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Spaying cats is more important at this time of year than at any other time. It’s mating season, and if we want to control the stray cat population, making sure existing strays can’t reproduce is vital.
One woman who frequently rescues cats recently took in a pregnant mama. She had her scheduled for a spay, but the morning of the appointment, the kitty actually decided she needed to have the babies:
Maddy’s Cat Rescue almost got away with having to foot the bill for just one spay appointment… Now, she’s on the hook for two spays and a neuter. The best part is when Mama gets up and walks away from the kittens! That’s the feline equivalent of a mic-drop!
Maddy does this kind of thing all the time: she rescues strays, makes sure they’re spayed/neutered, and then finds them homes. Having kittens three minutes before the surgery is uncommon, but it was a little bit funny.
Related: Feral Cat’s ‘Rainbow Kittens’ Are a Total Miracle
Just because she had her kittens doesn’t mean she can’t still get spayed. It’ll take a few more weeks; typically, you should wait until the cat is done nursing kittens to spay her. She was scheduled for a spay/abort, where they take out the uterus with the kittens inside. It’s painless for all parties, and they heal quickly.
Now, this kitty and her babies will just end up getting spayed at the same time. They can (and should) be spayed as soon as they’re about 8 weeks old!
Why Not Let Stray Cats Have Kittens?
There are entire organizations devoted to spaying and neutering stray cats. These organizations often release the cats back onto the streets once they’ve healed, too; it’s called TNVR: Trap, Neuter, Vaccinate, Release. It prevents the spread of disease and unwanted pregnancy.
Allowing stray cats to have kittens not only adds to the stray population, but it’s risky: many stray cats who have kittens give birth to cats with deformities. There’s no way to prevent them from mating with relatives, for example.
Bengal kitten sitting next to a toy.Image via Shutterstock / nastykrause
(Image via Shutterstock / nastykrause)
Kittens born to stray mothers often have lots of issues, like:
They also don’t have access to veterinary care, so many of these kittens will live short lives in a lot of pain. Spaying and neutering (as well as keeping un-fixed pet cats inside) helps prevent that.
This mama is lucky that both of her kittens are happy and healthy. I hope they live long lives in forever homes!
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This story was originally published by Parade Pets on Mar 24, 2026, where it first appeared in the Pet News section. Add Parade Pets as a Preferred Source by clicking here.