Cats are wonderful, loving pets and companions. Being a responsible owner of a cat involves making sure your cat is desexed for both their long-term health and to prevent unwanted kittens.
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Did you know that one cat can produce over 20,000 kittens in just four years? There is an overpopulation problem with kittens and cats happening everywhere.
Female cats naturally go into their first heat cycle at about six months of age, but that may happen anywhere between four and 12 months of age depending on a cat's breed, health and the time of year. The heat cycle is usually around one week, however, if the cat does not fall pregnant in that time, it will come back into heat again and this cycle will continue until the cat is pregnant or the season is no longer right for that cat.
A common reaction is "It's ok. My cat comes in a night so it won't get pregnant". Sorry to bust this myth everyone but sex just doesn't happen at night under the cover of darkness!
Another misconception is that a nursing mother cat cannot get pregnant. Not true. Mother cats that are nursing kittens can also fall pregnant with another litter while still breastfeeding. So if your cat has unintentionally had a litter, best to keep them locked up until you get them desexed.
Now, just because you have a male cat, don't think that you're not part of the overpopulation of kittens! Having your male cat castrated will not only stop him from getting all the female cats in his area pregnant, but it will remove the risk of testicular cancer and lessen the risk of him fighting the other boys in the neighbourhood for the ladies.
We recommend the desexing of both male and female kittens from around the age of four months.