# Before breeding..



## BumbleFluff (Jul 23, 2011)

Just wandering over from the dog section

With dogs, its necessary to health test before breeding, is it the same with cats? Do they require any tests or anything before you breed?


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## tincan (Aug 30, 2012)

They most certainly do BF 

I am sure very shortly , all of our lovely breeders on PF ... will be posting


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## lymorelynn (Oct 4, 2008)

Different breeds of cats need health checks for various things, mainly HCM and PKD. PRA testing is just coming in for my own breed, Siamese, though I don't think many breeders do it yet.
There are less tests for things like joints as cats don't have to carry the weight that bigger dogs do.
All pedigree cats that go to open stud are tested for feline aids and feline leukemia a maximum of 24 hours before visiting.


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## OrientalSlave (Jan 26, 2012)

BumbleFluff said:


> Just wandering over from the dog section
> 
> With dogs, its necessary to health test before breeding, is it the same with cats? Do they require any tests or anything before you breed?


Depends on the breed. With mine, Orientals, the only test some people do (including me) is for PRA.


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## we love bsh's (Mar 28, 2011)

PKD for the brits.Blood grouping also to be sure kittens can feed from mum otherwise you can have a whole litter die if mum is wrong blood group.


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## kodakkuki (Aug 8, 2011)

lymorelynn said:


> All pedigree cats that go to open stud are tested for feline aids and feline leukemia a maximum of 24 hours before visiting.


so are they just snap tests?

i'm assuming they are things kits can be born with if mum is positive? is it something a stray/feral kitten should be tested for if the mothers status is unknown?


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## lymorelynn (Oct 4, 2008)

kodakkuki said:


> so are they just snap tests?
> 
> i'm assuming they are things kits can be born with if mum is positive? is it something a stray/feral kitten should be tested for if the mothers status is unknown?


Yes, snap tests. Cats testing positive cannot be used in breeding. The diseases can be passed to the stud as well as to any kittens.


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## BumbleFluff (Jul 23, 2011)

Thanks for the replies  nice to know there are responsible people out there!


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## kodakkuki (Aug 8, 2011)

apologies for the minor hijack)



lymorelynn said:


> Yes, snap tests. Cats testing positive cannot be used in breeding. The diseases can be passed to the stud as well as to any kittens.


so in the feral population it could be rampant? i know thats mainly why moggie breeding (by 'accidentally' letting an in call girl out) is frowned upon and downright irresponsible, but should it be routinely checked for when a stray/feral is found and homed in to the pet population? (wondering about my wee kit)


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## lymorelynn (Oct 4, 2008)

kodakkuki said:


> apologies for the minor hijack)
> 
> so in the feral population it could be rampant? i know thats mainly why moggie breeding (by 'accidentally' letting an in call girl out) is frowned upon and downright irresponsible, but should it be routinely checked for when a stray/feral is found and homed in to the pet population? (wondering about my wee kit)


In my opinion, yes, any feral or strays should be checked when they are rehomed.


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## Cosmills (Oct 3, 2012)

Have to agree with Lynn... Free roaming cats can and will pick up viruses and infections .... My big girls get tested every year along with her jabs ... She is spayed ..... All my breeding cats are also snap tested


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## OrientalSlave (Jan 26, 2012)

kodakkuki said:


> apologies for the minor hijack)
> 
> so in the feral population it could be rampant? i know thats mainly why moggie breeding (by 'accidentally' letting an in call girl out) is frowned upon and downright irresponsible, but should it be routinely checked for when a stray/feral is found and homed in to the pet population? (wondering about my wee kit)


It is in some areas and not in others. However regardless of the Felv/FIV issue, when the rescues are overflowing with kittens, can it be considered responsible to let a cat produce yet more kittens?


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## JordanRose (Mar 10, 2012)

kodakkuki said:


> apologies for the minor hijack)
> 
> so in the feral population it could be rampant? i know thats mainly why moggie breeding (by 'accidentally' letting an in call girl out) is frowned upon and downright irresponsible, but should it be routinely checked for when a stray/feral is found and homed in to the pet population? (wondering about my wee kit)


I'd get your kit tested just to be sure if I were you.

I work in rescue and we've had a handful of FIV/ FELV cats- the overwhelming majority being strays.

We normally snap test strays, just to be sure, especially the bedraggled looking ones. Then, they're rehomed to people with no other cats or other positive cats- and we say they must be indoors only, to stop the spread.

Not only strays get it but it is much more common as they will inevitably fight and mate- both 'methods' of contamination (I can't think of the right word!)


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## kodakkuki (Aug 8, 2011)

OrientalSlave said:


> It is in some areas and not in others. However regardless of the Felv/FIV issue, when the rescues are overflowing with kittens, can it be considered responsible to let a cat produce yet more kittens?


a hot topic i know, but i gotta say, i do love a good ol' domestic sorthair/longhair... but regardless i think health testing should be ulitised and breeding regulated as it is (trying to be) with dogs


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## spotty cats (Jul 24, 2012)

Also varies by country, for example British Shorthair are screened for HCM in some places, and not in others. 
Some associations require testing, other times it's just up to breeders if they decide to test or not. 

In my own breed testing has been a proactive measure taken, to ensure problems from the founding breeds don't become an issue. 
We test for PRA and PK-Def coming from Siamese and Abyssinians.

Everything found in pedigree cats also shows up in moggies.


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## Cerridwen (Jul 26, 2008)

I breed Devon Rex and before breeding I do following tests:

- FIV and FeLV
- Heart scan
- X-rays on the hips
- Patellar palpation
- DNA for PKD1


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## havoc (Dec 8, 2008)

> In my opinion, yes, any feral or strays should be checked when they are rehomed.


My local RSPCA centre checks the FeLV/FIV status of all cats before rehoming, presumably they do it on admission. Not my favourite organisation but I do have to give them credit for this.


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## OrientalSlave (Jan 26, 2012)

Maybe it's worth saying that the FeLV/FIV test isn't breed specific - all females are tested before going to stud.


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## Jiskefet (May 15, 2011)

As far as strays are concerned, one of the worst diseases to worry about cannot be tested for.

Nearly 80% of all moggies are positive for the corona virus, which is highly contageous, but harmless. However, in about 1% of all carriers, it mutates to the non-infectious but lethal FIP virus. The mechanism is as yet unknown, but as it mostly concerns kittens and young cats up to 2 or 3 years with a bad start in life or an underlying illness, and senior cats over 10 years, the assumption is that the mutation occurs far more often, but the mutated virus is quickly disposed of in cats with a properly functioning immune system. Cats with an impaired immune system, however, especially the ones that are still physically developing and the ones whose regeneration mechanism is 'showing sings of wear', the immune system is unable to cope and the virus can get hold.

Once the FIP virus has taken hold, it is always lethal, though, in some cases, the process can be slowed down somewhat with medication. I lost 2 young cats yo FIP, and it is truly devastating.

FIP also occurs in pure-bred cats and the actual FIP virus can be transmitted from a mother cat to her kittens, as well as the corona virus itself, and therefore, most breeders will not breed from corona-positive cats.

Not all breeders test for the virus, though, and testing a moggy you don't plan to breed from is a waste of money, as the test does not differentiate between corona and FIP, and the chance of corona mutating into FIP is very low.
FIP can only be diagnosed conclusively in a post mortem, but the blood tests for the effects of the virus on the various organs and the consistency of the abdominal fluid in a FIP cat are fairly conclusive.


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## HeartofClass (Jan 2, 2012)

With my breed - to breed and register, I actually wouldn't need to do any specific health tests, just a general examination. But I did PKD, S.canis, and I'm doing blood group testing at the moment (even though most people tell me it is completely pointless). I also did FeLV ages a go and she has been vaccinated since. Later on I will probably do HCM as well.


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## OrientalSlave (Jan 26, 2012)

If you breed Orientals, Siamese or a number of other breeds then yes, blood grouping isn't needed. How do they test for S. Canis?


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## HeartofClass (Jan 2, 2012)

I think siberian breeders in the UK do blood grouping - they don't do it in Russia however simply because they've never had any problems and find it unneccessary. But I want to be prepared for any possibility, so.

For S. canis my vet took a vaginal sample and then I took it to our national veterinarian microbiological lab to be tested for possible bacteria.


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## sharonbee (Aug 3, 2011)

We breed Siamese and Orientals, 24 hours before going to stud they are tested for FIV and FeLV, we are asking about the PRA test when we next speak to our vet next week when one of our girls go for vaccinations.
Does anyone know if PRA is going to become compulsory? We are seriously thinking about getting ours tested anyway. Is it a one off test or is it a test which needs to be done annually? How much does the test cost etc?


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## lymorelynn (Oct 4, 2008)

sharonbee said:


> We breed Siamese and Orientals, 24 hours before going to stud they are tested for FIV and FeLV, we are asking about the PRA test when we next speak to our vet next week when one of our girls go for vaccinations.
> Does anyone know if PRA is going to become compulsory? We are seriously thinking about getting ours tested anyway. Is it a one off test or is it a test which needs to be done annually? How much does the test cost etc?


The PRA test is a single test.
Details here of the labs offering the test and explanation of PRA too.

PRA in Siamese cats, explanation and suggested breeding practices.


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## sharonbee (Aug 3, 2011)

Thankyou Lynn, I will have a look at the link now.


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## OrientalSlave (Jan 26, 2012)

You can take the swab yourself. I have no idea if it's going to become compulsory or not, though I do know someone whose stud was found to be carrying it.

List of Feline Genetic Tests | Langford Veterinary Services

It's a one-off test, cats can carry it and have to inherit it from both parents to have PRA.

PS
http://www.siamese-cat-breeder.co.uk/oriental-cat-is-losing-his-sight/


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