Breeding

I have given this a lot of thought and have decided to become a breeder and dealer .I would be very thankful for any support you ladies can give me.I want to spend this summer learning as much as possible so i will not be walking into this blind .I am planning to start breeding next summer.

You scare me! Breeder/DEALER is NOT loving the breed of cat. Sounds like you only want money-making animals - not bettering the breed. What cats are you considering?

Breeding is not throwing 2 cats together; having a litter; selling them as a "dealer" - that's NOT the purpose for purebred cats. And you don't just "start this summer" either.

Breeding is studying lines, genetics, health issues, breed standards. You show your cats to champion/grand champion. You only breed the best to the best. It takes YEARS to be a good breeder.

If you think its about money - please DON'T go there. Its enough backyard breeders/dealers/kitten mills out there now.

Go to cat shows look at the breeds and decide what breed you want to work with. Talk with breeders and get a cat to show in premiership first. Showing in premiership you will learn about the standard of your chosen breed, you will learn the lines you like and dislike, you will meet other breeders who you will be able to work with. If you do not show in premiership first it will be impossible to get good quality breeding cats to start your cattery with.

Oh no i'm not doing it for the money lol that's for sure .More as a hobby .I guess dealer was the wrong word to say .I said next summer as i want to get as much advice and learn as much as possible .Cat showing is something i defo want to do.I love cats.I know it takes years to become a good breeder .It comes with experience like most things in life.I would never become a back yard breeder and dealer as that is just not me .I alway's put 100% into everything i do .I never short cut or go into anything blind.I can understand your anger but this is why i am here to get help and advice from people who have experience.

Originally Posted by kitytize

Go to cat shows look at the breeds and decide what breed you want to work with. Talk with breeders and get a cat to show in premiership first. Showing in premiership you will learn about the standard of your chosen breed, you will learn the lines you like and dislike, you will meet other breeders who you will be able to work with. If you do not show in premiership first it will be impossible to get good quality breeding cats to start your cattery with.

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That is very good advice. I think it's essential to show a neuter first before you start breeding so that you become familiar with the breed, know what is desirable and what isn't etc. and meet other breeders. Also, most good breeders will not give you a breeding cat if you have no experience with the breed - they will want to know that you are already familiar with the breed and the breed standard and be sure that you want to breed for the right reasons.

Thanks for the advice .I don't know much about cat shows so will take a look on the net and go to as many cat shows as i can.Meeting and getting to know other local breeders will be great support and advice.

Ok, then take your time. First of all you need to know what kind of cat you want. Most quality breeders will NOT sell you a breeding cat till you have been "initated" into showing cats and get to know the other breeders. You may find out that you don't like showing at all; or that breeding is more then you really want to handle.

I would only set a goal to buy the best one you can afford in showing; show that cat to grand champion (you have CFA, ACFA, TICA mainly here in the US) and while you are doing that - STUDY the breed inside and out. Know the standard so you can tell pet from show; know the history of the breed; know the genetics/health problems of the breed. I will tell you that its not a wise thing to start with cats like Manx or Scottish Folds for breeding - those breeds are more difficult cause of the genetics then most other breeds.

I started showing HHP's, then got a purebred about 5 yrs later - then another 5 yrs before breeding. You also need to have a mind set of how many cats you want in a breeding program - you cannot keep them all! And if you wind up with a breeding male - he must be caged or in his own room and not be able to run free in the house; as he will spray. He also needs more then one female to keep him healthy/happy.

So my advice is to start with a neutered male in your chosen breed and go from there.

This is good to know .Good breeders are happy to teach and give people like me advice on the pedigree we choose to breed .Make sure we know the breed ,what we are doing.I do have a breed in mind Persian.

I said i wanted to start breeding next summer but this was before all the advice ,i'm not in any hurry as want to do this professionally.So will stick to cat shows and getting to know breeders for a while.

Sounds like you are now headed in the right direction Persians are the hardest breed to groom and have the most competition. You will see tons of this breed at CFA shows. I also wanted to mention the CFA mentor program. After you go to a show or shows and for sure decide on your breed I recommend going to the CFA website and signing up for the mentor program.

Thanks for the site information will be signing up.

We really don't need more breeders to be honest! We are highly overpopulated with cats as is. There is no promise that you will be able to find your suspected kittens a loving and caring home! Breeding is not to be takin lightly...It requires knowledge of genetics and alot of experience! It scares me how many people choose to go this route without having the proper knowledge or background on the matter! WE DO NOT NEED anymore cats, there are so many in need of homes as is! I feel you will be not only be contributing to the overpopulation but will be going about this irresponsibly! To no offense you will not find much support on this matter...unless you have the money, equipment, shelter, and education to go about this?

Originally Posted by trixie23

We really don't need more breeders to be honest! We are highly overpopulated with cats as is. There is no promise that you will be able to find your suspected kittens a loving and caring home! Breeding is not to be takin lightly...It requires knowledge of genetics and alot of experience! It scares me how many people choose to go this route without having the proper knowledge or background on the matter! WE DO NOT NEED anymore cats, there are so many in need of homes as is! I feel you will be not only be contributing to the overpopulation but will be going about this irresponsibly! To no offense you will not find much support on this matter...unless you have the money, equipment, shelter, and education to go about this?

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We are overpopulated with moggies not pedigreeds. It is not fair to compare the 2. By going to shows and showing in premiership first is very responsible. Finding support about responsible breeding programs is not hard to find. There are responsible breeders here on this site and at shows.

I do have the money .I don't have the equipment as of yet as i have so so so much to learn .I don't have shelter as of yet as have far to much to learn before walking into this hobby but have the space and money to create when and if it's ever needed as like goldenkitty45 said it may not be for me .Time will tell as i have all the time in the world .Won't rush into this. I may just show.

Settle down! Did I say all breeders where irresponsible, or that there were no breeders on this site??? No I think not...I said it is irresponsible to breed if you do not have proper knowledge on genetics, health issues, have previous experience, have followed a mentor of some kind, or have the capital (money) to support such a decision! As a generalization we are overpopulated as a whole...Ive seen many purebred breeds at Shelters! Im not knocking breeders, I think it is something that should only be done if you know what you are doing, I simply asked her if she had money, shelter, knowledge, etc for her decision! I see many cats of all kinds (purebreds and mixed breeds) in need of homes... You cannot argue that we are overpopulated (you cannot just generalize mixed breeds) otherwise we would not have TNR programs to deter this problem! I simply pointed out things that need to be considered before making such a commitment! Finally if you read my statement above I said "You will not find much support on this matter UNLESS you have money, knowledge, and experience" I DID NOT say she wouldn't find any support at all!

Originally Posted by caitlyn

I do have the money .I don't have the equipment as of yet as i have so so so much to learn .I don't have shelter as of yet as have far to much to learn before walking into this hobby but have the space and money to create when and if it's ever needed as like goldenkitty45 said it may not be for me .Time will tell as i have all the time in the world .Won't rush into this. I may just show.

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I thank you for not taking offense and for answering my questions simple as can be! Im glad that you intend to study up on this, gain experience, and save up for the long run! I wanted to point out the positive and negatives by grilling you more or less (it's how I work...lol sorry) and Im glad you have takien the positive and negative effects into thought! Whatever your decision I hope it all works out for you!

Oh it's fine lol .I can see why some people get angry you must here this all the time from people who are going into breeding blind thinking it's a easy quick buck .

Yep and that is why I freak sometimes! Backyard breeding is an issue everywhere, people just put two cats/dogs together without any thought and go with the flow! So I like to make sure people plan on going about it right and knowing what it really intales...In no way did I mean to insult your intelligence...I guess I am set off still by a post someone left on here yesterday about breeding tabbies (mixed breeds) just to get a kitten, because her cat (the one she wanted to breed) did not get along with a kitten she adopted as a companion (im assuming she got rid of the adopted kitten because the two couldn't get along)...So she figured if she bred the cat, that it would automatically get along with it's babies... She more or less stated that breeding her cat was the only way she could have another cat! So yes I question everyone's motives but I mean no harm!

Persian are one of the hardest in competition - you have to have a GREAT cat now to compete in championship or the alter classes. Believe me! I'd study the top cats in each association so you get an idea of what you are facing in the show ring. And top quality persian will NOT be cheap either! Expect to be paying close to $1,000 if you want competitive cats. And this is for an altered cat - the breeding ones will be higher.

Top cat this past season (2006-2007) in CFA is a gorgeous white persian. Charlie's breeder (Ocicat) got Best Kitten and 2nd Best Cat with her Oci year before - this year she only got a 6th Best Kitten for her one Oci and in the region took Best Kitten and 5th or 6th (I forgot) Best Kitten - showing 2 Oci's. Nancy campaigns her cats too - so the competition was really tough this year!

Here's a picture of him:

http://edenlover.com/

I'm glad that you've decided to take things slow.

Persian/Exotic breeding AND showing IMO is THE hardest breed(s) to do and do well. Since they are THE most popular breed, your foundation cats (ie. the first pair +2-3 more females) will not come very cheap at all if you intend to breed to the standard or better. The average price for the Eden Lover cats for example - basic show quality will set you back at least 3000 Euro per cat!

As for the breeding itself, Persians/Exotics have a slightly higher kitten mortality rate than most other breeds due to the cats facial structure among other things.

Showing - because there are a lot of Persian/Exotic breeders out there the standards are very very high and I really would recommend that you start off with a show neuter first. The correct grooming of these cats are essential to ensure that your cats do well in the show rings.

I agree with everyone. It is important that you attend a lot of cat shows first and perhaps start showing a HHP before you even contemplate breeding. Get to know the various breeds first, do exhaustive amounts of research and get to know your lines. A mentor is essential (I should know, I didn't have one really when I first started but I have many now) - at the very least a show mentor. You should also decide with which registry (at least in the beginning) you want to affiliate yourself with as well.

Good luck, you sound as if you're heading in the right direction!