Have you ever wondered if female cats have menopause? Without a doubt, it is a very interesting question, since if women get it, why not felines? After all, both they and we belong to the great group of mammalian animals.
But the truth is that the reproductive cycle of hairy animals is different from that of humans, so if you want to know what changes occur in them when they reach a certain age, don't stop reading.
What is the reproductive cycle of cats like?
Cats have their first heat with the onset of puberty, between 6 and 9 months of age (sometimes before, and sometimes after, depending on the breed and the daylight hours).
From then on they can have their puppies, but in a somewhat different way from ours: and that is that while humans have menstrual cycles, during which there are a few days a month in which ovulation occurs, in cats said ovulation is induced ... by the cats it mates with, or more specifically, by the tiny "hooks" they have on their penis.
During copulation, the eggs are released; not before, and since there will only be a single winning sperm, female cats can have kittens from different parents.
How long can they breed?
Fertility in cats usually ends at twelve years of age, which is when their reproductive activity decreases. In addition, at this age, diseases typical of aging are common, such as arthritis and others, so that the desire to mate decreases.
But beware: it is not that they have menopause, it is that they simply do not want so much to mate, and they may also suffer from some disease that causes them pain and that prevents them from leading a normal life.
What problems can they have?
From the age of 12, the body of cats also experiences a series of hormonal changes that cause their health to weaken. The most common diseases are:
- Breast cancer
- Feline pyometer
- Arthritis
- Urinary problems
- Cognitive dysfunction syndrome
So you have to be very aware of them to take them to the vet if we suspect that they are not well 🙂.