Cat Breeding

Breeding, pregnancy, delivery, and nursing require a healthy mother cat. Once you have decided to breed your cat. the first step is to have it examined by the veterinarian. Besides updating vaccinations and checking forinternal parasites, your doctor will also be on the lookout for any genetic traits or diseases that might be a problem in the kittens. Your veterinarian might suggest that both cats be tested for feline leukemia. FTLV (AIDS-like virus), and feline infectious peritonitis. If you have picked your cat's mate, it's wise tocollaborate with the other owner so that all pertinent information is available for the physical examination. If the mate hasn't been chosen, ask your veterinarian to recommend a good breeder.

Ideally, the two cats should meet at least once before they mate, preferably at the breeding site. Since male cats can be finicky about breeding away from familiar surroundings, breeding should be done in the tom's home.

The cat has to be the most passionate creature alive next to its "friend," the flea, that is. The flea is the champ for longest lovemaking (up to nine hours), but the cat gets the award for most vocal!

Cats have no problem finding a member of the appropriate sex for mating,but many cat owners "can't tell the players without a score card." To tell the sex ofyour pet, first lift up the tail. Below the anus is either a dot or a slit. The dot indicates a male cat, the slit a female. Male cats reach sexual maturity in eight months to one year; females, from the age of five months to eight months. A mature male (tom) will establish its "territory" even on another cat's "territory" by spraying: that is, backing up to a vertical object. lifting its tail, and squirting urine against it. It could be a neighbor's bush or your antique grandfather clock; the cat isn't particular. Howling, crying, and pacing for a "sweetheart" are also part of a male's repertoire.

If the female is not bred, it will be in heat every two or three weeks. Queens are different from other female animals in that their eggs will not be released from the ovary (ovulation) until after intercourse.

The female selects a mate with a majestic display of vocalizing, rolling, foot treading, and crouching. (Fights may break out if more than one tom wants to mate with a single queen in heat.) The chosen partner grabs the queen by the back of the neck with its teeth. The female crouches and raises its rear end, the tail to one side. The tom thrusts its penis into the queen's vagina, ejaculates, and quickly dismounts, while the female lets out a shrill cry. The tom dismounts quickly, because, to show appreciation, the female hisses and tries to scratch the mate with its front claws. The two of them may repeat the whole process a few more times.