Introduction to Cat Breeding.

Cat lovers cannot resist breeding their pets especially when owners want to keep a pedigree line. Pure bred cats are expensive and one gets to have bragging rights when you own one. For some cat lovers, kittens simply bring them bliss so they like having as many as they can.

There is nothing sadder than having newborn kittens die. This happens because of many reasons. It could be that the mother feline wasn’t healthy enough to bear kittens. It turns out that there’s a right age for breeding. Like any female animal, a cat’s reproductive system must be fully developed before breeding; and that’s on her 18th to 24th month. For the male cats, his health is at its best at his 18th month.

It’s advisable to have your pets checked for common animal diseases. Take your pet to your veterinarian for regular check-ups and vaccination. Modern medical technology allows us to check our pets for genetic disorders. A pet owner would not want their pet to be passing on bad genes to their offspring. Your vet will be able to tell if the female feline is at their ideal weight to bear kittens. If your cat’s too fat, you might want to delay the breeding until she’s fit.

Depending on how your cat was reared, ovulation varies. Outdoor cats ovulate multiple times in the summer and spring seasons. Indoor cats however may have ovulation cycles all year. But no matter what kind of cat, they give out the same signals when they’re in heat. Female cats call out to tom cats and that’s when they make loud noises that we usually mistake for cat fights. It is actually a courting period between felines in heat. The female cats will also rub her body on the ground when ovulating while tom cats will have some vulvar discharge. Female cats will also be more affectionate than normal, and she will be licking her genitals.

You may take charge of the breeding by bringing the female and tom cats together. This is best done during estrus period or the time when the female cat is receptive to the tom cat. Other times, a female cat may be in heat but she will not let a tom cat on her. Estrus lasts for a week depending on the factors. Your cat may not get pregnant right away but estrus will cycle every 2 to 3 weeks so you can set up the mating again.

Once your cat gets pregnant, continued visits to the vet is your best bet against miscarriage. Cats are active pets so you would want to keep your kitten-bearing pet indoors until she gives birth.