Help ~ we are not sure what is happening!

We have 4 Himalayans, 3 females and one male. We have tried to have a few litters of kittens but they all are stillborn. I have a few questions about this.

Are we doing something wrong?

We have had 3 different litters with three different females, all three litters are born dead, is this a genetic trait from our male? or is it something that is happening in their environment? Any ideas? We know that 2 of the 3 females have had healthy litters prior to us getting them.

We are just confused and frustrated!

any comments or help would be appreciated!

Brandon

It could be either or. I would do one test with a female to another male. If you have a litter and it survives, then you know its the male and not the enviroment.

Sounds like you may be neutering and spaying everyone very soon. Especially the male - I think he's the problem. Has your himi's been tested for genetic problems? Are they show quality and championed cats?

If no to the above questions, I strongly advise you to spay and neuter all of them. Only the best of the breed and the healthiest should be bred.

all of our cats have multiple championships in their lines, one of our female's has a grandfather that is a national champion.

Our male has a great line and I tend to think that the problem is with him. It is sad that he may have to be neutered but we may have to do that.

Have you had a necropsy done on the still-born litters? If so, were any bacteria present? If the females were proven to have healthy litters before you got them, there could be something in the environment.

You might want to consider switching to a litter that is designed to prevent bacterial growth, such as the Dr. Elsey's Precious Cat Senior, which is also for pregnant cats.

You also might want to ask your vet if your girls should be put on an antibiotic before they give birth. Perhaps there is an infection that is getting into their system.

Your male might be a carrier of something that is being passed on to the females during intercourse. Ask your vet if he can be tested. Don't come to the conclusion that it is something genetic before you rule out all other possibilities.

Finally, I'm not sure what you mean by National Champion. What registry are your cats in? I know CFA pretty well and I can recognize the TICA titles, but the rest elude me