A breeding soundness exam is 6 checks, done 8-12 weeks before the planned mating, and it exists to answer one question per cat: is there anything here that should stop this pairing? The 8-12 week lead is not padding. DNA results take 10-14 days, a dental extraction needs 4-6 weeks of healing, and a heart re-check needs a second echo at least 30 days later. Do it 2 weeks out and you will mate on incomplete information.
Why 8-12 weeks, and what happens inside that window
Four things need the time. Laboratory turnaround runs 10-14 days for a DNA panel and 48 hours for a bacterial culture. Any treatment started on the back of a finding needs a re-check interval, typically 21-30 days for a reproductive tract and 30-60 days for a cardiac case. The whole point of testing early is that a bad result leaves you time to find a different pairing rather than cancel a litter 5 days before the queen is due to cycle.
Check 1: echocardiogram, not a stethoscope
HCM is the disease that ends breeding programmes, and auscultation misses it: a murmur is absent in a meaningful share of affected cats, and a murmur in a young cat is often innocent. The exam is an echo by a cardiologist or a GP with cardiac training, and it should report 3 numbers — left ventricular wall thickness in diastole, left atrial to aortic ratio, and a note on systolic function. Most programmes use 5.5 mm as the wall threshold and 1.6 as the LA/Ao ceiling; a cat above both is out, and a cat between the 2 gets a re-check in 6 months rather than a decision. Cost runs $250-500, and the result is valid for 12 months.
Check 2: hips, knees, and the spine
Hip dysplasia is uncommon in cats but common enough in Maine Coons and Bengals to be worth a film. The set is 2 views — ventrodorsal and lateral — read either by the practice or by a scoring scheme, and the number that matters is the Norberg angle, with 105 degrees as a working pass line. Knees get checked in the same session: patellar luxation at grade 2 or higher is a fail, and grade 1 is a note for the record. Cost is $150-350 including sedation.
Check 3: FIV and FeLV, with a 30-day window
Both tests must be negative within 30 days of mating, and within 14 days of the exam is better. A cat with an unknown history or a recent bite wound needs 2 tests 60-90 days apart, because a negative result in the first weeks after exposure proves nothing. Ask for the test platform: a rapid test and a PCR answer different questions, and a positive rapid result in a healthy cat needs confirmation first. Cost is $40-90 for the pair, or $120-200 with PCR confirmation.
Check 4: the DNA panel, both cats
Order the breed-relevant panel for both sides, not just the one you suspect. The standard list is HCM (A31P and, in Ragdolls, R820W), PKD in Persians and related lines, PRA-b in Bengals and other breeds, SMA in Maine Coons, and blood type. Two carriers of the same recessive variant is a stop for that pairing. One carrier mated to a clear cat is acceptable on paper but produces 50% carriers, which matters if the kittens go to other breeders. Turnaround is 10-14 days from a cheek swab, cost $90-200 per cat for a 4-6 gene panel.
Check 5: semen, or a vaginal swab
The tom gets a semen evaluation where a lab offers one: volume, concentration, progressive motility, and morphology, with a total motile count as the working figure. The queen gets a guarded vaginal swab and cytology, cultured for 48 hours, taken before any mating in the cycle. The rule is a combination: a heavy pure growth with neutrophils on cytology is treated, a light mixed growth is usually left alone. Cost is $80-200, the cheapest test in the set.
Check 6: dental, and the rest of the mouth
Dental disease is the most under-tested item on the list and the one that most often delays a mating. A full oral exam under sedation with intraoral films, 4 views minimum, finds root resorption and fractured carnassials that look fine from the outside. Stage 2 periodontal disease with mobility is a fail until treated; extractions need 4-6 weeks before the gum has closed well enough for a queen to eat normally through a pregnancy. Cost is $300-700 including cleaning and films, more if 2 or more teeth come out.
The fail lines, in one table
| Check | Pass line | Fail line | Cost (USD) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Echo | Wall under 5.5 mm, LA/Ao under 1.6 | Wall 6.0 mm or more, or LA/Ao 1.8 or more | 250-500 |
| Hips | Norberg angle 105 degrees or more | Under 100 degrees, or patella grade 2 or higher | 150-350 |
| FIV/FeLV | Negative within 30 days | Positive on confirmation | 40-90 |
| DNA panel | Clear, or 1 carrier of 1 variant | 2 carriers of the same variant | 90-200 |
| Swab or semen | 0 colonies, or light mixed growth | Heavy pure growth with neutrophils | 80-200 |
| Dental | Stage 1 or clean | Stage 2 with mobility, untreated | 300-700 |
The full set, done properly on both cats, lands at $900-2,000. That is 1-2 kittens' worth of sale price, and it is the cheapest part of a breeding programme; a single HCM-positive litter costs more in refunds and reputation than 10 exams.
One abnormal result, three options
An abnormal finding is not automatically a retirement. There are 3 sane responses: treat and re-test inside a stated interval (30 days for a uterine or vaginal finding, 6 months for a borderline echo), change the pairing so the risk is halved, or retire the cat from breeding and keep it as a pet. What is not a response is breeding anyway and disclosing later. A cat with a grade 3 patella or a 6.5 mm wall should not be bred, whatever the pedigree says.
Five steps for this cycle
- Book the echo and the hip films for 8-12 weeks before the planned mating, on the same day if possible.
- Post the DNA swabs on day 1, so the 10-14 day turnaround lands before the re-check visit.
- Time the FIV/FeLV test inside the 30-day window, not at the start of the workup.
- Do the dental under the same sedation as the hips, and book 4-6 weeks of healing if an extraction is likely.
- Write the pass and fail lines into your own record before results arrive, so the decision is not made by hope.
Compare the panel you order against the tests that change a pairing decision, and read the carrier rules before you pay for a test whose result you have not decided how to use. Add the full set to the cost calculator next to the litter's expected costs, because the exam is a fixed cost and the litter is not.
Terms mentioned in this article
Frequently asked
Can one normal echo clear a cat for life?
No. HCM can develop later, and a normal scan at 18 months says little about a cat at 4 years. Most programmes repeat the echo every 12 months while the cat is breeding, and a cat with a borderline wall thickness gets a re-check at 6 months. Two normal echoes 12 months apart, both after age 2, carry far more weight than one scan on a young cat.
Is a carrier of one HCM variant safe to breed?
It can be, if the partner is clear for the same variant, because the resulting kittens are at most carriers and none are affected. The catch is that 50% of the litter will carry it forward, which matters if those kittens go to other breeders. Test the partner before the mating, disclose the carrier status in writing, and do not pair 2 carriers.
What if the FIV/FeLV test is positive but the cat looks healthy?
Confirm before deciding anything. A positive rapid test in a healthy cat can be a false positive, and the confirmation path is a different platform plus a repeat in 60-90 days. A confirmed positive cat should not be bred, and should not share bowls or litter with negative cats. The result also changes the plan for any kittens already in the house.