Expert: Marcia Owen - 8/16/2009

Question
Hello, I have been given some recent advice regarding my Bengal kitty coming into seasons. This is her first season and shes letting us know about it! lol The advice I was given was that if i did not want to breed her in the future it would be recommended to get her spayed asap as if we do not it can lead to health consequences. Breeding my kitty was not the intention of buying her as she is a pet however we have considered possibly breeding her at some point in the future. I just want to know if the advice I have been given is correct, and if by not spaying her what health consequences could this have to her? Thank you very much for your time

Answer
Hi Amy

Firstly before you decide to breed you need to make sure that your cat is on the active register and that her breeder is happy for her to be bred from as not every cat is suitable to contribute towards the breed by producing kittens.  Assuming all is in order then the next thing you need to know before considering delaying breeding from her, is whether any girls in her line are susceptible to pyometra.  This is an infection of the womb which has been linked to being hereditary and though it is treatable, not every cat will recover and they will then have to be neutered anyway.

OK, if you find the line if free from pyometra, you then have to consider your girl.    You haven't said how old she is at the moment so I don't know whether she is a girl who has started young or not, or how long you would be thinking of leaving it before you breed from her.  It may be worthwhile asking her breeder how young the mum was when she first starting calling and how often.  

If a cat is left to call and call and call (they can call every 2-3 weeks) then not only is there a higher risk of pyometra, but she will lose condition too, which will leave her susceptible to other infections, and if she loses too much condition, then she will not have a good start with any pregnancy.   If she is a frequent caller then you will need to either breed from her or neuter her.  If she is an infrequent caller, then you have time on your side and can perhaps leave her for a while before breeding.

I'm sorry I can't give you a clear cut answer, but like humans, there is a lot of difference between cats and on the information you have given me, I can only give you the scenarios.

Regards

Marcia