Many cat owners are not mentally prepared for the appearance of offspring from their pets. Special birth control pills are not always the best solution, in which case you have to resort to sterilization, but at what age will it be safest for your cat?
Veterinarians differ on the ideal age for neutering. There are those who advise to carry out the operation at 5-7 weeks of life, when the internal genital organs have not yet fully formed. This is explained by the fact that the cat will be relieved of worries and sterilization will not cause her moral harm. But there are also opponents of this technique, who in practice were convinced that cats that underwent such an operation at an early age become passive and lethargic, lose their taste for life and sleep most of the time. They do not want to play or communicate with their owners in any other way.
Conservative veterinarians believe that it is impossible to neuter a cat before eight months, and ideally, the pet should be given the opportunity to experience the joy of motherhood. Sterilization after the first lambing makes it possible to transfer the operation with less psychological losses. If you spend it in the period from 1 to 3 years, then the cat can easily and quickly recover.
As for complications after sterilization, they are possible, but mainly affect older animals. According to statistics, sterilization at the age of 8 months to 3 years causes side effects only in 0.5% of cases, at the age of 3 to 5 years - in 0.8%, and after 5 years - in 2% of cases. A complete ban on sterilization applies to animals over 8 years old, the only exceptions are those cases when surgical intervention is necessary due to health problems of the pet.
