Keeping a stud
Keeping a stud pedigree cat is for professional breeders only. You should have experience with two or more queens of your own before considering it. Remember that managing a stud cat is no light undertaking. but calls for a deep and abiding love of
Cats - your own and other people's?
Handling their visiting queens requires much patience, understanding and general cat know-how. Stud management is also expensive, done properly, as the stud cat should have his own quarters and the best of food.
Another snag is odour many people loathe the peculiar smell of an entire male cat. Consequently the family and the neighbours if any must be considered.
It is also important to find out if the cat fancy can absorb another stud cat of your chosen breed perhaps there are already too many with insufficient work between them.
A male cat is very unhappy if he is not given enough work to do and if there is no demand for his professional services it is kinder to have him neutered Never let a stud cat run loose to mate with all the local queens He will get more exercise but he may catch a disease, suffer injury in fights, get run over or become lost so that he is unavailable when needed to receive a visiting queen.
To keep a stud permanently confined you need the largest accommodation that you can afford, with room inside for the cats to mate, and waiting room for the owner A large fresh-air run will make sure the stud cat has plenty of fresh air and exercise.
Shelves 15cm (6in) wide fixed at different heights around the sides of the run will provide the cat with all the exercise he needs. The best-arranged stud houses combine a queen s compartment insider with her own individual run outside. They can both share the same escape run. In this way the queen s combing and going does not have to be carried out through stud territory.
Although of course queens must always arrive at stud in a cat-proof container and be released only when all escape routes have been closed.
Vinyl flooring is ideal for inside the stud house vinyl should also be carried up the walls above spray height and sealed with a half-moon beading A washable mat or rug in the centre of the studs area will provide comfort and a surface that feet can grip during mating. In some climates it may be essential to provide stud and queen with heated beds or to install infra-red dull emitter lamps or another form of safe heating over the cat beds.
In the tropics you may well need air conditioning instead. A light in the stud house enables feeding and mating to take place at night if necessary. All electrical wiring should be installed outside the stud house entering only at the point of use. Concrete runs are best for ease of cleaning with wire raised about 15cm (6in) above the concrete to facilitate swilling underneath.
Pots of home-grown grass and catnip will be much appreciated by both queen and stud.
To be successful in the cat fancy a stud cat must be a champion or potential champion of its breed, for only the very best am in demand by owners of pedigree breeding queens.
Understandably, these people want to win prizes with their kittens and so build up their prefix or cattery name.
The successful stud will be in peak condition all year around This calls for a prime diet of best raw meat, chicken, rabbit and fish plus extra vitamins, minerals, egg yolks and also milk if he can take it (some cats cannot).
He will cost a lot to feed but each stud fee will include a proportion of his upkeep all year round. He must receive inoculations as required and the visiting queens' owners will expect to see the relevant certificates.
Using a stud
A male cat may become ready to mate a female as early as six months old or not until he is two years old. Readiness appears not to be breed related, but to vary with individuals: some precocious males of the foreign breeds have mated with their sisters while still together in a litter.
A male can be put to stud once he becomes a 'proved sire by having mated a queen who has subsequently given birth to kittens Some breeders limit the number of queens to be served the first years: others may limit makings at all times. Nature is usually the best judge however, and so long as the cat appears to be thriving and getting enough to eat there should be no harm in letting him mate as many days a week as he wants.
A research cat, a ginger tom. is said to have mated 17 times a day for months on end before a three-week break when he refused to look at another queen. After this brief vacation he happily went back to work as usual.
It is unlikely that a stud cat will be overworked if well fed. If he goes into a decline it is much more likely to be for some other reason such as ill health or lack of human companionship.
The cat who does not get enough work may be a more difficult problem. He could pine away or get bad tempered. His services can be advertised but if there really is no call for him he should be neutered. You can have this done at any age although it may take six months for him to drop the spraying habit.
A successful stud who is kept at work can go on for years, even to 16 or 17, but some studs eventually lose interest or, more likely you find that the queens who come to be mated no longer take or become pregnant.
When this starts to happen to a stud he can spend the rest of his life as a household pet or you can use him simply to keep the queens happy when they are calling but not required to produce kittens.
At the start of his career you should mate a young stud only to experienced easy queens, ones who know the ropes. This will build up his confidence. Save maiden queens for later, when he is experienced.
If a young, timid stud gets an hysterical, 'difficult' queen the first time he may develop a complex. Even experienced queens are sometimes troublesome and sorely try the patience of both stud and stud owner, perhaps due to a bad start in their sex life. You may have to steady the queen by hand, or it may be best to leave the couple to run with each other and sort out their own problems.
Some cats will only mate if no human is present.
When the queen arrives, it is quite normal for her to spit at her intended if she is not quite ready, or if she has gone somewhat off call because of the journey. He usually doesn't mind too much because he knows that she will change her tune in due course.
He waits patiently, wooing her with his voice until she rolls and coos back at him. When the stud owner feels the time is right, she will open the door of the queen's apartment and the queen will run out on to the mat and assume a mating posture. The stud will straddle her, take her by the scruff with his mouth and proceed to penetrate.
He may thump her hindquarters until she lifts them to the required level and moves her tail to one side. She may waltz about a bit, moving round in circles, or actively try to throw him off. He will hang on, however, until her climax and until he has ejaculated, when he will jump clear.
After this she will roll round furiously and may even attack him if he fails to get out of the way.
Immediately the stud owner can make a fuss of the stud and tell him what a clever fellow he is, but no attempt should be made to handle the queen until she has calmed down. With any luck the queen will return to her own quarters voluntarily or with a little persuasion and the couple can then be left for some time to clean themselves up.
They will usually enjoy each other's company and eating meals at the same time, and if the queen remains for any reason for any length of time after she has gone off call, the couple can run together and will often be found curled up together in one bed or enjoying mutual washing.
When it is time for the queen to go home. the stud's owner gives her a mating certificate showing the dates on which matings have taken place and the date kittens can be expected The stud's owner also gives the queen's owner a copy of the studs pedigree and asks for news of the result of the mating in due course The stud's
Sunday, February 14, 2010
Kitten education
Kitten education
When the kittens start crawling out of the nesting box, using the litter tray and eating food other than from their mother. their education begins in earnest. The mother must teach them a dozen things before they leave home: and a wise breeder teaches them to be loving little companions by handling them frequently and affectionately.
Those destined for a show career should be handled as a judge will handle them, so that they are used to the routine by the time they go to their first show.
One of the first things kittens learn is how to wash.
They may copy mother or perhaps it is instinctive, but their first ineffective movements are fascinating to watch. They move their paws to their mouths to lick, and then pass the paw over the ear.
The next thing they learn is how to play. They sit up and box each other using the paws. If one falls over the other knows instinctively to pounce on it. Usually play concerns two kittens only, then one of them will break away and pick on one of the other kittens.
They will also try to play with mother, who holds them down with one paw and washes them whilst they try to escape. but she is cleverer than they are Then she moves her tail, and a kitten pounces on it: she moves it again, and others join in Then she can relax knowing their interests are near the nest.
She is more anxious as curiosity leads them further afield They will graduate to chasing moving objects supplied by the breeder The moggie-play pole and the cat-bat are group toys that the whole litter can enjoy and any rattle ball on elastic attached to a door handle will give hours of exercise and amusement.
If there is a cat tree in the house or the queen has a thoughtful owner who has provided shelves at different heights in the breeding area. it will amaze you how quickly even the tiniest kitten will climb to the top shelf.
He may squeal when he gets there and find the way down not so easy, bit the mother or the breeder will soon come to the rescue. And so they learn to climb and with it to use the same posts for scratching their claws just as mother does. If there is no cat tree, any scratching post of wood. cardboard or natural bark can be used.
The handyman of the home can sometimes be persuaded to design one specially to fit your own circumstances.
If the nest is heated at one end. the kittens will soon have found this out and the foreign breeds wit be in a heap at that end. The smart ones discover that the middle of the pile is the warmest and you wonder how they can still breathe.
Other warm places in the home are gradually discovered: the boiler in the kitchen. the airing cupboard. a sunny window sill or a warm radiator. Warmth plays a large part in a kitten's comfort.
When evening comes and the family sit down, the kittens may be brought in for a little socializing Mother will jump up on to a lap and the kittens will try to follow. probably climbing up someone's leg.
Their little claws in to gain a foothold. Other kittens will be picked up very gently by other members of the family, stroked and fussed and talked to. The kittens will have discovered people and laps!
She will teach them to hunt, pounce. and protect their catches from others by growling over them. throw them in the air and eat them. She will teach them which humans to trust and love and which to avoid. She will tell them about dogs if she has ever met one, and about all the other inmates in the household.
When the family are busy and have no time to sit, the kittens will be shown by mother which are the softest chairs and they will stake their claims, but mother will be the boss cat and have the first choice If allowed upstairs, they will soon discover that beds are softest of all and that people in beds are warm too.
Their owners may even allow them in bed as fur-covered little hot-water bottles to keep them warm! The purring on these occasions is really deafening and the kitten?s faces betray their excitement. While nursing the kittens, the family can make a first attempt to groom with a brush and comb.
All will be considered a game at first but a human can follow the mother cat and hold the kitten down with one hand, while wielding the brush or comb with the other.
If the queen is allowed out on hunting trips, she will now bring home mice and other small creatures. None of the cat species regurgitates food from the stomach for their offspring, as do many other animals and birds )
She will growl over them in front of her kittens, showing them what to do when they are lucky enough to catch something themselves This will interest and excite them enormously Later on she will bring in live prey and deliberately let it go in front of them. They soon catch on and chase and pounce inexpertly.
The mother will catch it again and throw it up into the air once or twice, while they look on enviously. They will practice on toy mice that the owner has thoughtfully provided, and soon become quite expert.
If allowed out, they may even catch their own first mouse or at least a beetle or spider before they are sold. Thus their education continues and it has been shown that cats that have been taught how to hunt and kill prey by their mothers become more efficient mousers themselves
As the kittens grow they exercise well by chasing each other and playing he or 'tab'. In this way they cover a lot of ground leaping all over the furniture or up and down the stairs indoors. or round the shrubs and up the trees in the garden if allowed out. They must have space somewhere to exercise and play.
Thus they will grow up into intelligent. Healthy, agile, accomplished cats, with beautiful manners-a credit to any cat-loving home.
When the kittens start crawling out of the nesting box, using the litter tray and eating food other than from their mother. their education begins in earnest. The mother must teach them a dozen things before they leave home: and a wise breeder teaches them to be loving little companions by handling them frequently and affectionately.
Those destined for a show career should be handled as a judge will handle them, so that they are used to the routine by the time they go to their first show.
One of the first things kittens learn is how to wash.
They may copy mother or perhaps it is instinctive, but their first ineffective movements are fascinating to watch. They move their paws to their mouths to lick, and then pass the paw over the ear.
The next thing they learn is how to play. They sit up and box each other using the paws. If one falls over the other knows instinctively to pounce on it. Usually play concerns two kittens only, then one of them will break away and pick on one of the other kittens.
They will also try to play with mother, who holds them down with one paw and washes them whilst they try to escape. but she is cleverer than they are Then she moves her tail, and a kitten pounces on it: she moves it again, and others join in Then she can relax knowing their interests are near the nest.
She is more anxious as curiosity leads them further afield They will graduate to chasing moving objects supplied by the breeder The moggie-play pole and the cat-bat are group toys that the whole litter can enjoy and any rattle ball on elastic attached to a door handle will give hours of exercise and amusement.
If there is a cat tree in the house or the queen has a thoughtful owner who has provided shelves at different heights in the breeding area. it will amaze you how quickly even the tiniest kitten will climb to the top shelf.
He may squeal when he gets there and find the way down not so easy, bit the mother or the breeder will soon come to the rescue. And so they learn to climb and with it to use the same posts for scratching their claws just as mother does. If there is no cat tree, any scratching post of wood. cardboard or natural bark can be used.
The handyman of the home can sometimes be persuaded to design one specially to fit your own circumstances.
If the nest is heated at one end. the kittens will soon have found this out and the foreign breeds wit be in a heap at that end. The smart ones discover that the middle of the pile is the warmest and you wonder how they can still breathe.
Other warm places in the home are gradually discovered: the boiler in the kitchen. the airing cupboard. a sunny window sill or a warm radiator. Warmth plays a large part in a kitten's comfort.
When evening comes and the family sit down, the kittens may be brought in for a little socializing Mother will jump up on to a lap and the kittens will try to follow. probably climbing up someone's leg.
Their little claws in to gain a foothold. Other kittens will be picked up very gently by other members of the family, stroked and fussed and talked to. The kittens will have discovered people and laps!
She will teach them to hunt, pounce. and protect their catches from others by growling over them. throw them in the air and eat them. She will teach them which humans to trust and love and which to avoid. She will tell them about dogs if she has ever met one, and about all the other inmates in the household.
When the family are busy and have no time to sit, the kittens will be shown by mother which are the softest chairs and they will stake their claims, but mother will be the boss cat and have the first choice If allowed upstairs, they will soon discover that beds are softest of all and that people in beds are warm too.
Their owners may even allow them in bed as fur-covered little hot-water bottles to keep them warm! The purring on these occasions is really deafening and the kitten?s faces betray their excitement. While nursing the kittens, the family can make a first attempt to groom with a brush and comb.
All will be considered a game at first but a human can follow the mother cat and hold the kitten down with one hand, while wielding the brush or comb with the other.
If the queen is allowed out on hunting trips, she will now bring home mice and other small creatures. None of the cat species regurgitates food from the stomach for their offspring, as do many other animals and birds )
She will growl over them in front of her kittens, showing them what to do when they are lucky enough to catch something themselves This will interest and excite them enormously Later on she will bring in live prey and deliberately let it go in front of them. They soon catch on and chase and pounce inexpertly.
The mother will catch it again and throw it up into the air once or twice, while they look on enviously. They will practice on toy mice that the owner has thoughtfully provided, and soon become quite expert.
If allowed out, they may even catch their own first mouse or at least a beetle or spider before they are sold. Thus their education continues and it has been shown that cats that have been taught how to hunt and kill prey by their mothers become more efficient mousers themselves
As the kittens grow they exercise well by chasing each other and playing he or 'tab'. In this way they cover a lot of ground leaping all over the furniture or up and down the stairs indoors. or round the shrubs and up the trees in the garden if allowed out. They must have space somewhere to exercise and play.
Thus they will grow up into intelligent. Healthy, agile, accomplished cats, with beautiful manners-a credit to any cat-loving home.
Rearing kittens
Rearing kittens
After giving birth to a lovely litter of kittens, your queen will hardly move out of the kittening box for the first week, except to feed herself and attend to her toilet. She will curl up with them, purring, letting them suckle and washing them, completely satisfied
At about 10 days old the kittens' eyes will begin to open, and the kittens will start to move around in the box If there is a litter tray near the breeding box, the mother will nudge them into it after feeding them and instinctively they will know what to do.
They usually start using the litter tray before being weaned, provided you have been thoughtful enough to provide one for their use. Normal kittens will eat some of the litter in the tray or any other dirt lying about, which apparently may help them to populate the gut flora with bacterial organisms vital for digestion.
They will be content with only mother's milk to begin with but if she is lacking in milk they will not plump up as they should and you must think about supplementing her milk with a foster feeding bottle The smallest who are not getting a fair share will be the first to accept the bottle and the queen will eagerly devour whatever contents are left.
In fact she should be offered a bowl of the same kind of milk. A week later this can become a milky baby cereal, served to the mother near the nest If you use the same sounds as the mother has been used to, when you serve feeds to the kittens, they will soon associate these sounds with food and come running.
Their language lessons will have begun. The kittens will copy their mother and stick their noses in the mixture, some will walk right into it. then squeal to find their feet slipping' The queen will soon clean them up.
Eventually they will all get the hang of how to lap and will look forward to their porridge at regular intervals In between they will still be suckled by their mother.
At three weeks they can be given one meal of raw meat, rabbit, chicken or fish, finely minced or chopped. four hours away from the cereal meal. If the kittens seem constipated you can use sardines and brown bread crumbs mixed with a little hot water into a mash
After four weeks give two milk and/or cereal meals and two meat or fish meals each day, adding one drop of halibut oil per kitten daily, and making sure all kittens get fair shares. If any kitten is greedy and eats too much, so that it regurgitates the food soon afterwards. feed it separately. A little at a time and slowly.
If the queen has been taught to sit up and beg for her food before the plate is put down, continue to do this and the kittens will follow their mother's example as soon as they can stand on two back legs without tumbling over.
If the mother was not trained to do this before, now is a good time to start and they can all learn it together.
Even when the kittens are all feeding themselves and seem independent of their mother's milk, leave them with her until they are at least ten weeks old, preferably 1 2 weeks for the foreign breeds.
During this time the mother has a chance to 'finish their education.
After giving birth to a lovely litter of kittens, your queen will hardly move out of the kittening box for the first week, except to feed herself and attend to her toilet. She will curl up with them, purring, letting them suckle and washing them, completely satisfied
At about 10 days old the kittens' eyes will begin to open, and the kittens will start to move around in the box If there is a litter tray near the breeding box, the mother will nudge them into it after feeding them and instinctively they will know what to do.
They usually start using the litter tray before being weaned, provided you have been thoughtful enough to provide one for their use. Normal kittens will eat some of the litter in the tray or any other dirt lying about, which apparently may help them to populate the gut flora with bacterial organisms vital for digestion.
They will be content with only mother's milk to begin with but if she is lacking in milk they will not plump up as they should and you must think about supplementing her milk with a foster feeding bottle The smallest who are not getting a fair share will be the first to accept the bottle and the queen will eagerly devour whatever contents are left.
In fact she should be offered a bowl of the same kind of milk. A week later this can become a milky baby cereal, served to the mother near the nest If you use the same sounds as the mother has been used to, when you serve feeds to the kittens, they will soon associate these sounds with food and come running.
Their language lessons will have begun. The kittens will copy their mother and stick their noses in the mixture, some will walk right into it. then squeal to find their feet slipping' The queen will soon clean them up.
Eventually they will all get the hang of how to lap and will look forward to their porridge at regular intervals In between they will still be suckled by their mother.
At three weeks they can be given one meal of raw meat, rabbit, chicken or fish, finely minced or chopped. four hours away from the cereal meal. If the kittens seem constipated you can use sardines and brown bread crumbs mixed with a little hot water into a mash
After four weeks give two milk and/or cereal meals and two meat or fish meals each day, adding one drop of halibut oil per kitten daily, and making sure all kittens get fair shares. If any kitten is greedy and eats too much, so that it regurgitates the food soon afterwards. feed it separately. A little at a time and slowly.
If the queen has been taught to sit up and beg for her food before the plate is put down, continue to do this and the kittens will follow their mother's example as soon as they can stand on two back legs without tumbling over.
If the mother was not trained to do this before, now is a good time to start and they can all learn it together.
Even when the kittens are all feeding themselves and seem independent of their mother's milk, leave them with her until they are at least ten weeks old, preferably 1 2 weeks for the foreign breeds.
During this time the mother has a chance to 'finish their education.
Kitten care
Kitten care
When all the kittens are born, you can lift them out of their box on the pad of newspapers. Prepare a clean bed in the box, and return the kittens one at a time. The queen may object to this but will soon realize that what you are doing is sensible, and curl up with her kittens purring her satisfaction.
Now she can safely be left for some hours to enjoy her babies, although she may also appreciate some warm milk, a commercial whole-food diet usually mixed with milk or other warm drink (bat see the chapter on feeding. as some breeds are allergic to milk).
Put the drink in a deep bowl and hold it so she can drink while in the kitten box: some cats refuse to leave their box for hours, but will drink or eat anything offered while they remain there suckling their kittens.
Eventually the mother will leave her box to visit the litter tray, which should always be nearby From now on such visits offer you the best times for changing bedding.
If possible shut the queen out of the room for the few minutes this takes. or she will rush back to the nest at the first vocal sign that her young are being disturbed. Once they are all settled down in new, clean bedding, you can let her back into the room, and she will curl up with them in the clean bed.
The bedding will have to be changed once or twice daily for the first week as the queen will probably still be losing a certain amount of blood.
Changing bedding is the best time for sexing kittens, although they often screech when suddenly picked up. Sexing is done by holding the kitten in one hand, all four feet on the hand, and lifting the tail with your other hand
After a few days the queen will get hungrier and hungrier. and some people say it is impossible to overfeed a nursing queen She should have as much nourishing food (with added vitamins and minerals) as she can eat She will appreciate regular grooming during this time and if the kittens have any infection around the eyes her whole underside should be washed with baby or other cat-safe shampoo and the kittens' eyes cleaned with damp cotton wool a fresh piece for each kitten - before they are placed back together again.
Should the queen call before the kittens are fully weaned, she must be carefully confined with them. But if she loses her milk, has no milk, has been allowed out and fails to return to attend to her maternal duties, or has died giving birth (a rare occurrence), the kittens will have to be reared without her Sometimes it is possible for another queen who has milk to take over the kittens, and this is the best way as she will also wash the kittens and keep them warm. If you cannot find a foster mother you are faced with hand-rearing.
A very time-consuming but most rewarding process.
You will need a foster-feeding bottle and a substitute milk formula.
The kittens will require feeding every two hours, night and day, for the first week, so no one should attempt this without the patience to see it through And feeding is only part of the task the human foster mother must also massage the kittens' bellies to stimulate urination:wipe their rear ends clean with damp cotton wool: change the bedding twice a day, and keep the kittens warm.
There are various electrically heated beds or panels on the market for this purpose.
A hot water bottle is not recommended as you would have to replace it every four hours. There is a non-electric pet bed warmer on the market but this lasts only eight to ten hours before needing attention.
A bed heated at one end only is a good idea as the kittens can move to a hotter or colder section as required. When hand rearing, you can drop some of the night feeds in the second week, then feed only every four hours for the third week.
When all the kittens are born, you can lift them out of their box on the pad of newspapers. Prepare a clean bed in the box, and return the kittens one at a time. The queen may object to this but will soon realize that what you are doing is sensible, and curl up with her kittens purring her satisfaction.
Now she can safely be left for some hours to enjoy her babies, although she may also appreciate some warm milk, a commercial whole-food diet usually mixed with milk or other warm drink (bat see the chapter on feeding. as some breeds are allergic to milk).
Put the drink in a deep bowl and hold it so she can drink while in the kitten box: some cats refuse to leave their box for hours, but will drink or eat anything offered while they remain there suckling their kittens.
Eventually the mother will leave her box to visit the litter tray, which should always be nearby From now on such visits offer you the best times for changing bedding.
If possible shut the queen out of the room for the few minutes this takes. or she will rush back to the nest at the first vocal sign that her young are being disturbed. Once they are all settled down in new, clean bedding, you can let her back into the room, and she will curl up with them in the clean bed.
The bedding will have to be changed once or twice daily for the first week as the queen will probably still be losing a certain amount of blood.
Changing bedding is the best time for sexing kittens, although they often screech when suddenly picked up. Sexing is done by holding the kitten in one hand, all four feet on the hand, and lifting the tail with your other hand
After a few days the queen will get hungrier and hungrier. and some people say it is impossible to overfeed a nursing queen She should have as much nourishing food (with added vitamins and minerals) as she can eat She will appreciate regular grooming during this time and if the kittens have any infection around the eyes her whole underside should be washed with baby or other cat-safe shampoo and the kittens' eyes cleaned with damp cotton wool a fresh piece for each kitten - before they are placed back together again.
Should the queen call before the kittens are fully weaned, she must be carefully confined with them. But if she loses her milk, has no milk, has been allowed out and fails to return to attend to her maternal duties, or has died giving birth (a rare occurrence), the kittens will have to be reared without her Sometimes it is possible for another queen who has milk to take over the kittens, and this is the best way as she will also wash the kittens and keep them warm. If you cannot find a foster mother you are faced with hand-rearing.
A very time-consuming but most rewarding process.
You will need a foster-feeding bottle and a substitute milk formula.
The kittens will require feeding every two hours, night and day, for the first week, so no one should attempt this without the patience to see it through And feeding is only part of the task the human foster mother must also massage the kittens' bellies to stimulate urination:wipe their rear ends clean with damp cotton wool: change the bedding twice a day, and keep the kittens warm.
There are various electrically heated beds or panels on the market for this purpose.
A hot water bottle is not recommended as you would have to replace it every four hours. There is a non-electric pet bed warmer on the market but this lasts only eight to ten hours before needing attention.
A bed heated at one end only is a good idea as the kittens can move to a hotter or colder section as required. When hand rearing, you can drop some of the night feeds in the second week, then feed only every four hours for the third week.
Birth problems
Birth problems
Sometimes a queen fails to produce any kittens hours after starting labour (a condition where the muscles in the flanks contract at regular intervals). If this happens and she is becoming exhausted. call the veterinarian.
It may be a breech birth (that is. the kitten is presenting hindquarters first) or something else may be wrong Provided the queen is not distressed, however, it is best to leave well alone and let things happen naturally It is unlikely that deformed kittens will be born, but if in doubt have the veterinarian examine them and put malformed kittens to sleep painlessly.
Do not try to drown them yourself. Any with cleft palates will make a shrill unpleasant noise easy to distinguish from the soft squeaking of normal kittens. Often the queen will lie on such kittens to silence and smother them. and this is the best thing that can happen to them.
The queen is usually very good at telling which kittens to rear and which to discard.
Sometimes a queen fails to produce any kittens hours after starting labour (a condition where the muscles in the flanks contract at regular intervals). If this happens and she is becoming exhausted. call the veterinarian.
It may be a breech birth (that is. the kitten is presenting hindquarters first) or something else may be wrong Provided the queen is not distressed, however, it is best to leave well alone and let things happen naturally It is unlikely that deformed kittens will be born, but if in doubt have the veterinarian examine them and put malformed kittens to sleep painlessly.
Do not try to drown them yourself. Any with cleft palates will make a shrill unpleasant noise easy to distinguish from the soft squeaking of normal kittens. Often the queen will lie on such kittens to silence and smother them. and this is the best thing that can happen to them.
The queen is usually very good at telling which kittens to rear and which to discard.
The pregnant queen
The pregnant queen
When she returns home the queen may still be calling so you hold her paw and make reassuring noises. You can return the kitten box to the queen's quarters after birth.
Most cats have their kittens quite naturally with no mishaps. Each kitten comes in a plastic bag called the amniotic sac. This has to be broken so that the kitten does not suffocate.
Usually the queen bursts the sac If she fails to do so or neglects the kitten. perhaps because another is already on the way you can safely break the sac with clean fingers or a tissue wiping mucus away from the kittens mouth and nose It will then be able to breathe and will probably make little squeaking noises that immediately cause the queen to take fresh interest in it. She will lick it all over and draw its towards her to keep it warm It may even move towards her teats instinctively and try to suckle.
If the kittens come in quick succession you should certainly help but if they are well spaced the queen may prefer to do all the work herself. This will include biting off the umbilical cord about 1 0cm (4in) from the kitten to separate the kitten from the placenta. which attached it to the womb and came away during birth. If the mother fails to sever the cord, you must do so. Take care not to cut it too close to the kitten, nor to pull it away from the kitten.
You can use scissors, or pinch with thumb and forefinger pulling towards the kitten After some weeks the remaining piece of cord withers and falls off. The queen usually eats the nutritious remains of the placenta known as the afterbirth. If there are many kittens the queen may not want to eat all the afterbirths and when you see she has no more interest in those that remain, remove them.
When she returns home the queen may still be calling so you hold her paw and make reassuring noises. You can return the kitten box to the queen's quarters after birth.
Most cats have their kittens quite naturally with no mishaps. Each kitten comes in a plastic bag called the amniotic sac. This has to be broken so that the kitten does not suffocate.
Usually the queen bursts the sac If she fails to do so or neglects the kitten. perhaps because another is already on the way you can safely break the sac with clean fingers or a tissue wiping mucus away from the kittens mouth and nose It will then be able to breathe and will probably make little squeaking noises that immediately cause the queen to take fresh interest in it. She will lick it all over and draw its towards her to keep it warm It may even move towards her teats instinctively and try to suckle.
If the kittens come in quick succession you should certainly help but if they are well spaced the queen may prefer to do all the work herself. This will include biting off the umbilical cord about 1 0cm (4in) from the kitten to separate the kitten from the placenta. which attached it to the womb and came away during birth. If the mother fails to sever the cord, you must do so. Take care not to cut it too close to the kitten, nor to pull it away from the kitten.
You can use scissors, or pinch with thumb and forefinger pulling towards the kitten After some weeks the remaining piece of cord withers and falls off. The queen usually eats the nutritious remains of the placenta known as the afterbirth. If there are many kittens the queen may not want to eat all the afterbirths and when you see she has no more interest in those that remain, remove them.
Mating procedures
Mating procedures
The queen must always be taken or sent to stud in a cat-proof container. for however gentle or docile she is at home she is liable
to go berserk at the first smell of a stud cat. particularly when she is calling. The ideal arrangement is one where she can enter the queen's quarters without going through stud territory before her box is opened.
Usually a wire partition separates the queen from the stud so that they can see and smell and get to know each other before mating. The queen will usually hiss and spit at her suitor at first sight. particularly if not absolutely ready This is quite normal and nothing to worry about
As soon as they start billing and cooing and rubbing together through the wire. it is safe to let the queen out to be mated. A non-slipmat is usually provided in the stud s half of the stud house and the queen instinctively runs there The stud grabs hold of the back of her neck and mounts her from the rear At her climax she throws him off and rolls violently in circles on the floor.
She may even attack him. so he wisely jumps up and out of the way.The queen may be mated more than once while with the stud. If both are allowed to run together there will be many matings in one day. But more matings do not necessarily mean more kittens. Once is sufficient and a litter of 10 is known to have been produced from a single mating.Of course owners as well as cats have their affairs to settle
Financially this means you pay a stud fee that includes not only the service fee but a proportion of the costs of keeping the male at stud throughout the year plus the queen's board and lodging. which may last some days if she is not ready to be mated on arrival.
The stud owner will usually also insist that the queen has been inoculated. so her certificates should be produced on arrival. The queen's owner should likewise be able to inspect the stud's certificates.
The queen must always be taken or sent to stud in a cat-proof container. for however gentle or docile she is at home she is liable
to go berserk at the first smell of a stud cat. particularly when she is calling. The ideal arrangement is one where she can enter the queen's quarters without going through stud territory before her box is opened.
Usually a wire partition separates the queen from the stud so that they can see and smell and get to know each other before mating. The queen will usually hiss and spit at her suitor at first sight. particularly if not absolutely ready This is quite normal and nothing to worry about
As soon as they start billing and cooing and rubbing together through the wire. it is safe to let the queen out to be mated. A non-slipmat is usually provided in the stud s half of the stud house and the queen instinctively runs there The stud grabs hold of the back of her neck and mounts her from the rear At her climax she throws him off and rolls violently in circles on the floor.
She may even attack him. so he wisely jumps up and out of the way.The queen may be mated more than once while with the stud. If both are allowed to run together there will be many matings in one day. But more matings do not necessarily mean more kittens. Once is sufficient and a litter of 10 is known to have been produced from a single mating.Of course owners as well as cats have their affairs to settle
Financially this means you pay a stud fee that includes not only the service fee but a proportion of the costs of keeping the male at stud throughout the year plus the queen's board and lodging. which may last some days if she is not ready to be mated on arrival.
The stud owner will usually also insist that the queen has been inoculated. so her certificates should be produced on arrival. The queen's owner should likewise be able to inspect the stud's certificates.
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