Should You Spay a Cat In Heat?

Did your cat go into heat before you had a chance to have her spayed? Perhaps she was an early bloomer and the onset of estrus was a surprise to you. Or, maybe you waited longer than ideal to schedule the surgery. Either way, if you want to avoid an accidental pregnancy, you will need to have your cat spayed soon. Can a cat be spayed while she is in heat? The short answer is yes. However, it is not an ideal situation.

Spaying Your Cat Before Heat

A spay surgery, or ovariohysterectomy, is considered a relatively low-risk, routine, surgery if the cat is not in heat. Ideally, you will have your cat spayed before her first heat to keep things simple.1



Vets generally recommend spaying kittens by the age of six months. That's because most female kittens will have their first heat cycle between the ages of six and nine months. Though uncommon, some cats will go into heat as early as four months of age. Many animal shelters and rescue groups prefer to spay kittens as young as eight weeks of age. This prevents accidental pregnancies later on. If you are concerned about making sure you have your cat spayed before her first heat, you may want to talk to your vet about doing the surgery early.

Once a cat begins her heat cycle, she can easily become pregnant.2 Most feline heat cycles last about four to seven days. If she does not mate during this heat cycle, she will probably continue to go into heat again every few weeks.

If your cat does go into heat, you are now faced with a decision. Should you wait to spay your cat after her heat, or should you have her spayed while she is still in heat?

Spaying a Cat in Heat

If your cat is in heat, her instincts and hormones are telling her to mate. Therefore, she will go to great lengths to escape the home and find males to mate with. This is why a cat in heat should be kept securely indoors to avoid an unwanted pregnancy.