A queen should be screened 14 days before her mating date, not 3 days before it. The pre-mating check has 4 parts — general health, infectious disease, genetics and the reproductive tract — and the slowest of them needs 5–14 days at a laboratory. Three findings cancel the breeding: an active infection, a positive FeLV or FIV result, and a genetic result the stud owner will not accept. All 4 items are done by a vet; none of them can be done at home with a thermometer and good intentions.
Four Items, One Appointment
Book 30–45 minutes with the vet plus the lab work. Ask for the 4 results on one page, with dates, so nothing is lost between the front desk and the exam room.
| Item | What is measured | Result back | Typical cost (USD) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Physical exam | Weight to 0.1 kg, body condition 1–9, teeth, ears, mammary chain, 20–30 minutes | Same day | 60–120 |
| 2. FeLV/FIV plus fecal | Rapid test on 0.5 mL blood in 10 minutes; zinc sulfate float on 3 g of stool | 10 minutes / 1–2 days | 35–70 plus 30–60 |
| 3. Genetic panel | PKD1, HCM (MyBPC3), blood type A/B/AB from 1–2 mL EDTA blood | 5–14 days | 80–200 per test |
| 4. Reproductive exam | Vaginal cytology plus ultrasound of uterus and ovaries, 15–20 minutes | 1–3 days | 80–300 |
The first 3 items repeat every 12 months; the genetic panel is usually run once in a lifetime. A queen first bred at 12–18 months should have all 4 on file before her second heat cycle, because that is when most catteries start counting.
A negative result is not a lifetime passport. The FeLV and FIV tests describe the day of the draw, so a queen exposed 3 weeks before her visit can test negative and turn positive a month later. For a queen of unknown origin, or one that has been to a show in the past 30 days, the vet will usually add a repeat at 30 days rather than call one test a clearance.
Why 14 Days Is the Shortest Safe Window
Four clocks run at the same time. A genetic panel sent to an outside lab comes back in 5–14 days. A killed vaccine given closer than 14 days before mating is still building immunity when the queen conceives. Deworming needs 10–14 days to clear a roundworm burden, and a fecal recheck on day 7 is what confirms it worked. A positive FeLV or FIV rapid test forces a confirmatory PCR, which adds another 3–5 days. Add those up and 14 days stops being cautious and becomes the minimum. Mating a queen 72 hours after the blood draw means breeding her before you know the answer.
Three Categories That Stop the Mating
Exclusions fall into 3 groups, and each one carries a number.
Infectious. A positive FeLV antigen or FIV antibody test stops the plan until a PCR and a second test 4–6 weeks later agree. Active ringworm, a positive Giardia fecal, or a fever above 39.5 °C is the same story: treat first, breed in 4–6 weeks, not on this cycle.
Genetic. A PKD1-positive queen is usually removed from a program rather than bred once, because 1 copy gives each kitten roughly a 50% chance of inheriting it. A blood type B queen with a type A stud carries a real risk of neonatal isoerythrolysis inside the first 24–72 hours of life. The full panel and what each result means is set out in the pre-breeding genetic test guide.
Anatomical or hormonal. Body condition below 4 out of 9, a history of pyometra, a vaginal stricture, or a queen held in estrus for more than 14 days without ovulating. Each of those argues for waiting 1 cycle rather than pushing through.
Weight and Body Condition: The Numbers to Hit
The target for most adult queens is 3.5–4.5 kg at body condition 5–6 out of 9. Weigh on the same scale, at the same time of day, once a week for 2 weeks, and record to 0.1 kg. A queen 300 g under her own baseline regains that in 2–3 weeks on about 10% more calories; a queen at 4 out of 9 or lower should sit this cycle out. Overweight fails the other way: a 6.5 kg queen at 8 out of 9 faces a longer labor and a higher cesarean rate.
What the Visit Costs
Added up, the 4 items run roughly $250–$600 in the US: $60–$120 for the exam, $35–$70 for FeLV/FIV, $30–$60 for the fecal, $80–$200 per genetic test, and $80–$300 if the ultrasound is done in house. A cattery screening 3 queens a year spends $750–$1,800 before a single kitten is born. The running totals at the cost tool are a fair way to check that against your own invoices.
After the Report Lands: 5 Steps
- Confirm the mating date in writing 14 days out and keep the stud's own test dates beside it; a stud tested 13 months ago is a question, not a clearance.
- Repeat the fecal on day 7 if anything was found, and treat every cat in the house on the same day.
- Weigh weekly and log it — 2 weights 7 days apart say more than 1 weight ever will.
- Book the 4-week post-mating exam now, before the queen is 21 days pregnant and awkward to examine.
- Plan the recovery side early: the queen recovery check lists the 3 recheck dates to put on the same page.
A pre-mating check is cheap compared with a litter that arrives with fading kittens or a queen that needs a cesarean at 2 a.m. Four items, 14 days, one page of results — that is the whole job, and it is finished before the mating, not after it. Nothing in it treats a disease or predicts litter size; the check does one narrow job, which is telling you 2 weeks ahead whether this queen can be bred this cycle with the information you actually have.
Terms mentioned in this article
Frequently asked
Can a breeder do the pre-mating check without a vet?
No. Weight and body condition can be tracked at home, but the other 3 items need blood, ultrasound and a laboratory. The FeLV/FIV rapid test alone needs 0.5 mL of blood and a reader, and the genetic panel needs EDTA samples shipped cold.
How close to mating can the check be done?
Fourteen days is the practical minimum, and 21 days is better. Genetic results alone take 5–14 days, and a positive rapid test adds 3–5 days of PCR confirmation. Anything inside 7 days means breeding before the results exist.
What if only the FeLV test is positive?
Stop and confirm. A positive antigen test is followed by PCR and a second test 4–6 weeks later, because false positives happen in low-risk cats. Do not mate her during that window, and do not rehome her either.