Assuming you have carefully considered the situation and have decided to breed, there are many things you should know and do. The first thing is to prepare the queen for pregnancy. Vaccinations: The queen passes important protective antibodies to her kittens. Some of these antibodies are transferred while the kittens are still in her uterus, but most are given with the milk, or 'colostrum'. This immunity conferred by these antibodies is strong but temporary, and the antibolevel in the kittens gradually falls to below protective levels a few weeks after birth. You can ensure the kittens get the maximum protection by correctly vaccinating the queen. It is recommended to vaccinate before the mating. It is not recommended that the queen be vaccinated during early pregnancy, as the kittens could be adversely affected. Worming: The queen should be wormed before mating to help ensure she is in good physical condition for pregnancy. Treat the queen again a day or so after the delivery. Around the delivery period, you should wash the queen's nipples to remove any worm eggs stuck to the skin, there could be a numberof these which the kittens might otherwise ingest while sucking. Blood Test: Many responsible
breeders have there cats Felv and FIV tested to ensure that no diseases
will be transmitted during the mating. Both the male and female should
be tested.
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