Delaying the first time a cat breeds?
I have a purebred female kitten, 5 months old, that I bought in order to breed with her (I have an arrangement with a breeder that he will provide the studs, so I'm not opening a cattery, I just want to breed with the one queen). She just went into heat for the first time, and obviously this is too early for her to have babies. I know it's possible but everyone I've asked said it's better to wait until the cat is 12-14 months old before the first litter. Is there anything I can do to postpone the first litter without having her get pyometra? I mean, is there some kind of contraceptive she can take that will stop her from going into heat, or something like that?
Public Comments
1. keep her away from the guy cats? it usually helps2. just dont take her to be mated and if she is pure breed you should'nt be letting her roam good luck
3. Hi there again Linda...many vets can provide a hormone contraceptive. You could ask the other cattery breeders to learn how they manage this as well.
4. There is no birth control for animals other than spaying or neutering. You should not breed ANY cat or dog until it is at least 2 years old. Also, I'm not sure you know what a pyometra is. It's an infection of the uterus and it has nothing to do with an animal being pregnant or in heat. I work at a vet clinic and we've seen animals come in with pyometras who have never had a litter in their lives. The only way to prevent it so to have the animal spayed, which is also the treatment if they do have pyometra. The obvious solution to your problem is to not let the cat be around any unneutered males, which sounds like it's not a problem if you have to take her to the males at the breeder's house anyway. Please be a responsible breeder. If you have a hard time finding homes for the first litter, then give it up. It's not going to be any easier the second or third time. Also if your cat has a difficult pregnancy do her a favor by not breeding her anymore. She needs to be your priority.
5. I used to breed Siamese. We had 2 females and our friend had the male cat. It is best to wait till they are over a year old. The cats reproductive organs are all mature, the cat is older and better able to take care of the kittens. Going through heat and having kittens takes alot out of a cat so if she becomes pregant it's best to feed her kitten food till the kittens are weaned. Your cat has a better chance of getting a pyometra from being bred than not breeding. Pyometra is a infection in the uterus(commonly gotten while being bred or going in and out of heat) and sometimes it can be treated with antibiotics. In other cases the only way to treat it is spaying the cat. There are medications to keep your cat from coming in heat, but if you are breeding her I'd stay away from them as it can screw up her heat cycles.
