12 — Cats 101: Essential Guide to Understanding Your Kitty’s Needs & Behavior

Marty takes Laura and listeners through the entire pantheon of cat life! “Cats are not small dogs and dogs are not big cats,” Marty says. “So cats are a species unto themselves, and they have their own special wants, needs, desires, techniques, food, everything. It's a little different with the cat. “This is why a spay or neuter in a cat at six or eight months is very appropriate. Now, I don't like to see them spayed or neutered when they're itty-bitty babies. I still think that there's some risk that goes with that. You know, those four, five, six-week-old kittens should not be spayed or neutered, and there are places that do that. “A lot of the shelters, as soon as the cats weigh two pounds — and that frequently means two months of age, eight weeks — they'll start to talk about spaying and neutering, and there are some orthopedic problems that happen, especially in the boys' fat. So I care about that, but basically, you don't want to do that so young. Closer to six months is still a better choice, but not after, you know, don't wait until they're eight, nine, or ten months old, because by then you've already got some behavioral issues that are going to be difficult to manage.” The Marty & Laura Show is produced by Pure Dog Talk Inc., with sound design and editing by Premium Audio Services.