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Puberty Note: there are very great variations related to the breed (even inside the same breed), large individual ones, related to many factors among which the environment, the way of life (only or in group), with the climate (animal living outside or inside). Among breeds with short hairs like Korat, the males are early. The other races with longer hairs are later races. Male puberty The capacity to be reproduced occurs towards the age of 1 year, sometimes later (20 months). The sexual instinct can appear as of 6 to 7 months (marking, masturbation, modification of the odor of the urine) but with no fertilizing servings. It is very important not too early castrate the males, i.e. before puberty. That can involve problems of growth (not hormonal signal indicating puberty and regulating the closing of the zones of osseous growths), growth of the penis not finished, too weak urethra diameter involving urinary problems (cystitis, kidney stones...). Female puberty The first heats generally appear between six and nine months but with early puberties (4 months) or late (12 months). At the she-cat the age of puberty varies enormously. To Korat it arrives generally early. The acquisition of sexual maturity supposes a minimal weight of more than 1,5 kilo. Generally the month of birth is determining. Indeed, a she-cat born with the end of spring or the beginning of the summer will reach her puberty at the time when the she-cats enter in sexual idle period (October to January). She is thus likely to have her first heats only next spring when she has 12 months. On the contrary, the she-cats born at the end of the winter can be in heat as of the summer, that is to say towards 4 or 5 months. Sexual cycle of the she-cat There is an essential physiological difference with the canine species. Indeed, the she-dog presents a oestrus (and not a succession of cycles) separated of the following by a total sexual rest of approximately 6 months. Indeed, the she-cat presents, for 8 months, an uninterrupted succession of sexual cycles generally varying from 15 to 20 days (extreme values observed : 8 to 30 days). But of at the beginning of October till the end of January (in the northern hemisphere), and of at the beginning of June till the end of September (in the southern hemisphere), the she-cats present a complete sexual rest. The second characteristic of the she-cat is that it presents a caused ovulation, contrary to the other species of mammals (where a spontaneous ovulation appears in the course of cycle). At the cat-like species, there are no ovulation without coupling or vaginal stimulus. If there is no serving, the cycle will be thus unovulatory and, therefore, a new cycle will immediately follow. Each cycle of the she-cat is composed of two phases. A phase of a few days characterized by a light excitation followed by a much more "spectacular" phase (from 8 to 10 days) with meowings, contortions, flatness on the ground, lordosis, side deviation of the tail, search for strokes, etc. A short sexual rest of approximately 8 days ensures the transition until the following cycle. Coupling, reproduction Only one coupling is insufficient to cause an ovulation, one needs at least two of them (the ideal being three or four distributed in the course of the day). Ovulation occurs 48 hours after the couplings which started it. The number of released ovules depends on the number of coituses and especially of their frequency. The moment of the coupling during the oestrus has little importance at the she-cat (whereas it is determining at the she-dog). Pieces of advice Coupling at will the first day for maximum stimuli producing a maximum number of ovules. Servings 2 times per day during three days (two days after the stimulation couplings). Ovulation takes place only 48 hours after the couplings of stimulation. Generally the serving must takes place at male Korat. The couplings last only a few seconds, but occur successively, intersected with phases of aggressiveness between the partners (during 15 to 20 minutes). That can last several days. Although in nature the she-cats carry much earlier, it is advised to wait until she is 18 to 20 months for a first litter. |
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