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Journal of Feline Medicine and Surgery logoLink to Journal of Feline Medicine and Surgery
. 2009 Oct 1;11(10):793–802. doi: 10.1016/j.jfms.2009.01.008

The Swedish breeding cat: Population description, infectious diseases and reproductive performance evaluated by a questionnaire

Bodil Ström Holst 1, Jenny Frössling 2
PMCID: PMC7129517  PMID: 19254857

Abstract

The questionnaire based study gives a combined description of management, infectious diseases and reproductive performance in breeding catteries during 1 year. The mean number of cats per cattery was 6.1, and 25% of the breeders let some of their cats have free access to outdoors. Breeders reported that infection with feline panleukopenia virus, feline immunodeficiency virus or feline leukaemia virus was uncommon, but 8% of the breeders had sold or had themselves owned a cat that died of feline infectious peritonitis. Presence of conjunctivitis was reported by 33.3% of the breeders. Mean litter size was 3.7±1.5, with 9.7% stillbirths and 8.3% kitten mortality week 1–12. The percentage of stillborn kittens increased with the age of the queen and litter size, and also differed among breeds. Kitten mortality differed among breeds, but did not increase with age of the queen. Seven percent of the litters were delivered by caesarean section, significantly more during winter and positively associated with presence of stillborn kittens.

Contributor Information

Bodil Ström Holst, Department of Animal Health and Antimicrobial Resistance, National Veterinary Institute, SE-751 89 Uppsala, Sweden, Department of Clinical Sciences, Box 7054, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, SLU, SE-750 07 Uppsala, Sweden  bodil.strom-holst@kv.slu.se.

Jenny Frössling, Department of Disease Control, National Veterinary Institute, SE-751 89 Uppsala, Sweden.

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