Having a controlled cat colony is not always easy. Being outside, furry animals have total freedom to go and do whatever they want at that moment, even if you have them in your garden, their instinct will call them to explore their environment. This can create a problem: kittens come into heat sooner than, we were convinced, they would.
If we spend a lot of time with them, it is normal for them to become very affectionate and sociable with us, since at the end of the day, we not only give them food, but also company. But, so that unforeseen events do not arise, it is very important to ask yourself when to neuter a stray kitten.
When we have a cat at home, well controlled and without the possibility of going outside, it is highly recommended to wait until it is six months old. At that age he has the size and energy more than adequate to be able to overcome the operation without difficulty, but ... if kittens have appeared in the feline colony or in our garden and we have not been able to find a home for them or we have decided to keep them, there is no other choice than advance the date of the castration.
Why? Well, the answer may surprise you: from 4 months you can go into heat. It does not necessarily mean that a kitten of that age can get pregnant (something that by the way, and although it is hard to believe, it is possible), but it does mean that at that age is when cats show a great interest in getting out of their usual environment. Y if there is a female in heat, even if the kitten is not more than five months old, for example, he will be too. Once this happens, he will go looking for that cat.
If we take into account all this, What is the best time to neuter a stray kitten? Sooner. From experience I can tell you that the most advisable age is precisely at four months. They recover well and quickly, so much so that in a couple of days they will be as if nothing had happened. But how do you know that a kitten is in heat? If she is already very affectionate, it is not easy to tell.
We can intuit it, or at least suspect it, if it rubs a lot on our legs, or if it asks for much more pampering than normal. But, above all, if a new cat begins to be in the area, then almost certainly the little one has left childhood behind.
If we want her to have a long and happy life, we will have her castrated.