Possible pregnant ragdoll

Mumjoe267

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Hi all. This is the first time I have posted on a forum like this. :)
I have a ragdoll who will have her first birthday next week. She isn’t registered but both her parents are but the owner of the mother didn’t register the kittens. Anyway I have a friend with a fully registered proven male ragdoll, and yes I know i may get a hard time for this but I decided I would like to try to breed my girl. I have always loved the breed and I want to do this all properly, as much as I can, I have been looking into possibly breeding for a while and I have read so much info.
I took Daisy to my friend with the male ragdoll when she first came into call which was January time. I was told she was very nervous at the start but I think after a day she got into the swing of things and was letting him near her. I collected her after two nights I think. Anyway I was certain she was pregnant as didn’t come back into call but it turns out she wasn’t and was back in call again at the start of March. So I took her back, was told this time she was a lot more receptive to him straight away and within an hour of dropping her off they were mating. She stayed for four full days. So it is just a waiting game now. I have read a lot about cat breeding but tbh all the cats I have ever had in the past I have had them spayed or neutered. Daisy is the first one I have ever tried to plan a mating for. The date of her first mating with the male was 10th March. I collected her four days later. But I don’t know how soon I can start to expect it to be clear if she is pregnant as I was sure she was before!! I have read about pinking up and other possible signs but from what I can see she hasn’t particularly pinked up yet, she is also not in call but she didn’t come into call before after mating for 8 weeks so I don’t know if this is a good indicator. Sorry I probably sound really silly. But like I said this is something I had not tried before and I am looking for every possible sign like I did when I was pregnant with my children! Thank you for reading xx
 

sivyaleah

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I urge you not to become another in a long list of backyard breeders. Breeding is not to be taken lightly and having an interest in it does not qualify you to do this ethically. What you are proposing to do (or have done) is bring more kittens into the world, of which there are plenty enough already. You have no proof of lineage, and have no idea about the health of your cat's background. You easily could be passing along genetic problems. It's not a hobby that one just decides to wake up and do one day. It takes many years of work, education and making friends in the cat fancy world to ensure you do breed ethically.

There's a lot of heartbreak in breeding. And it costs a lot of money too. Do you have any set business plan? What happens if you can't get rid of the kittens? What if the mom cat has pregnancy or delivery problems? Can you afford health insurance? Emergency vet visits? Medication? What if a kitten goes into distress? Do you know how to give mouth-to-mouth to a kitten? What if the mother rejects them? Are you able to feed and potty them every 2 hours as needed?

And so forth.

Forum Guidelines:

3. This is a pro-spay-and-neuter website. Please make sure to spay and neuter your cats. Unless you are a professional breeder and your cat is part of a professional breeding program, please educate yourself to the importance of spaying and neutering by the time your cat is 4-6 months old. If you take care of a feral colony, please make sure to do so responsibly by practicing TNR (Trap, Neuter, Release) protocols within the colony. Read More Here.

Furthermore - just in case you don't click that link at the end:

"I have a purebred cat. Surely I can breed her and find good homes for the kittens?

Please read the answer to the previous question. The Humane Society of the United States estimates that one of four cats in the shelters is a purebred cat. Unfortunately, purebred cats are just as much a part of the cat overpopulation problem as mixed-breed cats.

Breeding cats can be very complicated and requires professional knowledge about the breed and its genetics. Don’t become a backyard breeder just because you own a purebred cat. You could end up with a bunch of sick kittens with congenital defects. As a matter of fact, unless the breeder who sold you the cat specifically told you otherwise, your purebred cat is probably not suitable for breeding programs and was sold to you as a pet.

If you are truly interested in breeding cats, start by reading on the subject, visiting cat shows, and discussing the technicalities and problems with as many breeders as you can. Don’t start by breeding your cat without the required knowledge and expertise"
 
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lutece

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If you are serious about breeding Ragdolls in a responsible way, even if you are just planning to have this one litter, it's a good idea to get your girl fully registered. Give your girl's breeder a call to talk to her about registration. Do you know what association the parents are registered in? As long as your girl's parents are indeed registered, it should be possible to get your girl registered. Then you can get an official copy of her pedigree, and the pedigree of the male that you used.

I would also recommend looking into genetic testing for those disorders that are known to occur in Ragdolls. Even though you have already mated the cats, and kittens might be on the way, it's still helpful to learn as much as you can about the pedigrees, bloodlines, and any genetic issues that might be present in the parent cats. If you discover a problem now (such as one of the parent cats having a gene that can cause heart problems, for example) you would then be in a better situation to give proper advice and care to the owners of the kittens later on. Genetic testing also demonstrates to potential owners that you are doing your best to do the right thing for the breed, and if the parents are clear, that will be nice for the owners to know, too.

As far as whether your cat is pregnant, the most common time for cats to "pink up" is around 21 days gestation, so that wouldn't be until middle of next week for your girl. Some cats don't ever pink up, and some cats pink up that aren't pregnant... so it's not a definite sign one way or the other. If you really want to be sure, you can have an ultrasound done at a vet's office. Ultrasound is a very good method for pregnancy diagnosis starting around 21 days, although it's not a sure way to count how many kittens she will have.
 
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jefferd18

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Welcome aboard and I hope your little lady is pregnant and we look forward to seeing pics of the little ones. I know it does take about three weeks for a pregnant cat's nipples to enlarge and darken.
 
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Mumjoe267

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Thank you all for your replies. She isn’t registered and wasn’t sold to me as a pet or active, although both parents are registered, she is just my cat, and I adore her. ❤ The breeder of her was quite clear she would not be registered- her reasons are her own I suppose. I suppose she could have been put on the register as a pet, I have copies of mum and dads papers and that they are HCM clear.
I am in the UK Btw - but of course same things apply when it comes to kittens and rescue centres etc.
She is HCM clear - which I know is the most common genetic condition in ragdolls.
as I said all my cats previously have been spayed or neutered (I also have a moggie girl who was spayed as soon as I could get it done) I am fully of the opinion that this is the correct thing to do. And maybe my reasons aren’t the best but I just love my cat so much, she is like my fourth child, and she is so sweet, and as I know someone with the male cat, we agreed we would put them together.
I know this site is pro neuter and spay which I do understand. I think all sites like this are pro neuter and spay.
of course I really hope that if she is pregnant she or the babies do not have the issues which have been raised here but I have read about it all and I think I would know what to do, but I have had no experience of course. They would be fully vaccinated and not leave until 12-13 weeks. I already have homes lined up. Saying all this she may not even be pregnant and she may not have taken and if not, I will not be attempting this again as not fair on her.
I did not consider myself to be a back yard breeder - for me that conjures up someone who is breeding multiple cats for a profit. That is not my intention here, although I can see why I may be considered as such, but it is only being done because I just love the breed so much. I am trying to do it in the best way as I know my cat is not registered, she is as much loved and as important to me as if she was registered. She is 100% pure ragdoll but I suppose as she is not registered she would not be considered as such.
Thank you for letting me know about the pinking up, she is eating like a horse but don’t know if that is a sign this early.
thank You all for your replies - all taken on board and I know all said for my cat’s welfare xx
 

lutece

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Backyard breeders don't necessarily have a lot of cats, and they don't always breed for profit. "Backyard breeder" simply means someone who is breeding cats just to make kittens, often unregistered, sometimes non pedigreed cats or a mix of breeds. Backyard breeders often do start out as a well-meaning person like yourself, who just wants to have a litter of kittens with a cat they bought as a pet.
 

Sarthur2

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Hello, your cat is likely pregnant, and you’ll know for sure in the next week or so. I only wish you had waited until she was six months older, and if there’s ever a next time, two days is long enough to breed. Four days can be torture for the female if the male mounts her repeatedly as the barbs on a cat penis are sharp and cause pain.

Anyway, I believe your intentions are good and you’ll spay her after this litter.

Check out our pregnant cat and kitten articles at the top of the forum, and we’re here for all your pregnancy questions, as well as kitten questions once the babies are here. Cat pregnancy runs 63-68 days generally, so you’ve got a few weeks to prepare! Feed her well with kitten wet and dry food, and all will hopefully proceed nicely.

Keep us posted! 😊
 
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mani

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MOD NOTE

A reminder of the sticky at the top of this forum:
Important - Pregnant Cats & Kittens Forum Code Of Conduct - Read Before You Post!

in particular:

It is NOT to focus of this Forum to judge anyone requesting assistance. In order to reach as many people as we can with the message of responsible cat care, we must always always always remember to treat everyone here with kindness, consideration and respect. We want to make this a safe, comfortable place for everyone, regardless of their circumstances, to ask questions and seek assistance.



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Mumjoe267

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Thank you all for your replies.
I had heard about them being a little older when breeding but because she is a large female cat I didn’t think it would be as much of an issue? Like I say I am obviously not the best or most knowledgeable person at this - like to think we all start somewhere I suppose but I would like to eventually it become something I can do as a hobby. Properly.
When I was a child my mum was awful at getting our cats neutered or spayed I remember them popping out kittens when they were still kittens themselves tbh. :(
By the time these kittens arrive, if she is pregnant, she will be nearly 14 months, she is 1 on 30th March.
if the mating hasn’t taken I will be getting her spayed as maybe not meant to be and I won’t put her through it again!!
With regards to the length of time she was at the stud’s home, from what I was told, they only mated for the first two and a half days and then he lost interest in her. She purely stayed there that long due to my work and childcare commitments but I know she was very chilled out there, I was desperate to get her home xx
Thank you all for your replies xx
I have attached a couple of pics of her, excuse the state of my bedroom!! Work in progress!
 

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di and bob

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She is gorgeous! She will have beautiful kittens.... I pray everything goes well for you both, it will take a few more weeks before you know she is pregnant for sure. Make sure she is getting all the nutrition she needs, goat's milk is good, (does not cause the lactose problem most cats have.)as is feeding kitten food. Now it is a big waiting game. Have all the necessary equipment to hand raise the kittens if needed, That is rarely a problem, but first-time moms can be difficult, they can abandon their babies or be too scared to function like mamas. Be ready to assist in the birth too, if she gets too tired. All the luck and keep us posted!
 
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Mumjoe267

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Thank you so much. I have been reading up on how to help if it doesn’t go to plan and I know it normally does go to plan but best to consider worst case scenario too.
she is a lovely cat inside and out and I hope if she is pregnant she makes a lovely mummy as well. I will get the goats milk today, I don’t usually let them have milk (never cows milk and very rarely kitten milk) so she will think all her Christmases have come at one. she is on kitten food for the extra nutrients as well. Well she was on it anyway because she is under 1 but she will stay on it now for the foreseeable. I will keep this thread updated and thank you again for all your replies xx
 

Sarthur2

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She is stunningly beautiful! :lovecat2:

Also, Siamese cats sometimes go a little longer with their pregnancies - up to 70-72 days. I don’t know why; I suppose it’s a genetic thing.

We’ll look forward to your updates! 😊
 
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Mumjoe267

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Thank you all! I will of course update - I am not sure how many planned matings actually succeed like I said last time she went she wasn’t keen and it took her a while to get into the swing of things. This time she was much more receptive. The (hopefully) dad to be produces the most beautiful kittens, he is a seal lynx, so I am hoping for some lynxes and some mitted like my girl 😍 her blaze makes me smile she looks like a bush baby i think xxx
 
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Mumjoe267

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Here are some more of when she was younger my youngest daughter put a dolls headband on her, just had to take a pic xx
 

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jefferd18

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Here are some more of when she was younger my youngest daughter put a dolls headband on her, just had to take a pic xx

OMG!- she is too adorable! I love the one of her laying back and chilling. She is a very tolerant girl to allow dress up time. :) Siamese are special. They just are.
 
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Mumjoe267

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She is a lovely girl. she is so calm and good with my children!
I am sure she has ‘pinked up’ a little, she hasn’t come back into call yet but we shall see.
All a waiting game I guess...❤ Xxx
 

cataholic07

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So you did rebreed her again to another boy? Is he an actual registered boy? I dont know how many times I see regular DLH colorpoints listed as ragdolls so I do hope he's a registered boy. I also hope that you spay/neuter all the kittens before they leave your home at 14 weeks old. You can contact vets to find out which ones will and the cost and then adjust the price of the kittens accordingly. :) All responsible breeders spay/neuter their kittens so I hope if you plan on being a breeder or even just having the one litter that you are responsible and fix the kittens.
 

jefferd18

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She is a lovely girl. she is so calm and good with my children!
I am sure she has ‘pinked up’ a little, she hasn’t come back into call yet but we shall see.
All a waiting game I guess...❤ Xxx


Siamese have the most amazing personalities. I would call them more dog-like if I didn't think it would insult them.
 
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