Breeding From Your Siamese Cat – Finding the Right Stud Cat

If you have decided to start breeding from your Siamese cat, the next step is to find a male to put your queen to. You can search online and go to a few cat shows to source the best male but you would need to know exactly what your end goal is which means knowing whether you intend on having one litter of kittens, or maybe you're thinking about having more which is a whole different ball game.

As a first time breeder, the experience can often be a little nerve racking especially when you have to take a much loved cat and possibly leave her at the stud. This is why it's so important to find a reputable and well established stud to take her to, and hopefully it's one that boasts a very good stud cat that suits your queen!

Finding a Suitable Stud Cat

By far the best course of action when looking for a suitable stud cat for your Siamese, is to contact a reputable a breeder based not too far from where you live. You can find many reputable siamese cat breeders who advertise their cats for stud on the siamese stud cats page on our Pets4Homes website. They will be able to offer lots of advice which is invaluable if it's your first time. A well established breeder will be quite happy to help when it comes to finding a suitable stud cat for your queen, after all they know the importance of keeping blood lines pure and reducing the risk of any inherited health issues. A reputable breeder may even have the right stud cat to put your queen and would be happy to let you visit their stud.

You can use the Internet to find a breeder and just by browsing their website, you'll be able to see what stud cats they have and from which blood lines they come from. After this, all you need to do is contact the breeder either by email or by telephone to discuss things with them and ask their advice.

Factors to Bear in Mind

There are certain factors to bear in mind when you choose a stud cat for your Siamese which include the following:

• Is it the first time your queen will go out to stud? If the answer to this question is yes, then you should consider putting her to an experienced and gentle stud cat to lessen any stress she might otherwise experience.
• Have you had all the necessary blood tests done? Before you take your queen to stud, you need to organise a visit to the vet for them to carry out important and necessary blood tests before she is taken to the stud. A reputable stud owner would want to see all her papers before agreeing to taking her in.
• A stressed out cat may “go off call”. You may find that if your queen is stressed or anxious, she may stop being “in season” when she arrives at the breeder's premises. You would have to be prepared for this to happen and therefore may have to pick her up again. This is why it's so important to choose a stud that's not too far from where you live and one that agrees to you taking her free of charge the next time she's in season.
• It's really important to choose a stud cat that's a good example of the breed and that his good points match your queen's. Any weak traits in your Siamese should be taken into account when choosing the right stud cat to put her to, and although no cat is really “perfect”, you need to look at the stud cat's traits objectively making sure his good points outweigh his bad ones.
• What do you intend on doing with the kittens? When choosing a stud cat you need to know you will be able to sell his kittens. In short, colour is important with some being more popular than others. Therefore the kittens are more desirable and easier to sell. A reputable stud owner should be more than willing to let you know what colours you should expect in your litter.

Things To Do Before Taking Your Queen to Stud

• Make sure the stud cat you choose is registered in the breeder's name and on an active breed register. He should have a copy of his “certificate of Entirety” which has been lodged with the GCCF, the Governing Council of the Cat Fancy. If the stud cat does not have this paperwork, none of his kittens will be allowed to be registered with the GCCF.
• You should ask the breeder whether the cat is a proven and experienced stud and whether his kittens from previous litters, have been registered with the GCCF. If the answer is positive, then you have the peace of mind you will be able to register your kittens.
• You also need to make sure the stud cat has all the necessary vaccinations which are up to date and he has been tested negative for FeLV and FIV.
• A reputable breeder will allow you to visit their stud so you get to meet the stud cat before you take your queen along. Like this you can check the conditions of the stud so you feel comfortable at leaving your queen there. It also gives you the opportunity to meet the cat and check out his personality.

Once you are happy with all the above and you are assured the stud is cat friendly, you need to discuss the terms and conditions of the mating with the stud owner. Remember a lot of maiden queens don't take the first time they are introduced to a stud cat which means you need to know whether the owner will accept taking your queen back a second time free of charge.

Some stud owners offer a “free mating” should no kittens be born and agree to take the queens back until they successfully give birth to a litter. However, each stud owner usually has different terms and conditions in place which means you have to establish what they are before you take your queen to their stud.

The majority of stud owners might also insist on certain restrictions on any kittens their cat has sired, and may register the female kittens on an active register but none of the male kittens. There are some breeders who only allow one of the female kittens to be registered and some who will occasionally not allow any of them to be registered at all, which is why it is so vitally important to establish all of this before taking your queen to the stud or you may be very disappointed further down the line.

Conclusion

Taking your queen to stud means having all the right paperwork for her. She must have been blood tested negative for both FeLV and FIV. She has to be in good condition and registered on the active register with GCCF, which means you would need to take her registration certificate with you to the stud. You also need to see all the paperwork for the stud cat, and a reputable breeder will have all of this ready for you to inspect when you first visit the stud. Once you feel happy about everything, all that's left to do is take your queen there and hopefully, you'll have found one that's not too far from where you live so the travelling time is minimal.