How old can cats be before they can no longer have kittens?

Cats can reach reproductive maturity and go into heat at 5-7 months. However, letting a young and not yet mature cat breed comes with increased risk for both mother and litter. A kitten is still developing mentally and physically, and there is a high risk of health complications with the mother and the kittens.

Responsible breeders usually wait until their cats are over 1 year of age (sometimes they wait until 2 years old) before letting her have her first litter. This insures the cat is fully mentally and physically mature and is an Excellent standard of the breed.

However, due to the current overpopulation of cats, it is ideal to spay your cat. There are too many cats and kittens in shelters needing homes, and guaranteeing more kittens to forever homes is difficult. Even responsible and experienced breeders are willing to keep any kittens if they are not sold, some are stopping their breeding programs and advising potential kitten owners to adopt from shelters.