Don't wait if she's in heat (have a vet verify)--if she is, she will be determined to get out and could sneak through an open door.

Good luck!

I'd spay her now. Anything over 2# is safe for anesthesia as long as PE and pre-op blood work is normal. No need to wait. Probably better not to.

With our last kittens the vet said they didn't like to spay unless they were at least 5 pounds....I will be calling in the morning and hopefully be able to get her in.......
Our other 2 cats are looking at her like she's crazy, poor little thing......It's just hubby and I here in the house and we do keep the doors locked and always pick her up if we have to open the door.....

A bit more risky to spay a cat in season but most vets will do it. It may cost a bit more. She is probably older than you think and just a small princess. Kittens can come into season as early as 4 months. If she doesn't drive you crazy, IMO I see no harm in waiting till the new year. :)

Ginny

I've talked to our vet and they said, be patient, be gentle, give her lots of loving and to schedule her 2 weeks after "her season"......
She has such a little voice that her crying really isn't too bad...We'll get through it, she's my baby......

Good stuff! Always better to do them when they are not in season. Hopefully she doesn't get out. :)

Ginny

Well, our little Baylee has been spayed, yesterday....After posting the 1st time, saying she was in "season", the vet said to wait 2 weeks for the spaying....Would you believe, she went into heat again but it only lasted a couple of days and the vet said, this could happen every 3 weeks......

So, we were able to get her done and she came though surgery like a trooper...Her incision is so small I don't think she knows it's there......She is 6 months old, very, very tiny but would take on a tiger if needed.....

So here's to Baylee, hoping for a very long healthy life....

Yes......they can cycle in very frequently when they're intact and not bred. Cats have a very intense reproductive capacity. Glad she did so well. My vet is one who doesn't like to do any type of neutering before six months, but will bend a little for a female if she's over four and a half pounds. He explained to me that with males especially the six months was shown to have less impact on urinary occlusions and blocking down the road when they are older. I had two new kittens this last spring and was so determined not to have any accidents before they were fixed. Of course I got the male and then directly afterward a tiny little female showed up on our property and I took her in. I was very concerned about getting them fixed before we had an unwanted litter. My female tortie is tiny too, and she just flew through her surgery, even though he did it a month earlier than planned. Wishing Baylee a very happy life ahead and you both many years of companionship together.

I'm happy for Baylee -- thanks for taking good care of her.

So I'm going to talk old-school here, but once a cat goes into heat it doesn't go "out" like a dog does. A cat goes into heat and STAYS in heat until impregnated.

Also, there is a HUGE misconception out there in the wide world that cats and dogs go into their first heat on a schedule. It is a humongous myth that cats and dogs go into heat around 6 months old. Really??? They are just animals like you and I.

Remember 3rd grade? There was always one girl who started her period at 9 yrs old instead of 12 like the rest of us - or 15 like others. Cats and Dogs are no different - it varies from animal to animal. It might be 6 months --- or it might be 4 months -- or 8 months.

The American Veterinary Association says it is perfectly acceptable to spay/neuter at 8 wk. or 2 lbs (whichever comes first -- as long as testicles are descended if male). The smaller younger pet actually recovers faster than an older pet. It's just less stress on the body since they are smaller and healing and growing faster.

Please spay and neuter.

I know that each animal is individual and that they can mature faster than six months. I was on here a few months ago, positively paranoid about getting them fixed sooner. The male was already sexually aggressive at four months. The vet was pretty adament about not neutering him then but said he would bend on the female and do her early if necessary. His cutoff was 4.5 pounds and I had her done as soon as she hit it. I don't set their criteria but I wasn't comfortable with it. I'm glad it's a done deal now.