I have kittens that are 6 weeks

Question
I have 5 kittens that are 6 weeks old. Is is okay for me to take mamma cat to the vet to be spaced?

Answer
Hi Bonnie.  If you can keep mom away from unneutered males, then I would wait a while longer.  Right now, the blood vessels in mom's belly area are enlarged because she's still producing milk because the kittens have been nursing.  Since the blood vessels are enlarged and there's more blood flowing to the area where they'd be operating, there would be a chance that she'd lose more blood than usual.  So the surgery becomes riskier.  It also becomes more time consuming because the mammary area is swollen, and that usually means it will be more expensive.  So while she COULD be spayed right now, it's best to wait until the kittens have all stopped nursing, and they haven't nursed at all for about two weeks before having the surgery done.  On the other hand, if mom lives outside and you absolutely can't keep her away from males, there's a good chance she could get pregnant at any time.  In this case, it may be best to have her spayed now, even if she is still producing some milk.