Get cat neutered between 8 weeks and 6 months old
QI obtained a kitten for my kids a little before the holiday season, and he is now 4 months old. He has had all of his shots, and he is going to be an indoor cat, but he may get out some in the spring since we live in a home with a good out- door space. From what the vet said, I suppose I should have him neutered in about two months. Would there be any harm to either doing it now or not doing it at all since he might go outside? I have heard various assertions that neutering might affect his size and whether he sprays in the home. What do you recommend?
AVeterinarians typically recommend neutering or spaying cats, as well as dogs, at about 6 months of age. That standard has been around for a long time. However, early spaying and neutering started about 25 years ago, primarily in shelters, to help curb the pet overpopulation problem that the country was experiencing. These programs perform the surgeries at ages as early as 8 weeks. I think you could safely proceed with neutering your cat now or wait until he’s 6 months old. It won’t matter much either way. The important thing is to make sure you do neuter him. If you don’t, keeping him inside will invariably lead to his “spraying” indoors, and the smell is hard to get rid of. Not neutering a cat that goes outdoors will make him susceptible to wandering to fulfill his biological needs as well as him being more prone to fighting other cats. I recommend you neuter the cat, but don’t wait too long. Proceed before he reaches sexual maturity at around 8 months of age. It will not affect his size.
There are a few other claims about neutering a cat that are also false. It will not make him more prone to becoming overweight or lead to an increased likelihood of urinary blockage issues later on in life. I hope I have helped.