Well, in my previous blog “How Old Do Cats Have to Be to Get Pregnant?”
I have disclosed facts regarding the ideal age for your feline pal to get pregnant. Plus, also discussed signs that your kitty is under heat and other more related points.
So, I have gotten a question from one of my pet parent friends what about kittens, can kittens get pregnant? Can they face their first heat cycle before mature age?
After thinking, and doing research work I made up my mind to pen down this researchful blog. Plus, not only share it with my friend but also with all of you, so that you can also get an idea about your kitten’s pregnancy phase.
Without wasting any more time, let’s just scroll down to check our blog on can kittens get pregnant.
It will surely help you to get fruitful knowledge, and you will be able to handle your little one’s health effectively.
Can Kittens Become Pregnant?
Yes, my friend, kittens can get pregnant if you have not spayed or neutered them before she hits their first heat cycle, and do not keep an eye on their behavior.
Allow me to explain to you, for instance, you are parenting a kitten and she has not even turned six months, and before that she has already hit her first estrous cycle. In such a scenario, if you will not keep an eye on her she will try to meet a male cat to mate and during the first matting only she can conceive a new life.
It is suggested to spay your little one as early as possible to avoid getting unwanted pregnancy and also protect your kitty’s health.
What Is the Early Age for a Kitten to Conceive?
It is true kittens mature early, and they tentatively hit their first estrous cycle when she turns 6 months old, which will be counted as a healthy one if she conceives at that time.
If we talk about early-age pregnancy then a four-month-old kitten getting pregnant is considered an early-age pregnancy. This is not good for kittens as well as babies because kittens’ body is not fully developed to support new life.
In case, if she gives birth to a new life then there are more possibilities that she will face health complications and babies will also suffer. As they will not get proper nourishment during pregnancy and after one also.
Is Early Age Pregnancy a Problem?
Well, yes, early age pregnancy is a problem for both mother and baby. This is because the kitten herself is in the developing phase, and her body is not yet fully developed to support a healthy pregnancy, and give birth to a healthy baby.[1]
This is the utmost important reason to prevent kittens from giving birth at an early age. And another reason is a bunch of new life, which makes it tricky for pet parents and mother cat to handle all of them.
If your kitten get pregnant and gave birth to new life, then it is sure that she won’t be giving birth to a healthy baby. In addition, her health will get more deteriorate and can face severe underlying health complications, which can even threaten her life.
How to Prevent Your Little One to Get Pregnant?
Now you know very well, that your little one can give new life even when she is just four months old. This means you have to be very careful from the initial stage only so that she doesn’t get pregnant before age. If you follow these tips and consult your vet you can prevent your kitten from getting pregnant at an early age.
These friendly tips will help you to prevent your little one from getting pregnant. So, keep on reading to gain knowledge.
- The best thing is to spay or neutered your kitten at right time to prevent her from getting pregnant.[2]
- If your kitten is not spayed and she has already hit her first heat cycle at an early age. In such a scenario, it is recommended to stop her from going out and meeting male cats.
- For multicat households, it has been suggested to keep an eye on their kittens because there are chances that they will try to mate with each other. So avoid sibling mating also it is not good for them and might conceive pregnancy at an early age.
- Parenting both male and female cat brings more tension because it creates obstacles to keep them away. Still, it’s your job to separate them from each other because even at first mating also your little one can get pregnant if they are not spayed.
If you follow all these tips and your vet’s guidance, you can prevent your kitten from getting pregnant at an early age. In this way, you are not just preventing her from giving new life but also protecting her body from getting damaged.
This is because her body is not yet developed for pregnancy and if she will conceive before age it might create severe underlying health issues for your feline pal.
FAQs
How to tell if a kitten is pregnant?
Your kitten’s body will start displaying a few signs from which you can easily identify that she is conceiving new life. Such as nipples will turn into swollen pink ones, she will start gaining weight, abdomen structure change will be noticeable, etc. With these signs, you can easily figure out she is expecting a new life.
Will kitten siblings mate?
Yes, kitten siblings do mate with each other, when they reach their reproductive phase. It’s recommended to spay or neuter your kitten before she turns 6 months. This is because it will help you to prevent them from mating and conceiving.
Can a 3-month-old kitten get pregnant?
Generally, cats reach their sexual maturity when they are six months old. But, it has been observed that kittens do hit their first heat cycle when they are four months old. So, before four months it’s not possible for them to get pregnant or even hit their first heat cycle.
Well, It’s a Wrap!
Let’s quickly look at short summary of whether kittens can get pregnant.
To eliminate the doubt of clouds, we have given insight information that helps you to keep updated, and know when your kitten’s ideal age to get pregnant.
As we know, felines go under the first estrous cycle when she turns six months old, but in rare cases, it has been observed that kittens do get under four months old and conceive a pregnancy.
So, that’s why we have given you prevention tips to save your kitten from unwanted pregnancy because you also know now that early pregnancy is not good for her health as well as for newborn babies.
A friendly tip of advice:-
You can spay or neuter your feline at an early age. If you don’t want her to face any health complications, or unwanted pregnancy, at an early age.
In addition, it’s always a great option to seek your feline’s vet’s advice regarding your kitty’s health because they know better than you.
References:
- Joyce, A., & Yates, D. (2011). Help stop teenage pregnancy! Early-age neutering in cats. Journal of Feline Medicine and Surgery, 13(1), 3-10.
- Kustritz, M. V. R. (2002). Early spay-neuter: clinical considerations. Clinical techniques in small animal practice, 17(3), 124-128.