Would you love to have a bengal cat with breeding rights? Read this important information first!

Very often you only hear the good stories about having kittens, and also the sentence ‘cats do that all by themself right?’ you often hear people say. But breeding cats, of and breed, can also give a lot of complications.

A while ago I heard a sad story of an acquaintance who wanted to have a litter of kittens with her female cat just for fun. She had very good intentions, don’t get me wrong. But it turned out to be a big disaster for her and her family. The labour turned out to be awful, and she was not aware that she needed to weigh the kittens so one died because apparently he did not drink enough, and the still living kitten turned out to be blind. So please be aware that this can happen to everyone, if you are unprepared. The information below is therefore to help you and to give you the biggest chance of success in breeding kittens. 

Also, one very important thing to say as a result of my years of experience: if you want to breed cats in a healthy and correct way, you cannot make money with this hobby but will most likely lose money with it. But if it really is your hobby, then it might be still worth the money that it costs you!

 

Preparations

Both the male and female need to be tested on various deseases before you put them together. It is very sad if you get a litter of kittens that either will die in a short period of time, or will die at a young age at their new owners. Talk to your veterinarian to test the parents to be on the infection deseases Fiv and FelV, the diarhhea infection Giardia, and the most common hereditary diseases of the cat breed that you have chosen. In the case of breeding bengal cats, it is advisable to test them for at least PKD, HCM, PKdef and PRA-b. Also the regular cat vaccins need to be up-to-date, at well as the deworming. If you want to deworm your cats quite shortly before the mating, use a product that is also harmless for pregnant cats.

The female cat needs to be at least 1 year old. But also do not wait a very long time after she becomes 1. Because of the heats that the female will experience with no pregnancy, the female could develop serious deseases because of the hormones in her body, like uterine inflammation and tumors. The male cat is allowed to be at a younger age of 1 is he is already ready to mate, but young males sometimes have a lack of courage and agility for a successful mating. Important: not everyone is aware of the fact that almost every male that is intact, sprays his urine everywhere in your home! An intact bengal female who is in heat also sometimes sprays with urine, but less then the male.

Only put the male and female together if the female is in heat, because most males act very annoying to females that are not in heat (and therefore are not willing to mate with them!).

In heat

Most female cats become extra affectionate when they are in heat. They also meow more. They cuddle with their heads on furniture or on the floor. Some bengal cats spray with urine when they are in heat. When female cats are in heat, they go into a mating posture, that can look a bit silly. She sticks her hindquarters up in the air while holding her head and shoulders low to the ground. Most cats are in heat for about 7-10 days. Some females are only a few days in heat (and willing to mate with a male), and some cats are longer in heat that they are willing to mate with a male cat 2 weeks long. Of course the longer, the more chance the female will become pregant. If a female does not become pregnant after being in heat, she will be back into heat mostly after 2-3 weeks.

 

Mating

When mating, the male cat climbs on top of the female who is low on the grown in the mating posture, and he bites into her scruff. The female will start growling. The female will scream when mating because the male penis has barbs that hurt when pulled out in the opposite direction. The barbs scrape along the inner walls of the cat’s vagina. Only repeated stimulation by the barbs on the penis triggers ovulation in the cat. The eggs can then be fertilised for the following two days. If a female cat mates with different males during this time, the kittens will have different fathers and look very different. A responsible breeder will of course only puy one specific male and one specific female together. Sometimes the female even hits the male after the mating. Then she will start rolling on the floor and will wash herself downunder. Although you would assume the mating is not very nice for a female cat: a female cat in heat will want to mate again very soon with the male cat when she is still in heat, so this process repeats itself quite a lot of times per day.

As soon as you see that the day comes that the female does not show signs of being in heat again, and that she is starting to get fed up with the male’s company, it is time to separate them. Because of the biting in the scruff, the female might have some small wounds in the scruff. This recovers in about a week, as soon as she is not together with the male anymore.

Beginning of the pregnancy

Sometimes a female cat does not become pregnant after mating. After about 3 weeks you can see the nippels better of a pregnant cat, as they start to get bigger and more pink. A pregnant cat also gets a bigger appetite and does not like to be around the male cat anymore. And of course, pregnant female cat does not go in heat anymore. If she goes into heat, then you might try another mating, if she allows it.

A cat that is pregnant several weeks, will also get a rounder and bigger belly. When you are really sure she is pregnant, you need to buy all the delivery- and kittensupplies. When the delivery has started, you won’t have the time to buy all these things anymore, and it could be in the middle of the night.

These are the supplies you need:

– A whelping box on a calm spot in the house, with blankets in it

– Extra blankets for they will get wet and dirty during delivery

– Dry towels for drying kittens

– A heating pad

– Kitten milk

– Syringes and pipettes for hand feeding kittens

– Mucus extractors!  to clear the airways.

– Disinfected scissors to cut umbilical cords if the mothercat doesn’t do this

– Hemostatic clamper after cutting umbilical cords (leave this a couple of minutes so the bleeding of the cord stops)

– Hand sanitizer

– Cleansing alcohol

– Soft absolbent paper – unscented

– A box of medicial gloves

– Kitchen scale and a tupperware big enough for one kitten a time with a small towel in it

– Nutridrops (to give the newborn kittens a boost)

– Umbilical cord yarn vicryl

– Breathing spray Melissengeest to stimulate breating for kitten who do not breathe properly

– A roll of waste bags with one already open to quickly put away placentas that are not eaten and other waste

– A notebook and a pen to write down exactly when contractions starts, how many minutes between them, the weight of kittens, etcetera.

– The emergeny Phone number of the veterinarian

Advanced pregnancy and labour, emergency situations 

A full cat pregnancy takes about 9 weeks. Usually the pregnant cat will be more vocal in the last weeks and will also “dig” with her paws a little bit in the blankets of the place she has chosen to deliver.

Make sure she is in a quiet room with a temperature of at least 22 degrees.

If she loses some blood drops, the delivery is not far away. If she is “digging” in the delivery box very anxiously and crawls under the blankets, it is about to start. Many cats find it very comforting and start calming down a bit, if their human friend stays with them at that point. Make sure you clean your hands very well, and have short nails. Medical gloves are advisable. Make sure all the delivery necessities ready to grab. I always put everything in a big box right beside me. Also make sure you have a big transport box with blankets in it ready, because if things with labour do not go well, you will have to leave immediately with the cat or possible kittens.

If she starts breating faster, this usually is a sign of pain of contractions. This can take hours.

When you see her belly squeezing together, the second labour phase has started. Set your timer. If from this moment, there is no kitten born yet, you should call the emergency phone line of your veterinarian.

If the kitten is about to be born, the cat starts to wash itself down there. Usually the kitten is still in a little sack. The mother cat needs to wash this of the kitten. If she doesn’t do this in a minute, you need to tear the sack yourself and immediately and quickly clean the face of the kitten, especially the mouth and nose, with a dry towel. Then hold the kitten under the nose of the mothercat. Usually she will start washing it. If she doesn’t, continue drying the kitten very thorougly (not in a soft way). If the kitten shows no sign of life, open your  Mucus extractors to clear the airways. Suck the side with the mouth piece with your mouth, one put the other side on the kittens nose, then in his mouth (also a bit back in this mouth where his throught begins) and clear all the liquids and slime. Meanwhile, continue rubbing the kitten with the dry towel and make sure his head faces down so it is easier for liquids to come out. Liquids in his mouth or nose prevent the kitten from breathing, so this can be very dangerous.

You can also try sucking the liquids uit of the kittens nose with your mouth and then spit it out on a paper or something, but this is not for everybody because this is not very hygenic for yourself 🙂 Although it could save a kitten’s life. Afterwards make sure you drink some Coca Cola or a strong alcohol like Rum for disinfection for yourself.

When a kitten is born, it is still attached with his umbilical cord to his own placenta. Mostly the placenta is still inside the mother and she delivers the placenta a few minutes after the delvivery of the kitten with new contractions. Do not cut the umbilical cord when it is still inside the mother! This might prevent the placenta from delivery and when it is stuck in the mothers belly, this is life-threatening. That is why you always need to note down the number of kittens and placentas that are being born.

Sometimes the mothercat stands up when the kitten is already outside, but the placenta still inside. This is not good for the kitten’s belly. In that case, hold your hands under the kitten until the mothercat starts lying down again.

When the placenta is delivered, usually the mothercat will eat the placenta and bite the umbilical cord through until a few centimeters to the belly of the kitten, so the delivered kitten will end up with a umbilical cord of a few centimeters. If the mother doesn’t cut the umbilical cord herself, then first clamp the cord yourself with your nails for about 1 minute, on about 4 cm away from the kitten’s belly. Then tear the umbilical cord with your fingers (never cut it with scissors, this can cause bleeding!). After tearing it, use umbilical cord yarn vicryl.

You can also use a hemostatic clamper. This you can leave for a while, not only 1 minute. For example when you need to act fast when there is another kitten born that might need your help, or the mothercat is in need of help. If the mothercat doesn’t want to eat the placenta, put it away for hygenic matters.

On every new kitten, the mothercat needs to have delivery contractions for a maximum of 30 minutes Every contraction usually comes after a few minutes and the contraction inself takes about 1-2 minutes. If it takes longer, call your veterinarian.

Make sure the mothercat and especially the kitten(s), are not lying on a wet (=cold) blanket after each delivery. Always have a bunch of new towels ready, but do not lift your mothercat when she is in labour.

Many mothercats like to eat a plate of some wet food every now and then during delivery of their kittens. Offer it to them regularly during calm moments and if she stops eating, put it away again.

If the mothercat is having trouble with pushing her kittens out, or you see her pushing with very few strength, or when she is visibally in panic, or when you have any other doubt or worry about the cat or kittens, immediately call your veterinarian!

The mothercat might need an emergency c-section if the kittens do not all come out as they should. An emergency c-section may cost about € 1.000,00 – € 2.000,00 euros. If the uterus of the mothercat does not look well and might be a threat to the cat’s health, the mothercat sometimes needs to be spayed right away after the c-section.

You need to weigh the kittens!

Weigh the kittens as soon as there are no emergency situations (anymore). Kittens need to drink at the mother in half an hour. Kittens drinking also stimulate contractions for new kittens to be delivered. Kittens who have trouble with drinking, you might need to help finding the mothercat’s nipples.

Weigh the kittens the first week twice a day to make sure they are drinking.

If the kittens are not increasing weight, you need to give milk by yourself (every 1-2 hours day and night, depending on their weight). Sometimes it only takes a few days help of feeding kittens by yourself, until they are strong enough to drink at their mother by themselves. But there are situations that they do not drink at their mother and you will need to feed them by yourself for weeks.

If you do not have the possibility to feed kittens every 2 hours each day and night for weeks, then do not get your mothercat pregnant.

Feeding kittens

On melkvoordieren.nl you will find lots of info about how much milk you need to give your kittens.

You need to dose the kitten milk very carefully, because when it goes to their lungs this usually means the death of the kitten. (Some people use a feeding tube but this can be quite tricky to do this well.(

When giving milk to a kitten, make sure the head of the kitten is not facing to high, otherwise the kitten is not able to swallow the milk.

A very small, premature kitten, needs milk every hour. A kitten of normal weight (100 gr) needs milk every 2 hours, day and night.

If the mothercat doesn’t care for the kitten at all, you will also need to “wash” it. Before and after giving the kitten milk, you need to wipe the kittens belly clockwise, and then its but, with a small cloth of handwarm (first cooked) water. This helps the kitten to pee and poop, because a young kitten is not able to do this by itself and needs the mother for this.

Cleft palate

Check newborn kittens on cleft palate. If this part in their mouth is not closed but shows a hole, the kitten will not be able to drink at the mothercat and if you give the kitten milk, the milk usually will come out at the kitten’s nose.

This is a very sad situation. Talk to your veterinarian if the kitten can or cannot have a decent pet life and then make your decision if you will try to keep the kitten alive. If the hole is not very big, there are medical possibilities to close this. Corrective surgery is typically performed at 3–4 months of age when the kitten can safely undergo anesthesia. There is a possibility that the cat will still be having negative side effects after the surgery in its further life, such as pneumonia.

 

Hygene

When kittens are all healthy, the mothercat will clean them often. She will also wipe their buts to make them pee and poop. Clean the blankets in the delivery box every day for a good hygene.

 

Check the weight of your kittens daily

Also check other medical things, like clean eyes and noses.

The eyes of the kittens usually open at the age of 1-2 weeks. The ears open at the age of approximately 2 weeks.

Some mothercats only want to eat in the delivery box in the first week, and prefer wet instead of dry food in this period or sometimes for a couple of weeks. This is ok. The most important thing is that she eats enough.

When kittens are about 3 weeks old, they start exploring the delivery box more and more and carefully start playing a bit. At about 4 weeks old, the kittens might try to climb out of the box. You can put a pillow on the other side of the box (not in the delivery box) to help them a bit. The mother may be quite concerned of them climbing out of the safety of the delivery box.

When kittens are 500 gr of weight, they can have their de-worming. This needs to be repeated 2 weeks after, and then another 2 weeks after. The next time it is suffucient to give them de-worming every month, until the kittens are 6 months old. After 6 months, the kittens need to be de-wormed every 3 months like adult cats.

When the kittens are about 4-5 weeks old, they start eating dry or wet kitten food. Too much dry food can cause diarrhea, so be cautious with this.

Kittens should be given a good quality kitten food. Do not forget to already offer the mothercat this kitten food during her pregnancy so she is already used to this food.

At the age of approximately 8 weeks, there is told that kittens should be able to live without kitten milk, but our kittens continue drinking the mothercat’s milk until they leave for their new homes at the age of 12 weeks. Mothermilk is very healthy.

Vaccinations

The first vaccination shot for kittens need to be given at 8.5-9 weeks old. Three weeks after this shot, they need to get the second vaccination. I always combine the second vaccination shot with the microchipping. Some people give their kitten a third shot three weeks after the second one for extra protection, so this is worth considering. After the second or third shot, the next vaccinations are planned 1 year after.

Kittens can only go to a new home at the age of 12 weeks 

If you do this sooner, the kitten is not enough socialized by your family and your household, but especially not enough socialized by its mother to grow out into a nice and sweet pet.

That is why this is very important to follow. A mothercat corrects her naughty kitten quite often, and this is well needed! 🙂

Conclusion

There can be quite some complications and emergency situations with cat pregnancies and deliveries. The costs for all the delivery necessities, kitten milk, vaccinations, microchipping and de-worming are already quite high. But Veterinary costs when medical things go wrong, can be on top of this. That is why you should only get your cat pregnant if you are able and willing to afford this, and absolutely not think you will earn money by getting your cat pregnant. Beside that, you need to be able to handle much stress during the delivery and to be able to handle medical emergencies. Also, you need to be able to feed kittens every 1-2 hours for weeks if they are not able to drink at their mother’s. That is why you should think very well if a cat’s pregnancy is something for you to handle.

Good Luck!