120 Chapter 8● Both tom and queen should be in good health, free from known hereditary faults
and fully vaccinated:
● Infectious diseases and congenital disorders can be passed onto the kittens.
● Pregnancy and lactation are physically demanding and will further weaken a
cat that is not in the best of health.
● Ill health can increase pre-natal stress (stress experienced by the queen during
pregnancy), which can have a direct and potentially damaging influence on
the behavioural development of the kittens (Weinstock, 2008).
● Both the queen and tom should be physically and behaviourally mature – at least
18 months to 2 years of age:
● An immature queen will be less able to cope with the physical and emotional
stresses associated with pregnancy and lactation and thereby be more likely
to experience pre-natal stress.
● A young mother is more likely to demonstrate poor mothering skills.
● There is an increased risk that an immature queen will abandon or even
attack the kittens.
Keeping a stud cat
Some stud cats are kept as family pets within the home, but many are confined to
outdoor pens to avoid damage to the home from urine spraying or unintentional
matings with entire queens that may also be kept in the house. But isolation and
confinement can seriously limit the stud’s opportunity to engage in behaviours such
as exploration, predatory play and social interactions with people, all of which can
be essential for his well-being and both behavioural and physical health. If there is no
other option than to keep the stud cat in a separate pen, the following suggestions
may help to improve his welfare and reduce negative impacts on his behaviour:
● Allow occasional but regular access to a larger and more interesting area of the
garden by using cat-proof fencing.
● Spend some time each day with him and, as long as he is not aggressive, allow
other people to interact with him (if he is aggressive consideration should be made
as to whether he is a suitable cat from which to breed). Even if he was well social-
ized with people as a kitten, fear and mistrust of people can develop and increase
if he is kept isolated and away from human interactions.
● Keep him well away from other entire males. The sight, sound and smell of other
entire tomcats is likely to increase his sense of competition and overall stress.
● Provide plenty of environmental enrichment (see Appendix 1) within his pen, such as
food foraging/puzzle toys and furniture and/or shelving that provide access to sur-
faces at varying levels, thereby giving him increased opportunity to climb and explore.
Pregnancy
Minimizing pre-natal stress
Stress experienced by a queen when pregnant will cause the production of stress hor-
mones that can cross the placenta and have potentially damaging effects on the