AT TIME OF MATING 17 



CHAPTER VII 



At Time of Mating 



If the queen has been shipped when she 

 first shows signs of being in season, on arrival 

 at the strange cattery she should be put in a 

 room next to the stud and left to herself till she 

 becomes accustomed to her new surroundings. 

 Never put her with the male at once; some 

 queens are very cross at this time and may in- 

 jure your stud. If the queen arrived in the 

 evening, the next morning put her with the 

 stud for an hour or until there have been one or 

 two matings then remove the stud until evening; 

 return her for the same length of time but do 

 not leave him with the queen over night. It is 

 exhausting to both and injurious to the male. 

 Usually these two matings will be sufficient, 

 but if the queen has come a long distance and 

 you are not sure, she may be put with the stud 

 once more in the morning. Usually the male 

 will refuse to mate after thirty-six hours. It 

 has been my experience that it is necessary for 

 the queen to remain from three to five days, as 

 on arrival she is strange and nervous. Very 

 often she will not eat and some studs will refuse 

 to eat at this time. Do not feed them before 

 mating but later give them extra feed. Have 

 fresh water where the visiting queen can have 



