How to understand that a cat is ready for mating: the first signs

11375Pavel

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All animals on this planet have an instinct for procreation. It begins to appear when the animal reaches sexual maturity. For those who have decided to breed a certain breed, it is necessary to know on what day of heat the cat should be bred.

Of course, everything depends on the individual characteristics of the animal’s body, since in some people puberty occurs earlier, in others later. There are also various pathologies in cats that disrupt the estrus process.

When is a cat ready to breed?

The first sign that the pet is ready to mate with a cat is estrus. During this period, the cat is especially affectionate, purrs a lot, rubs against furniture and walls, and sometimes its appetite worsens and urination becomes more frequent. A cat reaches sexual maturity at approximately 6–7 months, and the first mating can be carried out starting at one and a half years old or during her third heat. It is after this that the cat is finally ready to mate with a cat, and her body is perfectly tuned to this process. It is also undesirable to delay mating, since the cat may become aggressive and refuse to mate.

Preparation and selection of a partner

The success of mating depends both on the correct time and age, and on the health of the animals. The health of pets is assessed during the preparatory period. Only those animals that show no signs of even the slightest malaise or exhaustion are suitable for mating. Excess weight can also cause a failed pregnancy.

In preparation for mating, both the cat and the female cat must receive adequate nutrition. At this time, it is not recommended to experiment with food, as changing the diet can negatively affect their well-being. It is imperative to add mineral and vitamin supplements to food, as well as increase the percentage of dairy components (cottage cheese, sour cream, etc.). Dairy products contain a lot of calcium, which is necessary for the proper formation of the offspring's skeleton.

14 days before the mating date, both animals are given anthelmintic drugs. The presence of parasites can negatively affect the effectiveness of mating. Before mating, the cat must not be given any hormonal drugs that can stop or slow down estrus.

Before mating, it is imperative to show the animals to a veterinarian. The specialist will not only assess the health of the cat, but also give recommendations regarding their nutrition, and also advise the optimal time for mating.

During the preparatory period, animals should be protected from stressful situations, hypothermia and drafts. To prevent each other from injuring each other, the cat's claws are trimmed.

It is forbidden to bathe pets before mating. Water treatments and the use of hygiene products can reduce or even eliminate the natural smell of animals, which should awaken the instinct to reproduce in the partner.

Something else interesting: All about sterilization of cats

It is important to choose the right partner. The cat and cat must meet the following requirements:

• pedigree. It is important for breeders to obtain healthy offspring with all the characteristics of the breed standard. Any deviation from the standard is considered a defect. Such kittens cost much less;
• health and availability of all necessary vaccinations (vaccinations against lichen and chlamydia are required), as well as a veterinarian’s report on the condition of the animals.

People who are interested in breeding animals are looking for partners among professional breeders.

Experts note that an older and more experienced partner should be selected for mating. In this case, a positive result (pregnancy) is achieved much faster and easier. It is allowed to breed a virgin cat with an experienced cat. You cannot mate two virgin animals.

What an owner needs to know before breeding a cat

There are several rules that you must adhere to before mating your pet:

• Candidate males must be selected before the cat reaches the age of estrus. If your dog is purebred, then you can only crossbreed breeds that are approved for mating.
• The cat should be selected according to blood type (A, B, A/B). You cannot mate cats and male cats with different groups.
• Before mating, the cat should not be given hormonal drugs that suppress empty estrus. They can negatively affect the condition of her reproductive system and complicate pregnancy.
• The cat should be promptly treated for parasites and vaccinated. Both cats and female cats should be equally tested for viral leukemia and viral immunodeficiency. It is better to do all this a month before mating.
• You should not bathe your cat two weeks before mating to preserve her specific oestrus odor. She needs to trim her claws to avoid mutual injury.
• For the first mating, you should choose an experienced partner cat so that the animals do not get confused in the process. It happens that the cat is afraid and does not let the cat near. In this case, mating may be delayed or simply not take place.
• You need to choose a territory for mating. As a rule, it takes place at the home of the cat's owners.
• You need to take a veterinary passport and things familiar to the cat: food, bowl, litter tray, carrier.
• The conditions for keeping the cat for these 2-3 days should be agreed upon in advance. You can draw up an agreement if you want to engage in breeding of the breed.

Cat's first heat

Each cat experiences its first heat differently, regardless of the breed: British, Scottish or any other. Heredity, the state of hormones, the environment in which the animal is located, as well as the very character of the pet have a significant influence. This usually occurs between 8 months and one year of age, but depends on the health of the cat. There are cases when an animal does not begin to heat even after two years, then it is necessary to take the pet to a veterinary clinic for examination and further treatment.

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Knitting process

Before you take your cat to the cat, wait until she is in estrus for 3-4 days. On the first day of being in a new home, the cat explores the groom's territory to make sure it is safe. Full acquaintance with the cat occurs on the second day and takes a few seconds. But it is always preceded by a courtship ritual. Usually the cat sniffs the “bride” and purrs loudly. She may hiss and try to drive him away, but this is part of the ritual. When the cat moves away from the cat a little, she begins to purr invitingly and flirts with him: she lifts her tail, raises her body, and falls on her front paws. When the cat approaches, she runs away and the ritual begins again. A few hours later, the male grabs the female by the scruff of the neck and begins to trample on her in order to provoke her counter desire. So he can approach the cat several times. If she doesn't mind, she removes her tail and presses herself to the floor. The entire mating process takes place very quickly - from a few seconds to 4 minutes. The cat ejaculates and begins to purr contentedly.

Search for a partner

The easiest way to find a partner is through the club where the animal is a member. You can visit exhibitions or search through advertisements, but the search process will take a lot of time if you are looking for a partner for the first time.

The search is complicated by the fact that specific goals are often pursued to improve the offspring. For example, if a female has short ears and you want to get offspring with longer ears, then you need to look for a cat with long and large ears.

It is important to check the veterinary passport and pedigree of the partner; it would not be amiss to familiarize yourself with the results of tests for genetic diseases.

Compliance with breeding rules is required. Therefore, it is imperative to draw up a mating agreement; the conditions for keeping the female in the cat’s territory and payment are agreed upon in advance. The cost depends on the breed, experience, and in some cases the title of the partner, but usually the cost of one kitten. The payment may be a kitten.

How often can you knit a cat?

Experts have two opinions. Some believe that a cat can be mated after one heat. Others insist on only 3 breedings over a two year period. If you do not plan to breed kittens, be sure to neuter your cat. A suppressed sexual instinct can cause a number of negative consequences for her - from hormonal imbalance to the appearance of oncology and various pathologies. If, after all, the pet has successfully given birth and produced offspring, you need to make sure that she feeds him. There are often situations when a cat refuses kittens and tries to run away in search of a cat. Therefore, pay increased attention to her while raising your kids.

How to prepare for an event

Reproduction of purebred cats is a responsible activity that requires certain safety measures. That is why the search for a mate for a pet should occur in advance, so that both “newlyweds” can be prepared for the moment the female is in heat.

Pets must undergo the following procedures:

• vaccination;
• treatment against ecto- and endoparasites;
• complete cure in the presence of diseases;
• cutting and treatment of claws.

All health measures must be carried out at least 14 days before direct contact of four-legged animals. It is also not recommended to bathe them, so as not to wash away the scent that attracts the opposite sex.

Before breeding animals, owners must settle documentary issues - draw up an agreement and a mating act, which will indicate the cost of the cat’s services or how many maintenance kittens the owner wants to receive as payment. This must be done, since trust in words that are not legally supported often results in deception by one of the parties.

How to avoid breeding a dog?

The process of breeding animals requires moral readiness and financial investment from the owner. It happens that unwanted mating in dogs upsets long-prepared plans and agreements. To avoid such troubles, you should:

1. Do not let a female in heat off the leash, do not leave her unattended outside, even for a short time.
2. Before each walk, treat your dog with special preparations that will repel unwanted gentlemen with their smell.

A planned and well-prepared mating of dogs will allow you to obtain high-quality puppies with the desired pedigree characteristics. If the owner is not confident in his knowledge of preparing and conducting such an event, you can seek help from professionals who will select the best batch for the pet, recommend the necessary measures before the procedure, and help in the process itself if certain difficulties arise.

Fertilization

As soon as the covering has occurred, the female loses interest in the cat and no longer allows him to approach her. Sperm remain alive and remain in the uterine cavity for 20–50 hours. During this time, full ovulation occurs, the eggs descend from the horns of the uterus, and then fertilization occurs.

If fertilization is successful, the egg attaches to the walls of the uterus within 10–14 days.

If your pet is outside during the peak period of sexual heat, several males may cover her at once. Theoretically, depending on the cat's temperament and health, she can periodically allow males to approach her for 3-4 days. In this case, the sperm of several males mixes and remains in the uterine cavity until the eggs are released.

This is interesting! A cat that has had sex with multiple males may bear kittens from different fathers.

What is breeding or mating of dogs?

The first sign of an approaching dog hunt is a change in behavior. Bitches become anxious, active, and often angry. If the reproductive loop has become somewhat loose and pinkish discharge is observed from it, estrus begins.

Pairing

When estrus occurs and if you want to get offspring, you need to urgently look for a mate for your pet. Since dogs reproduce only when the hunt begins. The sexual relationship between a bitch and a male is called mating.

There are some restrictions when breeding:

• For a female, only one mating per year is allowed (exception for especially valuable or endangered breeds);
• age of first mating 1.5 years and older;
• excellent health.

When mating some breeds, you can take a psychological test.

Interesting! There are no restrictions on sexual intercourse for males.

Rules for keeping expectant mothers

Requirements are similar to those of males. The owner is obliged:

• provide the animal with adequate nutrition;
• introduce vitamins and microelements, calcium and folic acid are especially important;
• maintain a normal weight for your pet (obese or malnourished animals are unlikely to become pregnant);
• do not overload the body with frequent pregnancies: twice a year is enough;
• monitor exercise: active physical activity will make the cat stronger, and pregnancy and childbirth itself will be easier;
• do not forget about education: only a well-bred mother can instill in kittens the basics of good behavior.

In addition, even before mating, the cat should be assessed by experts who will highlight its advantages, identify disadvantages, check the compatibility of two lines and, based on this data, help find a good sire. If you ignore the rule and do not receive a “ticket to breed,” then the kittens born are unlikely to be recognized as purebred.

Should you give your cat birth control?

This is a very important issue that requires separate consideration. Many cat owners consider such medications to be an alternative to sterilizing their animal, but this is not true: contraceptives cause irreparable harm to your pet!

In particular, they can cause:

• the appearance of neoplasms in the uterus,
• the occurrence of ovarian cysts,
• hormonal imbalances.

In this case, pathologies of the reproductive system can occur only after a few years, when the cat is already elderly, and you will have to either decide on a risky operation or euthanize the animal.

Therefore, if you do not want to endure regular heat and the cat’s behavior after mating, it is better to immediately sterilize your pet, which will not only save you from the hassle of organizing mating, but will also protect your cat from serious and dangerous diseases.

Rules for keeping males before mating

Before getting a breeding kitten, a future reproducer, answer the following questions:

Do you need exhibitions and why? are you ready to visit them and attract the attention of potential brides; Do you have conditions for adopting a cat? how will you attract owners of the opposite sex and advertise the groom; Can you monitor the health and proper nutrition of the reproducer?

If most of the answers are negative, then it is better to immediately castrate the cat and close the topic of breeding once and for all.

If the answer is yes, you will have to adhere to the rules:

• Do not associate with cats of dubious reputation: those that give birth to sick kittens, defective coloration, suffer from sexually transmitted infections or are involved in inbreeding. All the trouble will fall on the groom, even if he had nothing to do with it.
• Do not overwork the cat: there should be a break of at least a week between matings; periodically they are allowed to rest for a longer period of time. Long downtime is also not welcome. In both cases, the quality of sperm deteriorates, and therefore the quality of the offspring.
• Periodically check and improve the health of the male.
• A few days before planting, introduce B vitamins into the diet, which have a positive effect on sexual function.

Possible difficulties

In some cases, during the mating period, animals experience problems that prevent normal fertilization. Most often the difficulties are as follows:

1. The female cat does not let the male near her. If the female is aggressive and does not want contact with the cat, the owner should try to calm the pet by stroking her on the withers. If the cat still remains nervous and does not allow its partner to approach, many veterinarians advise giving an injection to stimulate ovulation (only an experienced doctor should carry out such a procedure and decide which drug to administer).
2. The animals are not the right size for each other. When the female is much larger than the male, the owner must help the animals. A person needs to carefully take the cat by the withers. This will allow the cat to take a comfortable position and begin mounting.
3. The cat falls on its side. If the female falls over on her side, the owner must constantly support her in a horizontal position.

What should you pay special attention to?

As a rule, about five days before the kittens are born, the cat becomes not herself: she constantly runs around, scours the house, and hides in the most inaccessible, dark corners of your home. It's time to be wary and urgently purchase a birthing basket (if you haven't already).

During the last three days, you can see other birth harbingers:

About a day before the onset of labor, the animal's body temperature can drop to about 38° Celsius. A few hours before the kittens are born, this indicator drops to approximately 37.7° Celsius. About two days before giving birth, the cat begins to constantly lick the area of ​​the external genitalia. In some animals, three days before the birth process begins, the mammary glands swell, and colostrum oozes from the nipples drop by drop. The cat may become inactive. She sleeps for a long time, coming out only to eat and drink. There is nothing strange or scary in this behavior: the animal’s body is engaged in accumulating energy, which will subsequently be spent during childbirth

We recommend that the cat not be disturbed at this time and not be distracted from such an important matter. Somewhere a day before the “real” birth, training contractions, also called false contractions, often begin. Unlike true pushing, they are relatively rare and almost painless

But the closer the birth is, the intensity and duration of the contractions increase. If your cat is already pushing every few minutes, it won't be long before the kittens are born. During this period, the pet is very excited, it can “call for help” or hide in an “unknown” direction, settling in a previously chosen nook of the house. Since removing a cat that has begun to give birth from under the bathtub is not a very pleasant matter, we recommend that you carefully monitor your pet and, if she tries to hide, carefully transfer her into a basket. At the same time, appetite decreases. If you have watched your pregnant pet, then you probably know that in the second half of gestation, cats’ appetite increases sharply. Its decrease is a clear sign of impending labor. However, we should not forget that many pathologies during pregnancy can manifest themselves in exactly the same way.

Normally, it is constantly sucked out by kittens. But in cases where this does not happen, milk constantly accumulates, which can lead to the development of mastitis. To avoid this, you will have to suck it out manually. The only consolation can be the thought that you will have to do this for no more than three days. Fortunately, most cats begin to produce milk either a couple of hours before giving birth, or immediately after it.

Rules for keeping expectant mothers

Requirements are similar to those of males. The owner is obliged

• provide the animal with adequate nutrition,
• introduce vitamins and microelements, calcium and folic acid are especially important,
• maintain the pet’s normal weight (obese or malnourished animals are unlikely to become pregnant),
• do not overload the body with frequent pregnancies: twice a year is enough,
• monitor exercise: active physical activity will make the cat stronger, and pregnancy and childbirth itself will be easier,
• do not forget about education: only a well-bred mother can instill in kittens the basics of good behavior.

In addition, even before mating, the cat should be assessed by experts who will highlight its advantages, identify disadvantages, check the compatibility of two lines and, based on this data, help find a good sire. If the rule is ignored and you do not receive a “ticket to breed,” then the kittens born are unlikely to be recognized as purebred.

Suitable age

The reproductive age of each dog is individual and depends on factors, the leading of which are:

• Floor.
• Breed.
• Dimensions.
• Heredity.

Puberty occurs quite early in most animals. In females, the first heat can occur as early as 6 months, and the male will be ready for mating at 9. However, the formation of the reproductive system does not mean that the dog is ready to give birth, and the dog has become a good producer.

Up to 1.5 -2 years, that is, before the dog reaches the size of an adult, the number of sperm in the seed is too small for high-quality fertilization to occur. In addition, it is necessary to wait until the testes have completely descended into the scrotum. Since at this stage, deficiencies that can be inherited are often identified.

If one of the testes does not descend from the abdominal cavity, the dog will not be given permission to reproduce. He may have offspring. But this defect is inherited, so it is removed from breeding. Age restrictions for females also have physiological grounds.

Therefore, the pet is allowed to fully mature. In addition, world canine organizations strictly limit the number of litters and the frequency of pregnancies. This is done for several reasons:

• Limit the number and prevalence of the breed so as not to oversaturate the market.
• Reduce the number of culled puppies born from mothers that are too young, too old, or who have not fully recovered.
• Preserve the health of dogs that need a period of rest after pregnancy, as this is a very difficult physical and psychological test for the body.

A feature that emphasizes the difference between the two sexes is also the age limit, which prohibits bitches over 8 years old from participating in breeding. At this time, boys can be active as much as their health allows.

Agreement and act of mating dogs

Documenting dog copulation makes life a lot easier. There are no financial claims - they are written down in the contract before the event. All rights and obligations of the parties are stated there.

Document

The act of mating guarantees the health, including reproductive health, of the mating participants. The document is issued to dog owners, one copy is kept in the club. He is certified by the canine organization. The act notes the planned nature of the mating with a description of the pedigree of the male and female. Then, based on the act, a pedigree document is issued to all puppies in the litter. When they grow up, they will also look for partners and arrange matings.

The dog has been man's friend since ancient times. In their natural environment, dogs mate completely independently and do not require human intervention in the reproduction process. Unfortunately, in our time, bred breeds act as pets. Their immunity is reduced. Already the owner has to accompany all aspects of the pet’s life, including studying the issue of how to breed dogs. Therefore, it will be correct to master it, relying on the experience and knowledge of dog kennel specialists.