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What are the risks if brother and sister cats mate and have kittens?

Updated On September 23rd, 2025

Pet's info: Cat | American Shorthair | Female | unspayed | 1 year and 6 months old

Can sister and brother cat mate and have normal Kittens

3 Answers

Most Helpful Answer

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Answered By Jennifer Summerfield, DVM CPDT-KA

Veterinarian, Certified Dog Trainer

Published on November 6th, 2016

It would not be recommended for a brother and sister to mate, since there is a higher risk of genetic problems with such close relatives mating. The kittens from such a mating may be perfectly normal, or they may suffer from birth defects - there is no way to tell until they are born.

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33Pet Parents found this answer helpful

Other Answers

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    Answered By Dr. Melanie, BVSc MS

    Veterinarian

    Published on

    There is a possibility, but it's impossible to know for sure until after the kittens are born. It depends on the arrangement of the genes, and as I said in a previous question, the likelihood of recessive genes being expressed is higher in a brother/sister mating. You won't know if the kittens are normal for sure until after they are born, but it is never recommended to mate siblings. I would get the brother neutered now to prevent future matings.

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    21Pet Parents found this answer helpful

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    Answered By Jessica Keay, DVM

    Veterinarian

    Published on September 5th, 2019

    It is not recommended to breed siblings as this can increase the chance of genetic problems and diseases that may not be apparent in the cats now, but when bred together the offspring may aquire both recessive genes resulting in disease or defect being present.

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    1Pet Parents found this answer helpful

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