BEIGATTI MAINE COONS

Many people think that breeding involves putting two cats together and waiting for kittens to arrive.  Mom pops out the kittens, feeds them, and all live happily ever after.  I wish that were true, but it is quite a bit more complicated than that.

Breeders start by obtaining the best cat they can after studying pedigrees.  How much inbreeding is there?  How many ancestors are still alive?  Are there any issues with hearts, hips, knees, kidneys, or gums?  What can this cat add to my breeding program?  If I get this cat, with whom can I mate it, and what is the inbreeding there?  What health issues am I facing if I put cat A with cat B?

After getting that drop-dead gorgous cat with a low inbreeding coefficient and good health, showing it to the title of "Champion" or "Grand Champion" and breeding it with another spectacular cat, you wait, hoping the kittens will have Dad's strong muzzle and Mom's perfect earset.

After a preganancy is confirmed, the breeder hopes that the queen (momma cat) does not get any type of infection, does not resorb the kittens, deliver early or does any number of crazy things to harm the babies.  Kittens arrive, hopefully on time and alive, and the breeder prays that mom takes care of the kittens.  Not every mom has the good instinct to care for her kittens properly, so a breeder may find him/herself cleanng kitten bottoms to stimulate defication, bottle feeding babies every two hours and weighing kittens daily to make sure any problems are caught early. 

I say this because it has been tough these past few weeks. Several friends of mine have lost kittens due to unusual circumstances, and each has been heartbroken.  Today was my turn.

Olive gave birth to this little guy who started off fine, but at one week old stopped gaining.  I brought him to the vet who thought he might have a low-grade infection of some sort.  I gave him antibiotics twice/day.  I tried feeding him with an eye dropper.  He did not gain - so a few days ago I went to tube-feeding, threading a small tube through his esophagus and into his stomach, and carefully getting some nourishment into him.  He was feisty, adorable, and I loved him.

This morning I tube-fed him as usual, and put him into the kitten tent so that he could cuddle with his mom.  She licked him and I knew she would take care of him while I was at work.  I came home at 5:00 PM, got the tube ready for his next feeding and discovered he was gone.  He just didn't make it and my tube-feedng didn't help.

I now have to concentrate on the other kittens, but I thought I would post his picture here.  He is no less important than the others, and he touched me so deeply.  Rest well little guy.