female heat

Question
I have a 10 month old female Maine Coon and a 1 and 1/2 year male old French Chartreaux.  We want them to have one litter of kittens before we get them spay and neutered.  The female is very stressed all the time. We had her flown in from Montana in December and she is still freaked out. Any way could stress keep her from coming into heat.  She will not let the male near her (in that way) they play and chase each other but if he tries to mate with her she fights him off.  

Can you suggest any way to get them together.  They will not be for sale or to register just for family and friends.  

Thanks, Jan

Answer
Jan,

Unfortunately I can't offer any quick fixes. As for breeding your female is a bit on the young side, it would be best to wait until she is at minimum a year and a half old if not two years. What waiting for this age to come will accomplish is that mom will be physically and mentally ready to successfully breed and take good care of her babies. At ten months of age she is still a baby herself, she is just basically a teenager at this point, which means that although she is capable of mating and giving birth it is not the best thing for her physical or mental health and the babies deserve the best mom that they can have so that they can grow up strong and healthy in every way. This is a situation where nature has to take its course. With time and patience you should soon have the results you are looking for. I would appreciate pictures of the parents and babies when your breeding is successful, I am sure that they will be gorgeous. Hopefully this offers some insight into why your baby girl would rather play than mate. Good luck! If you have any further questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to contact me again.