Answer
Most animals are not discriminate about breeding with close relatives, and matings between brother and sister, parent and child, and more distant relatives are very common. This is especially common when one dominant male holds the sole right to mate. This is not the case with feral cats, but more dominant males are still more likely to have access to more females, some of which they will be related to.
In captivity, cats are often deliberately crossbred with close relatives. This is called linecrossing and this is how breeds are created - by selectively breeding related individuals together to select for one trait and try to remove other traits, which may be genetically dominant, from the gene pool.
First answer by LauraFrog. Last edit by LauraFrog. Contributor trust: 222 [recommend contributor]. Question popularity: 16 [recommend question]
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