an sci unit 4

Myths about cat breeding

• I can make lots of money selling kittens

• My children should see the miracle of birth (queens usually wait until people are not around)

• I will get another cat just like this queen (cats are unique individuals)

• I can find a good home for the kittens (there are not enough homes for all the kittens produced)

• Related cats won’t mate with each other (cats don’t recognize relationships)

• Queens should have a little before being spayed (queen is healthier if spay is done before having a litter)

Is it best to have your cat altered?

YES, unless you plan to show or breed your cat professionally

• Females yowl and wander

• Males spray, get into fights, leave home for days

• Altering makes both sexes less likely to roam

• With proper diet, weight can be controlled

When will queens reach puberty?

Normally between 7-12 months

When will toms reach puberty?

At about 9 months and will start showing Flehmen response

What type of breeders are cats?

Long day breeders

• seasonally polyestrous

• they have a long anestrous period

• some cycle year-round

Behavioral changes with estrus in cats

• constant calling (especially Siamese)

• rolling

• rubbing against objects

• may spray urine

• licks genital area

• crouching (lordosis)

• lasts an average of 9 days

Lordosis

• a posture where a cat’s back curves downward and hindquarters lift up

• commonly seen in female cats during estrus as a mating behavior

• helps signal receptiveness to male cats

What kind of ovulators are cats?

Induced ovulators

• queen must be induced to ovulate

• physical act of mating causes this

• multiple matings will increase LH surge

• if mating does not occur, follicles will regress

Can a queen have kittens from different toms in the same litter?

YES

Superfecundity

• the ability of a female cat to produce multiple eggs during a single heat cycle that can be fertilized by different males

• this happens because since cats are induced ovulators, ovulation is triggered by mating rather than occurring on a fixed cycle

• increases genetic diversity within a single litter

What kind of cats should be selected for breeding?

They should be excellent representatives of the breed, free of hereditary defects

Artificial insemination in cats

• not common in domestic cats

• can be done

• logistics may be more difficult

Signs of pregnancy in cats

• signs occur early to mid-gestation

• cycles stop

• pinking up

• weight gain up to 2 pounds is not unusual

• swollen abdomen

Pinking up

Reddening of nipples in about three weeks

Caring for a pregnant queen

• handle gently, instruct children on handling a pregnant queen

• feed a pregnant cat well and allow ample exercise

• a few days before birthing the queen will search for a nest

Birthing in cats (kittening)

• prepare a box - line with rags, old towel or shredded paper

• should be dark, warm, and out of traffic

Reading to give birth in cats

• nesting

• milk leaking from nipples

• restless pacing

• panting

• excessive grooming

• temperature drop

• contractions

Each kitten born should be follow by its what?

ITS PLACENTA

Notify a vet if these occur during kittening

• You can’t remove a kitten from the birth canal

• Labor is strong and persistent for 30 minutes without a birth

• Labor is weak and intermittent for 5 hours without any results

• There is a dark, vaginal discharge, and no labor or births have occurred within 3-4 hours

• The pregnancy lasts more than 67 days

Is colostrum very important for kittens?

YES

Once the queen is a mother

• feed the queen as much as she wants while nursing

• little or no care is required - queen will clean the kittens

Kitten development

• Will open their eyes at about 10 days

• They will double their weight in the first 2 weeks

• Ears will open in week 3

• Ears will become more erect

• Teeth may start to come in

• Start to move around week 3 or 4

• Some people will start litter-training

• Can offer food, queen may start weaning kittens

• Weeks 5 and 6: a lot of socialization between kittens, and with humans

When do people often deworm kittens?

At 6 weeks

When do people give their kittens their first vaccinations?

At 7 weeks

Why is socialization very important in kittens?

• expose kittens to many different things

• teach them good habits

  • don’t allow biting, scratching hands

• spend time with the kittens

When does spaying and neutering usually happen in kittens?

• can be done before 4 months of age

• some suggest 5-7 months

  • easier for anesthesia

  • risk of early pregnancy

What are the common personality traits with cats?

• cats tend to be solitary (dogs want to be in groups)

• differences in motivation with dogs

Anthropomorphism

• attributing human characteristics to non-human objects

• must be careful of this

What happens if you don’t give a dog or cat a cue?

You won’t get a response

Social hierarchy in cats

• not a group species

• wild cats mostly avoid each other

• feral cats may form a group around a common food source

Reasons that cats are different from dogs regarding hierarchy

• dogs are ancestral animals —> wolves

• dogs were domesticated as a helper; cats were more of a religious connection

• more difficult to control mating in cats than dogs

Normal behavior in cats

• Play

• Predation

• Eliminative

• Scratching

• Communication

• Postural

• Forms of aggression

Kittens and attachment

• Daily handling for 40 mins each day

• From weeks 2-7

Study showed that ones who were handled as kittens, were more attached as adults

Predation in cats

Playing in kittens

• about 4-16 weeks

• individually and with other kittens

• improves coordination and social interaction (learning how to live around other cats)

• Mothers will start training to hunt around 3 weeks

Predation in cats

• they will hunt if given the option

• different from hunger and not the main issue

• well-fed cats still hunt

• will stop eating if live prey is introduced

Eliminative in cats

• talked about spraying

• urinate to mark territory

• usually bury feces

Scratching in cats

• leaves scent from the glands on their feet

• sharpens claws

• strengthens muscles

Communication in cats

• calling (when in heat)

• growl

• hiss

• purr

Purring in cats

Can be a sign of calm or anxiety

• difference would be body language

Agression in cats

don’t be shocked if it’s acting normal and then gets aggressive a second later

Abnormal behaviors in cats

• Pica

• Redirected aggression

• Petting induced aggression

Pica in cats

Chewing/eating non-nutritional items

• plant eating

• wool sucking (siamese are known for this; very attracted to wool cloth)

Redirected aggression in cats

Can be toward another cat or toward humans

• can build up aggression not from you and then attack you

• “stress release"“

Petting induced aggression in cats

• cat may be overstimulated

• may just be a sign that the cat has had enough

Top reported behavioral problems in cats

• house spoiling

• pet-to-pet problems

• aggression to humans

• destructive behavior

28% of cats surrendered to shelter are due to what?

BEHAVIOR PROBLEMS

Considerations with behavioral problems

• is it an owner problem?

• boredom?

• health problems?

Treatment options for solving behavior problems

• client education

• environmental modification (add a different scratching post)

• behavioral modification

• drug therapy (more common for vets to prescribe human meds to dogs and cats)

Reinforcement vs. punishment in cats

• Positive reinforcement (works very well)

  • treats, petting

• Punishment

  • vocal “no”

  • squirting with water can work

• Need to be careful with punishment

  • can become associated with caretaker

  • response may be difficult to predict

What is the most important part of reinforcement/punishment?

TIMING; can’t punish it for something it did earlier

Litter box usage

• Check for other changes

  • added pets

  • diet changes

• Cleaning “accident” areas

  • clean well

  • eliminate odors

  • can put food bowl in that area (or in the sleeping area)

Why should you not use ammonia-based cleaners when cleaning cat urine?

Cat urine smells like ammonia, so if you clean it with that, the cat might think that’s where they should go

Do cats tend to urinate in their sleeping areas?

NO

Scratching in cats

• Get a scratching post

  • try to match consistency of what they are scratching

• Cover material

  • they don’t like double-sided tape or aluminum foil

• De-claw (?)

Unexplained cat behaviors

• earthquake sensing

• cats that sense death

• homing ability

Overview of dogs

• First domesticated animal (10-12,000 years ago)

• A pack animal (important with training)

• Predators (came from wolves)

• Most breeds have developed in the last 150-200 years

Dog (stud)

male (intact)

Bitch

Female dog

Pups

Young dogs

Whelping

Parturition in dogs (when the bitch gives birth)

Spaying

Altering a female

Cropping in dogs

Few weeks after being born, surgically cut some of the ear off and tape them for a while

Docking

When they are a day or so old, they will cut the tail off

Why did doberman pinschers get cropped and docked?

To leave less of a target for predators

Where are dogs measured for height?

The withers

Sight in dogs

• dichromatic (like red-green color blindness in humans; norm for dogs)

• they are better in low-light

• better motion detection

• poorer acuity

Hearing in dogs

• probably a little better than ours

• better at sensing direction with their ears

• can hear higher-pitched sounds

• maybe hear lower volume sounds

Smell in dogs

Most important sense

• 200+ million receptors (compared to ~5 million for humans)

• Larger area of sensing tissue

• Brain devoted to smell is larger (40x)

Taste in dogs

Don’t have a great sense of taste

Considerations with dog ownership

• do you have time?

• can you afford it?

  • startup costs

  • normal maintenance costs

  • health care costs

• dog size?

• does housing allow it?

• vacation/travel

• children?

• allergies?

How much did ASPCA estimate that a dog costs?

• $3221 first year

• $1391 annual costs (after the first year)

Basic care for dogs

• housing

• license/identification

• spay/neuter

• eventual disposal

• grooming

Choosing a type of dog

Mostly personal preference

• What “look” you like

• What you want the dog to do

  • is the breed trainable?

• Does it fit your personality?

Pure breed vs. mixed breed?

• Overall predictability

  • adult size

  • behavior/temperament

• Purpose: hunting, show, working dog?

• Health/temperament

• Personal opinion considerations

  • pride of having a pure-bred

  • moral reasons; saving a dog from a shelter

Sporting dogs

Mostly for hunting; specifically birds

• Pointers, retrievers, setters, and spaniels

• Many participate in hunting/field activities

• Many of them have a soft mouth

• Mostly require regular exercise

Soft mouth in dogs

Will hold a bird and not kill it

Pointing in dogs

Instinctive behavior

• dogs will do this when they see or sense dogs

• tail is raised and one leg is up

Hound dogs

Used mostly for tracking, trailing, and hunting

• tend to need exercise

• some use scent to find prey, others use sight

  • will sniff on the ground

Working dogs

• quite large

• bred to perform jobs, including guarding property, pulling sleds, water rescue, guarding livestock

• considerable size and strength

• some may be unsuitable for average families because of size, strength, and energy level

(Komodor, Rottweiler, Mastiff, Great Dane)

Terriers

• energetic and feisty character

• bred to hunt and kill pests (mice, rats, and badgers)

• require owners with determination

Why do terrier require owners with determination?

Training is challenging and they don’t have a soft mouth

Toy dogs

• bred to be pets, companions

• having longer life-spans

• great for apartments or small spaces (take up less space)

Non-sporting dogs

• vary in size and disposition

• most developed for a specific purpose (these can vary)

Herding dogs

• for herding other animals; sheep and cows

• very intelligent and respond well to training

• need a lot of exercise/something to herd

Designer dogs

Labradoodles, goldendoodles, etc.

Top 5 most popular dog breeds 2025

1. French bulldog

2. Labrador retriever

3. Golden retriever

4. German shepherd

5. Dachshund

How many diploids do dogs have?

78; same as with other animals

How many pigments do dogs have and what are they?

2 pigments

• black, grey, etc.

• red, orange, yellow

Brindle color in dogs

Common in great danes and boxers

• almost a tiger-like coat, but darker

What are the 4 major alleles with Series S (spotting genes)

1. nonspotted

2. irish

3. pieblad

4. extreme piebald

Ticking

a type of coat pattern in dogs

• speckled coat

• if there is ticking, it is not pure white

Merle (dogs)

• often blind

• eyes may be small, malformed

• often dead

• pups often die or must be euthanized

• homozygous are semi-lethal (not the healthiest)

Pleiotropy

one gene that effects multiple traits

What are two health problems that occur in dalmations?

• deafness

• uric acid production (solid-paste like)

Hip dysplasia

• fairly common problem in many breeds

• hip joint breaks down (very painful to walk)

• not a lot can be done or this

• use painkillers

• if dogs have this, DO NOT breed them

What is a breeder-induced problem in collies?

Collie eye anomaly

• eyes have gotten smaller

• skull shape has changed

• because people wanted really long noses

What is a breeder-induced problem in bulldogs?

Respiratory and reproductive problems

• humans have selected for really short muzzles and for the big front

What is a breeder-induced problem in dachshunds and boxers?

Back problems

• selected for really long body in dachshunds

• bred for a very tight, muscular dog in boxers

What is a breeder-induced problem in shar-peis and mastiffs?

Skin problems

• wanted them as wrinkly as possible

• they can get some bacterial diseases from the moisture building up in hot spots