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The litter tray

Join our community of cat lovers on the Mumsnet Cat forum for kitten advice and help with cat behaviour.

Flip

Original poster

Best/minimum age of females for reproducing

25 replies

cumfy · 26/04/2013 14:05

I've read that whilst females can reach puberty at 4-5 months, it is safer for them to reproduce later.

What age is best ?

OP posts:

Wolfiefan · 26/04/2013 14:07

Why do you want to breed? Do you have a pedigree? Can you speak to your vet?

thecatneuterer · 26/04/2013 18:38

Not at all is best! Why on earth would you bring yet more cats into a world where there are so many unwanted and where so many are put down as there simply aren't enough homes to go round. Even if you find homes for the kittens you are using homes that could have gone to other homeless cats/kittens. Get her spayed at 5 months.

Catlike · 26/04/2013 19:10

please read this and get your cat spayed.

FatherReboolaConundrum · 26/04/2013 20:16

Not at all is best!

^ This. Please, please don't do it.

Original poster

cumfy · 26/04/2013 21:23

Thanks for your replies.

I don't have any cats, but someone I know has just had kittens from a 7 month old.
It just seemed very young and I wondered if she would be OK at that age.

Sad to hear of the over-supply though.

OP posts:

cozietoesie · 26/04/2013 21:27

It's not good, cumfy, but at least she looks to have got through it if she's had them. Try to persuade your friend to have the cat spayed now?

cozietoesie · 26/04/2013 21:29

PS - and recommend that she should have the cat to the vet anyway. A cat that young having kittens could lead to later complications and bad loss of condition/general health.

Lonecatwithkitten · 27/04/2013 08:56

Till the end of May many Cats Protection branches are offering vouchers to get your cat neurtered for a fiver if you qualify. Could be worth pointing her in that direction.

cozietoesie · 27/04/2013 09:06

Thanks for that, Lonecat.

Here's a link for you cumfy.

\link{http://www.cats.org.uk/what-we-do/neutering/current-neutering-campaigns/\CPL neutering campaign}

LaVitaBellissima · 27/04/2013 09:31

Can I ask a genuine question, when do you get cats spayed?

As a child we got two kittens from our local rural farm, we were told to have them spayed at 6months old by our vet. At just 5 months old they were both pregnant and we had 10 kittens, so I can see how quickly out of control it can get!

cozietoesie · 27/04/2013 09:44

I think Lonecatwithkitten is the best person to answer that for you but as far as I know - before first heat, say about 5-6 months old. I do know that some shelters do it earlier, though, dependant on the cat's weight and general development. Your farm cats would probably have been likely candidates on that basis.

lljkk · 27/04/2013 10:01

Around here hard to find a vet who will spay under 6 months; I think 4 months is easily possible elsewhere, though.

thecatneuterer · 27/04/2013 11:57

Celia Hammond Trust recommends spaying at 5 months. We even do at at four months in some circumstances.

Lonecatwithkitten · 27/04/2013 14:00

I follow the same policy as the cat neuterer and also take into account that cats are seasonally poly oestrus so tend to come heat for the first time in the spring after they are born. So I would be inclined to neuter an October born female earlier than a July born female.
Yes there are studies with neutering as young as 14 weeks of age. The neutering surgery is no riskier at this age, but the anaesthetic is mainly due to the size of the cat and the rapid loss of body heat. All of the studies on very early neutering have been carried out by parties with a vested interested no trials have been carried out in 'regular' clinics. These trials were also carried out on shelter cats in the USA so with no owners to be devastated by the losses due to increased anaesthetic risk. This is not to say that I am against very early neutering just that the detail needs to be looked at much more closely before we jump in with both feet.

Fluffycloudland77 · 27/04/2013 14:26

Perhaps a contraceptive jab with the first round of immunisations would work for some people.

Obviously not the ones who don't get jabs or intend to neuter anyway.

Lonecatwithkitten · 27/04/2013 15:54

Fluffy sadly the mainstay of the increasing cat population lies with owners who never vaccinate. Not a single one of the cats we have seen this year on the CP scheme have been vaccinated. I have no doubt in my mind if it wasn't for this CP scheme these cats would not be neutered at all.

cozietoesie · 27/04/2013 16:03

Out of interest, Lonecat - and I know it can only be a huge guess - what proportion of owners do you reckon neuter, vaccinate and flea/worm to the recommended schedules ?

Catlike · 27/04/2013 20:16

Just to add that I once had two kittens, male and female from the same litter. I had to get them neutered at 4.5 months as the male kept trying to mount his sister and when I took him to the vet to ask if he needed neutering yet, they said yes as he was showing signs of sexual maturity. He was unusually big for his age though and about a third larger than his sister.

Fluffycloudland77 · 27/04/2013 20:42

Our cat was trying to mount his sister at 16 weeks!

Mucky pups.

Lonecatwithkitten · 27/04/2013 21:38

Well cozie I can give good figures for my practice. 90% of the 1,900 active cats ( seen in last 18 months)registered with my practice are neutered, 45% of the the registered cats are vaccinated. Only 26% of registered cats have had a vaccination, worm and flea treatment in the last year, but whether it is according to recommended schedules is anyone's guess.
What I can tell is that a very large number of cats we only see twice in their life once to neuter and then 14 to 18 years later at the end of their life. Contrast this with 65% of dogs on the books being vaccinated.

cozietoesie · 27/04/2013 21:44

Thanks for that, Lone. Those figures aren't so good. I know from my own family that Seniorboy never went near a vet from one year to the next (after being neutered) while he was with my Mum. She had this view that as he was a housecat, he didn't need to.

nooka · 27/04/2013 22:04

Our local shelter neuter every animal they rehome. I'm not sure about kittens but our puppy was neutered at 8 weeks. The shelter said that it was the only way they could guarantee that it was done. The week we picked up our pup they had over 300 cats waiting for a new home (town of 90,000)

cozietoesie · 27/04/2013 22:08

I think that that's the main reason some shelters may arrange for cats to be neutered at an earlier age than a vet's practice would normally do.

issey6cats · 28/04/2013 00:47

the one i work at neuters kittens at 11 weeks old and have to be 1kg in wheight and then rehomes at 12 weeks and this is to ensure that all cats and kittens go from there neutered as they already have 1000 cats on thier waiting list, all i can add to this is the kittens seem to recover very quickly and obviously dont go on to become , six months down the line pregnant and owner saying well i meant to get her spayed or well i didnt know he would go chasing females for weeks on end , my brother and sister combo came from a private home and at 4 months i had to have jasper done as he was getting too friendly with his sister and she went to be neutered the following week

sashh · 28/04/2013 06:07

Cats' Protection have an early neutering scheme. One vet in Wales will do it from 2 weeks.

They have an advice line for vets to talk them through and if necessary train them to neuter early.

Once mine showed signs of being in season she was not let out until she went to the vet's. He asked our opinion if she was already pregnant.

I knew she wasn't but said if a miracle had happened he should go ahead.

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