I would go to your local animal control, sometimes they give out yellow tags for a free/low cost alter.

Whoa, I've never heard of spaying charges that high. It's always been relatively inexpensive in the past. We have groups around here that sponsor discount spays and more affordable options. I'd ask them for information. It's always been six months to my recollection. Last time I had it done was twelve years ago but they were boys.

Here's a briefer on spaying:

Here is a link that might be useful: Spaying

Here's another site that may be useful:

Here is a link that might be useful: Clinic Spay Certificates

It should be illegal not to spay/neuter, its illegal to keep racoons and wolves as pets in many areas because there wild animals.... isn't an un-fixed pet more closer to a wild animal anyway?

I hope you can find a decent cost in your area.

I just posted on this subject not too long ago (link below). I didn't want to go to the low-cost spay/neuter clinics here in Chicago because I had heard stories, things like cats coming home with fleas, upper respiratory, etc. and also a lack of pain management at the clinics. If a clinic is all you can afford, then definitely a clinic is a better choice than not spaying at all. But I think it is VERY important that cats get painkiller post-spay. How would YOU like a hysterectomy and not get painkillers afterward? But many clinics and vets do not give them.

My own vet was VERY expensive, see my thread. You'll see that the responses in that thread were all from posters who do not live in big cities, and so had much lower cost. I too could have driven an hour outside the city and gotten my kitten spayed at half what it would cost in Chicago. But I really didn't want to drive an hour with my kitten. In the end, my vet and I worked out a payment arrangement that was still expensive, but a compromise. I think you should speak to your vet directly to see if you could get lower cost since you are spaying two cats, and perhaps an installment plan to make it easier also. Many vets are willing to listen and work with you if you ask them nicely.

As to age, I absolutely would wait longer than 11 weeks. I think humane societies and shelters have promoted the ultra-young spay/neuter cause of the urgency of the cat population situation. From their point of view, neutering/spaying ultra-young is better than letting kittens go to homes without being neutered. But if you have a choice, I would wait until about 5 months. They're bigger, have more weight, have more immunity, have received vaccinations, have grown some. Those are the reasons that your local vets are waiting till the kittens are older. What IS your rush anyway to spay at 11 weeks?!? Perhaps if you wait a bit, it will give you time to set some money aside.

Here is a link that might be useful: Thread about Kitten Spay Cost

I go to an expensive vet, who also volunteers time for spaying. In thinking back, though, I'm sure I was not sent home with pain meds for their surgeries. Creeps me out to think about it. One of my guys just had a lump removed and he was flying on the pain killers the week following. I'm thinking they probably gave something when they were still in the hospital, back when, but I shudder to think and remember their discomfort when they came home. Who knows, maybe at the time there weren't safe and approved things to give cats but I will certainly remember in the future to ask.

I just had my 2 puppies, Bridget & Flanagan spayed and neutered on August 22nd. They will be eight months old on 10/2. I used a Friends of Animals certificate...the 2 certificate cost 154.00. Bridget's cost 90.00 and Flanagan's was 64.00. That covered the basics...I will list them, here. I have the paper in front of me. The prices are less for cats.

Routine FOA Spay
Presurgical mini exam
Surgical procedure
Injection IM bag
Injection SQ Pen G
Injection Telazol
Isoflurane anesthesia up to 20 minutes
local analgesia: Marcaine
Heating Pad during surgery
Post-op tech. recheck and staples removal in 10 - 14 days

It was also mandatory that my dogs have had DHPP vac and a rabies vac. If my dogs had been older than 6 months they would have to have a heartworm test, also. My pups have been on HR meds since we got them.

This next list is all optional recommended services and I'll list the cost.

Presurgical chemical profile and PCV test 35.00

Intravenous catheterization and IV fluids during surgery 30.00

Additional pain prevention injection SQ Rimadyl 30.00

I declined these,
dental Cleaning and polishing
Fluride treatment Baby teeth extraction
Deworming with drontal for most common parasites: Tapeworms, Hook and Large Roundworms (The pups were wormed 3 weeks previous)
Fecal test
microchip

A nail trim was done, free of charge, as was an ear flush

last on the list was an ecollar 14.00 (we took it just in case.. the pups were miserable and crying, we took it off within an hour)
Pain Preventative to go home Rimadyl 14.00
Total charges: 123.00

There would have been an additional charge if either pup was over 50 lbs. or if Bridget was in heat.

Btw, the day we took them was all day for spays/neuter pets... there were many, many cats.. tiny little kitties, very young. I believe they were brought in by a local feral cat rescue. My 2 pups happened to be the youngest dogs on this day.

Hope this helps. Also go to friendsofanimals.org and get a certificate, there are many, many vets in Massachusetts who accept them. We are in Revere, Ma

Good luck!

Silly