When should I spay my female cat?

International Cat Care says kittens reach sexual maturity from around four months of age, and that neutering should routinely take place at around four months, before cats reach it. Its pregnancy guide adds that a cat's body changes over the 63 to 65 days of pregnancy, so a kitten that mates at four months can have kittens of her own at six.

The American Association of Feline Practitioners' 2020 position statement supports spaying and neutering cats not meant for breeding by five months of age, to prevent unplanned litters. It asks vets to tell owners that a cat can be reproductively active as early as four to five months without necessarily showing obvious physical signs. The older advice of waiting until six months, or until after a first heat, leaves a window in which many accidental litters happen.

The same statement leaves the exact age to the vet, who weighs the kitten's health and their own surgical and anaesthetic judgement. So the guidance is a target, not a rule: ask at the kitten's vaccine visits, and book the date.

International Cat Care says cats usually recover quickly, most are back to their normal selves by the next day, and activity should be limited for a while so internal wounds can heal. Follow your vet's discharge sheet on food, the wound and any medicine, and call the clinic if the wound is swollen, weeping or open, or if your cat will not eat.

Spayed cats are more prone to weight gain, International Cat Care notes, so ask your vet whether to change her portions once she has healed. The cat food calculator gives a starting point to discuss.

In its 2021 circular, the Animal Welfare Board of India told every state that stray cats can be found in large numbers in every district, and that kittens die on roads, under vehicles and in drains. It asked local bodies and recognised welfare groups to run birth control and immunisation for cats on the lines of the dog programme. A spayed pet cat that slips out of a flat cannot add to that, and a community cat that is spayed has fewer litters to lose. If you are planning a trip, spay well before it, so your cat has healed before a sitter or a cattery takes over.