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Cat Forum / Health and Behavior / January 2005

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Breeding cats.. really need to cage males? =(

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Brian Link - 28 Jan 2005 05:18 GMT
It occurred to me, while surfing various cat sites, that if you bred
cats (only experience with breeders I've had is acquiring our
wonderful Bengal, Louis), you'd have to either have the males outdoors
or in cages, or else they'd spray everything in site!

Is that what happens? What a pity! I was looking tonight at Bengals
and Savannahs, daydreaming how wonderful it would be to breed these
someday, when this discordant thought occurred to me. =(

Yes, I know there are thousands of strays. We've adopted a total of 4
strays in the last 12 years, and all but one has turned out a happy
ending.

But Louis is a truly extraordinary animal - beautiful, exotic and
totally unique (sadly, part of this uniqueness is his utterly feral
instinct to kill Henry at all costs despite the fact the stray is
twice his size).

BLink
Monique Y. Mudama - 28 Jan 2005 16:06 GMT
> It occurred to me, while surfing various cat sites, that if you bred cats
> (only experience with breeders I've had is acquiring our wonderful Bengal,
[quoted text clipped - 13 lines]
>
> BLink

As I understand it, stud cats wear a garment called "stud pants" when they're
out and about in the house.  Think Depends.  Not very studly at all.

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monique, roommate of Oscar the (female) grouch
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Eros was adopted!  Eros has a home now!  *cheer!*

Orchid - 29 Jan 2005 15:09 GMT
>It occurred to me, while surfing various cat sites, that if you bred
>cats (only experience with breeders I've had is acquiring our
>wonderful Bengal, Louis), you'd have to either have the males outdoors
>or in cages, or else they'd spray everything in site!
>
>Is that what happens?

    In a word, Yes.  Not only do you have to separate males
because of spraying, you also have to have them separated so you only
get the breedings you *plan*.

>What a pity! I was looking tonight at Bengals
>and Savannahs, daydreaming how wonderful it would be to breed these
>someday, when this discordant thought occurred to me. =(

    Breeding really isn't as wonderful as you think.  It's
expensive, physically demanding, mentally demanding, and sometimes
heart-breaking work.  And that's just for Bengals.  Savannahs are
early in the hybridisation process and they bring a raft of problems
with them that don't exist in the fully domestic breeds.
    I'm sure you're imaging sweet, fluffy kittens that you get to
cuddle and play with for 12-16 weeks before sending them off with
loving families.
    The reality is that before you can ever put a male with a
female both should be titled (and showing isn't cheap), both must have
yearly colour Doppler echocardiograms done by a veterinary
cardiologist to test for HCM at $200 - $250 a pop (and if one tests
positive you must alter the cat immediately and *never* breed from
it), you're looking at many hours of pedigree research so you know
what's behind the cats, and then many more hours of looking for the
perfect match for your female pedigree- and conformation-wise.  And
sadly, often the best match is not the stud you have, so you have to
send your queen off to another cattery to be bred.  Oh, have I
mentioned that intact females often spray too?
    Once your planned breeding takes place, you have to switch
your queen to kitten/queening food because she needs more fat,
protein, and calories.  She needs pre-natal vet visits.  She might
need an emergency C-section ($$$$$$).  She might *die*, leaving you
with orphan kittens to hand-raise.  Sometimes kittens fail to thrive,
sometimes kittens are born with birth defects.
    Kittens must be thoroughly socialised from day one.  Handling
them, brushing them, messing with their paws, the works.  Kittens
should not leave Mom until they are AT LEAST 12 weeks old, so you'll
need to get them vaccinated.  Responsible breeders are early-age
altering their kittens before they go to new homes.  They need to be
introduced to every kind of food possible -- dry, canned, and raw so
they recognise anything a buyer might want to feed as food.  Kittens
must be registered with your registry.
    Prospective buyers must be thoroughly screened -- interviewed,
checking out vet references, phone calls.  You must get a sales
contract drawn up, including a right of first refusal clause and
health guarantees.  You have to keep up with your pet buyers -- I know
a breeder who can tell you where every single kitten she has produced
is, and how it's doing.  And you have to be ready to take back a cat
of your breeding at any time.  Your cats should never enter a shelter
to contribute to the homeless pet problem -- if they're not with their
screened home for some reason they should be with you until you can
re-home them.

Average cost of a litter with no major problems is over a thousand
dollars -- and that doesn't include showing costs or HCM testing costs
-- that's at least $1000+ every litter, every time.

Orchid
See Orchid's Kitties! -- http://nik.ascendancy.net/bengalpage
Want a Purebred Cat?  Read This! -- http://nik.ascendancy.net/orchid

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