What age can cats have kittens?

Question

I just got two kittens about 2 1/2 months ago.

there not realated.

I know there to young to have kittens now but in the future

how old do they have to be?

and do they need anything different while theyre pregnant

Answer 1

Please get them spayed/neutered before they have a litter...

Later on, if you want another kitten there will be plenty waiting for you at your local animal shelter.  

There are too many unwanted kittens and cats in this world that end up being killed or euthanized.  Please don't add to this population-

Answer 2

"Adolescent" cats  as young as five months can get pregnant. For many reasons, it is important to spay or neuter BEFORE the first litter is born - before six months.

Answer 3

it depends on the cat female cats can varie but when she becomes pregnant she will need a quiet place to have the kittens (out of the way of people and other pets) and special food while she is pregnant and for 8 weeks after

Answer 4

Please spay or neuter the kittens. We really don't need any more kittens. The shelters already are putting sleep 9.6 million animals. Before making any new kittens, people should adopt what it already there. Please please don't let your cat get pregnant. 9.6 million are already dead because people don't adopt them. 9.6 MILLION! THATS A HUGE NUMBER!  

Answer 5

around 2-3 months a cat is weaned but at 6 months-12 months it reaches sexual maturity. and from about 12 monnths to 14 months a cat could have had two litters.

i dont know much about cats and breeding them so i cant really answer your #2 question @ the end. sorry but hope what i gave you helped =/

Answer 6

i got this from this website...http://www.hdw-inc.com/pregnancy.htm

hope this helps lol sorry its a lot of info...but pretty much a female cat is able to be bred when she comes into heat.

HOW OFTEN DOES A FEMALE CAT COME INTO HEAT?

In the world of breeding cats, the female cat is usually referred to as a "queen". The queen's heat cycle is often called the "estrus cycle" or simply "estrus". The length of time of the estrus, and the frequency of the estrus cycles depends upon many factors, such as geographic and environmental factors, (temperature and the number of daylight hours), her age and overall health, and her genetic background. Once a queen goes into heat or estrus, she may stay in heat for several days, to 2-3 weeks. Some queens, once they are sexually mature and enter estrus, do not come out of heat unless and until they are either bred to a full male cat, or spayed. The majority of queens will cycle in and out of estrus during the prime breeding season (roughly December through August), returning back into heat approximately every other week.

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Look Here!  WHAT ARE THE SIGNS OF HEAT? Look Here!

Each queen will exhibit different signs of being in heat or estrus. Unlike dogs, cats rarely show signs of vaginal bleeding during estrus. However, their behavior changes greatly, with the majority of queens becoming quite vocal and loud, and showing increased signs of affection. They may roll around on the floor or plop down right in front of you as you are walking; they constantly want to be with you and be stroked, and when you pet them on their back, they will raise their rear end up high and knead with their front paws.

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Cardboard boxes make great, simple nest boxes for Mama Kitty!! The brand new prototype for an elegant nest box, the Kitty Cave!!

2 versions of nest boxes: left, the simple cardboard box;

right, a carpeted piece of cat furniture

Look Here!  HOW DO I KNOW WHEN I SHOULD BREED MY FEMALE? Look Here!

There are a wide variety of opinions by breeders, veterinarians and animal experts on this. It is always preferable to have your queen be fully grown and mature herself, both physically and emotionally, before attempting to have her become a mother. It is usually recommended to wait until your queen is a year old, and has had 2 heat cycles, before breeding her. However, that said, there are cases when it may not be in her best interest, medically, to wait that long before breeding her. Factors such as breed type, the number and intensity of heat cycles, can all play an important role in this critical decision. Breeders of pedigreed cats walk a fine line between doing what they feel is best for their queens, and actually inadvertently causing problems for the queen by interfering too much with what would be the normal course of events in nature. For some queens, if they have had 3 or more heat cycles without having been bred, especially if these heat cycles are extremely intense, they may become more likely to develop a condition known as "cystic ovaries". Once cysts develop on the ovaries, this will usually render these queens sterile and incapable of becoming pregnant. Occasionally, a feline fertility veterinarian specialist may be able to surgically break down and/or remove the cysts, but obviously this procedure carries other risks and may lead to scar tissue on the affected ovary. Infertile queens should be spayed and make WONDERFUL pets.

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Look Here!  HOW LONG SHOULD I LET THE QUEEN BE IN WITH THE MALE? Look Here!

Female cats are "induced ovulators", which means that the act of breeding itself is what stimulates her ovaries to release eggs. This is an extremely effective method for conception to take place!! Most female cats require 3-4 breedings within a 24 hour period for ovulation to occur. Again, there are a variety of factors that can play a role here, and the breeder needs to be not only looking out for the well-being of the queen, but also for the overall health and well-being of the male cat ("stud" or "tom"). If the queen and stud are happy together, there is no urgent need to separate them after they have bred. We have left a happy couple together right up until a week prior to the queen's delivery date, several times! Once the queen is pregnant, she will go out of heat, and the male will stop breeding her. Some breeders leave the queen in with the stud for 1-2 days, while others prefer to be a bit more certain that the queen is pregnant, and give them 4 days together. It's important to realize that the shorter the timeframe the queen is in with the tom, the more accurately you'll be able to predict when she is due to deliver her kittens. This becomes especially important if there is a consideration of having a c-section performed.

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Look Here!  WHAT ARE THE FIRST SIGNS OF PREGNANCY? Look Here!

Pregnancy in cats , called the "gestation period", generally ranges from 60 to 69 days, with the average being 63-64 days. Most of our queens deliver between days 64 and 66. It's very important to mark on your calendar the days you have actually witnessed your queen being bred by the stud cat, as this will be the primary way for you to determine when she is due to deliver her kittens. At about 3 weeks after breeding, a pregnant queen will show some physical symptoms of pregnancy, such as enlarged and rose-colored nipples, and a big increase in appetite and overall interest in food. Your veterinarian should be able to feel her abdomen carefully (called "palpating") and detect any small fetuses. Some queens will have a few episodes of vomiting - the feline version of "morning sickness". Most pregnant queens will become very affectionate, want to be close to you, and thrive on receiving loving reassurances from you that all will be well!!

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Vida Mia and her gorgeous marble Bengal son!!

Vida Mia's stunning brown marble Bengal son.

Look Here!  WHAT SHOULD I FEED MY PREGNANT QUEEN? Look Here!

You should expect that your queen will require and eat quite a bit more food during pregnancy and while she is nursing than she did previously. One way to be sure she is getting enough nutrition is to increase the frequency of her feedings also. It takes an incredible amount of nutrition to create and then to nurse kittens, and if the queen is not taking in enough nutrition, nutrients will be pulled from her own tissues and put her own health at risk. A few days before her due date, you may want to start adding some calcium to her wet food. Calcium supplements for dogs and cats are available at most large pet and feed stores.

Pregnant cats do need special care. Be sure to keep your pregnant queen indoors and in a clean, safe environment at all times. Make certain that her litter box is always extremely clean to avoid the spread of infection; and you may want to switch to a 'shorter' litter box as her belly starts to grow. Be sure she has comfortable, soft places to rest, that she gets plenty of rest, and do everything you can to try to keep the atmosphere around her as stress-free as possible.

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Look Here!  PREPARING FOR KITTENS Look Here!

During the last couple of weeks of pregnancy, and sometimes earlier, the expectant feline mother will usually begin to look for a secure, safe place to have her litter. This is definitely the time for you to introduce her to her "nest box" and birthing area if you haven't done so already. If your queen does not take to the area you have selected for her to have her kittens, you may need to confine her within a large cage or pen, or small bathroom, walk-in closet, etc. Many queens actually prefer this confinement, so they can start to settle down, and scratch around in her nest box. The area you select for her should be quiet and secluded, away from the hustle and bustle of activity, and certainly away from the competition and social stresses from being in close proximity to other animals.

The nest box should be large enough for your queen to move and turn around in, and stand up completely, but not so large that it doesn't seem like a private, cave-like, and safe retreat. Cats are known for their love of curling up in small spaces. Cardboard boxes are often used and make great nest boxes. Be sure the front is at least 8-9" high, to keep the kittens in, yet allow your queen to come and go. Do not use any plastic tubs or boxes for your nest boxes, as there have been reports about lost litters due to the chemicals in the plastics. Place several layers of soft clean, absorbent towels inside the nest box, and let your queen dig around and make her nest in them. Once the kittens have been born, it is then fairly easy to peel back and remove the upper, soiled layers of towels with minimal interruption to the mother and her newborn kittens.

Make sure you have on hand (all in one place that is easy for you to get to when your queen suddenly starts going into labor):   8 to 10 old, soft clean wash cloths; heating pad with cover; small carrier or box which opens from the top; white (colorless) iodine and/or alcohol prep pads; small hemostat; unused dental floss or clean sewing thread; small medical clamp; extra large soft towels for changing the bedding in the nest box; record book and pen; portable phone and emergency veterinary phone numbers; small scale which measures weight in small increments (postage scale, etc.); small baby bulb aspirator; flashlight with working batteries; Dopram-V (doxapram hydrochloride)*, and Oxytocin *. (* ask your vet about the last two). And, be sure to read our article on Breeding Cats, Part II:  LABOR & DELIVERY.

Answer 7

There are millions of cats killed every year in shelters because there are too many cats in the world and not enough homes for them. Please don't add to that. If you want kittens, adopt kittens and your female cat can mother them with the male cat. Please spay and neuter your cats. It's the most responsible thing to do. Also, by spaying and neutering your cats you will make them healthier.

In males, neutering decreases the chances of developing prostatic disease and hernias, and eliminates the chances of developing testicular cancer. It also reduces problems with territorial and sexual aggression, inappropriate urination (spraying) and other undesirable male behaviors.

In Females, spaying decreases the incidence of breast cancer (the rate goes down to almost zero if the spaying is done before the first heat cycle!). It eliminates the chance of developing a serious and potentially fatal infection of the uterus experienced by many mature unspayed animals (pyometra). Spay surgery also eliminates the heat cycle and associated mood swings and undesirable behaviors, messy spotting (in dogs) and the attraction of all available males to your yard.

The simple fact is that spaying and neutering greatly increases the lifespan of your pet and increases quality of life as well!

Answer 8

They can get pregnant at 5-6 months.  You need to get your cat neutered or spayed immediately, there are too many unwanted cats now, and you will be held responsible to find homes for these kittens, and it is very hard to do that.  There are reduced-cost programs in almost all major cities - please do it soon.