Looking to breed

Hi, I have read previous threads on breeding non-pedigree cats, and while I would agree with most people to simply adopt a new cat, that is not an option that is available to me. I have researched my cat's history based on her appearance and her behaviors/attitudes and I am certain she is part Egyptian Mau. While my husband and I would love another cat, we simply cannot adopt one. We tried to bring another kitten into the house when our cat was around 1 year old. She nearly killed the new kitten. We have stray cats where we live and our younger son played with one outside one day, our cat refused to go near him and hissed at him for two days after. We never had her spayed, but we have kept up with her shots and take her to the vet on a regular basis. She is an indoor cat that is only allowed to go into the backyard to eat a little grass maybe once a month, and only for a few minutes (never left alone while outside). We desperately want more cats, but it seems the only way we can is to breed our cat. If anyone knows where I might be able to find a male cat that our female cat can breed with, please let me know. We live in Northwest Indiana. (Also, we'd very much like the male cat to be part Egyptian Mau, and we will require current vaccination records before breeding.) Thank you.

Maulover

As you have read you wont find any support for such a thing here.

when you brought the other cat into your home did you go about introduceing them properly? Theres lots of great suggestions for that here.

There are some cats who are simply bent on being only cats, and I'm not sure that even a son or daughter would fit into that picture. It would be a truly heartbreaking thing for you, I'm sure, to have kittens only to find that mom still rejects them.

Since you didn't mention it, I would second the other poster's question and ask how you went about with introductions? Cats are very territorial, and it may take a very long time for a newcomer to be tolerated in your home. If you'll read the posts of other members here, you'll find cats who still attack others in the home, and peace is maintained only by keeping the cats from each other.

It may be that your girl wants to be an only cat, and is bound and determined to remain that way. The "price" of loving her may be that you can love only her for right now.

Please read
http://www.thecatsite.com/Health/192/Cat-Pregnancy.html

http://www.thecatsite.com/Health/4/P...e-Kittens.html

http://www.thecatsite.com/Care/177/S...Your-Cats.html

http://www.thecatsite.com/Behavior/4...cing-Cats.html

You Likely arent going to find anyone to want you to mate this OBVIOUSLY mixed breed cat ... Nor should any breeder be willing to allow there male to mate with your female...

I bet you that when the kitten you decide to keep grows up, she will act exactly the same way towards them. After awhile, her baby is just another cat. Many mothers that get along with other cats push their babies away at some point. I think your cat just wants to be an only cat period.

Also, her not being spayed can be a very good reason WHY she is so against being around other cats.

I have no help and neither will anyone here really. There is no reason to breed her. You just have to spay her, get a younger kitten, preferably male, get some Feliway and introduce them slowly and properly. If it doesn't work then she has to remain an only cat and even her own baby won't matter.

When introducing cats, you don't just throw them together. You should separate them at first. Also, spaying your cat might make a difference. And cats don't really like their own children after they grow up.

And there's no guarantee she'll be a good mother and won't try to harm her own kittens...

I truly would get a lot of information on introducing cats, and listen to people's suggestions, and if you really want another cat, then get your girl spayed and try introducing a second cat again.

Ya know, when I lived with my mother for a couple of years, her cat Pookie hated Sebastian. He would play with her and she would be cranky and hiss and swat at him. He never gave up and she never pretended to like him.

There were a few times we found them sharing the same bed, each at different corners of course They eventually could be in the same room together but she would never make any overtly friendly gesters to him.

When I moved out, Pookie missed him. She actually mourned. Went all around the place trying to find him. She was listless for about a week and them got better. I think she just got used to him

Sebastian was a full grown male and easy-going and friendly. Plus, he is at least twice Pookie's size.

Perhaps if you were to get an adult neutered male who is laid back and introduce them slowly as the above links explain, that could work? After she is spayed of course. Those horomones are mighty powerful.

I have seen cats reject their kittens, anywhere from birth to a few months old. If that were to happen to tiny kittens you would have to bottle feed them every two hours around the clock. Or she could be a good mom and then as the kittens reach maturity, go back to her old ways of wanting to be the only cat. The maternal instinct is not the same in animals as it is in humans.

Also, you would have the responsibility of finding good homes for the kittens, getting their first shots, feeding them, getting them spayed/neutered. Many people see exotic cat breeds and think having them will be quite the lark, but have no real interest in the cat's welfare. Much like when people adopt black cats around Halloween.

There really is no way to tell. If you breed her, it will be a gamble. So many things could happen. Please let us know what you decided to do.

You know, some cats truly hate others. No matter how bad you want another kitty, your duty it to the cat you already have. She might not want to share her home.

My opinion is this:
1) Get her spayed...I volunteer at the local HS & has to personally choose 4 cats to euthanize almost a year ago because there are not enough homes
2) Wait a month or two....then go adopt a kitten from a shelter
3) Make sure you follow all introduction instructions you find on TCS!
4) Be well aware, that your kitty may not ever accept another & you might have to keep them seperated forever.

I have 2 cats that live upstairs, 3 that live downstairs & one that goes in between. One upstairs kitty hates all other cats(it takes her 6+ months to accept a new kitty). One downstairs kitty is female cat aggressive(put stitches in one of my other kitties).

And I've tried keeping mother/daughter pairs. I had one mother I kept in the garage with her dauther...I knew they were fighting & assumed they'd work it out. The mother injured her daughter to the point that I actually had to re-home her daughter....who ended up dying because of her injuried anyways. I will never forgive myself for not realizing that the mother needs her own space. Even now, she has the outdoors....but also the 3 car garage & I must watch who is in the garage with her as she has killed other cats before.

Originally Posted by Maulover

Hi, I have read previous threads on breeding non-pedigree cats, and while I would agree with most people to simply adopt a new cat, that is not an option that is available to me. I have researched my cat's history based on her appearance and her behaviors/attitudes and I am certain she is part Egyptian Mau. While my husband and I would love another cat, we simply cannot adopt one. We tried to bring another kitten into the house when our cat was around 1 year old. She nearly killed the new kitten. We have stray cats where we live and our younger son played with one outside one day, our cat refused to go near him and hissed at him for two days after. We never had her spayed, but we have kept up with her shots and take her to the vet on a regular basis. She is an indoor cat that is only allowed to go into the backyard to eat a little grass maybe once a month, and only for a few minutes (never left alone while outside). We desperately want more cats, but it seems the only way we can is to breed our cat. If anyone knows where I might be able to find a male cat that our female cat can breed with, please let me know. We live in Northwest Indiana. (Also, we'd very much like the male cat to be part Egyptian Mau, and we will require current vaccination records before breeding.) Thank you.

Maulover

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Maulover....I'm sure you would love to have other cats...but breeding a "mixed" cat is truly not recommended and it doesn't mean that your cat will accept her kittens any more than she would accept another cat. Most mothers are great for a certain point, but depending on the cat..they can turn on their children.

As to the strays...I wouldn't recommend your child play with any cat that doesn't have a home because if he is bitten and you do not know it's rabies status, you are putting your child's life at risk..so best not to tempt fate. It would be a much better idea to try to get a TNR group to come out and neuter/spay the stray cats.

http://www.alleycat.org/orgs.html#in

Have you considered that perhaps the reason your girl is acting the way she is towards other cats may be due to her being intact?? Having a cat spayed does tend to change a cat's behavior for the better and you won't have to deal with her going into heat. Being intact increases her risk for cancer and pyometra as well.

Katie

...but breeding a "mixed" cat is truly not recommended...
Katie

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...cats don't really like their own children...
jenniferd

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I have no help and neither will anyone here really. There is no reason to breed her.
Jen

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You Likely arent going to find anyone to want you to mate this OBVIOUSLY mixed breed cat ... Nor should any breeder be willing to allow there male to mate with your female...
Sharky

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As you have read you wont find any support for such a thing here.
ScamperFarms

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Who the hell do you people think you are?! What makes you think your "purebred" cats are any better than my wonderful "tabby"? Is it because they have papers that verify they are the result of dozens of generations of inbreeding? Or perhaps it's the fact that you paid hundreds, if not thousands, of dollars for each of your cats. Well, my loving companion was born on a farm, her father a stray that no one has even seen, and I paid not a single penny for her. Yet, my adorable cat follows me around the house every day, she talks to me, and she has bonded very closely with ALL the members of my family. She has never shown any aggression towards myself, my husband, or my two children. She does not hide under furniture to keep away from us. She will put herself right in the middle of anything we are doing. Now how many of your "purebreds" would do that?! And how dare any of you tell me that my cat is not worth breeding! Just because you people decided to spends hundreds to thousands of dollars on a cat doesn't mean other people will. The rest of us "tabby" lovers would rather be able to feed and clothe our children and pay our mortgage on time.


Your narrowed view and your selfishness may deter others from breeding their cats, but it will never deter me.

YOU SHOULD ALL BE ASHAMED OF YOURSELVES!!

You asked for opinions and they were given. We cannot stop you in whatever you decide to do.

We wish your family the best, no matter what.

You didn't even address any of our other concerns about why you shouldn't breed her...

I think the biggest concern was that your cat doesn't accept others and probably won't accept her own babies after awhile either. Plus, being a mix breed, you don't know what sort of genetic problems she has.

I don't think any of us was at all mean to you or said the only reason not to breed was because she is not a purebred.

I understand how you feel about wanting to breed. But do you really want to pass on that personality? Plus you have no idea what else this cat could carry in her genetics. You would want her blood typed and checked for diseases along with the male. Are you willing to be responsible for all the kittens that are born for the rest of their lives also? Finding them homes is not good enough. They need to be vaccinated, spayed/neutered, and micro chipped by you if you want to be responsible. I really don't know how you would find a male to breed her with since most people understand the importance of neutering their males. You do not want to just find any old random male that you know nothing about his background. I hope you change your mind and decide to get your girl spayed it really is the best and most responsible thing you can do for her.

And btw I have pedigreed cats and regular domestic cats and I love them all the same and they are all spayed/neutered. None of my pedigreed cats are inbred. Non of my pedigreeds hide under furniture and one of them even is a lap cat. Only one of my domestic cats is also a lap cat and one of my domestic cats does hide under the bed.

I'm truly sorry for both you and your cat that you are being closed minded. I've had both purebreds and mixed breed cats. We had a farm and yes, we've had several litters - but all the adults were eventually spayed and neutered - no matter HOW cute, adorable, friendly, etc. they were.

When I was breeding my purebred cats, I researched pedigrees, carefully selected the RIGHT male to breed to and made sure I had homes lined up before my kittens were even born.

I've also owned several mixed breed cats that I was tempted to breed one time - but didn't, cause I know its wrong with so many sitting in shelters now with no homes or the people who picked up a cute kitten (from people just like you) decided they no longer wanted the cat when it was all grown up. One of them was a very special ODD-EYE black and white - very rare to find - and she never had a litter - she was spayed at 8 months old and had a very sucessful show career - she passed away at age 18.

Now you think that you cat is worthy of breeding????? You don't really know the background; she may or may not have Egyptian Mau in her (I highly doubt it) and you will not find a purebred cat breeder that would be willing to let you use their male. And there is no guarentee that she will have a litter if bred, nor one that may or may not look like her; or that would get along with her.

The longer you allow her to keep coming in and out of heat, the greater the risk for pyrometria (which can kill her) or cancer. You have a better chance of adopting a young neutered male after she is spayed. That is why she doesn't like other cats right now. And read on how to properly introduce cats - don't just throw them in the same room and expect them to get along - it takes time and patience.

Now, back to if you disregard all of our advice.

If you breed her, you should test her for FELV, FIP, and any other genetic diseases she may carry. She should have all shots up to date. Check her for any heart problems.

Are you willing to line up homes with responsible owners before the kittens are born? Are you willing to take back and keep any of her kittens that the owners can't keep - since you really are responsible for every kitten you bring into the world? Are you willing to spay and neuter each kitten before the owner gets them? Are you prepared if she has problems and needs emergency c-section - or if something happens and she dies giving birth - are you willing to hand raise every kitten?

If you honestly love your cat and want her to be healthy and be with you a long time, then spay her now and go adopt a young kitten.

BTW most of my purebred cats were "in your face" cats - they loved people, got right in your lap, followed you around and were super people friendly

Just a reminder to all to please keep it civil. TCS is here to educate, not berate.

MauLover, you will not find many people here that are going to be in favor of you breeding your cat. Please refer to our forum rules:

2. Please make sure to spay and neuter your cat. Unless you are a professional breeder and your cat is part of a professional breeding program, please educate yourself to the importance of spaying and neutering by the time your cat is 4-6 months old. By spaying and neutering you enhance your cat's quality of life and improve his or her health. You are also proving your love for cats because in acting as a responsible pet owner you are minimizing the problem of cat overpopulation.

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I don't think a single person on this site thinks your cat is worth less than a purebred cat. Most of our members own mixed-breed cats. I have a tabby myself.

Aside from the cat overpopulation problem, there are differences between breeding purebred cats and mixed breed cats. Reputable breeders of purebred cats do extensive research into the genetic lines of their cats and breed for improvements in the breed and for health. Because you do not know of your mixed-breeds cat's heritage, it is very possible that the kittens could be born with health problems or your cat may not be able to carry these kittens to full-term. The risks for your much loved cat would be much higher.

Originally Posted by Maulover

Who the hell do you people think you are?! What makes you think your "purebred" cats are any better than my wonderful "tabby"? Is it because they have papers that verify they are the result of dozens of generations of inbreeding? Or perhaps it's the fact that you paid hundreds, if not thousands, of dollars for each of your cats. Well, my loving companion was born on a farm, her father a stray that no one has even seen, and I paid not a single penny for her. Yet, my adorable cat follows me around the house every day, she talks to me, and she has bonded very closely with ALL the members of my family. She has never shown any aggression towards myself, my husband, or my two children. She does not hide under furniture to keep away from us. She will put herself right in the middle of anything we are doing. Now how many of your "purebreds" would do that?! And how dare any of you tell me that my cat is not worth breeding! Just because you people decided to spends hundreds to thousands of dollars on a cat doesn't mean other people will. The rest of us "tabby" lovers would rather be able to feed and clothe our children and pay our mortgage on time.


Your narrowed view and your selfishness may deter others from breeding their cats, but it will never deter me.

YOU SHOULD ALL BE ASHAMED OF YOURSELVES!!

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I think you're taking alot of the comments out of context. The people who have commented, don't mean it the way you're seeing it.

I'm a breeder, I breed bengal cats, and there are a few folks on this site that aren't in agreement with me that it is ok to breed purebred cats. They see it as adding to the population of cats while many cats sit in shelters or rescues waiting months for a new home.

Some of their arguments are valid and some are not in my opinion, but I do agree that moggie's should not be purposefully bred.
99.9 percent of the time, that is what directly contributes to the over-population of cats in this country.

The gist of what people on this site are trying to convey is, that you could find a nice loving cat at a shelter or rescue that meets all your criteria, if you would take the time to look.

Since you are not looking for a purebred Mau, why not save one cat from a shelter, instead of risking the life of the cat you adore and adding more kittens to the world? Pregnant queens sometimes have complications that put their lives at risk and cost thousands of dollars to treat.

Another alternative would be to contact a Mau rescue, to see if a purbred Mau is needing a home.

I'm very tempted to say some rather mean things right now.

People were reacting not only the cat not being a breed, but because of your reason for doing it. Your cat just doesn't like other cats. She's an only cat, and always will be. (Though if you got her spayed, her personality might change enough that she could tolerate another cat.)

I've had one of those before. Patches hates other cats. When Princess died, Patches health actually improved because she got to be an only cat again. She likes her people, but she just hates all other cats.

Everyone's given the same suggestion. Get her spayed. Find a young-ish (not baby) neutered male cat that can defend itself and doesn't need attention from other cats. Do slow introductions. Make sure that if your cat still reacts badly even after a couple months, you can return the young male.

And if she doesn't like other cats still, then understand that she will forever want to be an only cat. The rescue I got Bunny from has two cats that have to be kept separate because they attack other cats, but they're still available for adoption because they love people.

And just so you understand that we all agree here, I'll tell you that I was quite against purebreds until I met some of the very informed breeders here. I still don't keep any and likely never will because I prefer my moogies and would feel guilty for owning a purebred. They are not saying that your cat is somehow lesser because of the lack of papers. She just should not be bred. Not even all papered cats should be bred. Most of the breeders here raise very few cats that go on to be breeders themselves. They're quite picky about it, and for good reason. Their cats usually are also neutered and purchased as pets.