At what age should a female kitten be sterilized?

Because it is recommended to sterilize a cat as soon as possible, you ask yourself at what age should a female kitten be sterilized?

Indeed, you do not want to be surprised to see your pregnant cat and take the risk of gcreate litters of kittens unwanted ... Note that a cat can have up to 4 litters per year with at least 4 kittens per litter!

Also know that sterilizing a female kitten will prevent your cat from developing unbearable behaviors. (excessive meowing, isolation, markings during periods of heat, running away, fights).

But when is it better spay a female kitten ? How to know whether to wait until the pussy have her first heatthat she has a first litter, how long after giving birth or on the contrary if necessary sterilize her before puberty ?

Here is some information that will help you understand what is the best age to sterilize a female kitten.

At what age does a female kitten have her first heat?

Usually a female kitten has her first heat around the age of 6 months but it sometimes happens that some cats have their first heat from the age of 4 months.

A partir de là, the pussy is fertile and can therefore mate to reproduce during its heat which returns every 3 to 4 weeks. See at what age can a cat have kittens?

At what age is a female kitten sterilized?

Sterilization of a female kitten is a surgical operation (ovariectomy), the objective of which is to prevent the pussy getting pregnant and to have kittens. Generally, in France, vets advise to sterilize a female kitten at the age of 6 months.

At what age can a female kitten be sterilized?

Contrary to popular belief, it is not necessary to wait for a cat to have her first heat to have her sterilized. Just as it is not necessary to wait until a cat has had a litter (no beneficial effect on the health of the cat).

The United States and many Anglo-Saxon countries practice early sterilization on kittens from the age of 3 months to avoid a too strong reproduction of cats. But in France, vets are more reluctant and often prefer to sterilize a kitten after the age of 6 months.

At what age is it better to sterilize a female kitten?

So, if you do not want your cat to have kittens, you will have to have her sterilized before her first heat. However, cats can have the first heat very early (before 1 months) and not very visible ...

Waiting until your cat is 6 months old can be a little too late if she has her first heat at 5 months!

It will therefore be better to plan a sterilization of your female kitten between 4 and 5 months. Another advantage of sterilizing a female kitten before its heat is that it decreases the risk of mammary tumors when the cat is an adult.

Can we sterilize a cat during its heat?

If you have not done the necessary before and your pussy is already in heat, you can consider sterilizing her immediately without waiting for the end of her heat. However, it depends on the vets. Indeed, some refuse to perform the oophorectomy during heat because the ovaries are more irrigated and the risk of bleeding is increased.

Can we sterilize an already pregnant cat?

If your pussy is pregnant (pregnant), it is possible to have her sterilized before she gives birth. In this case, the veterinarian will remove her uterus at the same time as her ovaries: this is called an ovario-hysterectomy.

When to sterilize your cat after giving birth?

Si your pussy just had a litter and you don't want it to happen again, you can have your pussy sterilized in the weeks following the birth. Indeed, sterilization will not "cut the milk" from your cat and kittens can therefore continue to suckle their mother even after the operation.

Sterilizing a female kitten - The risks

The operation which consists ofremoval of the ovaries of your female kitten is done quickly (in 1 day) and without risks (very rare cases of complications). Indeed, this operation, which is performed under general anesthesia, has been performed very commonly for decades and has been completely mastered by veterinarians. It is therefore safe for your cat (except in extremely rare cases).

However, female kittens as well as male kittens that have been spayed often tend to gain a little weight.

I therefore recommend that you adapt your cat's diet to her sterilized cat's needs. See : How to feed a sterilized cat?

See recommended kibble

I therefore advise you to weigh your cat regularly in order to control its weight gain (see Weight of cats according to their age ou My cat is too big?).