I know some people find the idea of spaying/neutering animals as inhumane but in my case it really isn't an option. I live in a teeming metropolis on the city's busiest road and going outside just isn't an option for the little catling. Neither is my putting up with a confined animal in estrus either!

I'd love to hear people's opinions on the appropriate age for spaying. I adopted a kitten a long long time ago from the Humane Society (not my current pet) and in order to adopt her she had to be spayed. But she was only 10 weeks old. They spayed her. She seemed to have been OK but it sure seemed a bit premature to perform an operation.

Looking on the internet gives one mixed and opposing ideas. Canned food is bad. Dry food is bad. Spaying before 6 months is ideal, spaying after is. I'm inclined to think that at her age, 4+ months now, it's not such a big deal. She's still physically maturing but I'd like the procedure to be complete BEFORE she enters sexual maturity. I've heard of people spaying animals when they are several years old and the animal still goes through periods of estrus because it's already been programmed (so to speak) to behave this way.

So anyway, for those of you who approve of this kind of procedure and/or have had it done on their pet, when do you think is the best time to do it?

And no I haven't and will not have her claws removed - don't worry! I'm living as an expat in Europe these days and it's not even legal here!