when do they mature

[el60]

We are going to look at a female kitten 3 months old to be a companion to our little guy who is 14 weeks old. Is that a safe age for them to be together. I intend to get him neutered as soon as possible but still too young.

 

[callista]

It's rare but not unknown for a three-month-old kitten to go into heat; four months is possible, and five months is downright common. Males mature a little later, but unfortunately their maturity is not nearly as obvious as the female's heat cycle.

However, many vets will do spay/neuter at twelve weeks, provided that the kitten is healthy and a decent size, and most will do it at sixteen weeks (four months), especially if you explain that you have adopted two kittens, one male and one female, and want to be absolutely sure that the female does not suffer the risks of an early pregnancy. Honestly, with such a young male, the chances are slim, but since early spay/neuter in healthy kittens is available and you'd be doing it later on anyway, why take the risks?

I would advise you to adopt them together regardless, because if they know each other as kittens they'll be playmates for life, or at the very least have a friendly relationship. Spay/neuter is often done early in shelter cats and in situations like yours, and it's as safe as spay/neuter at the usual age. Some people even report that kittens bounce back from the surgery more quickly than adults do.

 

[missymotus]

Males can and do mate at 4 months old, and females do come into heat at that age too. I would get both fixed asap, or adopt from a shelter where they come with all vet work done. 

They can both be fixed from 8 weeks old, if your normal vet won't then find another who's up on current procedures (not that early neutering is new, it's be practised for decades, but some vets stick by the old fashioned 6 months)

 

[el60]

Well we have her and she is terrified of my little male. She will come around us but only when he is in another room so we keep them separate. My allergies are twice as bad but hope I will somehow get used to her as I love her already.I am doing all the things for allergies anyway.

I am nervous about the fact that they can get together so young. I am going to talk with my vet again and if he wont do the neuter or spay earlier then I will have to take him somewhere else. They say that he has to be four pounds and he is only two pounds. This vet is more reasonable price wise than most around here but he is a half hour away.

Thankyou guys for the good advice.