How soon can a female be spayed after having kittens?

Well, the stray female we took in ended up having 2 kittens. (I know she didn't get pregnant here because all of mine are fixed).

We have her spay appointment scheduled for march 17th, she had them around march 4th. Is that too early to get her spayed? We can reschedule it if it is, I don't want to make her uncomfortable. She definately won't be having any more little ones though.

My (admittedly unprofessional) understanding of this is that there's a difference here between "can" and "preferably". I think that the female cat CAN be spayed the day after she has the kittens, technically speaking. However, I think most vets, and most pet owners, prefer to wait until the kittens are weaned before spaying the momma cat.

Can anyone else back me up on this? I recall this, but I'm not sure from where...

I would wait until they are weaned if possible. Otherwise you would have to bottle feed the kittens while she's at the vet, and it would probably be painful for her to nurse the kittens after the surgery.

I think it is in momma cats and kittens best interest not to be spayed until after the kittens are weaned. I THINK that by spaying her now her milk production may stop (because all of her reproductive organs are taken out and there for her hormones will be out of whack). I cannot for the life of me remember where I read this and do not know if it is true but it sounds logical.

Also, as momto3cats said- it would probably be very painful for her to nurse afterwards.

As long as she isn't being let outside and as long as you do not have any unaltered male cats she won't get pregnant before she is spayed. Unfortunately she can go into heat right after having her kittens and so I would keep her inside where she cannot be bred again.

Best of luck!

Thanks, I thought it would be best to wait...I wouldn't want her to be in any pain. She won't be going outside any time soon.... she is here to stay.

I'd talk to your vet. He/she knows what is comfortable. I've heard its a few weeks to allow time for nursing, but not positive.

Everyone is right, you should not spay a nursing mother as she will most likely stop producing milk.

3 years ago we adopted a cat from the pound, 4 weeks later she had a litter of kittens. She got VERY sick the day after she delivered and from they think might have been a mammary infection (it never was confirmed), and they thought they would have to do an emergency spay to save her life. But in doing so it risked the lives of the kits and they told me to start calling shelters to find a lactating mom.

Luckily after several rounds of IV antibiotics, her fever came down just hours before her scheduled emergency spay and she remained intact until after the kits were weaned.

That being said - keep a close eye on her - as she can get pregnant again while she is still nursing.

Congrats on the litter! Have fun while they last

Shadow was fixed after she had kittens because there was a Problem. she got a infection because there was a dead in her. The Vet said not to fix the mom until the Kittens are 8 weeks. There was no choice with Shadow. Her poor Kittens had to be bottle fed and my brother had to get help from a friend. They were only a few days old when it happened. After Shadow got fixed her Milk was a all messed up and she got another infection and almost died. The Kittens lived. This was last March.

That's what we were afraid of with Willow - if she was forced to have the emergency spay we were worried about raising the kittens. Thankfully she barely escaped the emergency situation. I'm glad all Shadows grew up fine too!!!

There is a foster mom on the Pg Cat & Kit forum that is fostering two 1-week old orphaned kittens right now. Maybe you might have some advise for her Mews? She is asking about how long to rub the bellies to stimulate them to go to the bathroom.

My Momma cat was spayed after her litter was adopted out. We kept one female that got pregnant a year later. When the daughters kittens were born they vanished! She walked around the house engorged with milk. After an hour we found the older fixed Momma cat had taken her daughters kittens under a bed and was nursing them. The fixed female was able to begin to produce milk again. Sworn truth