Need some help.

Ok I need some help. I got a call from a family member today saying that they are going to breed their Seal Point Snowshoe with their friends Gray and white DSH. They are convinced that the kittens are going to have markings of mom and the color or Dad. I told them thats not how it works. But they dont believe me. The cat is 3 years old and they havent spayed her but have been very responsible owners so far and have kept her from getting pregnant all this time. But I really dont want them to breed this girl. Shes not the healthiest cat in the world and they got her from a petstore. So I was wondering if you guys could make a guess at what the kittens colors would be so that I could print it up and show her. Thanks.

Well, thats definatly not how its going to happen. I'm not an expert on genetics, since I'm just starting to learn, but different traits are carried by different alleles. Unless the grey and white and the markings ALL have incomplete dominance, they are not all going to show up together. Even if they were to blend (mom's markings, father's colors), there is only a slim chance that the majority of the kittens will have that phenotype.

Also, unless they plan on breeding a purebred with a purebred, that cat should not be bred at all. I dislike it when people breed 'just for the experience' or 'she would make beautiful babies.'

I hope someone else comes on here with more knowledge than me so you can have something to show them. I really hope they don't breed their cat.

Please show her to this site and the genetics forum which is in health and nutrition...

She would be BYB or back yard breeding ... I will say with 99.9% certainty that she DOES NOT have breeding right s for this cat ???

Originally Posted by Soka

Well, thats definatly not how its going to happen. I'm not an expert on genetics, since I'm just starting to learn, but different traits are carried by different alleles. Unless the grey and white and the markings ALL have incomplete dominance, they are not all going to show up together. Even if they were to blend (mom's markings, father's colors), there is only a slim chance that the majority of the kittens will have that phenotype.

Also, unless they plan on breeding a purebred with a purebred, that cat should not be bred at all. I dislike it when people breed 'just for the experience' or 'she would make beautiful babies.'

I hope someone else comes on here with more knowledge than me so you can have something to show them. I really hope they don't breed their cat.

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Thanks, I know thats not how genetics work. They are just not very well informed. Im not 100% sure why she is planning on doing this breeding. Shes never expressed any interest in doing it before now. The cat is in no way shape or form a cat someone would want to be breed. She has health problems, tempermant problems and isnt show quality. I currently have a mom and 6 kittens that are my foster your preaching to the choir about not breeding unless you are a responsible pure breed breeder. This cat needs to be spayed. Ive offered to pay for it myself and they still wont do it.

Originally Posted by sharky

Please show her to this site and the genetics forum which is in health and nutrition...

She would be BYB or back yard breeding ... I will say with 99.9% certainty that she DOES NOT have breeding right s for this cat ???

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She doesnt have internet. Maybe I can get her to go to the library and get on though. She got the cat from PetLand so she probably came from a BYB or Kitten Mill herself. So I dont think the person her owns her parents gives a care what happens to her.

Originally Posted by Fostermomm

The cat is in no way shape or form a cat someone would want to be breed. She has health problems.

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Ask her if she is prepared to lose her. If she has health problems being pregnant will stress her health. Her body will give all it can to that litter even if it takes what she needs. Regarding not altering her. You should make her aware that unaltered Siamese females are at greater risk for mammary cancer. Siamese have twice the risk of other cats. The highest risk group are those who are not altered early. 85% of mammary tumors in cats are malignant adenocarcinomas. She is not doing any favors for her cat. The temperament problems you mention may be due to the constant flux of hormones. By cycling she is also at risk for Pyometra, a serious cystic endometrial hyperplasia with secondary bacterial infection that occurs 4-6 wks after estrus.

Unless the Seal Point is carrying dilute and unless the Blue/White DSH is carrying pointed, all they will get is either black/white or blue/white DSH - no points, and a mix of various degrees of white - depends on how much white the blue/white has on his body.

So if they still are planning on breeding these two, and they don't have what they want - what happens to the kittens? Will the mom be spayed? And have they tested the mom and dad for FELV or FIP?

Remind them that since the female is 3 YEARS old and never bred before, she is at risk for a lot of complications - pyrometria, difficult birth, etc. Unless she is a healthy cat she should not be bred. And letting this female go in and out of heat for years is very unhealthy.

Oh dear. If they love their cat, I suppose the best way you could convince them is to point out that even experienced breeders have to be prepared for the tragedy of losing a cat and/or a litter of kittens - birth complications do occur even with the best health and genetic screening.

Cats have evolved to, if left to nature, breed quickly and frequently and for the females to likely be dead due to the toll it has taken on their bodies by the age of your family member's cat - but having replaced themselves many times over through the number of kittens they have produced during that time.

If I were you, I would google for web pages that highlight stories where people have let their cat have 'just one litter' that have ended in tragedy. If they love their cat I think that is more likely to change their minds than an argument about genetics. Good luck.

Epona,

I can help out with a link to a Murphy litter, named after Murphy's law.
This was a very expensive litter in many ways.
http://www.blackandtansiamese.com/maeve's_murphy_litter.htm