No, I meant GCCF rules about age of queen etc - there were none when I was breeding before but then neither was there any rule limiting the number of litters that could be registered. I have just looked through the rules and can find none but someone on this thread said there is a rule restricting the number of litters that can be registered from one queen in two years.

Liz

Yes i know-as far as i know the GCCF have no rules as such but do have recommendations-have you been on their site and checked out current recommendations/guidelines for the breed/breeds that you are particularly interested in?

I would love to just have one litter per queen per year but it is so hard on them this constant calling. My Mischa is calling yet again and her kittens were just born in January. I am going to let Angel don his stud pants and fake breed her in hopes it puts her into a false pregnancy. She always loses weight as she is small and this last litter had 6 kittens in it. They tumbled out of the nest and started eating carnation milk and rice baby cereal when only 3 weeks old! I just can't let her have babies again this soon.

Yes I've been all over their site, can't find any breed-specific recommendations at all. I wonder if the rule is that of one of the breed clubs rather than the GCCF?

Liz

Tell me about it. My Asian girl who had the caesarean and lost the litter, less than three weeks ago, came into call and screamed the place only a week later, and now after about five days of quiet she is off AGAIN!!

You could perhaps use Ovarid? I dare not with this particular queen in view of her recent history but I have always used it before with no problems.

Liz

Hi All, in answer to the question i was told by another breeder that i could only register 3 litters in 2 years with the GCCF,
Just to clear the matter up i have just called the GCCF regarding litters,
And they state that there should be at least 17 weeks in between litters born. hope this helps.!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

so if my calculations are right that means 2 litters a year! but i think 17 wks in between litters is not enough bearing in mind the kitts are with mum 13 weeks, so 4 weeks after kits have gone she could be mated again, defo not enough time to get her back into full health?

Ok guys as part of the GCCF registration rules you have to be registered with a GCCF reccommended club - in my case Burmese Cat Club.
It is them that state the rules as I have found out today.

A queen cannot have any more than 3 litters over a 2 year period and must have at least 19 weeks in between litters.

Which is what I thought anyway!

Ah it's the Burmese cat club. That sounds more realistic, though bearing in mind what Burmese sound like when they are calling, I wonder if they ought to publish a health and safety warning along with that rule!!

17 weeks between births (which is what your wording says) seems ridiculously short - that means you could do 3 litters a year if your girl carries on through the winter (mine never do), you would be putting the girl to the stud when the kittens were only 8 weeks old! (Not that it would be an issue in practice since I doubt if many of us remove kittens from their mother that young and most won't call whehn they are still feeding kittens)

Liz

No 19 weeks between litters. I assumed they meant that the week the kittens leave is the first week of the 19 week break period. And then count 18 weeks after that before she can be mated again?

Here is a link to their Member Application Pack
http://www.burmesecatclub.com/pdf/members_app_pack.pdf

And the text under the section im taking about states:

Breeders Should:
Allow a queen to have no more than three litters in any two-year period (this is inline with GCCF recommendation that queens should have a minimum period of nineteen weeks between litters.)

How would you interpret this as Im not sure now?????

I spoke with the GCCF this morning, and they tell me 17 weeks in between the date of births,!! that is not long enough, when you consider kittens are with mum for 13 weeks on average!
Call them on 01278427575 and ask if you are wanting more information,