My ragamuffin queen is pregnant!

[F4ttyBumBum]

There is a long back story to this whereby I have been trying to breed her for the past 3 years and had no success but finally it has happened (I think). I'm hoping to be an amateur breeder so this will be my first home born litter. We are at week 3 with my gorgeous girl retching occasionally (morning sickness), eating and grazing a lot and with firm/ pinked up nipples. Hoping to take he for a scan in the next 2-3 weeks.

Do any of you lovely people have breeding stories to share? I'm still in touch with the breeder who selected her because I wanted to buy a breeding quality queen but I don't want to trouble her too much!

Annabelle, sorry to sound a total ignoramus, i know Jack is askg why she needs a scan just as stoopid.

NotAll

Say what you really mean Lana i agree

Naice if you're gonna go down....may as well make it count!

Booo hisssss

I adopted two Persian exbreeding queens from a breed rescue. Like a PP's cats. They had both been bred from till they were exhausted. And kept in awful condition. Out of the 6 that were rescued. Their other sister died, and another cat very nearly didn't make it.
It took two years of patience to get to where we are now. They are lovely cats, and I adore them. But their crap start will affect them for the rest of their life.
One of them has cardiomyopathy partly as a result of how they were kept.

Not to mention the dozens of her kittens that probably have dodgy hearts

I don't have cats and never will because of dh allergies so excuse my ignorance...

Is it really that awful to breed a litter from a loved pedigree pet that will find homes? I know about there being too many cats in general and neutering moggies definitely.

Of course breeding to exhaustion is awful but is having a litter at all bad for a cats health?

Genuinely interested here, I know nothing about cats.

I get the impression that the OP has been trying to breed from the poor cat for 3 years. If that is the case then she must be desperate to make a few quid to put the cat through that. Her wording also makes me think this won’t be the only litter. A decent professional breeder is one thing but a dodgy amateur is completely different.

Well think of what carrying and birthing one baby does to your body. Then imagine there are 4/5/6 of them? Your pelvic floor alone will be sulking with you. Never mind the risk of complications and possibly dying while the vet surgeon cuts you open to get the stuck ones out.

Thing is though RJ, a Ragdoll/Ragamuffin kitten goes for £££. I've just looked on Pets4Homes to check & there's kittens on for £700 - £1300 each. Even if you intend to only breed your cat once & she has the average of 5 kittens, if you sell them all for £1300 you've made £6500 from one cat. A lot of people would see this & not stop at one litter.

I'm not sure if I'm allowed to link to this but here's proof of the £1300 kitten:

www.pets4homes.co.uk/classifieds/1842661-beautiful-gccf-active-blue-cp-female-sold-leicester.html

Now this is a professional breeder who's registered so presumably the OP's kittens would be sold for a lot less, but a few hundred per kitten is enough for people to keep breeding the one animal as its 'easy' money.

Ok I get the easy money idea thanks. That IS despicable, I may have a fluffy unrealistic idea of someone wanting a baby tiddles so their beloved cat kinda lives on? Does that not really happen?

Is it unhealthy to have kittens? I know there's a risk - as with humans - can't say having my babies had any long term effects on my health though, is there more issues with cats?

I do love reading the cat threads on here, I live vicariously with all the photos. I lurk a fair bit in litter tray.

Pinksparkly, i am not sure about being an amateur breeder either, if you are a reputable licensed breeder then that is very different to a d.i.y job

"By having your female cat spayed, she gains the following health benefits:

• Your female cat is less likely to develop mammary gland tumors, which are most often cancerous. In fact, 90 percent of cats who develop mammary cancer die from the disease. Mammary tumor cancer is most easily prevented by spaying the cat before her first heat, which usually occurs around 6 months of age.

• The possibility of developing pyometra, a serious infection that develops in the uterus, is completely eliminated with spaying.
  The chance your cat might develop malignant tumors of the ovaries and uterus are eliminated with spaying.

• Besides doing away with the likelihood that your cat will give birth to a litter of unwanted kittens, spaying also wipes out the possibility of your cat developing serious complications during the birthing process.

• Regular heat cycles increase the amount of stress on your female cat’s body, making her more prone to a variety of other illnesses, such as respiratory disease, parasite infestation, and bacterial infection.

Source: cattime.com/cat-facts/health/386-spay-neuter-health-benefits-to-your-cat#yCEIfWo77uBAdMhW.99

And in terms of whether these kittens will go to good homes or not - perhaps they will, but does the OP have the years of experience in assessing the suitability of potential homes that a charity has? What if the new owner develops an allergy, or has a change of circumstances, will she be willing to take the kitten back a month down the line, 6 months down the line, 6 years down the line...? Will the kittens be neutered, or will they in turn be bred?

And of course all those homes getting one of the "pretty" purebred kittens are 3-5 homes that haven't adopted from a charity. Last year I fostered a stray mama cat and her 2nd litter of kittens - the first litter all died in a garden because the finders couldn't get any charity to take them in time before foxes and cold weather did. (Not because as charities we don't want to help but because we literally have no space until another cat gets adopted, and a long waiting list of desperate cases abandoned or at immediate risk of abandonment, living stray etc. etc.)

Thanks vic.

retirednow, I only mentioned the amateur breeder part as the OP says in her first post that’s what she’s hoping to be. I doubt I’d buy from any breeder, but certainly not an amateur!

I breed my cat, well she's had her first litter that are now almost 3 weeks old. She's a pedigree Ragdoll that i show and has won awards proving she's a good example of her breed. She had all required health tests, HCM, PKD, FIV, FELV and was mated to a champion stud of the same breed who also had the appropriate health tests.

She had vet care all throughout her pregnancy and the vet was on standby during her labour, she also had a postnatal check with the vet. I have funds saved for any emergencies and am fully prepared to hand rear if needed, in fact one of hers was hand reared for almost 2 weeks until he became strong enough to feed himself from mum.

All kittens will be fully vaccinated, microchipped, neutered, registered and insured before they leave at 13 weeks. They are going to people I know well and one is staying as my next show neuter. All buyers are vet checked, home checked and sign contracts regarding their welfare and to return to me if they ever cannot keep. I am fully prepared to take them all back if needed and only have one active female for this reason, ensuring I always have space to take any back. The kittens are dual microchipped in my name and the owners name so they will not end up in rescue as I will take them.

I am totally against the breeding of domestic cats as rescues are full, however pedigree breeding and showing is totally different and many of those who seek out pedigrees would not rescue moggies regardless and so it does not take homes away from them. When done correctly and ethically i do not see the problem with it. Having said that I would not have continued trying to breed my girl for 3 years, leaving her entire so long and presumably calling put her at risk of developing pyometra which can be fatal. I would have given up and neutered long ago as my first priority is to my girl who is a pet first and foremost.

I will also add that my girl will have 2 or 3 litters maximum and only then if she copes well, recovers well and it has no impact on her health. Any concerns and that's it we neuter her. Once she's neutered she stays with us for life, she isn't rehomed.

The kittens do not sell for as much as you think, the £1300 kitten posted is a registered active kitten. Active means for breeding, these cost more as they are asssssed as having met the breed standard and have all the relevant health tests. You may get 1 active suitable kitten in every 4 or 5 litters from multiple females. If a pedigree cat is not on the active register their kittens cannot be registered. They are rare not the norm. Most go as pets for around £500 - £700. Often breeders keep one back back.

I will not make a penny on the litter I have by the time I have paid for all the expenses of getting my cat through a pregnancy and raising them. I will however have my next show neuter that would have cost me £1000 if I were to buy from another breeder. I am happy to post my expenses if anyone would like to see the breakdown.

Done properly breeding does not make money. There are obviously people out there not doing it properly but don't tar everyone with the same brush! My kittens are all registered as pets only meaning they cannot be bred from and their kittens could not be registered. I also early neuter my kittens to be 100% sure they will not have a whoops litter in order to protect them and protect the breed.

That's true catchingbabies. I wouldn't have rescued, it was a ragdoll or no cat.

Can I ask why you wouldn’t have rescued a Ragdoll?

I don't think there would be many ragdoll kittens in rescues near me. And we wanted a kitten to grow up in the family.

£3000? What kind of cat costs so much?

I knew a lady who had 7+ rehomed Ragdolls. She tutted saying a lot of people didn't seem to understand they had bought a living creature with daily needs to meet. [confused[ I can't think of a lower maintenance pet than a cat (one in decent health, anyway).

The history of ragdolls, the crazy lady who started the breed, breeding the original male with a female who was possibly both his sister & his daughter, then breeding the siblings out of that with each other... puts me off enormously. No wonder they are so thick. Similar history with some other modern breeds (like Himalayans). I know they're cats & don't object to nookie with family, but still Very Yuck.

My other aversion to breeding is that I never met an intact Tom who was truly happy for long. Does anyone have an intact Tom who is a happy housecat (could they possibly be safe going out unless in a secure garden?). The cat breeder we know locally, her cats spend their lives entirely in cages.

The cat breeder we know locally, her cats spend their lives entirely in cages.