I regularly visit Facebook chat pages regarding cats and there was one post that slightly disturbed me for two reasons.  One was due to the fact that yet another Cat was announced as being pregnant.  Why does this disturb me?  I just know there are overwhelming issues regarding over population of cats and that the average cat can have six Kittens.  So, i’m assuming the owner would not be able to afford them, so guess what?  They will probably end up in a cat shelter looking for a home.

The second thing that disturbed me was the cat was around six months old, further questioning why this cat wasn’t neutered.   So this is why I’ve created a blog entry on this topic as it posed so many questions in my head that I needed to answer and possibly at the same time educating others.

The more I dug into this topic, the more I noticed the costs mounting up to look after a pregnant cat, then kittens,  and also the possible time that may be required.  Knowing that most cat owners have a cat due to the “less high maintenance” of them, to which I also disagree with.  Gatsby is the centre of my universe and we spend so much time snuggling and playing with him.  There is no low maintenance with any pet, they are part of your family, and require your time both emotionally and physically.

The cost of spaying or neutering a pet is less than the cost of raising kittens for a year.

Obviously I can’t answer all these questions myself so links will be inserted for all the resources I’ve found and just short important bullet points will be used for my entry.

• How old can a cat be before you can get them spayed or neutered

As long as she’s at least eight weeks of age and weighs at least two pounds.

• What’s the average cost to neuter a cat

This depends where you live, it’s around $200.  Believe me when you read on. this is certainly the cheapest option.

• How old can a female cat be before they can produce kittens

Cats can go into heat very early. They can have a litter at six months of age, and they can have three litters a year.  The average size of a litter is 3 – 5.

• Is it dangerous for a kitten to get pregnant

It is better and healthier for pregnancy to occur when they’re a little older. Often younger cats are not good mothers; the maternal instinct seems to be better developed when they’re one year or older.

• On average, how many people keep the kittens

I haven’t been able to find any statistics on this, but looking at the costs associated i’m sure it’s in the 80% range.  According to a CFHS statistics survey 35% of cats that were taken in to Canadian shelters were kittens. 

• Whats the extra cost of a pregnant cat

Most of the extra cost appears to be once the mother has gone into labour or after she has had her litter.  She may require an emergency C section, which can cost in the region of $600 – $1,000.  The mother could reject her kittens causing the owner to have to hand feed them.  Can you afford the cost of looking after 6 cats for at least 10 weeks?

• What should you expect, when looking after a pregnant cat

There is a great article on this, please follow this link and come right back to us. Pregnancy

• What to expect with a litter of kittens

Solid food can be introduced from around three to four weeks of age – special kitten food.  So depending on the litter size can you imagine feeding 6 kittens plus mum?

A low-sided litter box (tray) should be provided from about three weeks after the kittens are born. So there are extra costs for litter and litter trays.  Remember if you have six cats you should now have around 10 litter trays or maybe more.  Gatsby has and uses 2.

Since intestinal parasites (eg, roundworms, hookworms, and tapeworms) are common in kittens, all kittens should be treated with drugs to kill these parasites from three to six weeks of age.

The kittens’ vaccination programme should start from approximately nine weeks of age

Cats not intended for breeding should be neutered before puberty 

When you own a cat, please consider getting them spayed or neutered, help resolve a growing problem of cat over population!

For additional information, please visit the following links:

Bringing up a Litter of kittens

Pets Web – Spaying or neutering your cat

Pet Source – Cat Health

CFHS Statistics