Heya. I just registered.. time to make a first post.
I am also, like a previous poster I noticed, looking to get into breeding cats.
However, I feel some background is required, and I'm feeling rather wordy today, please excuse me.
I have loved animals of all types, especially felines, ever since I was a small girl. I have had the divine pleasure to befriend a variety of cats over the ages, but the one cat who really changed my life and revamped my opinion of cat companions has been my favourite big boy, Velcro.
Velcro was found by my fiance's mother, mewling hungrily in a pile of dirty leaves since he was left abandoned alone in front of the video rental store she worked at. He obviously wasn't feral, and far too young to be away from his mother. Being the avid animal lover I am, when she called me and asked, my beau and I immidiately dropped everything and went out to go try to help.
When we arrived at the store and I saw the little black ball of distressed fur trying to lap milk formula from a straw, I fell in love. We took the kitten home and I became his momma, fretting and trying to figure out what would be best to feed him. The internet is great, as I found out how to make a substitute to last me a day until I could get to the vet. After that, with a syringe, a little bottle, some KMR and lots and lots of lovey hours, my kitten thrived. It made me a very proud kittenmom to watch him grow healthier and his sweet-natured personality has always been charming. I had to deal with worms, shots, check-ups and the bills for that, but managed it all.
Fast forward to now. I've been fostering a fiesty litter of five ever since they were rescued from a very neglective household a couple months ago. Two of them are leaving to a assuredly nice home next week, and although people are interested in the others, I want to try to give a pair away instead of completely seperating the tightly knit group of siblings.
But to the point. Caring for cats is expensive, yes, but affordable with my resources, and the labor to do so is not a chore to me. The cats herd around me as I do my daily business, and even the litterbox isn't that bad when I have the company of creatures with such character.
I have a high desire to aquire a queen or two, raise litters, attend cat shows... basically to try some of the things I've come to admire so much.
Can anyone help with some (probably standard) questions?
Should I get a queen and a male, or just one? How can I find out about stud cats in my area, if I shouldn't own an unnutered male? How can I find a queen with attractive bloodlines? Is there anywhere to find dates of cat shows in my area (Raleigh, North Carolina)? Do I need any sort of permit to breed, or do you have to have a breed a certian number of animals to require it?
Whew. Sorry for such a long-winded introduction post! I guess I feel bookish. THANKS for reading!
I am also, like a previous poster I noticed, looking to get into breeding cats.
However, I feel some background is required, and I'm feeling rather wordy today, please excuse me.
I have loved animals of all types, especially felines, ever since I was a small girl. I have had the divine pleasure to befriend a variety of cats over the ages, but the one cat who really changed my life and revamped my opinion of cat companions has been my favourite big boy, Velcro.
Velcro was found by my fiance's mother, mewling hungrily in a pile of dirty leaves since he was left abandoned alone in front of the video rental store she worked at. He obviously wasn't feral, and far too young to be away from his mother. Being the avid animal lover I am, when she called me and asked, my beau and I immidiately dropped everything and went out to go try to help.
When we arrived at the store and I saw the little black ball of distressed fur trying to lap milk formula from a straw, I fell in love. We took the kitten home and I became his momma, fretting and trying to figure out what would be best to feed him. The internet is great, as I found out how to make a substitute to last me a day until I could get to the vet. After that, with a syringe, a little bottle, some KMR and lots and lots of lovey hours, my kitten thrived. It made me a very proud kittenmom to watch him grow healthier and his sweet-natured personality has always been charming. I had to deal with worms, shots, check-ups and the bills for that, but managed it all.
Fast forward to now. I've been fostering a fiesty litter of five ever since they were rescued from a very neglective household a couple months ago. Two of them are leaving to a assuredly nice home next week, and although people are interested in the others, I want to try to give a pair away instead of completely seperating the tightly knit group of siblings.
But to the point. Caring for cats is expensive, yes, but affordable with my resources, and the labor to do so is not a chore to me. The cats herd around me as I do my daily business, and even the litterbox isn't that bad when I have the company of creatures with such character.
I have a high desire to aquire a queen or two, raise litters, attend cat shows... basically to try some of the things I've come to admire so much.
Can anyone help with some (probably standard) questions?
Should I get a queen and a male, or just one? How can I find out about stud cats in my area, if I shouldn't own an unnutered male? How can I find a queen with attractive bloodlines? Is there anywhere to find dates of cat shows in my area (Raleigh, North Carolina)? Do I need any sort of permit to breed, or do you have to have a breed a certian number of animals to require it?
Whew. Sorry for such a long-winded introduction post! I guess I feel bookish. THANKS for reading!