Does A Tomcat's Age Or Experience Play Any Role In Litter Size?

[KatsPurrrsians]

Silly question, I know. A friend of mine who is new to breeding asked me this. I assume the answer is no, neither play a role in litter size unless the tom is super young and unable to produce kittens.

Is this a correct assumption?

 

[posiepurrs]

In my experience, you are correct.

 

[haleyds]

No but his temperament will greatly influence the temperaments of the kittens. A poor natured father can turn an entire litter sour.

 

[di and bob]

A female that is mated several times over several days may produce more eggs and thus more kittens, and I know a small, young queen usually starts out with a small litter, two or three. But that has little to do with the tom. an inexperienced tom may not successfully mate.

 

[Willowy]

As a general biological fact, many many sperm are released with each mating, no matter how old or experienced the male is. The only thing that limits the number of babies conceived is how many eggs the female drops. I suppose a tom with poor sperm motility or a low sperm count might have some impact on the number of kittens but I'm sure that's rare.