KITTENS 23 



is never in good condition or coat. With highly- 

 bred cats one litter a year is by far the best, un- 

 less the cat is strong and healthy and has only 

 had a litter of one or two. Some fanciers 

 think nature decides this and that if the queen 

 calls, she must be mated. This is a sad mistake 

 and one good spring litter is far more profitable 

 than two litters. Unless you have a warm, 

 comfortable place to raise late kittens, a late 

 fall litter is never advisable. As your breeding 

 queens grow older the number of kittens in a 

 litter decreases. The average queen is at her 

 best from two to six years. We have cases of 

 queens raising families at the age of ten and 

 twelve years, but as a rule there is only one or 

 two in the litter and quite often weaklings. 



