Ask the Expert.. Jan Feb 2012

By dnp-team On Feb 7, 2012

Dr KG Umesh (MVSc, MSc (UK)) is a Postgraduate in Clinical Medicine. He is working for WALTHAM as Regional Associate for South Asia.

Q: I have two Persians – Bhombol (female) aged three years and Bhodka (male) aged two years. When can I breed them?
– PK Bandyopadhyay, Goa
Dr KG Umesh: Female cats have generally their first season during six and nine months of age. Cats do not
ovulate unless they are bred. The stages of oestrus cycle (season) in the queen are anoestrus, proestrus, oestrus and interoestrus. Proestrus lasts for 2-3 days without showing any signs and queen won’t want to mate. Oestrus lasts between 2-10 days and shows signs such as vocalisation, rolling and rubbing against inanimate objects and sticking her back end in the air. This means she is in season and will want to mate. Interoestrus occurs if queen doesn’t mate and may last for 3-14 days. Anoestrus is period when there is no hormonal activity. Pregnancy length for cats is approximately 64 days and may vary from 53-65 days.