I have a queen who will be one year old on December 25. I wanted to wait until January to breed her, but she calls very frequently and seems to be losing weight.

She started calling when she was 5 months old and has called every 2-3 weeks for 5-8 days since.

She’s very active and playful (she’s playing fetch with me right now). She eats a decent amount of RC Queen daily.

I haven’t noticed any other symptoms, other than the weight loss. I’ve posted pictures so you can see how thin she is. She weighs 5 lbs, 8 oz.

She has an appointment with our veterinarian on Saturday to rule out any underlying causes/conditions for the weight loss.

My questions are: what happens to a cat that has lost condition due to calling when bred…do they usually gain the weight back, or lose more (after delivery)?

Because she is so small, will it be harder on her and the kittens? Will she have a difficult delivery or be unable to nurse?

Should I breed her now or is it okay to wait until January? I have another queen that is due to have kittens December 23, and I didn’t want to have 2 litters at the same time (if I don’t have to).

Any advice/opinions are greatly appreciated!

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She's clearly not in a fit state to breed. Personally I would have her spayed and forget breeding her. If she is calling so much and getting that stressed is it really fair on her? It's only a matter of time before she gets Pyo, as she looks malnourished, which means her immune system is already compromised.

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wow thats one thin cat.

I agree with Aurelia. She isn't in a state fit for pregnancy or to carry on calling.

A cat that is thin to start with will only lose more weight once she has and is feeding kittens. Even cats who are fit and a healthy weight before pregnancy and fed a good diet can still end up looking emaciated when they are feeding kittens, especially when the litter is large.
A cat that is thin to begin with has no reserves to call upon. You do not want to have to hand rear kittens because the mother is not capable of feeding them herself.

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Lauren

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wow she is very thin ive not had cats go that mad and get that thin so i dont even know what to suggust. good luck at the vets.

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not my area of expertise, so i can only say what woud most likely happen if she came into rescue that thin and already pregnant. Assuming the vet said it was safe its more likely she would be given a spey termination.

sorry i cant help more.

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I wouldnt breed from her. pregnancy and feeding takes a lot out of a fit healthy cat so if shes below par like she is it would be detrimental to her health and the kittens. Even if the vet can find no underlying medical conditions thats causing the weight and condition problems and its stress because of the calling etc. you may find you have this problem every time shes in season.

Thanks for all of your help.

I guess I'm just so used to seeing her every day that I didn't realize that it was that bad, and she still has fat covering her ribs. Malnourishment never even crossed my mind, as she eats all the time, and it's a pretty high quality food. I have 2 other Siamese girls that are both rather small too (the oldest is 6.5 lbs at 18 months and the vet says she's in perfect condition).

I also thought I would mention that both of her parents we're definitely on the small side. I can't see either of them being much over 6 lbs, and she's always been a fine-boned cat (as were her parents). She's not as stocky as my other two.

The only reason why I was even slightly considering breeding her (and therefore asking the questions) was because a.)like I mentioned above, I'm used to thin cats, and didn't realize how incredibly thin she was, and b.)I've seen others say that sometimes you have to breed to prevent losing too much condition, and didn't realize she was that far gone.

I've decided to take her to the vet today instead of Saturday, and hopefully he'll be able to tell me what's wrong. I'm not going to breed her until her condition is diagnosed and (hopefully) treated, or possibly not at all. I really hope it's not pyo (I'm worried now). If the vet decides she's not "cureable" or not fit to breed I'll have her spayed, asap.

It all depends on the vet's assessment today.

Thanks again.

You need to eliminate any other reason for the weight loss. It may not be as bad as it looks to some - this is a slender breed after all. I would not have left a cat to call - what, 5 6 or 7 times? - without either getting her mated or putting her on Ovarid. I suspect her thinness might be solely due to her constant calling (she sounds to be in fine health otherwise) and that you might well find that she gains condition rapidly once mated. But you certainly need any underlying condition ruled out first.

Liz