When are cats sexually mature?
Sooner or later, every cat reaches the time when they are sexually mature and the little kitten is ready to reproduce itself. In the following, you will learn when cats are sexually mature, how you can recognise this and which factors play a role in the time when they reach sexual maturity.
When do female cats reach sexual maturity?
When exactly a cat is sexually mature depends not only on the sex of the four-legged friend but also on the cat breed. In most cases, females reach sexual maturity at an age between six and nine months.
Large cats, such as the Maine Coon or the Norwegian Forest Cat, usually take a little longer and become sexually mature at about one year of age. Smaller cats like the Abyssinian, on the other hand, can sometimes be sexually mature at the age of four or five months.
How can you recognise a sexually mature cat?
When a female cat reaches sexual maturity, you will notice that the animal is in heat for the first time. Exactly how a cat shows signs of being in heat can vary from quadruped to quadruped. However, there are some behaviours that are typical for cats who are in heat and are therefore sexually mature.
If your cat is sexually mature and in heat, you will recognise this by the following things in particular:
- Rolling on the ground
- Loud crying or whining
- Refusal to eat
- Setting scent marks
- Assuming the mating position
- Rubbing against the owner or furniture
When do male cats reach sexual maturity?
Male cats usually reach sexual maturity a little later than female cats. They are usually between nine and twelve months old at this time. For males, their breed also plays a role, and large breeds tend to mature later than their smaller counterparts.
How can you recognise a sexually mature male cat?
When male cats reach sexual maturity, it is difficult to overlook. The four-legged friends now suddenly display pronounced territorial behaviour and begin to mark their territory with urine. To the chagrin of their owners, they even do this in their own homes.
If sexually mature male cats are kept as free roamers, they search the surroundings with great perseverance for lady cats who are ready to mate. In doing so, they often get into physical confrontations with male cats, with whom they sometimes fight bloody battles.
Does puberty exist in cats?
Just like humans and other mammals, cats go through a phase in which they develop from kittens to adults and sexually mature quadrupeds. This stage in the development of cats may well be called puberty and can occasionally be quite stressful for you as an owner.
For males, puberty begins around the age of five months and for cats as early as three months.
Cats going through puberty can be verystressful
Although there are no major external changes during puberty in cats, hormonal changes during this time cause them to slowly develop the behaviours typical of sexually mature cats. Male cats, for example, suddenly begin to mark their territory with urine and female cats try out the behaviour that is typical during heat.
In addition, some very similar behaviour can be observed in cats during puberty as in adolescent humans. The animals are sometimes prone to mood swings, particularly reckless climbing attempts and provocations towards other cats they live with.
In addition, you must be prepared for the fact that your pubescent four-legged friend will sometimes deliberately ignore you and possibly also damage one or another object in your home.
Males will also discover the joy of fighting for position as they reach sexual maturity, while adolescent females will tend to develop a greater interest in toy mice and similar things.
Natural relaxation aid for cats
As stressful as this time of life can be, it's important to remember that your cat doesn't mean any harm and that the changes associated with puberty are also challenging for the animal itself.
Therefore, in any case, refrain from being excessively harsh with your pubescent cat and instead try to support your four-legged friend as much as possible. Under certain circumstances, the administration of a calming food supplement can be useful for this purpose.
With Shiimun Calm, we have developed a special preparation made from natural ingredients such as shiitake and brewer's yeast that you can use for this purpose. Thanks to its special composition, Shiimun Calm can help your cat to relax and calm down more easily.
Should sexually mature cats be neutered?
If reproduction of the sexually mature cat is not desired, neutering is recommended. This is especially true for outdoor cats, which is even mandatory in some municipalities, in order to counteract the uncontrolled reproduction of stray cats.
However, neutering is also generally advisable for indoor cats, as the procedure has a number of advantages both in terms of health and behaviour.
Neutering can be performed on cats either shortly before or shortly after sexual maturity. Neutering too early can be detrimental to the development of the animal. Neutering too late can also have undesirable consequences. Female cats can become pregnant unintentionally if they come into contact with sexually mature male cats, and male cats that are neutered too late often can no longer be taught not to mark the home.
Sexual maturity in cats - our conclusion
As you can see, growing up is not always easy for cats. Like humans, cats also go through puberty on their way to sexual maturity, which can also be a challenge for you as an owner.
When exactly your cat is sexually mature depends primarily on its sex and breed. Female cats usually become sexually mature earlier than males and large cat breeds usually reach sexual maturity a little later than their smaller counterparts.
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