   
    
    Let's see, hit him with this info.  There will be a stud service to pay
    for.  If he breeds to a good quality cat, the fee could be as much as
    $500. A C-section at an emergency vet in the middle of the night to save 
    both mom and babies cost me $550.  Babies had to be hand raised by me 
    since mom was anesthetized and the babies couldn't nurse or they would 
    ingest anesthesia and die, so add in my time and supplies for feeding 
    three babies every 2 hours for about 4 days (thank God I had a small 
    litter that time).  Next, add in office visits ($23) for each kitten 
    (well check you know), vaccines for three kittens ($17 a piece x three 
    shots each x three kittens), Felv and FIV testing for each kitten ($29).  
    If he is lucky and gets away with the birth with no complications, and 
    then doesn't take proper precautions/responsibilities with the kittens, 
    he may make back his $110.  *May* make it back.  Oh, did I mention that
    it costs money to register purebred kittens with CFA and other
    associations (papers).  And then of course, there will be the cost of
    advertising that he has them for sale.
    
    I spend a lot of time trying convince people that this logic of making
    back your investment doesn't work, but you know what?  Most of them
    don't listen, and those that do don't care.
    
    One thing that makes me very angry is that it is usually breeders of
    this caliber that do not take responsibility for the kittens they breed
    and sell, but all of us who call ourselves breeders get punished for
    the ones they behave irresponsibly.  Most folks who are looking to make
    back their investment aren't going to spent the money or time to
    vaccinate the kittens, FELV and FIV test them, etc.  And, if something
    should happen to one of the kittens once it's placed in a new home,
    your brother-in-law won't be able to replace or refund.  He could even
    be sued by an angry pet buyer!  This would cost him in terms of time
    and money.
    
    I think that I would argue that if you amortize the $110 over the life
    of the cat (say 15 years), his purchase price works out to be only
    $7.33 a year!!  I would say that that was worth it!
    
    Jo

re:  Bro-in-Law and breeding...

I agree with .21 in that you should appeal to his "business sense."
Completely ignoring any cruelty issues, and ignoring the issue of how 
absolutely horrible he (might) feel if his cat died as a result of 
his action, his proposition doesn't make any sense from a business point
of view.

How much does he know about cat breeding?  Does he have *any* experience in
things veterinary?  Would he know under what circumstances he had to rush
kitty to the vet for a C section, for example? Does he know about selecting
the proper stud cat? Does he have "industry connections" he can rely on 
to help him out?

Draw up some numbers for him to evaluate.  I'm ignorant about the cat 
breeding field, but based on what I've read, I would say that the only
way he could *safely* breed the cat, and sell the kittens, would be if
he had a few thousand dollars in available capital.  And some connections.
Seems like cat breeding is like a lot of small industries - you have to 
know people who you can call on for advice and guidance.

One thing that strikes me as odd, is how can someone who's short on cash
fork over $100 for a kitten?  Does he view cat ownership as a strictly
entrpreneurial thing from the git-go?  

Seems to me if he's short on cash, the thing to do would be to sell kitty
to someone better able to care for her.

./chris

    Hi again,
    
     Great replies! Jo, I love your arguments! I'm going to add all of them
    to my letter. Maybe that will convince him.
    
     The weird thing is that he takes great care of his kitten. He box is
    always nice and clean, and he feeds her science diet! He would go
    hungry to make sure she was taken care of. That's part of what struck
    me speechless when he told me he was going to breed her just once.
    
     The reason he could fork out the 110.00 when he did, is that he has
    his own construction company in Florida, and it's pretty much feast or
    famine for him. He gets big jobs, and has lots of money and then the
    job finishes, and while waiting for the next job, things get a little
    bit lean for a while. He does stucco work, so his jobs don't start until
    the building is ready for his expertise. He puts enough away to make
    sure he can manage during the slow spots, but spoiled himself at one
    point to get himself a little friend. He spends lots of time at home
    with her.
    
      I'm going to try to convince him that spaying her at 6 months is the
    right thing to do. I'll also point out that 110.00 for a purebred
    Siamese, pet quality notwithstanding is a bargain basement price,
    whether he realizes it or not. She's such a great little girl, I'd hate
    to see something happen to her.
    
      I don't think he has idea one about what he is getting into. He's one
    of those people that htink cats can do it all alone, and nothing ever
    goes wrong. I can give him some personal experience here too. 
    My husband, Nick brought home a kitten from the Marlboro Fish and Game
    that the dogs had been chasing, and as luck would have it, she was
    pregnant. She was too young, and had lots of trouble delivering them. We
    had to bring her to the vet to get a shot so she could pass the last
    kitten, which was dead. She also had no milk to feed them. As hard as
    we tried, we did not save any of them. I was crushed, and broke! Then
    we brought her back because she was moping around and not eating. She
    was very pale in her mouth. The doctor did a FELV test, and said not to
    get our hopes up, that she probably had full blown Leukemia at that
    point.
    
      Well, we reluctantly called after the specified time, and were
    shocked to hear that she was just VERY anemic (sp)! He said she
    shouldn't even be alive with the blood count that she had. We had
    brought home another kitten from the same club that same day, and she
    was thrilled! She thought it was one of her lost babies. We gave her a
    bowl full of the formula we had been trying to feed the kittens on the
    vets orders (She needed as many nutrients as we could give her) and she
    slurped the whole thing down! 
    
     We then had to wait to build her up so we could get her spayed. As
    luck would have it, she got out ONE TIME, and we thought we had caught
    her in time, but when we went to pick her up after her spay, we were
    informed that he had to do a full abortion on her, to the tune of
    80.00! Talk about broke! 
    
     I'm going to hit him with both barrels with all this info! Thanks
    again for all the ammunition!
    
    Y
     

    This is a little late - but better late than never.....
    
    two points -
      1. When I sell my kittens they go with a contract that stipulates
    (among other things) that kittens sold as pets are to be spayed or
    neutered at the appropriate age.  Also, the papers I provide have
    a box to be checked if the cat/kitten is NOT to be used for breeding.
    
     2. Having gone through two 1st time deliveries with my cats I can
    assure you that IT HURTS!  The first kitten delivered is tough on
    the cat.  Poor Bonnie - her first kitten was born backwards and dry!
    (That was Sundance) And Bonnie was 1.5 years old when she had
    her first litter!
    
    She BIT me during the delivery of the first kitten in her second
    litter because it hurt.   
    
    
    BTW - Just for clarification - when a pregnant cat is spayed the
    vet removes the falopian tubes/uterus as well as the ovaries.  Its
    all done at the same time so it isn't two separate procedures as
    a previous noter implied.  
      Nancy DC
    

    Is there any way to tell if a cat has already been spayed? I've been
    feeding a stray for a few weeks, and just found out it's a female (from
    a neighbor who knows more than I do : ). Another college-student
    dump-off at the end of the year...I hate this!  I've got a sick dog who
    is taking up most of my spare cash in vet bills, so I don't want to
    drag her in if she doesn't need it.  But I DON"T want to leave her to
    the local toms if she isn't.  Would there be a significant scar? Or
    rather faint? I figure she's about 1 year old, maybe less. She's rather
    squirmy, so I'd have to give her a quick check. What would I look for,
    and where?
    Sarah

    re .25
    Never mind, I answered my own question. The little stray is in heat, so
    I dropped her off to be spayed today.  Oh well...
    Sarah

I just sold a kitten as a pet that will be spayed.

Her new owners took her to the vet and he recommended spaying her as 
early as 3 months of age.

As discussed in this conference 6 months is generally a rule of thumb. 
And this is what I suggested when they purchased her.  They wanted my 
opinion.

Is there greater risk with a very young kitten?  She is now 12 weeks and 
weighs 4 lbs, so she is a good size but to me she is still a little baby.
I worry about the anesthesia.

Their vet said that the recouperation period is faster in a younger 
kitten, and that the female organs are already there nothing is going to 
change.  

I have never had a kitten spayed all mine are used for breeding so I'm 
not really sure.

What do you think?

Valerie

    
    
    	From what I hear, if you spay or neuter TOO young, their 
    	"parts" may not be fully developed and some might be missed.
    	Thus resulting in an incomplete spay or neuter and the chance
    	that the cat would have to be operated on again in the future
    	to remove what was missed the first time around.
    
    	JJ
    

My opinion is that since the recovery time is so minimal anyway, the more
mature, the better.  I wouldn't anesthetize any animal less than 5 lbs unless
it was an emergency.  I see nothing wrong with the current school of thought
that 6 months is a good age.

Recovery is easier for tiny kittens??  Geezzzzz........

Mary

It was about this time of year when Bumble Bea turned 6 months and I
wanted to put off spaying as long as possible. The vet (Dr Bassett - my
husband calls him Dr. Dog) pointed out that the only critical aspect is
to do it before she starts going into heat and with the colder weather
coming on that wasn't imminent. So she was spayed at nine months in the
middle of winter.


                                        Susan

    Eirene was spayed at 6 months and only 4.5 lbs. Said that since she had
    not come into heat, he'd have preferred to put off her spaying because
    of her size, but because I also had her twin brother Panther he felt it 
    best to spay her ASAP. It seems that having both a male and female
    kitten can bring both into sexual maturity faster, and she could have
    gotten pregnant.

    Deb

    There has been significant research/testing done at Tufts (don't quote
    me, but I read it in an article somewhere) or someplace on
    spaying/neutering kittens at as young as 8-12 weeks with no problems.
    This is a new technique that is slowly coming to awareness, so your
    vet may have (some?) experience/knowledge of this pioneer surgery....
    
    Lynne

Apparently this is a new, very young vet that might be more up-to-date on 
the latest techniques.

I'm still not totally sold on this.
She would be wise to ask her vet for some more information, especially 
the risks on anethisia on very young kittens. and the exact technique
used.

I will also mention to her that even to have an adult cat spayed the 
recouperation time is very short.  I was amazed, they make us look like 
real wimps..

-Valerie

I dunno.....all I know is that the smaller the animal, the greater the 
expertise of both the surgeon and the anesthesiologist.  Do most vets allow
their vet techs to administer the anesthesia???  I think so.....

I've had several females spayed and they seem out of it for a day then
they're pretty much back to normal.  This doesn't seem a great burden to
either them or me.

I guess I'm just from the "old school"....

    When I took mine in to be spayed and declawed, the vet wouldn't take
    them under 5 1/2 months because of the danger of overdosing on the
    anesthetic.  Apparently unless the condition is life threatening, they
    don't like to put cats under when they're too little.
    
    Nanci

    I had each of mine spayed at 6 months.  JFCL had gone into heat once
    right before the surgery, but Nebula had not (a good thing, since she
    is half Siamese and cries all the time anyhow!).  I wouldn't want to
    subject a smaller kitty to surgery unless it was a life and death
    thing, but then I don't have any (ex-)tomcats around either, and my
    cats are indoors unless I am outside playing with them (doesn't happen
    much now that both of them are 14).
    
    /Charlotte

    Valerie, in my contracts I usually tell the new owner that the
    spay/neuter must be done between 7 and 9 months of age.  I do not like
    them to pick up the cat and immediately have it spayed or neutered
    because on top of the surgery stress, you have the stress of going to a
    new home.
    
    I think that in your situation I would tell the new owners to wait at
    least a month so that their kitten could be completely settled into
    their home before she has to go through any surgical stress.
    
    Many vets, shelters and humane societies are using the early
    spay/neuter techniques and in some situations they would be
    appropriate, but I think that if early spaying and neutering were going
    to be done on one of my kittens, I would do it myself before the kitten
    goes to a new home.
    
    Jo

Thanks, for all your insight.

I spoke with Debbie(the new owner) and she agreed that they would 
wait till at least 6 months.

I also mentioned to her that Himmy's are usually slower matures then 
other breeds and she should not have to worry about her coming into heat 
before spaying her.  Infact I have never had a girls come into her first heat 
before 8 months and males forget it, Beau was 2 before he was mature 
enough to sire a litter.   I have heard stories about  other breeds not being
out of kitten class and they are siring!

Again thanks for all the feedback.

Valerie

    
    This is the only thread about spaying/neutering where early neutering
    is discussed, so I thought I'd bring this up here.
    
    During Floyd's vet visit for shots yesterday, the matter of his next visit
    for neutering came up.  When I mentioned he had been neutered at 8
    weeks, the vet expressed surprise.  He also mentioned that there are
    some studies on ferrets and some other species where early neuters
    develop adrenal tumors, though there apparently haven't been any
    analogous studies on cats.  Adrenal tumors are easily dealt with
    surgically, so this is not a major problem, but I wondered if anybody
    had any up to date information on the matter of early neutered males.
    
    len.
     

    Len,  I heard this early spay/neuter has been going on in the
    west coast for some time now and it's just starting to reach
    the East Coast.  Again...this is a subject that MANY vets will
    have different opinions on.
    
    One suggestion I have is to talk to Priscilla.  I know before
    the shelter started doing this, Priscilla did alot of research
    and spoke to vets and shelters on the West Coast and in Boston.
    
    Another suggestion would be to talk directly to Dr. Mike Fallon
    from Fallon Animal Clinic.  Mike is the one that does all the
    shelters surgery for our early spay/neuter program; along with
    another vet in Burlington.
    
    I personally think we will be seeing alot more of this in the
    very near future.  It's the ONLY way we can cut down on the
    over population problem with cats.  Any info you find...please
    share!!!
    
    Sandy
    
    

    
    There was an excellent article in a recent CFA Almanac regarding this 
    this topic.  It included some interesting facts/figures, etc. from a 
    Winn Foundation study.  I no longer have that issue, but if you are 
    interested you may want to call CFA @ (908)528-9797.  
    
    Bottom Line--- Pros FAR outway the cons