Cat Questions to the cat experts - Neutering Cats

[MadMaddie]

So hear goes...

My friends father lives in the country in a southern state and has this promiscuous mama cat. She has been knocked up twice and she has 2 kittens from the 1st litter, and now she has had a 2nd litter with 4 kittens. The new kittens are now 2 weeks old this week.

My friends father refuses to neuter the mamma cat so when my friend goes home she wants to get the mama cat neutered and maybe the first litter of kittens (depends on how expensive it is).

When can she neuter mama? What is the time period between having the kittens and getting her neutered?


Thank you in advance for your advice!!

[Sanity Claws]

1. At least wait until the kittens are weaned

Sorry but I can't offer any more help.

[MadMaddie]

4. Thank you!

[demnan]

2. Timing this will be a little difficult

You should wait till the kittens are weaned. The mother cat will then probably go into heat and will need to be isolated indoors. When she is through with her heat you can get her fixed.

I would advise against fixing kittens too young. They should be nuetered or spayed at 5 to 6 months old, if possible. Females can go into heat as young as 4 or 5 months old and when that heat is over get them fixed.

[BrklynLiberal]

3. The Humane Society here In NYC will neuter kittens as young as 10 weeks if they

are feral
I guess you can check out that option near you..

[MadMaddie]

5. Thanks!

[Sanity Claws]

6. Seattle Animal Control neuters kitties once they weigh 2 lbs.

I fostered for SAC and I know that was their rule, at least as of a few years ago.
If they get a good diet, they can reach 2 pounds in less than 2 months.
My own kitten was 4 months old when I adopted him and had him neutered. No adverse effects from that.

[badgerpup]

7. It's easiest on the boys once their testes have dropped into the sac.

According to my vet...

It's easy to tell...unless they're really furry kittens.
You'll be able to see them...they'll have balls where they didn't before; and it will feel like solid little peas if you check by touch (don't squeeze too hard!).

The testes dropping doesn't mean they're on-line yet...just getting into position.


Finnegan's dropped at about four months. Got him neutered at five and a half months (due to it taking some time to make arrangements with the low-cost spay/neuter program)...
but they were gone before he had a chance to figure out what they were there for...

I'm told that around 8-9 months is when the boys hit sexual maturity, but a queen (unspayed mature female cat) in heat can speed up the process a bit.

[japple]

8. My vet recommends waiting until the cats are 6 lbs. or

6 months, whichever comes first. But at the humane society where I used to volunteer, they would send them for spay/neuter at 8 weeks if they were healthy. My senior cat, Oscar, was rescued by that shelter at about 3 yrs. of age and was neutered shortly thereafter. He is HUGE, with a fully developed tom cat head and chest. He has a weight problem, too, which makes him look even bigger. I am all in favor of spaying and neutering healthy kittens when they are at least 8 weeks. We never had problems at our shelter with any of the kittens who were spayed/neutered at that young age, and I think it helps to keep them healthier, more sociable, and more adoptable.

Edited to add that if by chance the female gets pregnant, the vet can still do the spaying if the fetuses aren't developed.