what is it like to be a breeder?

I was just wondering what it is like to be a breeder? I have always wanted to be a breeder but just don't have the money for it! I was just wondering what it is like? I'm in love with british shorthairs and rag dolls. I would love to have a kitty rescue and be a breeder...a girl can dream!

There is tons of work involved trying to give everyone enough attention, brushing, vet appointments, kitten shots, ect. If you decide to do extras for the future owners you may incur the cost of micro-chipping, baby photos, take home toys, and blankets. The up side is all the love you get from your babies, some food companies have special programs for breeders. I earn free Royal Canin 15lb bags by saving the upc codes. Some vets offer breeders a discount for services. You meet tons of great people. If you decide to show as well, you double your circle of friends!

I really think it has it's up's and down's. If you do it with all the best for the cats, it's expensive. Whole cats always run a greater risk of medical problems. My girl Mayhem had to have a C-Section in Feb and at the time we spayed her because having kittens was an obvious problem. The vet bill for her and the kittens was $680.00. Then because she had a C-Section, she wasn't real sure about her kittens, so they had to be tube fed for 3 days until she took over. That was every 3 hours, even through the middle of the night. So, that was a good example of cost, and emotional stress.
If you have both males and females, you have to invest in some way to keep them seperate. We don't cage anyone, so it involved building a cattery for the males, which is also our office. I can't even think of how much this has cost, and we are still building. You also end up with at least 2 of every cat toy or piece of cat furniture
Rewards are having healthy happy kittens. Which is usually what breeding is about. When you produce cats who meet the standard, and they are well adjusted, you end up with happy owners as well.
We do show, so we have a whole set of friends who love cats as much as we do. It's also fun to get away with a few of your cats. When they do well, it shows what kind of breeder or owner you are.
Oh, and it's HARD to see them go, even if you know where they are going and it's going to be a great home! I have been known to cry a few times.

Hello Im Samantha ( call me Sam please ) and I have been breeding Persian & Exotic Cats for nearly 4 years and I have beeen showing them for nearly 10 years , To me breeding cats is great and a totally relaxing hobby , it has its ups ,
appon..showing , Getting B.I.S's and Winning B.A.Ms and reaching GoldDoubleGrandChampion Status
Having a kitten buyer , appreciate the new kitten friend ! and having a pal when you need a pal most is also an "up" The downs would be medical , but our HUGE number of cats normally dont get sick and rearly injure themself/ or get injured , Also as Sandie said the Ceasers can be at a cost , but since we are good buddz with our vet we normally get a good deal . Keep up the dream Princess Purr , Dreams are good and healthy and you never know dreams do come true ! :flash: , Britt sh's are cute , and so are the "waggies" we have alot of both over here in New Zealand , Does anyone else on thecatsite.com breed Persian/Exotic/Variants like me ???
I hope so they really are a lovable breed awww look what I just found Hey now that kitty looks exactly like a kittie we bred called "Captivating Time to Shine" or Craming Soda for short that we exported to Austrlia last year
I have been a member of this site for about umm half an hour and I am enjoying it so much , i hope that you are enjoying my posts


Awww Misty and Nanook and Sherbet and allllllll the others are gorgeous , Well Done and remember kee up that dream !!!!Sandie and Dragonlady brought up some good points Keep us posted

Sam ( wellingtoncats )

Here is an interesting article about breeding. Cathy (CathyG user name) emailed this article to me, and i thought it would great to share with everyone.

http://amjoie.cattery.net/bebreed.html

If anyone is thinking about breeding, this article contains several helpful tips and advice.

Cheers!