Expert: Marcia Owen - 8/22/2009

Question
Hi,

I had been looking for a persian stud cat for my 1 year old female persian, and I came accross a 5 years old persian male. The breeder claims that he can still breed and for a long time regardless of his age!
what do you think about this? are male cats able to breed at age 5 or over? are there any risks?

Thanks alot

Answer
Dear Moe

Indeed what your breeder says is true though some boys may not be so fertile as they get older, but by that I would say 10 upwards and I would not say there are any greater risks than using a young boy.  The only other thing to consider is whether breeding from a boy who has already passed on his genes to quite a few kittens, will actually be contributing anything more to the breed's future than he already has, and would it be better to be breeding from one of his sons at this point.  It may of course be that he has not been used too much and the breed may benefit from the older genes.

Only you can decide what you feel is best for the breed in your current gene pool.

Marcia