Mating half siblings to each other?

[williecat]

I know with some pedigreed cats there will be a degree of inbreeding.  Looking at one of my favorite breeders website, she has a breeding listed where the dam and sire have the same father.  Is it common to intentionally do that?  Or more likely it was an accidental pairing? This is one of the more common breeds and the breeder has other studs listed that aren't related to this female that she could have used.  Should that litter be avoided?  

 

[StefanZ]

Good question.  If you arent into breeding, for show or pet it doesnt matter anything. The looks and properties are everything there.

But if want to breed is another situation...

I suppose it depends also, if you have a good explanation for such a near relative breeding.

For some mating of near relatives is more or less a deadly sin, for others it is called for "on the line breeding" and is very fine...

So talk with the breeder herself before you do decide.

Mating of relatives is frequent for example when making a new breed. But this surely necessary, not much to do.

Another combinations you want to avoid if you want to do serious breeding, if  say the Sire was heavily used in breeding... So this kitten immediately loses much of the biological diversity. But may be an excellent show candidate, of course.

Or if the breeder had many litters with the same Sire and Dam. This kitten will have many genetical copies...  Unless almost all the others are NOT in breeding, this kitten will be not so interesting for breeding either.

As said, talk with the breeder.  

 

[williecat]

Im mostly interested in if the kittens are likely to have genetic or health issues.  Thinking about human brothers and sisters here and the increased chances of offspring having complications.  I don't know if cats are the same.  

Kitten would be strictly a pet, no breeding or showing, and to me, it doesn't matter much who exactly the parents are.  Not in a snotty way, just that I'm most interested in a companion who fits the breed temperament  rather that the specifics of its pedigree

This is the dams first litter, so no way to tell how many times this breeding may be repeated, if ever.  This breed is one of the oldest breeds in the US and well established and not necessary for those reasons, though that makes perfect sense to me.  I will talk to the breeder and see how she responds.  The more I think about it, the more I suspect it was an accidental pairing, which may be a little embarrassing.  I really don't care as long as it doesn't affect the kittens health.  

 

[StefanZ]

Ah, if you are wanting a pet and family member, and perhaps with time a little Showing (? - try it, if you can!), but NO breeding, these here should be all right, no problems.   I dont think there should be any danger here, unless the parents are heavily related with each other in earlier generations.

Cats arent THAT sensible for inbreeding.    

  If this is an ooops litter, it should make you into a good position for a little price reduction, and the breeder will probably be just happy to give it, as long she is sure they get good homes. As she knows she  anyway cant ask full price from breeding interested, she will be happy to get any decent price.

Good luck!
 

 

[maewkaew]

Well I would consider that closer than I would want to aim at.... but the result depends what is in the genes. it can bring out the good or the bad.
But I'd be curious to see how close the breeding was in preceding generations leading up to this , since in some ways the effects can be cumulative.
I agree, ask the breeder about it.

 

[orientalslave]

There are a lot of 1st cousin marriages in some communities in the UK, and they often have a slightly higher than average risk of inherited diseases and syndroms.

In my view there has to be a very good reason to do such a close mating, and I would want the breeder to be able to explain why.

And as maewkaew says, in part the outcome depends on how related they are, not in the 4 generations you get on a pedigree but 8 or so back.  Pawpeds.com can be useful but often there isn't enough information there.