There are four seasons of the year, but have you ever heard of the kitten season? If not, then this is the time of year when every cat gives birth to its children, little kittens. It is during the season of kittens that all shelters are full of small kittens who want to find a family. This season is the perfect time to adopt your future pet from the shelter!
The season of kittens occurs according to the time because the cat gives birth cyclically. That is, the cat comes into heat only at certain times of the year. It is only one time of year that she can have multiple pregnancies. In the Northern Hemisphere, the breeding season of cats begins very early in spring and usually lasts about 2 months. The peak season is February and March. The rest of the time the cat cannot give birth to cubs and its reproductive cycle goes into a state of rest, which is called “anestrus”.
You might wonder why cats are so prolific? Domestic cats have long been known for their fertility. It is noteworthy that in ancient Egypt, cats were worshipped as a symbol of fertility. Even Bastet, the Egyptian goddess of fertility, was portrayed as a cat. For younger cats, the time when she can become pregnant usually comes after 6 months of her life. Once the female cat, the queen, is in heat, they are likely to become pregnant because the cat will repeatedly come into heat every two weeks throughout the kitten season, and a cat in heat is quite precocious in finding a tomcat. She will breed with multiple male cats. The domestic cat has induced ovulation with eggs lying in wait 30 to 50 hours following copulation when they are released from her ovaries, making it very likely for the sperm and egg to meet. During the breeding season, the female cat will quickly come back into heat after giving birth even if her current kittens have not yet been weaned.
If the cat is not neutered and lives in its natural habitat, it can easily give birth to 50 to 150 kittens in ten years. Overwhelming, isn’t it? Unfortunately, with this many kittens in the wild, many ends up being euthanized or placed in animal shelters. Only the fortunate ones are adopted out and cared for.
Knowing that there is a potential of hundreds of kittens in ten years and multiple litters in just one kitten season makes a good case for spaying before her first heat occurs. Keeping an unspayed cat inside during heat is torturous for her. She will vocalize all day and all night, roll around constantly under their owner’s feet for weeks on end. If an owner has not spayed their cat before the kitten season arrives, much head to the vet quickly out of desperation when they see their cat desperately wanting to produce her kittens for a season. Based on all of the above, spaying a cat before she is in heat is a very good idea. Take care of your cat beforehand.