What Are the Complications of Spaying a Kitten Too Young?

As with any surgery, spaying a kitten should not be looked at lightly. Complications arise as kittens grow and can plague a kitten until she is an adult and even in her later years. Most vets recommend spaying a kitten after she is five months old. Spaying too early can result in the following problems:

  1. Distortion

    • Spaying a kitten when she is too young can cause her bones to grow for a longer period of time. As she gets older, her bones will grow to different proportions. This can make her smaller than the average cat or taller with oddly-shaped bones, which can lead to a failure of joints and weakened ligaments.

    Obesity

    • While this is not exclusive to kittens spayed too young, obesity in spayed animals is common. It can result in joint, heart and other health complications as she grows into an adult cat.

    Weakness/Arthritis

    • Along with obesity comes torn ligaments, hip problems and arthritis. These health issues also can occur because of early spaying and the distortion of bones as the kitten grows.

    Diabetes

    • Diabetes seems to go hand in hand with obesity. This risk increases dramatically in cats because of missing hormones and loss of bone strength.

    Urinary problems

    • Some urinary problems that can occur are tract problems, tract infections and incontinence.