THE STUD CAT

Naturally, in the breeding of pedigree cats, the male cat, or stud as he is referred to, plays a very important part. Many may think when they first decide to start breeding kittens that all they have to do is to get a pair of unrelated kittens or cats and sit back and wait for the results. This may be all right in theory, but it does not always work out in practice. A male and female kitten will probably live together quite happily for the first few months, then the female may start calling and the make will not be old enough to mate her, or the male will start worrying the female before she is ready. Males should not be used for stud purposes until they are at least a year old, and then only once or twice. Many fanciers prefer the male not to be used until he is about eighteen months, while some males do not appear to be ready until they are over two years old. A virile stud will need more than one queen, otherwise he may be rather wild and noisy, and if he is allowed out, will always be roaming the district in search of females and becoming involved in fights with other males. For this reason, and for his unpleasant habit of spraying with its subsequent tom-cat smell, it is usually impracticable to allow him his complete freedom, and a stud house will have to be provided. The house or shed should be large enough to stand up in, dry, with plenty of light, and easy to clean out daily, with the biggest strong run space permits to allow for plenty of exercise. If possible, it should not be sited too near the house, because of both the smell and the possible noise from visiting queens and the stud himself. The male should be allowed to roam around the garden under supervision, should be groomed daily and given plenty of fuss and attention. Most stud cats are very friendly and sociable, and although it may be necessary to keep him in his run, the more human contacts and companionship he has the better.
In choosing a male, the best possible example of the breed one can afford should be obtained. When buying a kitten with this purpose in mind, especially from a show, many judges would be only too willing to advise as to the male’s possibilities. Of course, the more winning he has done, the higher the price.
Thought must be given to the fact that the stud needs more than one queen, and unless the would-be breeder intends to have three of four queens, it would be kinder to advertise the stud’s services for visiting queens, which will entail many patient hours spent in the stud-house by his owner to ensure that the male mates the visitor, and there is also the risk of infection being brought to the house.
If it is decided to accept visiting females, part of the stud’s house must be made into a small run and sleeping place for the queen. The run should be covered with wire netting, to enable the pair to get to know one another without actually meeting, and the sleeping part should be covered, to ensure the female some privacy. Not until it seems as if the queen is friendly disposed towards the male, should he be allowed to mate her. A shelf or high box should be provided to enable him to get out of the female’s way once the mating is accomplished, as some females are inclined to be vicious and will attack the male afterwards. Two matings are usually given to guard against the possibility of the female not having taken with the first.

See also : Breeding