Breeding

[Mags]

I have heard it said for years that a queen should be allowed to have one litter of kittens.....but on who's say so? It is just a 'saying' that has spread and should not be used for gain....

[borderdawn]

Its an old wives tales, same as for dogs. My neices Cat had "one litter" on her friends say so, she died and so did 4 of the 5 kittens! where was the friend when the £800 Vet bill came and the trauma of losing those babies?
Dawn.

[samwise]

I agree with Luke, you should not breed (pedigree or moggy) unless you have good homes pre planned.
There are enough unwanted cats out there in rescues. That would be my first port of call every time!
Having said all that, I know a fair amout about the dog show circuit, and know that they are bred for standard etc. I know nothing about the cat show circuit! Most (I will not say all) dogs go to good homes for showing, I presume it would be the same for cats. I do hope I am assuming right!

[smudgley]

When I first started reading this thread, I thought I would sit back & read it, but not post, however I have decided I should say my bit.


Look at the bigger picture
QUOTE From CP website "Formed in 1927, Cats Protection (CP) has grown to become the UK's leading feline welfare charity. We now rescue and find new homes for around 60,000 cats and kittens every year, through our network of 29 Adoption Centres and 260 voluntary-run Branches"

If there are 60,000 cats rehomed EVERY YEAR just by one charity, I think there are surely enough cats and kittens to go around without adding to it. If EVERYONE had there non-pedigree cat spayed, then this number would be greatly reduced. For every person that lets their cat have one litter, she could produce 10 kittens - those 10 could then produce hundreds between them & the cycle goes on.

As for letting any animal breed for her wellbeing or mantal state - well that is just absolute nonsense. NEVER should any animal be bred from without good reason & the welfare of the animal is by no means a reason at all.

[smudgley]

Also until I got involved with cat rescue I had no idea of the extent of the problem. I knew there were unwanted cats in the world, but had no idea just how many. Every week we get calls from people about a cat that has appeared in their garden & had kittens. We can only do our best & we have to prioritise, but we can't take in every cat that we get asked to - there's just not enough spaces for them, we do our best & we prioritise pregnant mothers and moms with kittens, young kittens & then elderly cats. We have a huge list of people who need to rehome their cat/s but will keep them until we can put them in touch with someone & the cycle goes on. We rehome a litter, it's a good feeling, but you barely have time to clean the pen & the next arrivals are waiting.

[Mags]

Very good reply Smudgley....you have summed it up exactly!

[Moli]

Brilliant reply Smudgley!!!!

[smudgley]

Thankyou Mags & Moli.

[smudgley]

Another point - (I'm not talking about pedigrees)
I don't think it's a justified reason to breed just because you have homes lined up for the kittens.
If you know of 8 people willing to take a kitten from you, then you may think that is very responsible. But that means there are 8 potential homes there for kittens, so if your cat didn't have a litter -those 8 people could get a kitten elsewhere.

Which would take care of 8 cats from the 60,000 every year that need a home. Leaving only another 59,992 to find homes for.

[Luke]

Very good posts Smudgley
Directed at knowone in particular, but this thread is not about anyone intending to breed a litter of kittens etc it is simply our opinions on the matter, just too point out