Is it possible to breed a mother and son cat? Family ties or inbreeding. Why is this necessary?

Please tell me, is it permissible to mate a brother and sister? Alina

If the word inbreeding known only to specialists, then about incest , probably everyone heard. What is this? Simply put, incest is a relationship between close relatives.

But this is terrible! For people - perhaps, but for animals - a common thing. Moreover, all breeds were bred this way.

So what happens, you can easily breed any animals, even those who are related by blood?! Well, no, genetics and selection are a “delicate matter”, they require a careful and competent approach, otherwise something like this can be done...

Let's look at the question in a little more detail, but not too deeply, just to understand the essence.

In general, breeding can be done by outbreeding(crossing of unrelated individuals), linebreeding(crossing “along the line”, that is, mating of distant relatives who have a common ancestor somewhere in the 3rd or 4th generation) or inbreeding(crossing of close relatives (can be close (incest), close, moderate and distant)).

Why is this necessary?

The purpose of breeding work is to preserve and consolidate any specific characteristics in the offspring. This could be the length of the coat, color, build, shape of the head, muzzle, ears, etc., or a certain set of them. To obtain the desired trait, a male and a female are crossed, both possessing this trait. From the resulting litter, kittens that do not have the necessary traits are discarded, the rest are again crossed with each other or with their parents. And so on until a stable breed or group within a breed arises that transmits the selected traits. In this way, you can draw several lines at the same time and cross them with each other. Or involve another breeder working on a similar task to breed animals.

Now it’s the same thing, but in a scientific way. Any organism receives each gene twice - from the father and from the mother. If these genes are different, then the individual will heterozygous for a given gene, if they are the same, then homozygous.

Since relatives have many identical genes, as a result of their crossing, homozygosity (“same generosity”) increases in each new generation. Thus, inbreeding leads to the production of genetically identical individuals and to the consolidation of phenotypic characteristics in the offspring.

Sometimes inbreeding is also used as a way to quickly obtain information about the quality of the genotype of animals intended for breeding, since literally after just a few closely related matings all genetic deficiencies are revealed.

The fastest way to increase homozygosity is to cross siblings, father and daughter, or mother and son. For example, after 16 times close inbreeding, 98% homozygosity for all genes is achieved, and all individuals become almost identical, like twins.

The degree of inbreeding of an animal can be assessed by its pedigree, which may contain common names of ancestors along the lines of the father and mother.

Here come the problems

Everything seems to be fine. Why do people have a ban on inbreeding, and why in the wild is everything directed against inbreeding?

Firstly, for successful survival, a variety of genotypes is necessary, since the uniformity of a species adapted to specific conditions dooms it to extinction when these conditions change.

Secondly, and this is the main thing, every heterozygous individual, including humans, has “harmful genes” that are usually suppressed by normal paired genes. Inbreeding, creating homozygosity, strengthens bad genes, which leads to their manifestation in the offspring (intrauterine or early death, deformity, hereditary diseases, low vitality, etc.).

Thus, through inbreeding, both desired positive and, conversely, unwanted negative and even harmful genes can be fixed. It is called inbreeding depression .

Why are breeders and breeders not afraid of this very inbreeding depression and use inbreeding in breeding? So, after all, they do not try to ensure the viability of all offspring, but leave only the best, strictly culling kittens (up to 80%) with defects or with unnecessary characteristics. In addition, the breeder uses incest only if he has the most complete information about all the shortcomings and dangers that may arise as a result of mating.

Inbreeding, when used correctly, is a way to obtain the necessary set of valuable genes on the one hand and exclude harmful ones on the other.

Homozygosity creates homogeneity that meets breed requirements and fixes the desired characteristics in the offspring. It should be noted that as the best representatives are selected and rid of them from harmful mutations, the danger of inbreeding depression decreases.

Inexperienced breeders usually strive to breed “the best with the best.” But often, even animals that are excellent in appearance, due to incompatibility of types, produce low-quality offspring.

Cats are susceptible to inbreeding, so defects transmitted by recessive genes can quickly spread throughout the breed and after just a few generations lead to the extinction of the entire line. Because of this risk, inbreeding should not be abused!

Breeders who are not sufficiently familiar with pedigree breeding and all the “pitfalls” of the line used should not use inbreeding, since without complete information the breed can be ruined in a few generations.

So, Alina, let's summarize:

Crossing of close relatives should be carried out only for clearly defined purposes and with great caution! And it is better to use it under the guidance of a felinologist.

Such mating is possible only with full confidence in the physical and mental health of the animals involved. At the same time, culling of all unsuccessful kittens is mandatory!

Crossing a brother and sister is the closest, most extreme type of inbreeding, associated with the highest degree of risk of producing inferior offspring. Are you ready for this?

This is the story. Six years ago, a tiny cat, three weeks old, appeared in our house. She was a real savage, not letting anyone get close to her, as soon as you stretched out your hand to stroke or pick her up - she did a “cobra throw” and dug in with her teeth, claws, and even screamed or hissed. In general, it was a bundle of nerves, fleas and panic. But we did not give up and removed the fleas and gave our Muska the opportunity to calm down and get used to the idea that no one was going to offend her.

Time passed and Muska grew into a very beautiful and affectionate cat with a unique character. You could pet her when she wanted it, that is, she would come, lie down next to her or on your lap, and then you could pet her. Sometimes Muska did this - she “called” from another room, I went out, and she... fell to the floor, fell apart with her stomach up and asked to pet her. I laughed and stroked, of course. A cunning and smart cat. Yes, she did not allow our grandchildren to stroke her, she could scratch her painfully and they were afraid of her and avoided her. But when she wanted affection, she could come up to them herself and lie down on her knees. We have our own house and Muska became a thunderstorm for the neighbors’ cats and the cats that dared to wander into our yard - she chased everyone away. Including dogs.

Muska turned out to be so attached to me that I no longer knew where to go from her cat-like love - she followed me on my heels. If I go to a neighbor’s house, Muska will come running and sit in front of the front door until I leave, and then she rushes towards me with a loud meow, saying that she has finally appeared, why is it taking so long. It happened and she followed me to our village store. Well, in the house he never leaves my side. If I'm preparing dinner, she sits on a chair under the table or on the floor in the middle of the kitchen. If I do sewing, then she will find a place nearby.
If I iron clothes, then I can’t do it without Muska. Imagine, he even goes to the bathhouse with me! One day I went there and didn’t notice how Muska slipped forward into the hot bathhouse. Or rather, I couldn't stop her. Well, I think, then sit and fry. Yeah, that's how she got scared. At first she was sitting on a shelf, but I removed her from there and sat her on a bench by the door. She sat there and didn’t leave until I washed myself. And so, usually, he sits in the dressing room and waits.

We can talk a lot about our cat. And she gives birth to kittens regularly - she is an excellent mother! Then we give everyone away. Three times they kept Muska's male cats. Twice they got lost, disappeared somewhere from the yard, not having lived a year. Then a friend begged for a 7 month old. So now we decided to keep the cat. He is already 5 months old. Muska loved all the abandoned kittens very much and did not give offense even to those who were already grown up and big. She looked after them and licked them. Even when she gave birth to others during this period and when the kids grew up, she did not drive away the older one, she also licked him. And I just can’t stand this!

Everything was fine until Vaska was two months old. As if Muska had been replaced, he hisses at his cat son and rushes to fight him. They decided that she was pregnant. We thought, let's wait, it will pass. But she was not pregnant. The cat Vaska is already 5 months old and for Muska-mama he is simply enemy No. 1.
What should I do? We love both!

For caring owners this is often not enough. Our mailbox regularly receives letters with non-standard questions and descriptions of situations of concern to animal owners related to pregnancy in cats. In this regard, we decided to seek advice from high-level specialists. Today, the doctor of the Vega clinic, candidate of veterinary sciences, Alexander Dmitrievich Kablukov, answers the most popular questions about cat pregnancy.

- What tests are best done on a cat before mating?
- It is necessary to be tested for the presence of hidden infections: chlamydia, mycoplasmosis, ureaplasmosis. A vaginal smear is taken and examined using the PCR (polymerase chain reaction) method.

Is it possible to breed cats - brother and sister, father and daughter, son and mother? What are the consequences of inbreeding?
- You can, if you want to get mutants. Inbreeding is prohibited for everyone. Such breeding significantly increases the likelihood of developing mutations and genetic abnormalities.

- How long after giving birth can a cat become pregnant again?
- 14 days after giving birth, cats go into heat and can become pregnant again.

- Can a cat get pregnant at 15 years old?
- Yes, but it’s bad for the cat and the offspring. The birth will not be normal.

- What threat to a cat’s health does early (at 7-8 months) and late (after 10 years) pregnancy pose?
- At 7–8 months this is not an early pregnancy. She is early by the standards of human views, but by the standards of physiology this is a completely normal age. Late pregnancy can threaten the development of diseases of the mother and fetus.

How to reliably determine whether a cat is pregnant? Are there any special pregnancy tests for cats?
- There are no special tests. The only reliable diagnostic method is ultrasound examination (ultrasound). It is carried out starting from the 30th day of pregnancy of the cat.

- Can a pregnant cat ask for a cat?
- Usually no, this does not correspond to normal levels of hormones in the blood. If this is the case, then the cat has a pathology.

- How to distinguish a real pregnancy from a false one?
- False pregnancy is a neuropsychic disease of an animal in which, after a certain period after estrus, usually two months, the animal begins to show signs of pregnancy: lactation, withdrawal, certain toys appear, which the animal nurses as its own offspring. This pathology is typical for dogs and does not occur in cats.

Does a cat have to gain weight? Does it happen that a cat’s pregnancy is almost invisible?
- Some cats do not change their constitution until their last days, and by appearance it can be difficult to distinguish a pregnant cat from a non-pregnant one.

- What is the diet of a pregnant cat? Will professional food be enough for her or should she be given vitamin supplements?
Usually there is enough food, just increase the daily volume of the diet. But using vitamin-mineral complexes during pregnancy will never be superfluous.

- What to do if a pregnant cat sheds heavily or her whiskers break off?
- It is necessary to analyze the diet and include vitamins and minerals in it.

- Is it possible to bathe a pregnant cat?
- It is possible if the cat tolerated bathing well before.

- If a pregnant cat periodically mates with a male cat, how can this affect the kittens?
- Usually this does not happen and may indicate a pathology of the animal’s hormonal levels. But in general, mating cannot harm the fruits.

Behavior

- If a pregnant cat ignores the litter box, what could this mean?
- This is not a serious sign, but it can happen, including with the development of inflammation in the bladder. You need to check your urine.

- Is it typical for a pregnant cat to refuse food?
- No, this may indicate the presence of some pathological changes: the appearance of pain, nausea, the development of inflammation, etc.

- Is it harmful for a pregnant cat to lie on a hot radiator all day?
- No.

- Can kittens be harmed if a pregnant cat lies on her stomach?
No.

- Can a pregnant cat make new unusual sounds?
- No, all sounds are normal. Rather, it is a feature of the behavior of a particular individual.

- Is it normal for a cat to become angry during pregnancy, constantly growling and hissing?
- No, this is not normal, but it can occur during pregnancy and childbirth. In this case, the animal is not allowed for breeding and must be sterilized.

Health

- Is it possible to vaccinate a pregnant cat?
- It is not advisable to do this, since vaccination can cause the development of fetal diseases.

- How to rid a pregnant cat of fleas?
- It is best to treat for fleas before pregnancy, but if they are still present, it will be better to treat with a mild treatment such as Frontline spray.

- What to do if a pregnant cat has worms?
- If this is detected, then it is necessary to treat the cat with mild preparations, for example, drontal for cats or dosalid.

- Is it a pathology if a pregnant cat has a larger belly on one side than the other?
- No, this may be due to the uneven location of the fetuses in the cavity of the uterine horns.

- What can cause bleeding in a pregnant cat?
- Either with the onset of the birth process, or with pathology of the uterus.

- What does discharge from a pregnant cat indicate?
- Most often this is due to an infection of the uterus or vagina.

- Are diarrhea and vomiting a dangerous symptom in a pregnant cat?
- Such symptoms usually indicate poisoning by something that requires appropriate treatment.

- A pregnant cat sneezes often. What could it be?
- This can be associated either with a cold or with the presence of diseases of the upper respiratory tract, more often with polyps of the nasal passages.

What to do if a pregnant cat falls from a height, but no changes in behavior are observed? How can you tell if kittens have been harmed?
- It is necessary to perform an ultrasound of the uterus to determine bleeding and fetal viability.

Does your pregnant cat have brown growths between the hairs on her chin? What is this and what causes it?
- Most likely, this is acne - skin lesions associated with excess sebum production. This manifests itself with a decrease in immunity or with the development of certain metabolic diseases.

- Is it possible to sterilize a pregnant cat?
- This procedure will certainly cause a cessation of pregnancy and lead to a miscarriage. To terminate a pregnancy surgically, it is better to resort to amputation of the uterus or sterilization of the animal after birth.