Menopause is the term used to explain the end of reproductive age in human women. Exhaustion of the ovaries and decreased hormone levels cause menstruation to stop. Our reproductive cycle bears little or no resemblance to that of a cat, so do cats have menopause?
If you want to know how old young cats are and some mood swings and/or age-related cat behavior, we will answer these and other questions in this Animal Expert article.
- Puberty is marked when kittens have their first zeal.
- This occurs between 6 and 9 months in short-haired breeds.
- Which reach adult size before.
- In long-haired breeds.
- Puberty can last up to 18 months.
- The onset of puberty is also influenced by photoperiod (hours of light per day) and latitude (northern or southern hemisphere).
Cats have a pseudopolic seasonal cycle of induced ovulation. This means that they have multiple partners throughout the year. Indeed, as we have already said, cycles are influenced by photoperiod, so when the days begin to stretch after the winter solstice, they begin their cycles and when the hours of the day begin to decrease after the summer solstice, the cats begin. to stop their cycles.
On the other hand, induced ovulation means that, only during copulation with a male, eggs are released to be fertilized. For this reason, the same litter can have siblings from different parents. Out of curiosity, it is an effective method available to nature to prevent infanticide by males, who do not know which kittens are theirs and which do not.
If you want to delve into the reproductive cycle of cats, check out Animal Expert’s article “The Heat of Cats – Symptoms and Care”
From the age of seven, we can begin to see irregularities in cycles and, in addition, the scopes become less numerical. The fertile age of cats ends around the age of twelve. At this stage, the cat decreases its reproductive activity and can no longer keep the calf in the womb, so it will no longer be able to have babies. For all these reasons, cats do not have menopause, simply produce fewer cycles and it is impossible to have babies.
How old are cats with calves?
During this long period between the onset of the cessation of reproduction and finally, the cat ceases to have offspring, many hormonal changes occur, so it will be very common to begin to observe changes in our feline behavior. The most shocking thing will be that he won’t have as many goals and they won’t follow him either. In general, you will be calmer, even if at this critical stage different behavioral problems may occur, such as aggressions or more complicated pseudo landings (psychological pregnancy).
Linked to these hormonal changes, cats can develop very serious diseases, such as breast cancer or the feline pythometer (uterine infection, fatal if no surgery is performed). A study by scientist Margaret Kuztritz (2007) found that non-sterilization of cats before their first zeal increases the risk of malignant breast, ovary or uterus and piometer tumors, especially in Siamese and Japanese domestic breeds.
Along with all these changes, there are also those related to cat aging. Normally, most of the behavioral changes we will see will be related to the onset of diseases, such as arthritis in cats or the onset of urinary problems.
This species, such as dogs or humans, also suffers from cognitive dysfunction syndrome. This syndrome is characterized by a deterioration of the nervous system, mainly of the brain, which will lead to the appearance of behavioral problems due to a decrease in the cognitive abilities of the cat.
Now you know that cats don’t have menopause, but they’re going through a critical period when you have to keep an eye on them to avoid bigger problems.
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