Thread: Neutering

Originally Posted by Felix65

This is probably been posted before somewhere but- what is the best age to neuter a MC. We were told to wait until 8 months by the breeder, but the vet said it would have been ok to neuter at 6 months.

Marshall just got neutered 2 weeks ago at 6months old the vet said it was perfect time for him as he was a good weight and size and would cope better with it the younger he was, breeders just recommended before 1year old. Marshall was starting to get fiesty and rough during play so I felt it was a good time. The sane night he was galavanting around the house didn't phase him at all!

Max was neutered at 6 months and suffered no ill effects. He was the same as Marshall - went to the vet in the morning and was full of beans when he came home later that day. I didn't want to delay in case he started to get rough with Sophie and I was also concerned that he might get territorial and start to spray.

Same here - 6 months. Vet just needed to check he was 'big enough' (no worries on that front!) and as the others have said, he was back to himself on the evening. He just had to go through the indignity of a check up a week later and hissing from his 2 sisters (they were spayed at the same time and didn't want anything to do with him for a day) and all was fine

Casco was done yesterday, at just over 7 months.

His breeder suggested leaving it until 8/9 months to give him chance to develop a more ‘adult’ MC face. But like Marshall, Casco stated to get a bit rough during play so it seemed like the right time. Plus he was getting VERY vocal!

This is an interesting thread;

http://www.maine-coon-forum.info/hea...ine-coons.html

Edited - The vet said yesterday that post 12 weeks the risk with general anesthetic increases as the cat gets older. Quite interesting.

I have worked at a vets for 40 years & been involved with the anaesthetics nearly as long & must have been very very lucky as the only time I can say that the "risk" is /was higher with an older cat is when they have serious health problems but the need for an anaesthetic outweighs that risk,I have never known one to be lost through routine castration & only one through spaying,the little girls heart stopped right in the middle of the op although her pre op check had seemed ok & a PM discovered that she had HCM & chances were that was the contributing factor,she was not a MC but a little domestic cat .... All anaesthetics are a risk wether for routine or life saving but with the anaesthetics our vets use for routine ops on cats within the hour they are sitting up wondering why they are with us & are very safe,but you can always get one as that little girl proved.......

Mine were all done at 8 months, as we were advised to delay it for growth reasons like Sketches says above.
But I think I should have done Herbie sooner as he was an early developer and started getting premature 'urges' shall we say, which freaked out Larry and Monty a bit. When the vet did the op, she said he was so 'big' that she had to put 'extra glue' on the wound, eewwww.

Whiskey was done 2 weeks after his 6 month b'day. The vet said his testicles were fully descended & he was at a good age to be neutered. Of course he lived up to his name & drove everyone (at the vet's office) to drink. The office called me about 1 hour after he was awake to tell me to come & get him. He was full of energy, meowing, shaking his cage, biting the cage, etc. They were afraid he'd hurt himself & he was disturbing the other animals. I had the flashbacks to the feeling of having a child at school & the principal calling to say "come get your son he's being disruptive in class". I was told Whiskey would probably sleep it off when he got home, but not our boy. He was playful as ever and has been ever since. He is now 1yr-3mos old, happy, & healthy.

My three were done at 8 months. The previous couple of weeks the litter tray had started to smell a little to, er, masculine. The nurses wanted to keep them as they were so well behaved I was told

I have been trawling the internet trying to find an answer specific to maine coons, but nothing. Roark (as advised by his breeder and vet) could be neutered from four months and I decided to do it at five months because it felt like the right age for him (he was getting more aggressive) and I also did not want him to pick up a spraying and roaming habit from the other cats in our neighbourhood.

He hardly even felt the operation and came home and was eating and playing that same day. I have noticed however that Roark still has his kitten face (he is now ten months old) and while I initially thought he would just grow an adult face, I am starting to think it may be as a result of the early neuter. I know maine coons are slow to develop so I guess I will just have to wait and see and there is a strong liklihood that I am paranoid. I think though that in hindsight I would have waited unti about eight months.

Here are some pictures of Roark- please tell me if I am being paranoid!