When can a kitten go out?

Sequeena

rigsby1967 wrote: »

Thanks for all the replies.

I am not 100% sure yet as to whether to get her neutered or let her have 1 litter then get it done, I have heard bad things about females getting neutered before at least 1 litter. She is still very young at the moment so i still have time to decide what to do .

Rigs

My mum has several female cats, all were neutered at 6 months and they are fine. It's a complete myth that a cat must have one litter.

My cat has just had an accidental litter and yes the kittens are gorgeous. I am extremely lucky she had a quick and easy birth and all kittens survived. Could you honestly let your girl have a litter knowing that she may not survive? Or that her kittens may not survive?

I am keeping 3 of the 5 kittens and the other 2 have homes. Could you guarantee good homes where you know the cats will be neutered? Kittens actually cost some money. Sure you can do it on the cheap but I wanted to do the best I could.

What if mum couldn't feed? Would you be prepared to feed the kittens every 2 hours for the first few weeks?

Sorry, I know I come across as a preacher but if I could go back in time I wouldn't allow Cotton to have her litter because it's just not worth the risk if you don't know what you're doing.

Shoshannah

rigsby1967 wrote: »

Thanks for all the replies.

I am not 100% sure yet as to whether to get her neutered or let her have 1 litter then get it done, I have heard bad things about females getting neutered before at least 1 litter. She is still very young at the moment so i still have time to decide what to do .

Rigs

Letting a cat have a litter before spaying her has no positive bearing on her health whatsoever, just to put your mind at rest.

Having performed routine cat spays and feline Caesareans, I know which I would say is the less traumatic op.

Kimberley

Oh please don't let her have a litter. If everyone thought like you then rescues would be over run by them. Anything can go wrong. What would you do if she had a traumatic labour? Could you afford for an emergency C-section??? In my view it is much better for the cat to be spayed before 6 months of age. My Bengal boys were castrated at 4 months and my female at 6 months. They are all thriving.

Please think about this. have a look on gumtree or other free ads in the pets for sale section to see how many irresponsible people have let their cats or dogs have litters and look at how many sell the pups or kittens or give for free and also look at how many people get "rid" of their new pup or kitten when the novelty has worn off.

Shelley84

My two kittens are being neutered at 5 months old or when they reach 2 kgs (depending on which vet we go to). They will be allowed out after they have recovered from that.

Also Cats Protection League are giving out vouchers for neutering so you can get it done for free :-) They are trying to stop the huge amount of unwanted kittens.

paulwf

rigsby1967 wrote: »

Thanks for all the replies.

I am not 100% sure yet as to whether to get her neutered or let her have 1 litter then get it done, I have heard bad things about females getting neutered before at least 1 litter. She is still very young at the moment so i still have time to decide what to do .

Rigs

Female cats that have a litter at a young age usually don't go on to grow to their full potential...my local sanctuary is full of tiny female cats. It's quite funny as the strays are either tiny females or HUGE tom cats that weren't neutered until they were picked up

Just about every sanctuary I know of is full to bursting and could probably take in dozens more kittens if they had the space, please let some of these have a chance of getting a loving home instead of producing more kittens.

rigsby1967

I think you have all convinced me to get her spayed then, I was just worried about what i'd heard if i got her spayed before her having a 1st litter.

She is only 10 weeks so i still have a long time to go before she can get spayed, whats the youngest, 5 months?

Thanks for all the replies:).

rigs

Sequeena

rigsby1967 wrote: »

I think you have all convinced me to get her spayed then, I was just worried about what i'd heard if i got her spayed before her having a 1st litter.

She is only 10 weeks so i still have a long time to go before she can get spayed, whats the youngest, 5 months?

Thanks for all the replies:).

rigs

I know that some rescues are neutering as early as 12 weeks. Personally I don't agree with that but it's obvious why they do it.

My mum has all hers done at 6 months regardless of sex.

madget_2

rigsby1967 wrote: »

I think you have all convinced me to get her spayed then, I was just worried about what i'd heard if i got her spayed before her having a 1st litter.

She is only 10 weeks so i still have a long time to go before she can get spayed, whats the youngest, 5 months?

Thanks for all the replies:).

rigs

Well done, you've made the right and responsible decision. :T

It's an old wife's tale about letting them have a litter before spaying them. As others have said, imagine what would happen if everyone did that? There are already so many abandoned cats and kittens and not enough good homes for them, it would just be adding to that sorry number.

Also, you'd have to go through the agonising calling period every time she came into season - with her screaming and desperately trying to escape constantly until her season ends. And if she did get out and mate with a tom, she could end up with serious diseases, such as FIV (feline HIV) or FeLV (feline leukaemia). Besides which, small females can suffer health-wise or have their growth stunted by early pregnancies - and their kittens can be too weak or mal-formed to survive.

BTW, I'm sure we'd all love to see a photo of your little girl, if you can!

Kimberley

Well as she is female then i'd say 6 months but males can be done from 3 months.

Bunny

our 2 boys were neutered and were out at 6 months, prior to that, that had a harness and lead around the back garden. There is a kitten near our street, whose owner lets him out, only about 13 weeks old, he seems so tiny to be out, he hangs around with the 15 year old cat who i'm not sure appreciates the attention of a kitten jumping randomly on him, but he tolerates him.