Expert: Marcia Owen - 2/13/2008

Question
Hello,

I am thw owner of 2 Persian cats, 1 maile, and 1 female. They are just house pets, and I'm not a breeder. Because I love both of these cats, and they quite beautiful, I would like to have them mate, and I would like to get some kittens.
I have had my femail for 3 years, and I have had the male for 15 months. They are both mature and in heat, however, they don't seem to mate. They are good to one-another, and they get along fine; but when the male approaches her for mating, she refuses.
Are there any techniques I can use to get these 2 to mate?

Thank you for your help.

Reagrds.

Answer
Hi Ali

I note you say they are house pets and you are not a breeder so think it might be appropriate to consult the breeder of your cats to be sure of their agreement for you to mate the cats.

Quite often you have to let nature take its course.  Firstly the boy is quite young still and he may not be giving off the right signals due to his inexperience. The girl may also not be sure of what to do as she has not been mated before.  It is always preferable to have at least one of the cats experienced at mating, to teach the inexperienced cat.  You may need to hold your girl gently but firmly in place to give the boy a chance to adopt the correct position.

I think you need to give some thought as to whether your girl should be used for breeding at the age of 3 years old as that is quite old for a cat to be having a first litter.  She may encounter problems when it comes to giving birth.

Marcia