Question for Breeders - Line Breeding.

[luna moon]

I have been trying to gather some information on inbreeding and line breeding when it comes to cats.

I am under the impression that inbreeding entails matings between immediate relatives (father & daughter, mother & son, siblings).

I am still not exactly sure what line breeding is specifically other than the mated pair are related distantly.

So if an aunt & nephew, uncle & neice, grandparent & grandchild, or cousins mate, what is that considered? Is it line breeding or inbreeding?

Is that normal practice for breeders or a red flag?

 

[ferriscat]

Are you looking to purchase a breeding cat or a pet? Or just researching for personal knowledge?

It all depends on the context of the situation. Breeders may chose to do close breedings (inbreeding/linebreeding) in order to fix desirable traits. Close breedings in a pedigree are not a red flag in and of themselves. The goal of such breedings in any reputable program should be to double up on the poly genes that create ideal type in a breed, type being those qualities that makes a breed identifiable as a breed. The goal of such breedings may even be to create a cat that is prepotent for type, that is, the cat will create more cats that look like itself. This is how a cattery will set a certain desirable look, and it ensures that look is 'stamped' on other cats that are bred to that line. Done right, it improves the overall quality of type in a breed. Done incorrectly, it creates a line of cats with type issues that will take multiple generations to correct.

Some breeders will also do close breedings in order to determine the recessives in a novel or unproven line. Mother/Son and Father/Daughter are the most common, as these breedings will reveal much about what the parent cat can throw. Brother/Sister breedings are considered the worst of the forms of inbreeding, as few definitive things can be learned about what traits the individual sire and dam of the siblings will throw.

If close breedings are done on cats without strong pedigrees (untitled cats) or on cats that do not have some of the great cats of a breed in their recent backgrounds, then the situation could very well be a red flag. Again, it all depends on the context.

 

[luna moon]

When I was searching for a kitten, I came across a few breeders' websites and I noticed that some of the kings and queens appeared to be related (uncle & niece and such), and they had successful litters... so that is why I was wondering if that was normal and okay.

 

[goldenkitty45]

Line breeding to me is close relatives but not direct ones - re: cousins, grandparent to grand child, etc. Inbreeding is more direct - either brother/sister or father/daughter or mother/son. Those you want to avoid or if you do it, only do it once - then take that offspring to something more unrelated.

 

[sk_pacer]

The concept applies to all animals. Line breeding is no more than a 3X4 cross - three common ancestors in four generations, although 4X4 is also acceptable and fairly common. There is an old saying that if it works, it is line breeding, if it doesnt, it is inbreeding