Keeping a queen cat

Keeping a queen cat

It is best to smart by owning a queen of the chosen breed.

A queen is an entire female Beginners should not also try to own a stud (an entire male) in the hope of mating them. as this is extremely impractical.When the queen is ready, send her to a stud of the same breed She may be anything from six months to two years old, but even if she is an early developer wait until she is a year old so that her body has a chance to mature The foreign breeds usually call' much earlier than the other shorthairs or the longhairs. Calling is the term given to queens who come into oestrus (on heat) - - that is, who are ready to mate. The term 'calling' is used in cats because most of them are exceptionally vocal at this time.

Their loud plaintive cries. intended to attract any passing male are accompanied by rolling on the floor, head down and rear end in the air, and rubbing their legs against their owners and thefurniture. Foreign breeds have been known to call as early as four months whereas some longhairs and other shorthairs may be one to two years old before their first call. The average age would be the first spring after reaching adulthood at eight to nine months old.

Persians in particular have a closed season from October to March whereas many foreign cats will call all the year round Cats of any breed usually settle down to a pattern which may be every other week for some Orientals to twice a year or anything in between for others - the cycle is individual to each cat.

Calling coincides with a vaginal discharge of clear liquid which the queen removes with her tongue Another sign of oncoming oestrus IS therefore frequent washing particularly in this area.

It is possible for a queen to have as many as five litters in two years if she calls frequently but it is best for her to be limited to one litter per year Some queens go on producing year after year Others dry up naturally at about eight years old or continue to call and mate but no longer become pregnant When you want to stop her producing kittens have your queen spayed (if necessary)