crittersrus
Champion
Posts:6
 | | 04/04/2008 8:09 PM |
| I have a boy kitty who just turned 1. Vet said he should be fixed and that it wasn't too early. Sammy is trouble with a texas T he loves to explore everything and climb and he's just a very feisty kitty. I'm afraid that by getting him fixed he'll become a lazy kitty and not have his zig zag full of life personality and I don't want to take that away from him. I want to do right by him, but I feel that he's so little to be fixed so I was wondering what the best age is and how it will affect him. He's scheduled to be fixed next week , but every day I want to call it off I feel awful about doing that to him. I just need some advise whether or not I'm doing the right thing or if I should wait . I love my Sammy just the way he is and just wondering if this is really necessary | | | |
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bigfatsun
Champion
Posts:1
| | 04/04/2008 10:53 PM |
| | Definitely keep the appointment! You will be doing him and yourself many favors by having him neutered. It's not true that neutering makes pets lazy. Neutering helps to decrease frustration associated with high hormone levels, which in turn decreases risks of cats running away looking for females, getting in fights, getting hit by cars, etc. Even if your cat is indoor only he might try and bolt out any chance he can get and get into trouble, not to mention mating and worsening the overpopulation problem. Cats can be neutered as young as 10 weeks of age, most recommend neutering around 4 months old. You definitely don't want him to start spraying around the house, a very common problem that is way more difficult to correct than it is to prevent by neutering. The procedure is quick and very simple, only takes a couple minutes of actual surgery time. Heals very quickly. Cats might be a little drowsy the night of the surgery from anesthesia, back to their normal activity level the next day. Little to no pain is expected. Hope this is helpful for you and eases your mind about having it done! If you planned on declawing, however, THINK TWICE. There are so many alternatives to declawing. Will be happy to give you more info on neutering or declawing risks & alternatives if you would like. Kudos for caring so much for your little Sammy! | | | |
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drambuie
Best in Group
Posts:1059
| | 04/05/2008 9:47 AM |
| Gus was neutered at 6 months, it made no change is his personality. BUT, I am against declawing, you take away the cats only means of defense. Oh it was his six month birthday present. | | | |
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Newfs
Best in Show
Posts:2121
| | 04/05/2008 3:37 PM |
| Posted By drambuie on 04/05/2008 9:47 AM Gus was neutered at 6 months, it made no change is his personality. Oh it was his six month birthday present. Dram, you certainly know how to pick a great birthday present  | | | |
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drambuie
Best in Group
Posts:1059
| | 04/05/2008 3:59 PM |
| Yup, sure do. LOL | | | |
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iluvem
Champion
Posts:14
| | 04/06/2008 10:00 AM |
| | Definitely do it as soon as possible. i have 6 cats -- i brought them all to the vet -- it's better for the cats and better for you -- they'll live healthier and happier lives. The males will begin spraying everything in sight if you don't neuter Sammy -- trust me, you don't want that! The female will cry and moan all the time if she does't get spayed -- trust me you don't want that. As far as declawing, get those scratch posts set up all around your home -- the cats use it all the time for their scratching -- they just love doing it. I bought a kitty condo -- with built-in scratch posts (check out e-bay for great prices) -- my cats love it -- they jump and run up and down and all around and everywhere they turn, there's a scratch post -- you need this unequivocally if you decide to not declaw them. If you have any antique furniture around or furniture you don't want harmed even a little -- you must begin properly teaching Sammy not to do certain things -- it isn't easy -- there's a lot of repetition involved and consistency on your part -- nevertheless, it can be done. check out pet shops or the website to find out the benefits of scratch posts or anything with that scratchy material -- trust me, they're a MUST HAVE. Good luck! Bring your Sammy to the Vet and neuter him along with getting shots as soon as possible. Hope to hear from you soon! | | | |
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kittums2GSheps2
Champion
Posts:77
| | 04/06/2008 11:31 PM |
| I have a question? I had my cat, Mow Mow spayed after her first heat. Didn't have the extra money until then. Now at a regular time every month she cries and yowls like she did when she was in heat. She also tries to get otside when she starts doing that. Someone told me that she might still have her ovaries but not her uterus. I had her spayed at a vet that was so much cheaper than the other vets. Right after I had her spayed they closed their business and I haven't heard about them around town. So this person that told me that sometimes cheap places don't remove all the female organs for a complete spay. Doe this happen? | | | |
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threekidsmom
Champion
Posts:5
| | 04/07/2008 4:58 PM |
| | Had my Simba neutered when he was 6 mo. old. He has more energy now then when he did then!. He is even getting along better with is siblings. We had our oldest son neutered when he was 5 years old and he did not lose any energy either. He is still has as much energy as before - just age slow down now. (he is 9 years old) | | | |
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Ragsmead
Champion
Posts:7
| | 04/15/2008 11:44 AM |
| Unfortunately, the answer is yes. The only way to find out is to take her to a vet for tests. They may be able to do an ultrasound to see if she still has one or more ovaries left or a blood test for homone levels. You need to find out for Mow Mow's sake. If she does have ovarian tissue left, she is still at risk for the homone dependant types of tumors. 
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crittersrus
Champion
Posts:6
| | 04/24/2008 7:38 PM |
| hey everyone Sammy got fixed and he's as good as new. he stopped jumping on Kitty so I'm sure she's happy about that . I found out he likes car rides he sits on the arm rest and looks outside the windshield at everything unless we're stopped somewhere and he happens to see a squirrel or a bird then he tries to pounce on them  | | | |
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cathyam76
Best of Breed
Posts:357
| | 04/27/2008 11:33 AM |
| Yay Sammy!!! You survived your day at the "kitty spa"! I'm glad you got him neutered, male cats can be prone to testicular and to prostate cancers, much the same as humans. However, you may consider keeping your cats in a carrier whe you drive. While some cats love looking out the windshield, I have one that does, others are absolutely terrified. Also, and knock on wood it doesn't happen, but if you are ever in a car accident, and your cat is not in a carrier or a pet safety harness, he can become a projectile, can be seriously injured or killed in what would be a minor accident to a human, or can be thrown from the vehicle and be lost to you for ever. [ ]
Cathy and the Crew | | | |
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