How to Select Cats for Breeding

In order to have a successful feline breeding enterprise, it is crucial to select quality cats for mating. Many factors are important when picking a potential male and female pairing. Genetics, personality and features such as long hair or short hair must be considered. The best breeders will do their homework before deciding on which cats to select for breeding.

Instructions

Difficulty: Moderate

1. Visit cat shows and talk to breeders there regarding their cats before you determine what cats to select. Ask specific questions about the breed, such as whether the cats require special routine care and what their temperaments are like.
2. Do your homework once you determine the breed you want to propagate. Research all the common diseases and genetic flaws of the particular breed. You want to avoid choosing cats suffering from any adverse condition and those exhibiting inherited flaws. Find information on specific cat breeds at the official website of The Cat Fanciers' Association, Inc. (see Resources below).
3. Choose cats to breed only if they have the genetic qualities necessary to be bred. These felines are often hard to find and expensive. You need to have a third- to fifth-generation pedigree on each cat to help determine eligibility.
4. Obtain health checks from a veterinarian on potential candidates for your breeding operation. All cats to be bred must be of age (females need to be at least a year old and males should be more than 9 months old), current on vaccinations, negative for feline diseases such as leukemia and free of parasites.
5. Select cats for breeding that have the physical features you wish to pass onto future generations. These should be well-built cats that adhere to their particular breed's standards. Check bone structure, points and all other features specific to the breed against the pedigree standards.
6. Decide whether you will inbreed, linebreed or outcross. Inbreeding is mating two closely related cats, linebreeding involves a common ancestor but not as close of a relation as inbreeding and outcrossing is the breeding of unrelated cats. There is much debate on which type of breeding is the most desirable.
7. Select particular male and female cats that have complimentary traits. For example, if the male is strong in an area such as coat condition and the female is a little weak in this area, this may make for a good match. Do not, however, count on specific traits to show up in the first-generation offspring. Breeding matches are made not just for their particular litters, but also to propagate quality traits in successive generations.
8. Choose male and female cats with favorable personality characteristics. You want their temperaments to match their breed standards. Also, you do not want to select an animal that has any odd personality quirks or is aggressive, overly shy or nervous.

Tips & Warnings

• There are more pedigree cats unsuitable for breeding than there are ones likely to be bred successfully, so the task of finding suitable felines can be difficult and time-consuming.