Lynne, my friend has all her feline leukemia kitties altered. I think one, in
20 years, had a problem.
At least for a female, our vet believes the stress of the regular heat cycle
would be greater than that of the spay. And you are right that an unneutered
male is at risk of certain cancers...and he's already <potentially> immune
compromised.
We had Isabella scheduled for her spay 2 or 3 times and each time she had a
temp so we didn't do it. When she got so bad that we needed an ultrasound, the
vet discovered she had hemaclips or something like that which meant she was
already spayed. Boy were we relieved that we had not put her under and had cut
open unnecessarily! (The vet had shaved her when we first rescued her and could
not find a spay scar).
I would not be as worried about a neuter as a spay ~ if Boo is otherwise in
good health and esp since he's not going to be vaccinated now. We did not
vaccinate Isabella. I have watched a neuter being done. It takes no time at
all. He won't be under long. I would ask whether they do a reversal and if the
vet thinks this is a good idea for him.Bottom line for me ~ if the vet thinks
it's ok to do the alter, I would be inclined to do it. Afterall, I am sure he
doesn't want a poor result.
Laurie
----- Original Message -----
From: Lynne
To: felvtalk@felineleukemia.org
Sent: Wednesday, February 06, 2008 8:54 PM
Subject: Re: fixing a leukemia kitty
Dorothy, believe me, this is weighing heavy on my mind. He's scheduled to go
in this Friday. The vet assured me he was healthy and up to it. If it were a
spaying I probably would definitely be worried since I think it is a more
complicated surgery. I still have tomorrow to reconsider. I would definitely
be happier if his urine were not so strong smelling and I have read that
neutered cats can be healthier, ie less likely to develop prostate or other
cancers so I'm really torn as to which way to go. I do not want him to be
wanting to go out. The first night we had him the little buggar went upstairs
and peed in an unoccupied bedroom and it took two days to clean, air the place
and get the smell out. We had his litter box ready but he chose to mark this
room. The door has since been closed and he faithfully uses his litter box but
once the breeding season comes, I don't know what he'll do. What do the rest
of you think. Should I hold off on this surgery? Boo is somewhere between 4
and 6 years old, kind of old for neutering but I truly want what's best for him.
Thanks Dorothy for your input.
Lynne
----- Original Message -----
From: Dorothy Noble
To: felvtalk@felineleukemia.org
Sent: Wednesday, February 06, 2008 9:36 PM
Subject: fixing a leukemia kitty
I was reading Lynne's postings about her new cat being neutered this
weekend -
I just wanted to pass along a little ifo I had received from a society in
Missouri.
I was looking to adopt a FeLV kitty (to be a friend to my other FeLV) and I
was inquiring about cats that they had. I asked if they would be spayed or
neutered prior to adoption and she emphatically said NO. She said that if they
were not already fixed, they definitely do NOT recommend t hat type of surgery
on a cat with leukemia, due to their already fragile immune systems. (I chose
to wait until I could find one who was already fixed because I definitely like
my cats to be altered.)
Just a little food for thought - I would hate to have something happen to
your friend during a surgery!
Dorothy
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