Information I need to know about breeding my cat. Please help - will have to breed her soon and am worried.?

Question

Ok, I got a 6 week old kitten from a friend of mine around a week ago - for free. However, the agreement was that I would get my kitten (Rain) and another kitten (in a few weeks) for free IF I bred both my kittens with either her Ragdoll, Tonkinese, Siamese, Burmese or Blue Russian cats when my cats are old enough to be bred.
Although I will not have to breed her for another year or so, I need to know about what can go WRONG and HOW to deliver the kittens when they are born.
I know there can be complications and they can cost hundreds... thousands of dollars - I will not have that kind of money if something goes wrong and will have to put my babies to sleep.

Did I make the right decision to get these girls for free or just pay the $200 each and spay them both? Knowing that she will never have to go through complications with birth.
All help is needed.
Please do not say that I am being a backyard breeder -I know that there are many cats in the shelters.
My kitten is a Tonkinese.

It's not that I WANT to breed them - that's what we agreed on. I can't just say 'no' and keep the kittens for FREE.
I am responsible and have the time and energy to breed my kittens, I just need to know how to and what can go WRONG.

No, I did not sign a contract but she is my friend and I work with her - almost the same shifts too (I work 7am - 3pm. She works 6am-4pm).
I know there are many homeless cats in the shelters - that's why I feel as if I have made the wrong decision to get them for free but agree to breed them with her male cats and she can keep 2 kittens from each litter.

Honey: I think she breeds female kittens with the father and male kittens to the mother - is this in-breeding and could the kittens come out with health problems if we breed them this way?


I know they can get crazy with meowing - my other friend has two un-spayed female cats. They drive me crazy when they are in season! My cats (kitten and older cat - 8 months old - spayed) are fully in-door cats. Sometimes I 'walk' my older cat around the back & front yard.

Answer 1

Hi Tamara...breeding is a demanding task not for the inexperienced. If you know someone who can mentor you this would be the best recommendation. When females go into heat many times it's not the caterwauling that's difficult to manage, but the urine spraying to attract males that isn't uncommon. There's just so much that goes into good, proper and safe breeding practices that it would be too long to write all here in Yahoo Answers.

Here are some feline breeding websites to get you started on educating yourself to help you decide if this is really what you would like to do:
http://www.mcbfa.org/breedcats.html
http://www.fabcats.org/breeding_from_your_queen.html
http://www.cathelp-online.com/health/kitten4.php

More on breeding cats:
http://www.hdw-inc.com/fertilityfemale.htm
http://www.hdw-inc.com/pregnancy.htm
http://www.hdw-inc.com/delivery.htm

[edit] if your friend is breeding back the offspring to the parents this can present a risk of potential health problems any point of the cat's lifetime. Any vet can confirm this fact. This also could be grounds for potential lawsuits if anything were to happen to the cat's life--happens all too often. Besides it's just not fair to you or anyone to have to lose their pet who they likely will consider family because someone didn't ensure proper breeding techniques. If your Tonk is one of those kittens I'd be worried about this health risk in this one kitten alone. Inbreeding ALWAYS affects the immune system.

More on inbreeding: http://cc.ysu.edu/~helorime/inbred1.html

Answer 2

One thing to watch out for is breeding too soon. NEVER breed with the first heat! Always wait until at least the second and obviously not with another cat from her own close bloodline, this can cause deformation in the kittens. As far as complications that could arise:

A cat's uterus isn't like ours. It is Y shaped and the kittens develop on both sides so contrary to what most people think, all of the kittens are not with each other in utero. Because of this, there is always a SLIGHT chance that 2 kittens could try to come out at once causing a "back up" which could only be resolved by the VET and most likely a cesarean section delivery. A key clue to this happening is Mom laboring too long without any kittens being born or too long between deliveries. If Mom seems too uncomfortable or starts becoming lethargic or too weak call the vet or get her to an animal emergency care immediately!

Another complication is amniotic sack first. If you see a clear sac filled with fluid coming out with no kitten head, DO NOT pop the sack! This is the only thing helping keep the baby alive. If it does pop and the kitten doesn't start showing almost immediately, again, VET.

There's also a chance of breech delivery. Most cats cannot deliver a breech kitten by herself because of the way the kitten is laying and the birth canal being so narrow. If you see a paw surfacing first, it's most likely a breech delivery and you will need to intervene. In this case, you will need someone to help you if possible. Try to keep Mom calm because she will know something is wrong and will likely panic. Feel her stomach and with each contraction, you will need to firmly but GENTLY pull on the kitten until it is delivered. Chances are, Mom will run and leave the baby behind so it will be up to you to remove the sack, cut the cord, and get baby breathing by rubbing the chest and body with a warm, dry cloth or towel. This is most common in small cats or cats becoming pregnant at too young of an age.

Usually cats don't have any problems during delivery but there are risks and I'm glad you asked. If you are really scared about this, I would talk to your friend about her decision to only give you them for free if you breed them. Tell her your concerns and see if you can work something out. Good luck!

Answer 3

If you know nothing about breeding and do not want kittens get them both fixed love them as pets and just tell her they are not going to be bred. Did u sign a contract? If not u are in the clear just love them and enjoy them. most cats deliver thier own kittens but is a big hassel them comming in and out of heat once they get old enough.I say spay them

Answer 4

Your friend's actions puzzle me. If I had a purebred (and I do, a Ragdoll, and I had a Persian) I surely would not have wanted to breed them to a cat of a different breed. Actually both of my cats were spayed by the breeders before I got them.

Perhaps you can talk your friend out of wanting to breed your cat if you remind her that she could have purebred cats that she can sell if she breeds each of her kitties with their own kind.

Ragdolls sell for $500 - at any rate, that's what I paid for mine.

Answer 5

I spay my cats before they become sexually mature...at about 5 months. Spaying helps keep them from getting breast cancer and uterine cancer.

If you want them as pets and want them the healthiest they can be, then I'd pay her the money and get them spayed. Longer life and no pregnancy problem scares would sure be worth it to me.

Just be careful, if she is breeding the kittens back to relatives you can end up with problems from inbreeding.

You can always ask advice from your vet when you get kitten shots. Good luck!

Answer 6

Hi, I think that it is true, that there are to many kittnes in the shelter that need homes. If your cat has kittens it might put stress on the mother. Sometimes it dosent always work out the way it should

Goodluck on making the right choice!

Answer 7

I think that they sell a book called cat-breeding for dummies. I have had a cat that had kittens. I just stayed with her the entire time (18 hrs poor baby). I gave her plenty of food and water and if the kitten seemed to be having a hard time coming out I would assist. Cats have really good maternal instincts. Kinda gross, but I loved her. The next time she had kittens she had them in the middle of my bed. I think you should breed one of them with the Siamese and give me one of the kitties :) Good Luck

Answer 8

I believe that YOU have to make the decision to breed or spay....but you understand that there are many cats/kittens that are put to sleep every day....so you must decide....my recommendation....Dont Breed or Buy while shelter animals die. Good luck.

Answer 9

if your not up to the comittment, spay them. but if you want to breed, have all the info.