Breeding My Indoor Cat

Question
I have have young cat, who's about 8-9 months old. She has recently started getting in heat, and is on her third heat.She is an indoor cat, and doesn't like staying outside by herself.Once I left her ouside by herself and she climbed on a window sill and wouldn't come down, I figured maybe she would learn her lesson and not do it again, but everytime I put her outside she goes to the window sill which is very high up. I want her to have kittens, but I'm afraid if I leave her outside long enough she'll get hurt or worse. Do you have any idea of what I can do?


Answer
First off, I am unsure why you want her to have kittens. If you are doing this in order to keep the kittens, that is understandable if you want more pets and can't afford to buy them. But I would rather see you adopt some than breed. Breeding should really be left to professionals. There are more than enough kittens for sale and far too many in shelters and unwanted, being killed in shelters by the thousands as there are not enough homes for them all. Further, caring for new kittens is not easy. Yes, your cat will instinctually do certain things but she is very young and often young moms don't do everything necessary and you will need to intervene. Kittens are very fragile in their first two weeks of life and often do not survive without the right human intervention. It does not sound to me like you have experience doing this and may not have done the proper research before considering it. Finally, I have no idea why you are letting her out. That is dangerous in many ways. First off, she is intact and could easily become pregnant by a stray male. This is essentailly a rape that could happen at any time. She could contract serious diseases and parasites from contact with strays or other sources and if she became pregnant out there, the kittens could have any number of parasites or diseases. We are talking deadly diseases here. So unless you want your cat ill, pregnant with ill kittens, or otherwise hurt (by humans, cars, other animals, stray dogs and so on and on) I STRONGLY suggest you do not EVER let her out any more. There is absolutely no reason to ever let her out. There is nothing good to come of it and she does not need it for anything. Beyond that, I also strongly recommend you reconsider breeding her. You certainly don't want her becoming pregnant from a random stray, but you also should not look to breed her with a male from a friend or otherwise either unless you have a very good reason like wanting the kittens for yourself and being unable to afford to buy them in the case of wanting a certain breed. But if breed isn't an issue there are many free kittens for you at shelters and you'll be saving their lives. If you are thinking of selling them you are heading for trouble. First off you wil need to learn about breeding, healthcare and raising and weaning kittens. It is a major commitment and done properly will cost money for care, vet bills and more. Buyers will expect you to have healthy well conditioned and trained kittens and if you have no experience, you will not achieve those goals. The kittens will need proper human handling to make good pets and if you have no experience, you will not achieve that. Breeding is not a hobby. It is a serious matter that requires commitment, education, training and money. Further, just like humans, cats can have difficult pregnancies and deliveries. There can be breeach (upside down) births which can end the life of the kitten and even of your cat as the mom if not handled by a professional. So in summary, NEVER leave her outside again; keep her INDOORS at all times for her health and safety. Also I truly recommend you reconsider why you want to breed her and what your intentions are, and even if you are really ready for the commitment and knowledgeable enough to do it. Truly, for a pet, it is my opinion that all pets be spayed or neutered and leave breeding to professionals. If you are suggesting that you are leaving her outside with the intention that she become pregnant by a stray male, you have a truly terrible plan. You will be creating unwanted and probably unhealthy kittens. You will be endangering the health and possibly even the life of your cat. It is a terrible idea and my only answer would be that you do not do it.