Infertility in breeding cats

wA common reason for a queen not to become pregnant is poor breeding management. She needs to allow the male to mate with her before she will ovulate.

wIdeal is for 3-4 breedings a day every 1-2 days as long as she is receptive.

wSome cats will take a dislike to another and not mate with them. If either the male or female refuses to mate with a particular cat, try another partner.

wQueens will allow more than one male to mate with them in one heat cycle resulting in one litter of kittens with more than one sire.

wThe male may have a decreased sperm count, poor sperm morphology (structure), or poor sperm motility. These may be genetic problems or due to injury or illness.

wCollecting a semen sample from the male and having it analyzed should be an early step in determining the problem. Infections such as feline leukaemia are capable of causing sterility.

wUnderweight or overweight queens tend to have more problems conceiving.

wFeeding of too little or poor quality food may affect pregnancies. Problems such as poor timing of breeding are usually easy to fix. Other problems are more difficult.

wReproductive specialists are available at the UK veterinary teaching hospitals for assistance if needed.

wInfertility problems that the tom or the queen have may be passed genetically to the offspring and the trait carried on to future generations.

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