Why is my female cat in heat but refusing to mate with the male?

The estrous cycle in cats has 4 stages: proestrus, estrus, interestrus, and anestrus. It is only in the second stage that the female is receptive to the male. This stage, estrus, typically lasts 4-6 days (up to 10). If your female is still in the first stage (proestrus) or has already passed out of the second stage of the cycle into the third stage (interestrus) she will not r be receptive to the male. If mating is attempted to early or late in the cycle, the queen will refuse to mate and often aggressively reject the male. A queen should be at least 12 to 18 months of age before a mating is attempted. At this age, she is physically and emotionally mature enough to successfully rear kittens.

Breeding your cat is not a decision to make lightly. Spaying prevents unwanted pregnancies and eliminates the problems of cystic ovaries, false pregnancies, uterine infection, and irregular heat cycles. Spaying also reduces the frequency of mammary tumors. Female cats do not need a litter of kittens to be happy psychologically. Reputable breeders have their queens and toms health screened and genetically tested for deleterious health problems. As a breeder, you become responsible for the health of the queen throughout her pregnancy and kittening. You should be prepared to find high quality homes for each of the kittens and to take them back at any time, even years later should the need arise. Only if you are prepared to make a lifetime commitment to teh queen and all of her kittens should you consider breeding your queen.