breeding my siamese

Question
I have a 3 1/2 month old seal point applehead siamese girl kitten, Roxy.  I was wondering what are the steps to take in order to start breeding her in the future. When will she go into heat?

Answer
Hello Laura,

Did you purchase your kitten as a breeding female?  Most reputable breeders sell their kittens on a spay/neuter agreement unless other arangements are talked about and paid for in advance.  My kittens go on a S/N agreement and to ensure follow through I hold onto their registration papers until I receive proof of altering.  Breeding purebred cats is about preserving the breed and takes knowlege to put the right cats together to ensure you are improving the breed and not just making kittens.

If you did not purchase your kitten on a breeder contract I would suggest the first thing you do is to go back to your breeder and discuss this with her/him.  She may be interested in mentoring you and 'showing you the ropes' so to speak.  She will also need to decide wether or not the female you purchased is of breeder quality.  Pets are sold as pets usually for a reason so there is a possibility you would need to wait for another kitten of a better quality.  Showing is also an important part of breeding, the judges will help you title your cats so you know that they are of significant quality for a breeding program.

You will also need a stud male, and you will have to do some searching to find the right one for your girl.  Any ol' male won't due as you need to chose a male that compliments your girls defecits in the never ending search of producing the 'perfect' kitten for your breed ;)

If all works out your girl may come in to heat as early as 5 months old but it is *strongly* recommended that you wait until they are a year old before breeding so they are mature enough in both body and emotionally to handle a litter of kittens.

Good luck and I do hope your breeder is a good source of information for you.

Natoma