How To Breed Munchkin Kittens

How To Breed Munchkin Kittens

How To Breed Munchkin Kittens

Munchkin kittens have been gaining popularity among many people in the world especially many cat lovers and owners. These cats are sweet, adorable and they love to play. Also, these kittens are energetic, affectionate, and fun-loving which makes them a favorite to many if not all cat lovers. Though they are smaller than other regular cats, what they lack in size, they complement with their cute looks and temperament.

 

Munchkin kittens are dwarf cats with significantly small limbs and large heads. These characteristics make them unique dwarf kitten breeds, but despite these dwarfism features, munchkins are generally just like other cats only they are better. These cats are also generally new because the munchkin breed dates to the early 1990s which makes munchkins young. It is because munchkin kittens are a result of a genetic mutation that they are rare and it’s also because of the same reason that their breeding process is complicated. However, their breeding is possible but before you think of breeding munchkins it’s important that have sufficient information for you to understand their nature and genetics.

How To Breed Munchkin Kittens

Breeding munchkins

 

The breeding of munchkins involves mating one mucking with a cat that does not have the mutation. The cats used in the breeding of munchkins are the regular long-legged cats. Breeding two munchkins is normally fatal and it’s not advisable because the embryo will die in the womb. The breeding is not sex-linked which means only one parent needs to have the gene. The breeding of a domestic cat and a munchkin provides an equal chance of the kittens being munchkins and only the munchkin offspring will carry the munchkin genes.

 

Genetical explanation of the breeding of munchkins

 

Munchkins have an autosomal dominant which means that the homozygous embryos that are as a result of two munchkins are not viable and cannot develop. Only munchkin kittens that are heterozygous for the munchkin gene can fully develop into short-legged mucking kittens. Because the bred kittens are now heterozygous, they can pass on the munchkin gene.

 

For you to better understand the science here, take the munchkin gene to be (M) and the normal cat gene to be (m). Munchkin kittens that have the munchkin gene (M) do not develop because two munchkin genes (MM) can’t form an embryo that can live. This means that for you to successfully breed a munchkin you will need to have another cat that has the normal gene (m) and mate it with a munchkin which now has a munchkin gene (M). The result will be an embryo with an (Mm) gene that will survive and develop into munchkins.

 

The munchkin breed standards state that munchkins can only be recognized if only they are bred with either short or long hair recognized breeds but that is not always the case because munchkins can be bred with pedigree cats to give munchkin offsprings of pedigree breeds.

 

Now you not only how to breed munchkins but also the biology behind their breeding and what you need to do. This information is adequate and it’s effective in guiding cat owners on how to breed munchkins successfully for the continuation of this rare breed of munchkin cats and kittens.

 

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