Cats are quite prolific breeders a reason why many cat owners want to have some helpful information about their reproductive side of life. After your cat reaches puberty, there are greater chances that she’s ready to become a mother especially because their heat cycles can occur after every twelve to 22 days.
They are productive and hence you can expect feral colonies of cats if left unmanaged. This is what makes the process of spaying and neutering the cats very important. If you want to learn more about the reproductive life of cats, read on. It is also very important to ask a vet whenever you have any question about the cats and their reproductive life.
How many litters can a cat have in a year?
If not spayed, a single female kitty has the ability to produce about 12 kittens every year. Remember that unlike humans, cats can have kittens for the rest of their lives. This indicates that cats don’t stop having kittens as they get older. One major issue is that as they age, one litter takes more from their mothers and they may not be alive or healthy.
To answer your question, ask the question of where you stay. Depending on your location, the health of the female kitty and several other factors, your cat can have about 4 litters every year. Their gestation is only 65 days and hence they can go on heat even when nursing a litter. Though, on average the feline can have 3 litters in one year.
How many kittens are in a litter?
Most cats will have a litter of at most five kittens. Though, the feline litters can vary in size depending on a couple of factors. There are some female cats that get as many as 10 kittens in a single litter.
Factors affecting the litter size
There are several factors that are likely to affect the liter size. Here are some of them.
Mother’s health and age
Experts say that as the cat gets older, the litter size may reduce drastically. The cat’s genetic history may also make a difference. There is research showing that new queens have a smaller litter size as compared to second time mothers.
Breed
The breed of the cat also typically affects the number of litters a cat has. There are also breeds that produce fewer kittens in a litter than others. This is according to veterinarians specializing in feline practice. Some breeds such as Siamese have a larger litter while others such as Persian cat breeds have a smaller litter.
Pet fitness
A cat that is more fit is likely to safely deliver a larger litter. For the cats that already have fitness and health issues, the litter size can be smaller or actually reduce significantly after birth.
Certain feline infections
There are some infections that can actually reduce the litter size and vitality. Feline Infectious Peritonitis decreases the cat’s fertility and reduces its ability to get a larger litter size.
How many times can you breed a cat?
The question of how many times someone can breed a cat should be addressed considering the current conditions of the cat. What I am trying to mean is that even when the cat has got into heat, it’s not a good idea to bread her if she has lost a lot of weight nursing a litter. However, if the cat is in good condition, you can breed her right away.
This shows that you’re the one that knows what is best for your cat and for that reason; you don’t have to breed her every time she’s on heat. It’s also a point of asking how long are cats pregnant and how long they take to raise a single litter. After that, it’s important to consider what is best for her.
How long should a cat wait between litters?
Before we answer this question, understand that cat overpopulation is a growing problem in most neighborhoods. For that reason, it’s vital to manage the number of times that the cat should wait between litters.
Note that the gestation periods for cats are shorter than those of humans and other animals. The female cats are also pregnant for over two months in a year. After the cat gives birth to a litter, there are chances that it can get pregnant again very soon. This means that the cat can get pregnant two times in a 3 month’s span.
Do your calculations and you will notice that a cat will actually give birth about three times in the same year. The cat litters can also vary drastically in terms of size. So, the period your cat should wait between litters is a sole decision.
How many litters is too many for a cat?
Cats have the ability to give birth about four times a year. Each litter can also vary in size which shows that sometimes you can get up to 20 kittens from a single mother in one year. I personally think that more than three litters in a year is too much. For that reason, always manage the number of litters your cat can get in a single year.
Is cat menopause really a thing?
Feline menopause is a myth reason being that a cat doesn’t get into a real menopause. With age, the cat’s fertility can decline but it doesn’t mean there’s a point in time when cats will stop having kittens. As a rule of thumb, animals rarely experience things such as a menopause.
The world’s largest Litters
The data available on Guinness Book of records shows that the largest litter of a domestic cat was 19. This was born to a Burmese/Siamese queen in Oxfordshire, UK. These kittens were born in 1970 but four of them were stillborn.
Now you have information about cat fertility and the number of litters a cat can have in a year. It’s a sole responsibility of the cat owner to manage the number of litters the cat can get in a single year.