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Expert: - 6/27/2011


Question
My long haired exotic cat got pregnant! I know it should not have happened at it wont happen again. But on a positive note they are all doing well and I have gotten good loving homes for them all.

The kittens are now 6 and a half weeks old at the moment. There is just my husband and I, our house is very safe and quiet and I would have liked to keep the kittens until there 10 weeks or so there safe and stronger before leaving us.

There was a dreadful incidence this morning. My queen attacked one of them and if my husband was not there she would have kill him. It was a savage attack. I took her straight to the vets and she is being neutered tomorrow morning.

I am very concerned if it happens again and we were not there. I know the kittens could be re-homed now but I do worry about them. Should I re introduce them after her operation or just keep her in the cattery until the kittens are fully ready to go or should U just let them go in a week or so?
Many thanks for your help

Answer
Gigi,

Are there any new cats hanging around your house?  If she sees a strange cat out a window, she will go into fight/flight/fright mode. In this mode, they do not know what is going on and just react as if everything is a threat. Also, some mamas "boot" the kittens out of the "nest" when they feel it is time for them to be weaned.

At 6 1/2 weeks of age, the kittens should be weaned, so I would make sure they are on solid food and using the litter pan. Then I would separate them from the mama.  I would not re-introduce them at all, but socialize the kittens, have them get their shots and, after they have had their shots, at the age of 12 - 13 weeks or so, they can go to their new homes.

Please let me know if you have any questions.

Best regards... Norm.

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Norman Auspitz

Expertise

I can answer most non-veterinary questions about cats. My particular expertise is pedigree cats, breeding and showing. However, I am versed in feline behavior, cat breeds and their characteristics, general feline husbandry, and the like.

Experience

I judged for the Canadian Cat Association from 1975 until 1982. I am currently an approved allbreed judge for the Cat Fanciers'' Association (the world''s largets cat registry), and have been judging for them since 1991. I have been breeding pedigreed cats since 1971 and have been exhibiting pedigreed cats in shows since 1970. I obtained my first pedigreed cat in 1970 and have never looked back. In 1971, I obtained my first Abyssinian which has become my primary breed. In addition, I have bred Manx and Persians. Currently, besides the Abyssinians, I am also breeding Maine Coons.


Organizations
Cat Fanciers'' Association, inc. (CFA) and the Manx, Maine Coon, and Abyssinian breed councils. I am currently Abyssinian breed council secretary.

Publications
Cat Fancy Magazine, The Abyssinian Chapter in The Cat Fanciers'' Association Complete Cat Book, and Articles for various editions of The Cat Fanciers'' Association Yearbook

Education/Credentials
I received a B.S. from Drexel University in 1968, a M.Math from University of Waterloo, in 1970, a Ph.D. from University of Waterloo in 1975, and a MBA from McMaster University in 1980. I received my approved allbreed judging status in the Cat Fanciers'' Association in 1999.

Awards and Honors
We have produced a number of Cat Fanciers'' Association (CFA) National winning Abyssinian and Maine Coons. We have produced a number of Abyssinian and Maine Coon Distinguished Merit females (an award for a top producing cat), including the first Distinguished Merit Abyssinian in the red (sorrel) color. I am the CFA Abyssinian breed council secretary and belong and/or hold office in a number of cat clubs. I am also a member of the CFA Judges Association.

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