ArticleThe Veterinary record2025
Long-term effect of neutering age on body condition score and bodyweight in domestic cats.
Article in The Veterinary record, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 6 papers.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
6 citing papers in PubMed.
- Behavioral Outcomes Associated with Hormonal Sterilization in a Questionnaire-Based Study of Cats.Veterinary sciences · 2026Article
- Overweight and Obesity in Dogs and Cats: An Exploration of Animal Welfare and Behaviour Impacts, and Recommendations for Management in Veterinary Primary Care.Animals : an open access journal from MDPI · 2026Review
- Trends in Intake, Length of Stay and Outcome Data in a Portuguese Animal Shelter Between 2018 and 2024.Animals : an open access journal from MDPI · 2026Article
- Household survey on prevalence and risk factors for obesity in owned cats from Central Brazil.PloS one · 2026Article
- Feline obesity is associated with stronger owner attachment, while indoor confinement increases risk of obesity at an early age in domestic shorthaired cats.Frontiers in veterinary science · 2026Article
- Long-term effect of neutering age on body condition score and bodyweight in domestic cats.The Veterinary record · 2025Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
5 authors.
Funding
Abstract
backgroundNeutered cats are more predisposed to obesity. However, limited research has explored whether body condition score (BCS) and bodyweight vary across lifestages as a function of age at neutering.
methodsLongitudinal clinical records of BCS (n = 2410) and bodyweight (n = 2073) were paired with age at neutering and other owner-reported auxiliary information before analysis using cumulative link mixed-effects models and linear mixed models to explore which factors influence BCS and bodyweight as cats age.
resultsBCS and bodyweight were age dependent, increasing until 9 years of age and then declining. No differences in BCS or bodyweight were found between cats neutered at 4 months or younger, 5 months or 6 months. Cats neutered at 7‒12 months experienced a less rapid age-related increase in bodyweight and BCS. Females had lower bodyweight and BCS than males, with differences more pronounced in the summer and autumn. Longhaired cats had a lower BCS than shorthaired cats, but hair length was not significantly associated with bodyweight. LIMITATIONS: It was not possible to measure welfare impacts or incorporate diet and lifestyle measurements.
conclusionCats neutered prepubertally showed no difference in bodyweight or BCS as cats aged compared to cats neutered at 5 or 6 months. Cats neutered at 7‒12 months had a lower risk of bodyweight and BCS gain overall. Postneutering weight management advice is recommended for all cats, and monitoring should utilise a combination of both BCS and bodyweight, particularly for longhaired cats.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What Socratic holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the Socratic graph.