<\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\nUnfortunately, when brothers and sister cats have sex, there is a chance of an inbred pregnancy. Breeders have traditionally bred closely related cats to make sure the kittens they produce don\u2019t give them any surprises when it comes to how they look. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Breeding cats from the same litter will make the road to a pedigree cat easier for breeders. Good breeders know which cat to choose to produce a healthy kitten. However, there are a lot of risks involved when it comes to inbreeding \u2013 even for skilled breeders, but most especially for the accidental ones.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
When very closely related cats (for example brother and sister, mother or son, or even half-siblings) mate, the risk of genetic defects increases: inbred cats are more likely to have immune deficiencies, congenital abnormalities, and have inherited diseases. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
For animals, including cats, how effective their immune system is dependent on their genetic diversity. Cats born from parents who are genetically very similar have less ability to fight diseases \u2013 even those that usually have little to no effect on a normal cat. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
This is why, as much as possible it is highly advised that cats don\u2019t copulate with their siblings.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Thankfully for accidental inbreeding between cats, hope is not lost. Generally, for cat siblings, depending on how they were conceived in the first place, could be pretty genetically different. Most kittens, especially those born from strays usually have different fathers. Having multiple father’s per litter is actually fairly common in cats. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Sometimes, even kittens who have the same parents cave inherited random gene combinations \u2013 unless, of course, if they were identical twins. If your cats are healthy \u2013 meaning there are no genetic defects present, then there really isn\u2019t much to worry about.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The best preventive measure for inbreeding is sterilization. If you don\u2019t want your sibling kitties to make kittens of their own together, it\u2019s highly recommended that you have them spayed\/neutered. Cats often times come of age unexpectedly. Some reaching sexual maturity as early as 4 months old. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
If you already have an inbred kitten, it is imperative that you sterilize them as early as possible so you completely eliminate genetic problems from entering the gene pool.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
[crp]<\/p>\n\n\n\n
<\/span>What are the bad signs of an inbred cat?<\/strong><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\nMost breeders, especially the less reputable ones, resort to inbreeding their cats so the perceived quality most desirable from the specific breed comes through significantly. However, there are a lot of bad genetic faults, described as \u201cinbreeding depression\u201d, a term of general weakness, that can come from inbreeding.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Here are some of the things to look out for:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
- Asymmetry of the face<\/li>
- Crooked noses<\/li>
- Uneven eye sizes<\/li>
- Misaligned eyes<\/li>
- Misaligned jaws<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n