Shouldn't I let my cat have a litter before I spay her?

Actually, the answer to that is no. The reason is, is because when cats come into heat, it increases the chance of them having breast cancer later on in life. And so in order to almost 100% eliminate breast cancer in cats, if you spay them at six months of age before they come into heat, we can eliminate that.

No. I hear that a lot, that, "Oh, I've heard my grandma told me they're supposed to have one heat cycle before, or even a litter before." No, there's no medical proof to back that up. In fact, if anything, I would argue the opposite. I would argue that there is medical proof to back up the fact that certain animals, females in particular, can develop mammary cancer. Let me say that in a different way, cats can develop mammary cancer more frequently if they've had multiple heat cycles. So spaying them at an earlier age makes that percentage lower.

I would recommend against it. This time of year, especially. This is filmed in spring. There are so many cats out there that need homes and have kittens, especially in denser populations, where there are more cats than we have homes for. So cats don't have that maternal need like some people feel. It's more just hormones telling them to do things. Unless you really have a plan for the kittens, there are so many kittens in shelters that need homes. I would recommend against doing it for the sake of doing it. Mom doesn't need it, and we have more kittens. Don't wait because they become sexually mature very early. You don't want to think of your little kitten as having those tendencies, but suddenly they're pregnant, and then that's not the time you want to make that decision. Along those lines, there can be complications with pregnancy, like needing C-section and emergency situations. So it can be stressful to have kittens and a financial strain, more so than just simply having the kittens. It's not all just, they have them, and they all go away and find their homes. There's a lot more to it.

That's really a personal question. You can, but it's a big responsibility because then you're not only responsible for your cat, you're responsible for finding homes for these kittens, or you may have to keep all the kittens. Cats can have litters upwards of eight to 12, so you have to be prepared and do your research. It's not beneficial to them to have a litter. It's not going to change their outlook on life. You do have the risks associated with pregnancy and with childbirth because the kittens could get stuck, and the cat could end up needing a c-section. So there are a lot of things to consider. If you do want your cat to have kittens, you need to be prepared for it because it is an added responsibility and an added financial responsibility on top of that, especially if you have trouble keeping or finding homes for these new kittens.

There are no medical benefits to allowing your cat to have a litter before she is spayed. As mentioned before, it is usually better to remove those organs before they start causing problems.