Epsilon Archive for Student Projects

Abstract

This student report is about neutering male and female cats and compares early age
neutering to neutering at the traditional age of 6 months.

The main focus in this report is early age neutering, which means that neutering is
performed when the kittens are between 6 and 16 weeks of age. This technique has been
used by shelters in the United States for a long time, to prevent the adopted cats from
reproduce and contribute to the problem of overpopulation.

Two different surgical methods are also addressed; the ventral midline incision and the
lateral flank approach. Ovariohysterectomy and ovariectomy are also compared.

I also address which drugs are preferable when kittens are neutered and some important
guidelines where you have to be extra careful when dealing with kittens.

These guidelines are the preanesthetic evaluation, calculating drug dosages and preventing
hypothermia, hypoglycaemia and stress.

The report also has a summary of the concerns regarding early age neutering such as
anaesthetic risks, growth disorders and growth plate fractures, urologic diseases and
immune system dysfunction, obesity, altered metabolism and behavioural changes.

The sex hormones and how they change after neutering is also included.

At the end of the report there is a compilation of a questionnaire that consists of eight
questions that I sent out to various animal hospitals and veterinary clinics in Sweden.