Do cats have menopause?

La menopause is the term used to explain the cessation of reproductive age in the human female. Ovarian exhaustion and decreased hormone levels cause withdrawal of menstruation. Little or nothing resembles our reproductive cycle to that of a cat, so, Do cats have menopause?

If you want to know how old the cats are, some changes of mood and / or behavior of the cats related to age, we will answer these and other questions in this article.

Puberty in cats

Puberty is marked when the kittens have the first zeal. This occurs between the 6 and the 9 months of age in short-haired breeds, which are earlier in reaching adult size. In long-haired breeds puberty may be delayed until 18 months. The onset of puberty is also influenced by the photoperiod (hours of daylight) and the latitude (northern or southern hemisphere).

Reproductive cycle of a cat

The cats have a seasonal pseudo-polio-induced ovulation cycle. This means that they have multiple jealousy throughout the year, which usually start between January and February and end between the months of June and November. This is so because, as we said before, the cycles are influenced by the photoperiod, then when the days begin to lengthen after the winter solstice their cycles begin and, when the daylight hours begin to reduce after the solstice of Summer, the cats begin to stop their cycles.

Furthermore, the induced ovulation It means that, only when copulation occurs with a male, the ovules are released in order to be fertilized. Due to this, each copulation will give rise to a kitten, being able to be each brother of a different father. As a curiosity, this is an effective method that nature has to prevent the infanticide on the part of the males, who do not know which kittens are theirs and which are not.

If you want to delve deeper into the reproductive cycle of the cats Check out the article “All about the heat in cats – Male and female”.

Menopause in cats

From the seven years of life we ​​can begin to observe irregularities in the cycles, in addition, the litters become less numerical. The Fertile age of cats ends at twelve approximately. At this time, the cat decreases its reproductive activity and stops being able to keep young inside the uterus, therefore, they will not be able to have kittens. For all this, the cats they do not have menopause, there are simply fewer cycles and the inability to have puppies.

How old are the cats?

During this long period between when the reproductive cessation begins and finally the cat stops having offspring, many hormonal changes, so it will be very common to begin to observe in our feline changes in their behavior. The most striking will be that you will not be so jealous and that they will not be so followed. In general, it will be calmer, although in this critical phase different behavioral problems may appear, such as aggressiveness or the more complicated pseudogestations (psychological pregnancy).

Health problems associated with old age

Linked to these hormonal changes, cats will be able to develop very serious diseases such as breast cancer or feline pyrometer (infection of the uterus, fatal if surgery is not applied). In a study by the scientist Margaret Kuztritz (2007), it was determined that the non-sterilization of cats before their first heat increased the chances of suffering malignant tumors of the breast, ovary or uterus and pyometra, especially in the Siamese breed and Japanese domestic races.

Together with all these changes, those that are linked to one’s own will also appear aging of the cat. Normally, most behavioral changes that we will see will be related to the appearance of diseases, such as arthritis in cats or the appearance of urinary problems.

This species, as occurs in dogs or humans, also suffers cognitive dysfunction syndrome. This syndrome is characterized by a deterioration of the nervous system, mainly 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 do not have menopause, but go through a critical period where we must be more aware of them and avoid major problems.

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