Pregnancy And Stud Questions :)

Hello people, been a while since I've last visited.

I'm going through stressful yet joyful days. Zoe my Russian Blue Queen is officially pregnant. She's in her 4th week and her nipples are gettin' bigger and pinker everyday LOL

I have some questions to you guys, will be happy to hear everyone's opinion:

1) I'm noticing extra sleep and since I'm feeding her by myself (She's gettin' kitten food and he's with her so I can't just put it for both of them) I'm pretty satisfied in that department too. She is however taking her space from me and him (well.. most of the time anyway), she doesn't wake me up in the mornings anymore, I wake her up now. She's still very playful though and demands more petting. What can you guys tell me about the way your queens behave in the beginning of their pregnancies? Did any of you guys come across morning sickness and apathetic behaviors?

2) What are your opinions on letting the stud be with the female during pregnancy and during kitten era ? (I'm hoping to separate them on the eve of her labor and then after I see everything is fine to let him be around.. Russian blues have great temper and my mentor says she never had to separate males from nursing females) I do wonder if you guys allow this to happen and if you see benefits in doing so..

3) And the final question is on "Showing".. She's in the end of her 4th week, when will she start to show?

I would not allow a stud near a pregnant female nor her kittens. With kittens you want as little bacteria access as possible and any additional cat brings in additional bacteria exposure. Not to mention a stud would be unpredictable around kittens. Then mom can get pregnant almost immediately after having the kittens. My friend who breeds Maine Coons had her female go into heat 3 times by the time the kittnes were 3 months. She will need recovery time after nursing a litter, it is very draining on the body.

Also a female will start stressing out easier before she is due, getting aggravated easier. It should be a week or more before she is due to be completely seperated from any cat so she can feel comfortable and not threatened so she can concentrate on nesting and the impending labor. The male could still attempt to breed her while she is pregnant which is also stressful.

Personally, I'd keep him away from her till the babies are born. Unless you supervise. If she's a first time mother, she may start to resent him being that close.

And he may decide to mate with her again, whether she's pregnant or not and even will mate with her if she's nursing. You don't want kittens that close - she needs at least 9 months of recovery time between litters. So its better to separate them so both are in good shape.

Russians usually have smaller litters (like my rexes) and she may not really show till a few weeks before delivery. You figure about 8-9 weeks, so unless she's having a large litter, it won't be till about 7 weeks that she looks pregnant.

I took Reecie away from Stevie around 6 weeks into the pregnancy and she was really showing - she was very slim prior to the mating...I didn't bring them back together until the kittens were about six weeks old...