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  To raise a pet requires time, patience and dedication. If you took on the commitment of having an animal at home, pay attention to the hints below. They can help you to have a healthier relationship.
  Baby on the way:
CARES WITH THE PREGNANT FEMALE
  When the female comes into the heat cycle, they present a peculiar behavior. It is the mate period. The owners who choose to mate their pets have to look at certain basic care, fundamental to guarantee the health of the future litter.

You must, in the first place, care about choosing the partner that will mate your animal. It should be smaller or have a similar size of the female, and be in perfect health conditions. It should not present undesirable characteristics as behavior disturbances or physical aspects that are not permitted in the breed standard.

Before the female cat comes into heat, we must vermifuge her and repeat the quadruple vaccine (calicivirus, rinotracheitis, panleukopenia and leukemia) and to rabies. The vaccination is very important, which will guarantee the immunity of the kittens in their first weeks.

We also have to take care of the pregnant meals, giving her a good quality food and vitamin supplement. Ovulation in cats does not take place without mating

We should leave the pregnant cat tranquil because the stress can cause miscarriage and teratogenesis (congenital abnormalities). She should get bigger food servings and be walked daily to get herself exercised. The gestation period varies between 60 to 64 days, but may be some variations.
  CARES WITH THE BIRTH
  We should prepare the place for the birth about 20 days in advance, in order to get the “mother-to-be” used to the environment, avoiding the stress that an abrupt change can cause. The lack of confidence can make the queen to hide the kittens, withdrawing them from the nest in order to protect them or, in an extreme act, have an attack of cannibalism.

A good thing to do is to get a wooden box, with wholes on the floor for a good hygiene with some beams underneath to prevent direct contact to the ground. The " maternity box " should have enough space for the female to stretch herself because the kittens need to stay close to the mother. If there is a too broad space, it would be difficult for the kittens to snuggle against their mother.

We should line the space with old newspaper, clean it with a bleach solution (1 liter of bleach for 10 liters of water). Do not it use disinfectants because their smell is unpleasant to animals. The place should be free of bugs, gust and humidity. Children and other animals shouldn't be allowed to go nearby.

When comes the birth time, he groom the hair around of the genitals and of the teats. If the queen is used to take a bath, it is fundamental to bathe her carefully, giving special attention to the teats and to genitals. The queens have tendency to constipation at the end of the gestation, so it is a good idea to get advice from a veterinarian to assure your animal a tranquil birth.