Advice, questions, HELP!

I'm new here, and have some questions.  I've owned cats all my life.  All have been outside... the ones I tried to do inside (both male Maine Coons) were unaltered and sprayed EVERYWHERE.  My husband at the time told me this would NOT happen when we got them, and I very stupidly believed him.  I've been told, there is a window to fixing your cats that will prevent 99% of the spraying and marking, sometimes 100%... is this TRUE?!

Next, I still LOVE cats... always have.  I've always dreamed of getting a couple of Ragdolls.  I've also always loved the fact that the female cats that I did have (again, all outdoor cats who lived in the country) had kittens.  I loved caring for the kittens, waiting for their arrivals, and finding them new homes.  I just loved everything about it.  And with the recent passing of my latest kitty, I sooooo miss everything about her, and the idea of no more kittens.  I also, don't just want another outdoor cat having kittens that may or may not end up at the humane society.  I believe that when people pay a great deal for a purebreed cat, they have a hard time just turning them into the humane societies.  I would love to breed a specific breed... something I can be proud of, plan out, etc.  So, it dawned on me that I would really enjoy breeding.  However, the spraying is what is causing me to need to be sure this truly is the thing for my home.  Regardless, I will be getting a new kitty for our family, but the question lies, will she be altered, indoor, purebred.  I've decided that if I did decide to breed, I would not want to own the tom, but instead to get a stud from elsewhere.  Are there people who stud out their toms, and if so, what do I look for when looking for a stud? 

Also, should i go down the breeding route, for those of you with females only, do they spray all over your house... like, is this a constant thing? Or is it ONLY during the time she's in heat? How often will a female go into heat?? And when in heat, is it common for you to keep her in a secluded area until the heat is over (how long does this heat last?)? And not to be rude at all, but do your homes just reek of urine? Do they smell AT ALL of cat urine? How do you combat this in your homes?

Sorry for all of the quesitons, please help me out with any information and advice you can give.  I don't want to get into something I'm not going to follow through with which is why I'm here looking for the advice.  I obviously have a paranoia of my home smelling like a cats toilet as well, so please please please, be as honest and specific as you can so that I can have the absolute clearest picture of what living in a cattery truly is like.  The kittens and cats all sound like oodles of fun... until reality strikes and they've destroyed my home That's not a reality I want to dive into!! 

Thank you so much for all of your help!! I appreciate it very much! 

#justdoingmyhomework

to TCS!

There are a number of things to consider before deciding to breed. You'll find them summarized in this article:
So you think you want to become a breeder?

TCS is pro spaying/neutering, as is stated under Cat Care Policies, Guidelines and Stances in the forum rules

This is a pro-spay-and-neuter website. Please make sure to spay and neuter your cats. Unless you are a professional breeder and your cat is part of a professional breeding program, please educate yourself to the importance of spaying and neutering by the time your cat is 4-6 months old. If you take care of a feral colony, please make sure to do so responsibly by practicing TNR (Trap, Neuter, Release) protocols within the colony. Read More Here.

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As to spraying, many females do spray when they're in heat, and there's the added problem of the unneutered males she attracts to your property also coming and spraying. This article gives some pertinent information: Cat In Heat.

She also lifts her tail and sprays urine on objects. This is usually done on vertical objects like walls, doors and furniture rather than on the floor or carpet. This urine usually has a more serious odor than the odor left when urinating normally. Cat urine produced when in heat contains more estrogen, and this extreme cat urine smell lets male cats know your cat is in heat.

If your female cat shows most of these above symptoms, the chances are almost 100% that she is in heat!

Male cats that notice a female cat in heat will also change their behavior. They will become more restless and also spray their urine on objects. They may also start calling and howling, becoming more aggressive and territorial.

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If you're serious about becoming a breeder the articles jcat mentioned are a good place to start, but there is a lot more to it than that. First, if you're not passionate about a specific breed of cat, don't even consider going into it. Breeding is something you do to maintain the highest standards of a breed, including working toward the healthiest possible outcome. It's definitely not a money-making prospect.

Choose your breed and then research, research, research. Learn as much as you can about the breed, both positive and negative issues. Most breeders start out by getting a neutered cat to show. By getting involved with your association you can learn about the breed standards and meet other breeders as well as making a lot of new friends. I don't know that a mentor is a requirement, but it certainly is a huge advantage to the new breeder to have one.

Check out the association rules for constructing and registering a cattery. There are very specific standards. Not all breeders keep both queens and studs in their programs. Those who do have studs frequently keep them in a separate room or even a separate building. Oh yeah, did I mention that building a cattery is not cheap? :dollars::dollars::dollars: :nothappy:

Aside from the spraying issue, unaltered males have very strong smelling urine. If you're concerned about the smell in your house you may want to consider keeping only queens and paying stud fees to another breeder. This is where your relationship with the other breeders become very important.

So you're ready to get your first queen and start your breeding program. You should be aware that you could be looking at years, as opposed to weeks or months, to get through the preparation to this point.

This is another time when it's essential to have a good relationship with established breeders. They're not going to sell queen with breeding rights to just anyone off the street. But you finally have your queen and are ready to start having cute little kittens to adore.

Wait. Are you prepared for the heartbreak that goes along with breeding? We all know that some kitten just don't survive no matter how good the vet care we provide. But nothing can prepare your heart for the time your best queen delivers a litter of six premature kittens and you lose all six kittens and the queen.

If I haven't scared you away from breeding, choose your breed and go for it.

If all you're really wanting is kittens to raise, you might consider volunteering to foster for your local shelter. Depending on the shelter policies you might be asked to foster bottle babies, or it might be a pregnant cat that you foster until her kittens are old enough to be spayed/neutered and put up for adoption.

Good luck with whatever you decide.

Hmmmm... no. See this didn't even answer my questions. I've done all the research, I understand the heartbreaks and tribulations associated with owning a Cattery. Instead of trying to scare me from it as you put it, how about just give your PERSONAL experience. That's what I'm looking for.

Sorry, a thunderstorm is rolling through and I need to shut down my computer. I'll be back after the storm is over.

keysergal said:

Hmmmm... no. See this didn't even answer my questions. I've done all the research, I understand the heartbreaks and tribulations associated with owning a Cattery. Instead of trying to scare me from it as you put it, how about just give your PERSONAL experience. That's what I'm looking for.

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What @GoldyCat  is very true. I'm sorry to have to say that but it doesn't sound like you have done your research yet, not the way you should. I'm going to shoot a list of questions of you, but please do not read them as an attack. They're not meant  to be that. It's just a few of the things that anyone who wants to become a breeder needs to know. My purpose is just to show how complicated it actually is. Some of the things a breeder needs to know very well -

1. The breed standards
2. The breed's genetic makeup
3. Common health problems
4. The traits that need to be bred into the gene pool
5. The traits that need to be bred out of the gene pool
6. How to breed specific traits in and out?
7. How to care for breeding cats
8. Preparing the funds for complete vet care (it can get very expensive!)
9. The tests needed for a breeding queen, before, during and after pregnancy
10. How to deliver kittens - what to do if there are complications
11. What genetic testing is required for the breed
12. How to show the cats (and why)
13. How to register the cats (and why)

And there's lots more. I most definitely did not cover everything here.

I am not at all trying to deter you from becoming a breeder , by the way. I'm just trying to stress GoldyCat's points about the long way you have ahead of you. What you need is a good mentor, and for that you need to become acquainted with local breeders and local and national breed associations and registries. No ethical breeder will sell you cats with breeding rights unless you prove your expertise and have a mentor - usually the mentor is the one who will sell you the cats.

Worrying about male cats spraying in your house is really the least of your worries at this point. There's such a huge learning curve before that. In fact, many breeders don't keep breeding males in their catteries and instead opt for stud services. 

I applaud your decision not to let your cats have kittens that will end up dead or in the humane society. I also can relate to you wanting kittens around the house. Please be aware that purebred cats most certainly do end up in pounds and in the streets as well. People who buy from a backyard breeder do sometimes abandon their cats (ethical breeders always state in the contract that they will take back the cat at any point and for any reason). In fact, only this week I interviewed a lady who deals with purebred rescue. It is a huge problem.

My suggestion to you would be to pursue your passion for breeding Ragdolls, but do it the right way. Take at least a year to research, plan and find a mentor. In the meanwhile, foster pregnant cats or cats with young kittens. You will enjoy kittens in your home and help a local rescue too.

Good luck!

K keysergal I apologize if I misinterpreted your initial post. I was reading that you really enjoy caring for kittens so you thought about getting into breeding for the fun of it. Your main concern seems to be whether your house will smell like urine. I do not see anything in the post that tells us you've already done research on breeding. That's why I addressed the main issue of establishing a cattery and breeding cats rather than answering your specific questions. I'll try to do that now, based only on my own experience, not any scientific studies.

Just so you know where my experience lies, I am not a breeder. I do show cats in CFA, both Household Pets and purebred abyssinian, and I've gotten to know a number of breeders well. A few years ago I took in a pregnant stray and cared for her through her pregnancy, birthing, and raising the kittens. I have also fostered bottle babies for the local shelter.

Also, should i go down the breeding route, for those of you with females only, do they spray all over your house... like, is this a constant thing? Or is it ONLY during the time she's in heat? How often will a female go into heat?? And when in heat, is it common for you to keep her in a secluded area until the heat is over (how long does this heat last?)? And not to be rude at all, but do your homes just reek of urine? Do they smell AT ALL of cat urine? How do you combat this in your homes?

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Heat cycles will vary somewhat according to the breed, but individual cats can be very different as well. This is where your mentor can give you a better feel for how it works in your breed.

I didn't get my first two cats spayed as early as I should have. () They're litter mates so you might expect their cycles to be similar. Not so. Shareena had her first heat at 4 months and cycled every 3 weeks without fail. She was very loud throughout the heat as well. Miss Patchwillow started later and cycled about every 6 weeks, with an almost silent heat. Neither of them ever sprayed and I never noticed a difference in the smell of their urine while they were in heat.

I have another cat who was spayed before she ever had a heat. She sprays when she gets upset, and yes that stinks but not as much as an unaltered male.

I visited the breeder before I bought my abyssinian. She had all of the queens and kittens in the main part of her home. It was very clean and I didn't smell any urine odor. Her stud was in his own catio and I didn't go in there but there was no smell coming through into the house.

Are there people who stud out their toms, and if so, what do I look for when looking for a stud?

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It's a common practice for breeders to share studs, or contract for stud services with another breeder. This is partly because not everyone wants a stud in their cattery, and partly so their lines don't become too inbred. You want to look for a stud who is an excellent example of the breed. That generally means a cat who has been shown to at least Champion, and preferably Grand Champion, status, since that's your proof that he meets the breed standards. There are reasons why a cat may not be a Grand Champion but still be an excellent stud--some cats just don't like showing. The owner of the stud should provide you with his pedigree at least three generations back. It's always good if there are multiple Grand Champions, Regional Winners, National Winners, etc. in the line. You may pay higher stud fees for a proven stud. That is one who has already sired show quality kittens. Again, your mentor can help you find the best stud for your program.

Where are you located? Which association do you plan to register your cattery with? I know some about CFA but am not really familiar with TICA.