When you purchase a kitten, it is very important to remember that the baby moving into a new home is under a lot of stress...
The authors of the following two articles studied the long-term effects of pediatric gonadectomy in cats and found that the procedure can be safely performed in cats under six months of age. In addition, they report on two studies of cats neutered at over or under 24 weeks of age and found no increased risk of disease or other health problems in cats neutered early.
Long-term risks and benefits of early-age gonadectomy in cats. (PDF, 158 KB)
Highlights:
Studied 1,660 cats adopted from shelters
Early-age gonadectomy beneficial in male cats
Asthma and gingivitis decreased in both sexes
Gonadectomy is safe in cats under 6 months of age
Results of that study also suggest that prepubertal gonadectomy may result in some unidentified protective effect on the urinary tract, compared with traditional-age gonadectomy in some cats.
Long-term outcome of gonadectomy performed at an early age or traditional age in cats. (PDF, 270 KB)Highlights:
The health status of cats monitored for 3 years
No increase in physical or behavioral problems
No increase in infectious disease in either group
Early-age neutering did not increase problems
The information provided was sourced from the American Veterinary Medical Association's website.
