Is It Bad To Breed My Cats Once?

[Vaughkyl000]

I have three cats. One is spayed, bur the other two arent and they are boy and girl. Would it be bad to let her have the kittens that im pretty sure shes pregnant with right now if i would be keeping them anyways. It wouldnt be killing any in shelters because i woudlnt be able to get ones from shelters yet because i still live at home. I was just wandering if this would be okay to let her have this one litter and then get her spayed.

 

[Furballsmom]

Would it be bad to let her have the kittens that im pretty sure shes pregnant with right now if i would be keeping them anyways

Hi!
Bless you for thinking about this and for asking the question

If you have the space, the time for playing with them, and will have the financial means to be able to get everyone to the vet throughout their lifetimes including for emergencies, as well as be able to buy decent food and also toys, scratchers, cat trees, litter, litter boxes since those need to be replaced every now and then, pet water fountains, then ok.

 

[Furballsmom]

Will you be getting your Tom neutered? It would be wise to do that as soon as you can, and keep in mind that he can still get your mama kitty pregnant for two weeks after he's had the surgery, and I believe she can get pregnant again as soon as two weeks after she's had the babies.

 

[Kieka]

I think it would be a bad idea. If you aren't able to adopt from the shelter because you live at home, I don't see how it would be different to have kittens that were born in the home. Plus if you are living at home that implies limited financials to provide the medical care for added cats or putting yourself in a place where you continue to live at home because your money goes towards their care. The kittens would also be taking up space that you could later adopt kittens from the shelter.

But that is just my personal opinion only based on a paragraph you've given us. I don't think anyone should purposefully breed cats outside a breeding program and without financial means to provide medical care and food (my estimate being about $1000 per cat per year).

 

[lutece]

Are the parents the brother and sister cats you posted in another thread?

 

[amethyst]

There are several things to consider. Why haven't the male and female been spayed and neutered yet? If it's due to not having the money then how are you expecting to care for more cats? Being a first time mom she may not have many, maybe 2-4, but 6 or more is not out of the question. Can you afford having 2-6+ more cats? Shots, check ups, spay and neuters, litter boxes, litter, food, etc? Or would it mean you having to go with a cheaper food, not as many toys and other supplies? Also do you have the money in case things go bad and she needs an emergency c-section or something? Are you prepared/able to care for kittens 24/7 should something go wrong?

Also do you have a back up plan should something happen to you so the cats are all taken care of? You may say you aren't taking up space in the shelter, but what if you are seriously hurt or killed? Or have to unexpectedly move? Where will the cats be going?

If she is already pregnant I don't really personally believe in killing the unborn kittens, so in that case yes I would let her have them. I would separate the male and female right now though, and keep the female inside, on the chance that she isn't pregnant. Also get the male book in for a neuter right away.

 

[war&wisdom]

I'm worried (like lutece ) that these are sibling cats, which could cause even more issues...

 

[Willowy]

If she's already pregnant (and you're probably right, because this is the time of year almost every female is pregnant), what's done is done, unless you're willing to do a spay/abort. Do have the male neutered right away, because he can get her pregnant again right after she gives birth, and that's not healthy. And sperm hides in the tubes for a few weeks after neutering so you want to do it as soon as possible.

Are they siblings? If so, the spay/abort may be the best choice if she's not too far along. First-generation inbreeding doesn't always cause trouble but you probably don't know their family tree so this may not be the first generation to inbreed.

Will you be keeping all the kittens? If so, be sure to have them spayed/neutered by 12 weeks so you don't end up with a really big problem!

 

[jen]

I will never say that this is a good idea. Sounds like she is already pregnant though soooooo.....

Whatever you decide to do think of the cost as number 1. If you end up with 5 kittens on top of the 3 you have, that is 8 cats who all need multiple rounds of vaccines, deworming, neutering. Since they are all siblings and staying with you you have to neuter them as early as possible or separate the males and females otherwise they will all get pregnant, plus the male kittens will mate with the mother even. *This is already turning into a hypothetical nightmare* but I will go on....

Now what if the pregnant momma cat has complications? How old is she? Hopefully not under a year. What if she needs an emergency c-section? That could be thousands. We didn't even talk about food and litter for all these cats and future medical bills. Do you really want this many cats?

If all these facts don't talk you out of this then so be it. But this is a financial nightmare and you are already living at home so I wonder what is going to become of all these cats and kittens you are responsible for. I mean no offense, just a LOT to think about it.

 

[abyeb]

Since she’s pregnant now, you do have the option of spaying her now, and terminating the pregnancy. I know you said that you plan on keeping the kittens, but cats can have large litters, and I would worry about the possibility that you could end up with more cats than you could handle.

If you don’t want to do a spay/abort, you can spay her after the kittens are weaned. I would recommend getting your male neutered as soon as you can, because cats can breed again shortly after giving birth. Also, keep in mind that male cats will still be fertile for up to a month after being neutered,

 

[jen]

Oh god are they siblings? Please tell me they aren't related. Then absolutely spay and neuter them regardless of her pregnancy. If so this shouldn't even be a question.

 

[Vaughkyl000]

Thank you all so much for your replies I greatly appreciate it. To start off I already have it scheduled for him to get neutered. I’m going to get her neutered after she has the kittens because I dont feel comfortable with aborting them. Her brother isn’t the one who got her pregnant because he’s been separate from her but we are getting him neutered. They are outdoor cats(don’t worry I give them dewormers and make sure they have a super warm place to go when it gets cold and they are always protected), so we believe a nearby Tom got her pregnant. We haven’t neutered/spayed them yet because we never thought abt it but I have scheduled it now and will get him done this week and her after her babies. I do have the time and money for these kittens and any emergencies that could happen and will definitely bring her inside when she’s giving birth so she is comfortable and so the babies are warm. I also have a backup plan for all of my animals Incase anything were to ever happen to me. I dedicate a lot of time and money into my animals and I always want what’s best for them. This being said I really don’t feel right aborting the babies if she ends up being pregnant. I will be keeping them spectate tho and getting them both spayed and neutered. I’m hoping she’s not pregnant and I will update later down the road abt if she is pregnant or not. Thank you again for all your help!

 

[Elphaba09]

Edited because you replied while I was typing.

 

[Furballsmom]

Let us know how things go

 

[1 bruce 1]

It sounds like what's done has been done and you're steering this situation in the right direction before it hits a guard rail
Remember one thing though. It's kitten season in a lot of parts of the world and you'll be having some competition getting them homes, so once you're sure of their color and sex start sharing that you have kittens (color, male or female) that will be ready to go 8 or so weeks after the date of their birth. Once they've had shots and the vet is OK with it allow potential adopters to visit them.
It's not always the case but sometimes homes can't be found and a plan needs to be made, or else you might end up with 5 or 8 kittens that will soon be adult cats that require space, food, vaccines, spaying and neutering, and medical bills.
We put a lot of time and money into ours, too, but I just want to put the thought out there that it's easy to get over whelmed, and having a what-if plan is your best bet to keep everyone safe
Good luck with the new additions

 

[Willowy]

Will you be keeping all of the kittens, keeping some of the kittens, or finding homes for all of the kittens?

The mama cat can be spayed when the kittens are 8 weeks old or so. Keep her indoors that entire time until she's spayed, because she can get pregnant again right away. It's best for the kittens if you keep them together and with their mama until they're 12-14 weeks old. I would consider 10 weeks the absolute bare minimum.

Have the ones you keep spayed/neutered before they go outside so they don't get pregnant or father any litters. Really, this kind of situation has the potential to turn into a cat population explosion so you want to be careful!

Do you need help finding a low-cost spay/neuter clinic for the kittens? If you post your general location I'm sure someone can find something.

 

[She's a witch]

I just want to add that in order to minimize any behavioral issues with kitties, it is recommended to keep them with their mom and siblings until at least 12 weeks.

.

September 15, 2017
Delayed weaning reduces behavioural problems in cats​

Based on the study conducted at the University of Helsinki, the recommended weaning age of 12 weeks should be raised by at least two weeks. Delaying weaning is an easy and cost-efficient way of improving the quality of life of cats....

The study used the results from the health and behaviour survey Professor Lohi's group had previously conducted on nearly 6,000 cats, currently the most extensive cat behaviour database in the world. According to the survey, many behavioural problems are more common than expected. More than 80% of cats were reported as exhibiting mild behavioural problems, while serious behavioural problems were reported for 25% of all cats. Feline behavioural problems can include shyness, stereotypic wool sucking, excessive grooming and aggression.....

LINK: Delayed weaning reduces behavioural problems in cats
(my emphasis)​

12 + 2⁺ = 14⁺
.

When you'll be giving kittens for adoption, I would make sure they are already spayed/neutered, otherwise you never know if they end up having another (and then endless) rounds of kittens. There are so many cats in the worlds that honestly, I think I would reconsider spaying her now, it may mean less suffering in the long run. But I can only imagine how difficult it is to make a decision like that.
Good luck!!!

 

[cataholic07]

have your vet check if she is indeed pregnant

 

[Maria Bayote]

Since your male cat wasn't neutered yet when your female was in heat it is still a possibility that he could have impregnated your female cat, as female cats can choose more than one Tom during her heat cycle. Hence, the possibility of carrying kittens with multiple fathers.

As you know it is going to be very expensive, but I am sure you have thought about that. As suggested, have them spayed/neutered as soon as possible.