# Is my vet joking?



## Fendi (Nov 14, 2020)

So I was at the vet yesterday (I love it when people ask if there’s any money to be made in breeding because all I seem to do is literally pour money into my vets bank account lol ] 

anyway he asked me how I was fairing with my baby girl. She’s into her second calling and I told him that I was extremely lucky that she doesn’t call at night keeping us awake (I know this will change). 

he started babbling on about contraception - which I am definitely NOT a interested at this time because we plan to mate her soon with my breeder/mentor stud. Anyway he mentioned things that I’ve vague heard of ovarid, provera) but the one thing he mentioned was something like inserting a thermometer!!!! . I thought he was joking but apparently he was dead serious. Maybe it wasn’t a thermometer but I was too gobsmacked to ask. I thought he was joking.

Has anyone heard of this? 
I should add that I go,to him bc he’s a great vet and has been recommended by a few cat breeders.


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## StormyThai (Sep 11, 2013)

I'm guessing that the vet was talking about the contraceptive implant...if not then I'm not sure.

It's always best to ask your vet at the time to clear things up even if you did think that they were joking.


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## OrientalSlave (Jan 26, 2012)

I think he might have been talking about stimulating her vagina to try to bring her out of call. I wouldn't use anything breakable for that! There is also accupressure mating, I believe @spotty cats uses it.


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## QOTN (Jan 3, 2014)

When I was breeding many years ago, there was a suggestion going round that it was possible to put a queen off call by using a thermometer to imitate mating. I must admit I considered it one of the many breeder myths that exist but who knows? I agree with @OrientalSlave that it would be most unwise to attempt such a procedure with something breakable.


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## lymorelynn (Oct 4, 2008)

Cotton buds used to be recommended for that but it's not something I would be happy to do and certainly not with a thermometer!


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## spotty cats (Jul 24, 2012)

Using a cotton bud or glass rod was more common years ago, I use acupressure - non invasive pressure point under the tail, to keep most of mine off call. 
Both techniques work.


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## Tigermoon (Apr 2, 2013)

The good old cotton bud was the most commonly said item to use for that purpose. I not heard of using a thermometer but I guess in these days of digital ones, the risk of shattered glass and spilled mercury has gone. Although I wouldn't have thought a smooth item would give enough stimulation to work 

I've tried acupressure twice and failed spectacularly both times and ended up resorting to pills


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## StormyThai (Sep 11, 2013)

Oh wow...this thread has most certainly opened my eyes


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## OrientalSlave (Jan 26, 2012)

StormyThai said:


> Oh wow...this thread has most certainly opened my eyes


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## lillytheunicorn (Nov 17, 2012)

I have been successful with accupressure with some of our girls knocking them out of call for 6-8 weeks others it failed miserably. My vet used a cotton bud to try to take Blue out of call, she called for a week at a time with 3 day break :Nailbiting it failed so we ended up mating her. I presume that if accupressure doesn’t work, stimulation with an object won’t either.


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## Fendi (Nov 14, 2020)

spotty cats said:


> Using a cotton bud or glass rod was more common years ago, I use acupressure - non invasive pressure point under the tail, to keep most of mine off call.
> Both techniques work.


I was up all night obsessed with this crazy topic. Apparently it's called 'sham breeding'. Do you think it's supposed to be a play on words and it's really 'shame' breeding ?!!

spottycat: You've got me intrigued about acupressure. Is it really that successful for you? Can you tell me more? I find it so fascinating and am in awe that something natural works so well. I found a few YouTube videos (the weird spinx cat video has mentally scared me).


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## lillytheunicorn (Nov 17, 2012)

Fendi said:


> spottycat: You've got me intrigued about acupressure. Is it really that successful for you? Can you tell me more? I find it so fascinating and am in awe that something natural works so well. I found a few YouTube videos (the weird spinx cat video has mentally scared me).


The Sphynx cat is the best video to demonstrate the technique. Basically you are pressing on their vagina and stimulating it but from the outside, which if successful causes luteinizing hormone to be released causing the cat to ovulate. Obviously without the sperm the cat doesn't become pregnant but the ovulation causes the cats body to release progesterone. This is the natural form of the synthetic progesterones in cat contraception like Megestrol Acetate (MA) (megecat/ovaban) or medroxyprogesterone acetate (MPA) (depoprovera).


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## spotty cats (Jul 24, 2012)

There's 2 indents under the tail and to the side, you don't need to touch the vagina at all. I also scruff my girls as they will turn as they would on a stud.

Done every 15 minutes for an hour then repeated 12 hours later.

I will see if I can find the link with better written instructions.

Eta: http://messybeast.com/catmassage.htm
Toward the bottom of the page under acupressure


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## Fendi (Nov 14, 2020)

Wow this thread has really opened my eyes!

For those who have had some luck with acupressure - does this mean that the cat has ovulated & that it's pretty much over/finished for mating opportunities? 

A cat can yowl in heat for over a week but if you had luck with this technique dies your cat not yowl, display heat postures, be in heat anymore?

Incidentally i was a bit shocked by my vets comment i thought he was trying to be smarmy *blush* and thinking it over i think he may have said a glass rod not a thermometer :-(


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## spotty cats (Jul 24, 2012)

With my girls they are out of heat within a day and stay that way for 8-9 weeks.


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## lillytheunicorn (Nov 17, 2012)

Cats in real breeding and sham breeding need to be mated multiple times usually to stimulate enough LH to cause the cat to ovulate but yes done correctly the cat ovulates and will come out of heat and the behaviours stop.

The one who it works like a dream on would be out of heat within a day like Spotty cats but when mated to a stud she would be out of heat within a day and pregnant. Blue who accupressure failed miserably with was in heat for 4 days after being mated for 48 hours even though she was pregnant we thought she hadn’t took. The youngsters who I haven’t mated were taken out of call for 6-8 weeks again within a day or so.


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## David C (Sep 6, 2010)

We use Delvolsterone injection to stop our girls calling. It stops our girls calling for about 10 months which is perfect especially for 3 of them who only normally stop calling for 2 or 3 days before starting again for another 10 days.


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