My kitties mating??!

[suziek]

Oh no!! I have 2 kitties, boy and girl. I just saw my boy on top of my girl, humping her! She made a little sound and that's why I looked in their direction. How many times has it happened! They're 4 months old now and I ask the vet every time I go there if they can get fixed. They say earliest, January. A month from now. Oh no! What if she gets pregnant?? Can she get pregnant if she's not in heat? Crazy kitties.... I know she's cute and all

but can he wait a month!!

 

[a_loveless_gem]

Are they brother and sister? In breeding rarely produces healthy litters. It is possible for kittens at four months to have kittens if they have reached sexual maturity. It could be possible that she did come into heat and didn't cry out for a male as one was available. My female kitten that I rescued from the vet's office went into her first and only heat cycle at 18 weeks. I promptly made an appointment to get her spayed because I didn't want a litter of kittens and so that my neutered male cat would stop going round the bend.

Most vets in Australia are comfortable with neutering and spaying a kitten at 16 weeks, (four months), provided that they are healthy. Some vets will spay when a female is in heat and in some cases this does cost extra. Some vets also perform the operation even if the female is in the early stages of pregnancy and this does cost more.

My advice is to separate the kittens until they are sterilised. This hopefully will prevent any unwanted pregnancies, provided that your female kitten isn't already pregnant. If you feel that the kittens need to be fixed sooner, try to find another vet that will agree to perform the procedure sooner.

 

[suziek]

No they're not related.
Are there other ways to tell if she could be in heat apart from the cry (which she didn't do)?
It's not possible for me to keep them separated, we're at work all day. We live in a loft, so no doors anywhere but the bathroom. No way am I going to keep one in there and the other to roam the whole house. They play together all the time, that would be too traumatizing.
Any other suggestions?

 

[crazy-cat-lover]

You have to separate them. If you don't want kittens, then this is really the only thing you can do until their fixed. You cannot make a cat NOT mate unless they are fixed. Your male is going to keep mating with her until she is pregnant. Have you tried a different vet? I had my youngest cat done at 3.5 months. I think your kitten has to be atleast 5 pounds to be fixed. Please get some other opinions, what about your SPCA? Will they do an early spay/neuter?

 

[candy]

If seperating them is not an option, I strongly urge you to find a vet that will spay/neuter them. There are cats euthanized everyday due to irresponsible breeding...you don't want to contribute to the problem. Between now and when they go to the vet, they will need to be seperated though. We had to do this with our cat when we got the new kitten (he couldn't be trusted around her) and although it feels like you are being cruel, it is necessary.

 

[a_loveless_gem]

The only option is to separate them. You can't simply tell your kittens not to mate. When Esper went into her heat cycle, I separated her from Russell until my appointment even though he is neutered. At that time I lived in a one bedroom apartment with the only real door being my bathroom and my fiancee and I work all day as well.

It's not a cruel option as it was a temporary one. The cruel option, (and this will sound harsh), is to bring unwanted kittens into a world. Millions of cats and kittens are euthanised at best or killed in a horrific way because no one wants them. Humans only do this to themselves in the name of war. We are not supposed to be at war with each other, let alone other species.

 

[suziek]

Thanks for all your replies. I talked to the vet yesterday and he said that if they're mating then I can take them in to be spayed. If she's pregnant he can spay her anyway. So I'll be doing that in the next few days, whew!! I, seriously and unfortunately, would die if one of them had to be locked in the bathroom all day, sorry. So I'll just take them both to be fixed within the next few days, pregnant or not. I don't want her to have kittens either, so that will be taken care of too.
Thanks again, all of you!

 

[a_loveless_gem]

Yay!

If you have any questions about what to do after they've come home from the vet, feel free to ask.

 

[momofmany]

Vets here will speuter as early as 8 weeks old - the anesthesia they use now adays is easier on them than that of old. I still like to wait until they are at least 5 months old, but NOT if they go into heat.

Good luck and keep us posted on your situation!!

 

[suziek]

Oh thank you! Of course I already have questions. I plan to take them probably on Friday morning so I can look after them all weekend. Can I NOT have those crazy helmets on them? Please tell me it's optional. I'll watch carefully that they don't lick their stitches. And I can get that bitter apple that's talked about on this forum a lot - where would I get that actually?
My brother just had his cat neutered and he wasn't allowed to eat from the night before for over 24 hrs - is this really necessary? He was dying of hunger by the time they fed him and inhaled everything in sight.... I've heard of cats coming home and being fed...
Thank you all so much for your help.

 

[sweets]

Anesthesia should be used on an empty stomach. Check with your vet when the cut off is. Some will say 8 hours, some will say 12. Feeding after surgery depends on how quickly the cat comes out of the anesthesia.

 

[hell603]

Vets here will also. The kitten just need to meet a minimum weight requirement.

 

[hell603]

.one more thing - I would ask the Vet about the Bitter apple spray/gel. It contains alcohol and I am not sure if that would be a smart thing to put on an insicion.

 

[a_loveless_gem]

General anaesthesia is performed on an empty stomach. Though, the two vets that I have been to ask that the cats be fasted for a minimum of 12 hours. But again, check with your vet.

The helmets aren't necessary. Your kitties will want to lick their stitches. Keep an eye on them, just to make sure they're not actually pulling them out. It's not a good idea to use bitter apple on the area given that it has alcohol in it. Alcohol can cause a skin irritation at worse and a lot more stinging around the incision. Also with the stitches, see if your vet is able to use dissolving stitches. This saves taking the kitties back to get the stitches removed, although, the vet will ask for a check up about a week after the procudure is done.

If you're worried about the pain levels for your kitties. And I won't lie about this, they will be in pain. You can talk to your vet about medication to help manage the pain. And if you do choose this option, have the vet show you how to medicate the cats. There is a thread with suggestions but since they've just had an operation, there may be things that just aren't appropriate to try.

How to medicate a cat Thread

Ok...when it comes to feeding when you bring them home. Yes, by this stage they are feeling very hungry. Give them a small amount at a time, not one large meal even though it is very tempting to do so. This will prevent your kitties gorging themselves silly and possibly vomiting later. You may want to just give them dry food. It's less rich in nutrients, so less likely to cause an stomach upset. And then the following day, introduce wet food gradually. They should be eating normally by the second or third day after the operation. It really depends on how they recover. Some cats recover sooner.

They may want to cuddle up to you during this time for comfort. Ideally, it's best to let them climb onto you. Get down to their level on the floor. Try to prevent them jumping and running around, though with some cats this is impossible to do. My male cat Russell came home and decided to climb a staircase at full pelt. And then meowed to be carried down because it hurt too much to come down.

If you do pick them up, do so very gently and definitely with two hands to prevent unneccessary movement at the incision area. Your kittens will let you know if you do something that hurts them. Ask your vet to show you the best practical way to pick up your cats. But remember, when dealing with any animal in pain, there is always a risk of them lashing out. If either kitten lashes out, remember, they're in pain and not to tell them off. Try to comfort them with your voice. And if they let you, a gentle pat or two.

And the most important thing of all is you! Relax! Don't stress out over it. Your kittens will pick up on that. If you have any concerns, talk about them, whether it be your vet or us. Good luck!

 

[suziek]

So I dropped my babies off this morning to be spayed and neutered. It was the saddest thing ever. And they were so happy this morning, jumping everywhere and playing hard. No idea what was about to happen. How do you guys do it, my heart aches. I wish I could explain to them what it's for and why it's necessary. I called the vet and the surgeries are done and the babies are up. Poor things, must be wondering what they did to deserve this.
So the vet said that they'll have to have those crazy helmets on them. I might take them off if they bug them too much and just watch them closely for a few days. I hope they don't hate me. You know? Wish me luck!!!

 

[ccdogmuffin]

hell603 mentioned something about a minimum weight requirement for getting a cat speutered, does anyone know what that is? my muffin is very small still, just curious...

 

[hell603]

A healthy kitten can be safely spayed/neutered as early as eight weeks of age (minimum weight two pounds). However, it depends how experienced a vet is - since this is specialized surgery. Not all verts have experience on operating on such a tiny scale.

 

[blueangel479]

Cats can reach sexual maturity as early as four months old??? I thought it wasn't until at least six months?

uh oh

 

[a_loveless_gem]

Yes, cats can reach sexual maturity at four months of age but it can be up to six months of age as it is not at all the same time for cats. It is a rough estimate. Think of it like humans. Not all humans are the same, neither are cats. Some develop earlier than others.

You kittens will probably be uncomfortable and feeling a tad miserable. Do everything that you can to help them. Remember why you did it. You've prevented not just one litter of unwanted kittens, but many litters.

Why did the vet place them in helmets? I've never had a helmet placed on my two. Although Esper really should have had one as she pulled her stitches out. Follow your vet's advice with the helmets for now. And if you do feel that you should be taking the helmets off, discuss it with the vet first.

Your kittens won't hate you for the operation. They still will love you as much as before the operation. Just remember that they just have had the operation and may want to be alone to recover.

Just remember to be calm when you are around them. They will pick up on any stress or anxiety that you have.

 

[daniellebennett]

The best thing to do is make underwear for your kitten. It really works.


Danielle