Prepubertal gonadectomy in shelter cats : anaesthesia, surgery and effect of age at time of gonadectomy on health and behaviour

In Belgium, prepubertal gonadectomy (PPG), defined as gonadectomy well before sexual maturity, is not yet routinely performed in cats. Notwithstanding a number of experimental and clinical studies in the United States of America and the United Kingdom about early age neutering, timing of gonadectomy remains controversial. The objections from veterinarians raised against PPG pertain to animal health and welfare and can be summarized as concerns regarding technical challenges, issues of safety during anaesthesia and surgery, and possible short- and long-term complications on health and behaviour. To better understand the feasibility of PPG and to document short- and long-term effects on health and well-being of cats undergoing early age neutering, the Federal Public Service Health, Food Chain Safety and Environment funded a large-scale project in shelter cats. For PPG to be fully accepted by the lay and veterinary community, the anaesthetic and surgical procedures should be as safe and efficient as those used for gonadectomy at traditional age (TAG). Moreover, health and behaviour issues should not be more common among PPG cats compared to TAG cats. The aims of this doctoral dissertation were three-fold: (1) to describe safe and efficient anaesthetic and surgical protocols to perform PPG and to compare those with TAG, (2) to investigate the relationship between age at gonadectomy and short- and long-term health issues in adopted shelter kittens (until 24 months of age), and (3) to assess short- and long-term effects of PPG on the behaviour in shelter cats (until 24 months after adoption). In this study, 800 shelter kittens were recruited and randomly assigned to two treatment groups using unequal group sizes: 2/3 PPG, between 8 to 12 weeks of age (0.7 to 1.4 kg), and 1/3 TAG, between 6 to 8 months of age