Expert: Jessica - 7/31/2010

Question
QUESTION: Hello,  
I have two Manx kittens- one is 4-1/2-5months old?-( male) the other is about four months old ( female ).  

I think I would like to have one litter from the two .  
when would I expect them to be mature sexually?

 At what age should the Female be able to reproduce?  when will she go in heat the first time?

I am concerned about the male being all over her on her first heat? do I seperate them at some point while they are growing up?

Thank you-  I do not know much about cats, I have 4 acres of property and figured I would like help to keep the rodent population down- the kittens are inside now until they get a bit bigger and become comfortable with the house and me. and then I plan to move the litter box and feeding location to an outbuilding close to the house.

thank you for your time, and any advice you may offer, Paul

ANSWER: Hi Paul,

What a cute pair!

The first thing you should know about the pair is that if they're both tailless, they shouldn't be bred.  Tailless bred to tailless Manxes are very likely to have kittens born with serious birth defects of the spine, such as spina bifida.  At least one of the kittens should have a tail.  Otherwise, you should breed one of your tailless cats with a another shorthaired breed such as an American Shorthair, and at least some of the kittens are likely to be tailless, since the Manx gene is dominant.

Males mature younger than females, as a general rule, and are typically sexually mature around 6 months of age.  This doesn’t always mean they’re successful at mating.  Females usually enter their first heat around 9 months of age, but you should be prepared for her to also reach sexual maturity between 6 and 12 months.  The male will certainly pay her plenty of attention to her during her first heat, but two inexperienced cats are not always productive on a cat’s first heat.  It’s not generally recommended to breed a cat on her first heat, anyway, so I would recommend separating the two once she shows signs of heat, until she reaches the age of one year.  It’s healthiest for a female to be at least a year old before she’s bred.

I very strongly recommend that you not let your cats out before they are neutered and that when they do go out, they be vaccinated against the feline AIDS and feline leukemia viruses.  Unneutered and unspayed cats are likely to become infected with these two deadly viruses through biting that occurs during mating or territorial fighting/aggression over females.  The risks of infection will be reduced once the cats are fixed, but they should still be vaccinated.  However, since the vaccines are far less than 100% effective and you wouldn’t want your kitty to impregnate other cats, I wouldn’t let the cats out until they’re neutered.

Best of luck!

Jessica



---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: Thank you for answering my question! I appreciate your help,,

I have a bit of time now, I am relieved a bit.  both of these kittens have very short tails.. the male like 3inch one, and the female just a 1/2 inch sticks out...the person I received the kittens from had one that had a recessed tail...or one you could not feel protruding out,,, and she said that one could not be breed--- should I not breed the two I have?- being that they do not have full tails? or does some tail make it ok?  all this talk about tail! hehe :)

I will check with my vet to get the aids and leukemia viruses- i did not know that kittens carried feline aids? what is this world coming too!

I appreciate your knowledge and help, thank you. Paul

Answer
Since the male has some length on his tail, it should be fine to breed the two.  It's just the "rumpies", those with an absent or almost undetectable tail, that shouldn't be bred together.

The feline AIDS virus was detected only a couple of decades ago, and while it's a different virus than the human AIDS virus and can't infect humans, the viruses are of the same family (lentiviruses).  And they cause the same symptoms - weakening of the immune system, chronic infections, oral ulcers, skin infections, chronic diarrhea, organ failure, and eventually, death.  Very unfun!  

Despite its name, feline leukemia is also a communicable virus, not a cancer, and is even less fun than FIV (the other name for feline AIDS, in its initial stages before symptoms show up).  It can cause the same symptoms as FIV, but more often causes cancer and the clinical leukemia we think of (hence its name), and cats typically only survive about 2 years or less from infection.  While both vaccines have risks, such as injection-site sarcoma, for outdoor cats, being unvaccinated is riskier.

Your vet will probably want to run tests for these viruses before the kittens are vaccinated.  If the kittens happen to test positive for FIV, I would suggest to retest in a few more months.  Some kittens can get antibodies against FIV from an FIV+ mother, from her breast milk, but this doesn't mean they have the disease.  If this is true, the antibodies will usually clear out by the time they're 6-8 months old.  You can assume tests after this age are accurate.  And leukemia tests are not affected this way.  These are generally quite accurate, but you should always follow up a positive test with a retest in 3-6 months, since some cats can clear the virus from their bodies.