The cat is pregnant and we want to get her spayed, we don't want her to accidentally get pregnant again nor do we want to put her or the kittens at risk. How long do we need to wait? If she is still nursing the kittens does that impact spaying?
FYI - I see there is question about a 9 month old kitten/cat that is still nursing
When Should She Be Spayed?
I wasn't able to find any definitive information about when a nursing mother should be spayed, but spaying nursing mothers seems common in TNR (trap neuter return) groups (it's better to spay a cat that you have in a trap now, then try to trap her again later).
Ally Cat Allies (a leading TNR group) states (based, presumably, on their 25 years of experience in TNR advocacy):
Nursing mother cats continue to produce milk after being spayed, and can continue to nurse their kittens.
Best Spaying Technique for Nursing Mother
If you want to get her spayed while she is nursing, you can call the local veterinarians and ask if they are experienced in flank spaying.
In the US, cats are normally spayed with an incision along their midline (the belly), but in UK (at least in 2006) the incision is more commonly located along the flank (along the side).
The benefit of a flank spay for a nursing mother is that the incision is less likely to be affected by any leaking milk, and you will be able to monitor the incision without bothering the kittens.
At my previous clinic we would spay 2 weeks after weaning. Gives the mother enough time to feed her babies and recover as producing milk, caring for kittens can be hard on their system.
Timing is crucial when it comes to spaying a cat after birth, and your concern is completely valid. Many people don’t realize that female cats can go into heat as early as 4 weeks postpartum, meaning they can get pregnant again while still nursing! That’s why vets generally recommend waiting until about 6 to 8 weeks after birth, once the uterus has contracted and hormone levels have stabilized.
Nursing can impact spaying slightly—swollen mammary glands may make the procedure trickier, but experienced vets can navigate this. The key is balancing recovery with preventing another pregnancy. If there’s a medical urgency, such as an infection, spaying might need to happen sooner. Otherwise, ensuring the mother is healthy and kittens are weaned makes for the safest approach.
Out of curiosity, has your vet provided a specific timeline based on your cat’s health? Every cat recovers differently, and personalized advice is always best!
(If you're looking for a more detailed vet-approved timeline, I recently covered this in depth here. Hope it helps!)
It is not advisable to spay the cat after weaning as some of them are getting pregnant while feeding. As to TNRM helping with spaying, here in Kuala Lumpur, they were contacted for paid help in spaying about 6 females and once they were told that we will be monitoring them on their return, we had no more response from the Manager, Stuart, now we have kittens from 5 of the 6 females we asked to be spayed. Would like to take the poor little things to TNRM doors, if there is one, that is.
A vet here in the Philippines recommended 6 months after having kittens. That would be 6 more heats to go through, and does not agree with all the other experts.
Since they go trough puberty at around 6 months, so you should probably get her spayed at around 6-7 months old.
I recommend you get her spayed at 6 1/3 months, so that gives time to cool down from puberty and it won't be too late.
One more thing; Cats go through heat about every 2 weeks.
What I'm trying to say is: The SOONEST you can get them spayed is the day after they have puberty.
A female cat should be spayed before she has a litter. There are far too many unwanted cats in the world already.
As to spaying her now, consult a vet.
