Can a Spayed Cat Produce Milk [A Complete Guide]

If you have adopted a female cat or are fostering a stray in your community, you may want to consider spaying her. For the sake of reducing the number of new stray kittens in the community, spaying stray female cats is always a good idea. 

Additionally, it is highly advised that new pets be kept in harmony with the other animals in the house in order to provide the best possible living conditions for your cat. It’s also possible that your cat just had a litter. Has a specific period of time been set aside for you? Is it best to get them spayed immediately away? Is it possible for a lactating cat who has been spayed to continue producing milk?

In this article, we will answer all these questions for you.

Can a Cat Nurse After Being Spayed?

After being spayed, mother cats can be returned to their kittens for another 12-24 hours of nursing. They should be able to care for their young by the end of this time frame. For the most part, all cats can be successfully spayed using traditional methods. Your veterinarian may conduct a flank, or side, spay, in which the incision is performed on her side rather than her belly, rather than in her rectum. When her kittens massage her belly when it nurses, the incision is less likely to become infected.

You should try to get her back to her litter as quickly as possible so that it can get back to caring for her kittens. Afterward, it can be given intravenous fluids to help the cat recuperate. It will begin to nurse and care for her kittens as soon as it is reunited with them. If you’re releasing the cats into the wild, make sure you do it in the same location where you caught them. 

How Long Can a Cat Nurse After Being Spayed?

About a month before giving birth, a cat’s lactation hormones kick in. This process has been going on for a long time, and spaying a cat does nothing to stop it.

Even after their kittens have been weaned from their milk, they will continue lactating like this. By introducing canned and kibble food, they can either do this on their own or with your help. Kittens are typically weaned from their mother’s milk at around 5 or 6 weeks of age. When your cat reaches this point, it has stopped nursing and is unlikely to do so again. 

Can a Spayed Cat Produce Milk? 

It is possible for a mother to raise kittens if it has been sterilized. When the kittens are still nursing, you may want to have your mother’s cat spayed while they are still young enough to prevent further pregnancy. Cats wean off their mothers’ milk in approximately five weeks. A cat can become pregnant again about five weeks after giving birth if it goes into heat.

Having your cat spayed before the 5-week mark will prevent this from happening. Your cat can be returned to her babies within 12-24 hours of the treatment, where it will be able to nurse and care for them safely. Afterward, you won’t have to worry about her becoming pregnant, and it’ll be able to take her time to recuperate from the ordeal.

Can a Cat That Has Never Had Kittens Nurse?

A cat that has never had kittens is surprisingly able to nurse. Pseudopregnancy occurs when a cat is lactating even if it has been sterilized and has never given birth. The reason for this is that their bodies are producing an excessive amount of hormones. Because this behavior prolongs the pseudopregnancy, make sure they don’t nurse on anything like socks or toys.

Depending on your cat and their hormones, this may either stop happening, or it may continue to happen on a regular basis. This cat may continue to produce milk for your other kittens, even if it is not their mother. Your older cat should not be lactating if you keep them apart until the kittens are old enough not to need them anymore.

Kitten Trying to Nurse on Spayed Cat? Here’s What to Do 

You may notice that your cat is nursing your other cat since it is soothing to them. The two of them may find it mutually soothing, and if they are close to one other and have spent a lot of time together, this will be even more likely. In houses where a kitten has been brought to an older, spayed cat, this type of behavior is more prevalent.

Older cats are more likely to allow a kitten to suckle from them if they have previously had kittens of their own. Even though it has never given birth to kittens, some cats find it soothing to let other cats to nursing them. Cats that are taken from their mothers too soon may seek out other cats to suckle on in order to feel better.

No harm in letting your cats nurse each other, as long as it is done safely. Breastfeeding is safe as long as the stomach and teats do not get inflamed or red. 

Do Spayed Cats Still Have Maternal Instincts?

Cats who have been spayed or neutered retain their maternal instincts. After being spayed, most cats retain their maternal instincts, especially if they go on to have their own litters. The desire to care for their kittens will persist even after spaying. If they haven’t had kittens after being spayed, cats will still have maternal instincts. Female cats are born with these instincts. A kitten introduced to an adult female cat will very certainly be taken care of by the older cat.

Can a Fixed Cat Lactate? The Bottom Line

YES. Despite having been neutered, mother cats continue to give birth to healthy kittens. Mother cats require between 12 and 24 hours to recuperate from spay operation. You can find out how long it will take the mother cat to start nursing her kittens again by consulting with your veterinarian.