# How common are pyometras in breeding cats?



## Clare Ferris (Nov 26, 2009)

Hi
I had a bit of a scare the other day as one of my girls who is nearly 18 months old and not been mated yet had a slight straw coloured vaginal discharge. She is bright and eating fine, temp is normal but I immediately thought pyometra as she has called a few times but not been mated yet as I wanted to wait as I thought she was too small. She has been on abs for a week now and is fine discharge gone so I am hoping it was just vaginitis or something, but I thought I would ask... How common are pyometras in breeding cats? as nearly all the cats I see are neutered so it is one of those things you just dont come across much and is believed to be uncommon in cats.
I know of breeder friends two infact that have successfully treated cats with prostaglandins and they have gone on to have healthy litters after a pyo, although one did take a while to start calling again.

Once treated do people carry on as normal or get them spayed? Will it always be a problem in the future? I have heard people say you are better to mate twice a year if you can in a cat that calls alot and if the cat is in good enough condition so you do not have that 6 month period for infections to brew in the uterus etc? But then can you register two litters a year, is this ethical etc?
Any advice greatly appreciated, hopefully I wont need to use it but I am sure alot of breeders will come across the problem at some point so it would be nice to know what to do in the event of it happening.
Thanks
Clare


----------



## spid (Nov 4, 2008)

GCCF let you register litters as long as they are 17 weeks apart. As to the ethics - isn't it more ethical to allow a girl to mate than risk a pyo? My girl has had two litters now 6 months apart - after the first litter she started calling when they were 3 weeks old, she called for 5 days (doesn't eat well when calling - and was feeding kittens) and then took 5 days off then called again - she did this 5 days on and 5 days off until we sent her to stud when the kittens were 12 weeks old - she was so skinny by then - we really didn't want or expect her to take but hoped the male would put her off for a few weeks - I had a few choices - mate her, watch her starve herself to death wating for the right time to mate her, or spay her (not an option as she is my only breeding queen) - someone famous says about cats - a happy womb is a healthy womb and a healthy womb is either pregnant, feeding kits or resting - constant calling isn't healthy. 

How common it is I don't know - I know of firends who have had pyos - and most of them have spayed, but I've also heard of those who have gone on and had a healthy litter. I think you have to take the cat into consideration. If your cat is a big caller and often and you think she is too small then maybe she is better off not breeding. Or try Ovarid (though I have heard this can put cats off for ages or for ever or not at all). Are Sibs a very slow growing breed? If she isn't big enough at 18 months will she ever be? Best thing to do is think what is best for the cat - either putting her to stud soonish or spaying her. How long were you hoping to wait out for? Waiting for another 6 months could mean another 8 calls - a huge risk to her I would think - most advise not to leave it more than 3 calls before mating, each time they aren't mated the call gets stronger, hormones therefore must be stronger and so the risk is increased.


----------



## Clare Ferris (Nov 26, 2009)

I was going to mate her last year at 12 months but I thought she was small, but compared to my other 5kg girl who I believe is big for a girl she is 4kg so not that small as far as females go. I was going to mate her asap next year when she starts calling luckily she stopped calling end of summer thats why I thought it was strange for her to get a pyo now but I don't think it is one. Yes they are slow to mature upto 5 yrs but I know I cannot risk waiting much longer. I hope she will be fine giving birth but if I dont mate her then I would have to spay her and I did want to carry the line on she is the last cat from this line so really dont want to have to spay her if possible.
I assumed you could register more than one litter in 12 months but was not sure. I agree it is better to let her have another litter if she constantly calls or as a vet suggested artifically take her out of call?
The stud I plan on using is not a huge cat so I hope it wont cause to many problems.


----------



## lizward (Feb 29, 2008)

I would certainly mate her - it is natural for a female cat to mate as soon as she is mature enough and to get pregnant, and then to produce two litters a year until she is too old (or, if we are talking of what happens in nature, until something goes horribly wrong and she dies). One year a litter is not normal for cats - or for dogs for that matter, but bitches do not constantly call until they are mated. 

I used to use Ovarid, I suppose I still would if I needed to but I had a scare a couple of years ago when one of my girls got a pyo at only five months. She got over that OK with antibiotics, then she had a discharge a couple of weeks before kittening and the kitten when finally born was dead. The third litter, however, were fine. Since then, my norm has been to mate the girls as soon as they call, but that will have to be subject to total numbers now that I have more girls.

Liz


----------



## Saikou (Apr 2, 2008)

I think suspected pyo in a maiden queen is obviously a sign that the uterus is not working properly. Certain lines seem to be prone to it and it seems in those circumstances the outcome is the same whether you mate them regularly or not.

You can treat pyo, and yes they can go on to have a litter, but if the uterus isn't working as it should then you could just be postponing the inevitable with a potentially fatal outcome. I realise this is only one case, but a breeder I know initially had difficulty getting a queen pregnant, queen had a couple of litters, then pyo'd which was treated and the vet recommended mating her as soon as possible, first call after the treatment finished, which is what happened - supposedly just for the breeder to get a little girl to keep. Anyway decided to try for one more litter, queen has the litter but was taken to the vet, same day, for a check because breeder could still feel kittens inside. Vet decided no, sent queen home. A couple of hours later, queen starts to go rapidly down hill, and dies on the way to the vets. Theory was there was a kitten inside, but it had died and started to decay. The rest of the litter all died bar one, the last at 11 weeks old.

Having known other queens, including one of my own, who have had kittens die at a late stage and that have started to decay inside, a healthy uterus can deal with that and is able to contain the bacteria. Not the case with a uterus that is not working as it should.

If you have been given an indication that things are not as they should be, is it really worth potentially risking your girls life for a litter of kittens ? Personally its not a risk I would take with one of my cats.


----------



## Leah100 (Aug 17, 2008)

I don't think it's something that can really be predicted til it happens, there doesn't seem to be a fail safe set of rules to follow to avoid pyo, some girls seem prone and some don't. Some will be vulnerable their very first call, others might brew an infection whilst in kitten, some bred under the same conditions will never have a problem, it's really impossible to predict, but as repeated calling is sometimes linked to a higher incidence of pyo as the womb is offering a more hospitable environment to ascending bacteria, if your cat is of a suitable age to mate, I believe it's in her best interests to make a decision yay or nay. If she's so small [ speaking generally, not referring to your girl] that you are not confident to mate her, then she may simply not be the best choice for a queen. Sometimes the best breeders , who produce the most stunning kittens when put to the right boy, are not the most show typey, but are well grown and healthy.

How many times has she called all told?


----------



## Leah100 (Aug 17, 2008)

PS just a thought, but if you're at all concerned about the discharge, maybe a swab test to rule out any possibility of incubating infection before mating?


----------



## Clare Ferris (Nov 26, 2009)

Thanks for all the advice the discharge was only very slight and only noticed it because I make a habit of regularly looking at those parts, there was no obvious puss discharge around her back end in the litter tray etc. She has been on abs for 10 days but it went after about 5 days Im going to stop them in a few days and see what happens she has not called since end of summer and is not a big caller or has not been upto now infact none of my girls seem to be. She is 18 months old now and I will be mating her at her first call next year if I can. I was under the impression from the vet that it is common if the uterus is not active so to speak i.e meaning not in pregnant state after calling so if you only mate once a year that gives potentially a whole 6 months for bacteria to brew into a pyo so it is best to mate again or try and take out of call if not ready to have another litter. 

I dont suppose she is extremely small but compared to my other girl who is big I think for a girl (well she is the same size as some of the boys that were being shown recently when she was out) she is about 1kg lighter. Her line normally does not have problems and her mother is still breeding fine. I dont want to spay her if I can help it as I dont think it was a proper pyo looked more like a vaginitis which I know dogs get so I suppose cats can aswell. The fact it went so quick and she was not showing any signs of ill health, normal temp etc seems strange, also it happened atleast 3 months after her last call. Maybe I caught it in the very early stages.
Is it worth having an scan done before mating just to make sure there is no obvious infection in her uterus?
Clare


----------



## Clare Ferris (Nov 26, 2009)

Leah100 said:


> PS just a thought, but if you're at all concerned about the discharge, maybe a swab test to rule out any possibility of incubating infection before mating?


Good idea I did a swab of discharge when I first noticed it and looked at it microscopically in house (meaning the vets) and there was no obvious sign of infection just alittle bacteria which you would expect to see in the external genitalia and some epithelial cells? But it was not cultured so who knows?


----------



## Clare Ferris (Nov 26, 2009)

Leah100 said:


> I don't think it's something that can really be predicted til it happens, there doesn't seem to be a fail safe set of rules to follow to avoid pyo, some girls seem prone and some don't. Some will be vulnerable their very first call, others might brew an infection whilst in kitten, some bred under the same conditions will never have a problem, it's really impossible to predict, but as repeated calling is sometimes linked to a higher incidence of pyo as the womb is offering a more hospitable environment to ascending bacteria, if your cat is of a suitable age to mate, I believe it's in her best interests to make a decision yay or nay. If she's so small [ speaking generally, not referring to your girl] that you are not confident to mate her, then she may simply not be the best choice for a queen. Sometimes the best breeders , who produce the most stunning kittens when put to the right boy, are not the most show typey, but are well grown and healthy.
> 
> How many times has she called all told?


since I have had her maybe 3 or 4 times and I have had her nearly a year. The breeder did not mention that she has called when I got her about 6 months of age.


----------

