The term “fixing a cat” is a colloquial term for “Neutering”. It refers to the removal of an animal’s reproductive organs. In a male cat, it is called castration, in a female cat, it is called spaying.
So How Old Do Cats Have To Be To Get Fixed?
Cats should be neutered at an early age without waiting for the first heat. Ideally, according to the American veterinary medical association, a cat should be neutered when she weighs almost 2 pounds. Generally, most cats would attain a weight of two pounds within the age of 2 months. So cats should be neutered around the age of 2 months.
Most veterinarians recommend neutering before the first heat cycle. This has two major advantages.
• Prevention of an unwanted litter
• Prevention of mammary glands tumors
Following are some of the advantages that are brought about by neutering a cat at an early age.
• Lesser blood loss
• Fewer complications after surgery
• Kitty will recover early from the spaying surgery when she’s young.
• Pediatric spaying surgery takes lesser time
• Prevention from the development of potential behavioral problems
Neutering also helps your cat abolish some annoying habits like vocalizing in heat.
It is generally believed that cats should be neutered after their first heat but this just a myth. Urinary tract problems associated with early-age neutering are just false assumptions. Scientific research has proven these myths to be false and we now know many advantages of timely neutering in cats. If there are some problems that you think are due to early neutering, you should consult your veterinarian.
These problems can be due to your cat’s breed type as some disorders are more likely to affect certain breed types. So you should consult your veterinarian about potential problems before neutering your cat.
Neutering saves society from unwanted litter. This reduces the number of stray cats and those in shelters. So, it reduces the number of cats being euthanized every year. In nutshell, neutering has multiple benefits and if it is carried out at an early age, it is more beneficial for the health of the cat as well.
How Old Do Cats Have To Be To Get Pregnant?
A female cat can become pregnant at an age of four to eight months, depending on the breed.
Cats attain sexual maturity as early as around the age of 4 months but some larger breeds may take a bit longer. For example, Siamese cats go into their first estrous cycle (commonly known as the heat cycle) at the age of 5 months while Persian cats go into their first estrous cycle at the age of around 8 months. After attaining sexual maturity, cats start going into heat after every 2-3 weeks which means the length of the estrous cycle in cats is 2-3 weeks. The length of their heat period is 7 days.
If the cat gets an opportunity to mate with a tom (male cat) while she is in heat, she will release the egg. The release of an egg takes almost a couple of days after mating. It is noteworthy that unlike most of the other animals, cats release the egg only after mating. Sperms from the male can remain alive for some days in the cat’s body. When the egg is released, the sperms fertilize the egg and the cat becomes pregnant. Cats have a gestation length of 9 weeks.
A cat can mate with several males in her heat so a litter can contain kittens from different fathers.
If the cat does not mate with any male when she is in her heat period, her estrous cycle will start again after 2-3 weeks.
Thus a cat can give birth to kittens at the age of 6 months if she gets pregnant in her first reproductive cycle. But some cats may take 10 months to give birth to their first kitten.