A litter before spaying?

As I am no expert on cats and their behavior etc. I just had to ask this question. I was told recently that a female cat should have a litter before she is spayed because it makes them much calmer and friendlier and satisfies their need for motherhood.

Dont get me wrong I have no intention of letting Gabby get pregnant but I just thought I would ask you guys what you thought about it.

Let me be the first to say that this is simply an old wive's tale. There's no medical foundation in this, and I can tell you from personal experience that it's not true. Muffy had an accidental litter before we could get her spayed, and she is still the same standoffish, snobby cat she was before the babies. During her pregnancy she was as sweet as can be, but no longer. You can tell your friend that this is simply not true, and please spay before any babies come.

Dawn thanks for your reply. I will be getting Gabby spayed at the end of the month. I dont want her pregnant. I feel we have enough poor homeless cats and kittens as it is.

ps I couldnt help but laugh at your decription of Muffy. Cute :laughing2:

It's better to spay/neuter cats before their sexual hormones are produced. (Best time is usually when they are around 6-7 months old). These hormones order cats to mate & produce new litters & pass the genetic material to next generation ! That's the all reason for them to mate... There is no such thing as "motherhood need" ! If there was, they would care for their kitties until the end of their lives..As most people know, mother care is relatively short in cats ( and in most animals)..Male cats (usually) don't even care about their kitties !!

Cats don't "do it" to satisfy themselves, either..Female cat won't let the male near herself if she's not in heat ! ( If that wasn't the case, she would do it anyway ). It's just a duty. The purpose of mating is passing the genetic material as I said before

Spaying/neutering at an early age prevents/decreases the possibility of mammary cancer/infections/cysts etc. in females & prostate dysfunctions, urinary tract infections etc. in males..Because they won't have the hormones, they won't be looking for & aggressive about mating & giving birth & taking care of the kitties etc., so they will be better pets..

That's what I think ( though only some of it ) about spaying & neutering at an early age

Dodo thanks for your input. I didnt think this could really be but I was interested to know what others thought.

It's a myth. What's more, from my experience, early spaying and neutering at 4 months, my cats havr remained sweet and kittenish. They are very social and playful.

I had 2 female cats as a kid that had a couple of litters each (that was before the awareness to the issue). I must say that if anything it made them less playful and friendly.

I would recommend spaying and neutering at 4-5 months. If you wait longer than that, you risk pregnancy.

Anne

Thanks. They wont spay or nueter here before 6 mons so I hope it wont be too late.The vets told me they wouldnt mate but Rocky is already after Gabby but so far she has showed no interest. They go in on the 27th of this month and I am very anxious to get them in and fixed. Rocky is driving me crazy. He is always howling around the house and looking outside and very restless. Just a few more days