How To Become Cat Breeder

Becoming a cat breeder is a rewarding experience. But it’s also a lot of work. It takes a lot of knowledge and patience to get your cats ready for breeding and then to care for the kittens once they’re born.

Before you start, make sure that you’ve done your research on how to become a cat breeder. This will help you find out what you need to do in order to get started, as well as what kind of supplies and other things will be required of you while raising kittens.

Once you’ve done your research, it’s time to start looking into where you’re going to get your first litter of kittens from. There are many places where you can find them—your local shelter, friends who breed cats, or even online websites that specialize in helping people find cats for breeding purposes.

Once you’ve found someone willing to sell their kittens to you, all that’s left is taking care of them until they’re old enough for breeding!

How To Become Cat Breeder

Starting a cat breeding business requires a considerable amount of time, money and preparation. Many cat breeders do not make a profit, and some do not manage to break even after the cost of medical bills, food and other supplies. According to interviews of cat breeders in the United States, Canada, South Africa, Europe and Australia conducted by Barbara C. French for an article published in a 1997 issue of “Cats” magazine, only 12 percent of the breeders included in the research reported that they regularly broke even or made money.

Learn as much as you can about the breed you intend to work with for your cat breeding business. Make sure you know the breed’s ideal physical characteristics and any potential health problems associated with the breed. Talk to other breeders for information and advice.

https://googleads.g.doubleclick.net/pagead/ads?client=ca-pub-3235755782694080&output=html&h=280&slotname=8043954513&adk=619412173&adf=3158280059&pi=t.ma~as.8043954513&w=636&fwrn=4&fwrnh=100&lmt=1657818083&rafmt=1&psa=0&format=636×280&url=https%3A%2F%2Fanimals.mom.com%2Fhow-to-start-a-cat-breeding-business-12266034.html&fwr=0&rpe=1&resp_fmts=3&wgl=1&uach=WyJXaW5kb3dzIiwiMTAuMC4wIiwieDg2IiwiIiwiMTAzLjAuNTA2MC4xMTQiLFtdLG51bGwsbnVsbCwiNjQiLFtbIi5Ob3QvQSlCcmFuZCIsIjk5LjAuMC4wIl0sWyJHb29nbGUgQ2hyb21lIiwiMTAzLjAuNTA2MC4xMTQiXSxbIkNocm9taXVtIiwiMTAzLjAuNTA2MC4xMTQiXV0sZmFsc2Vd&dt=1657818082609&bpp=14&bdt=1073&idt=401&shv=r20220707&mjsv=m202207070101&ptt=9&saldr=aa&abxe=1&prev_fmts=0x0&nras=1&correlator=157025237425&frm=20&pv=1&ga_vid=741735503.1657818082&ga_sid=1657818082&ga_hid=2146992499&ga_fc=1&ga_cid=1670801639.1657818083&u_tz=60&u_his=3&u_h=768&u_w=1366&u_ah=728&u_aw=1366&u_cd=24&u_sd=1&dmc=4&adx=191&ady=826&biw=1349&bih=625&scr_x=0&scr_y=0&eid=44759875%2C44759926%2C44759842%2C31068380%2C42531606&oid=2&pvsid=2467704654994830&tmod=843322164&uas=0&nvt=1&ref=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.google.com%2F&eae=0&fc=1920&brdim=0%2C0%2C0%2C0%2C1366%2C0%2C1366%2C728%2C1366%2C625&vis=1&rsz=%7C%7CepEbr%7C&abl=CS&pfx=0&fu=128&bc=31&ifi=2&uci=a!2&btvi=1&fsb=1&xpc=MuyLQr0zkq&p=https%3A//animals.mom.com&dtd=422

Consider showing an altered cat of your chosen breed before you start breeding. Showing your cats demonstrates that you are serious about your business and gives you opportunities to network with other breeders and breed enthusiasts.

Make sure that you have space for your breeding cats and the litters they will produce. You’ll need a separate area of your home, preferably a whole room, where you can tend to your cats and kittens without safety issues, interruptions or disturbances.

Analyze your financial situation. Starting a cat breeding business requires a large up-front investment. If you use too much credit, you may find yourself in debt that you cannot afford to pay back. Veterinary bills for breeders often cost hundreds of dollars and pet insurance does not always cover breeding-related veterinary bills. Most cat breeders see their business as more of a hobby, and they desire to contribute to their chosen breed by producing healthy kittens with good temperaments.

Research your local laws and your lease if you are renting a space. Some cities and towns only allow a certain number of animals per household. If you rent, check with your landlord or read over your lease terms to see if there is anything prohibiting you from breeding or from having more than a specific number of animals.

Consider your ability to deal with stillbirths and kitten deaths. These heartbreaks are part of the breeding business. While you can keep problems to a minimum by breeding healthy cats and making sure your litters are well cared for, stillbirths and deaths still happen.

Purchase a queen (female for breeding) from a reputable breeder. The cat you select for your first queen should be an example of the best qualities of the breed. Research its pedigree and make sure that it does not have a history of inherited diseases. Ask other trusted breeders to evaluate the cat before you buy it. Ensure the cat has papers and is registered as a certified member of its breed with the Cat Fanciers’ Association.

Ask other breeders for recommendations for a stud cat. Most cat breeders do not start out with their own stud due to the additional considerations and preparations that must be made for a stud, such as dealing with spraying.

Register your cattery name and every litter you produce with the Cat Fanciers’ Association so that your kittens can be shown in the future.

Talk to a certified public accountant to determine how to manage your cat breeding business for tax purposes. Keep detailed records of your expenditures and profits, including receipts.

Brought to you by Cuteness

REFERENCES

PHOTO CREDITS

WRITER BIO

See More Animals

How Much Do Maine Coon Cats Weigh?

How to Figure Stud Fees When Breeding Dogs

What Cat Breed Can Live the Longest?

How to Breed Sows After Farrowing

Related Posts

Popular Posts

Editor’s Picks

PROBLEMS WITH INBREEDING CATS

By Betty Lewis | Updated November 01, 2017

Cat breeders have long used inbreeding — mating closely related cats — as a way to distinguish and promote their lines. Inbreeding allows them to produce predictable, uniform kittens with no surprises, good or bad. Though the breeder knows exactly what to expect a healthy kitten to look like, there is a downside to inbreeding. Too much inbreeding can produce cats with depressed immune systems and other health issues.

Inbreeding for Predictability

Mating closely related cats — brother and sister, father and daughter, mother and son or half-siblings — is referred to as inbreeding. Some breed aficionados find value in inbreeding’s ability to produce outstanding specimens of a breed. Breeders use it to fix traits in their cats, making their lines identifiable and prized. The related cats with the desired traits are mated and eventually — sometimes as quickly as a generation or two — the traits become uniform, passing on the genes for the trait, known as breed true. This allows breeders to know how the offspring will look.

Inbreeding is not limited to breeders; anytime two unaltered cats are together, chances are strong that nature will take its course. After all, cats don’t understand the taboo and potential problems of inbreeding.

Inheriting Problems

International Cat Care states that inbreeding increases the risk of the development of genetic defects. The organization acknowledges both pedigree and nonpedigree cats are vulnerable to inherited diseases, however they’re more likely to occur in pedigree cats.

Even though some breeds are more inbred than others, it’s difficult to state that one breed is genetically healthier than another. Though a breed may have more identified diseases than another it only means that there’s been greater identification of a disease, not necessarily that it has a higher number of inherited diseases. International Cat Care notes the exception to this “rule” is for a breed specifically bred for a disorder, such as Scottish folds and Persians, where the breeds are developed based on a gene mutation that’s ultimately harmful to the cat.

Inbreeding Problems

The benefits to inbreeding include predictability and the elimination of unwanted traits. As recessive genes appear, they can be eliminated by selective breeding. However, there are additional problems with inbreeding cats. As strengths are doubled, weaknesses are doubled as well. The Cat Fanciers Association of America notes that inbreeding may lead to immune deficiencies, more congenital abnormalities and cats that don’t grow to their potential.

Overbreeding Inbreds

Signs of excessive inbreeding include regular small litter sizes (one or two kittens), crooked noses, misaligned jaws, abnormal eye set and asymmetry. Male and females may experience low fertility and cancer is more common in younger cats. Immune system deficiencies are clear if half a litter or a group of adults die from a simple infection.

Other Breeding Possibilities

A breeder may take the slow route to purity through line breeding, mating cats who are less closely related, such as cousins or grandparent to grandchild. The kittens produced are predictable; though genetic decline still occurs, it happens at a slower rate than inbreeding. Outcrossing, mating unrelated cats within the same breed, is not as consistent as inbreeding and line breeding, however, the line’s vigor is improved, while maintaining a “pure” line. Unrelated cats of different breeds are hybrids, and though they’re “impure,” they are generally healthier cats with stronger immune systems.

REFERENCES

PHOTO CREDITS

See More Animals

How to Check If Dog Has Two Testicles

Death From Feline Kidney Disease

How to Care for Teacup Kittens

What Types of Cats Have Blue Eyes?

Related Posts

Popular Posts

Editor’s Picks

Animals.mom.com

HOW TO START A HOME-BASED BUSINESS BREEDING DOGS

By Cognac | Updated September 26, 2017

Things You’ll Need

Many a dog fancier or enthusiast has made the plunge by turning his passion for dogs into a business. It can be rewarding on many levels, but it also has the potential to be emotionally and financially devastating. Whenever possible, consult with experts and research to reduce costly mistakes. With hard work and dedication, you can be breeding puppies that go on to be champions and life-long friends—all while making a profit.

Dog Breeding Business

Investigate local and state laws and regulations closely. In some places, there are no permits, licensing or zoning requirements. In others, even owning two dogs for breeding purposes may require you to file paperwork or meet certain requirements before proceeding.

Decide what breed you are going to focus on. Pick a breed you’re passionate about and that is suitable for the area in which you live. Explore what breeds are popular, and look for local competitors. “Designer breeds” such as Labradoodles are not purebred or A.K.C. (American Kennel Club) or C.K.C. (Canadian Kennel Club) registerable. When the fad fades, so will the demand.

Check your home owner’s insurance to make sure it will cover any theft of your dogs, or if one of your dogs should bite a customer.

Make sure your yard or runs are dog-proof. Create a secure, climate controlled area where you can keep the dogs, inside your house or out. Keeping dogs in small kennels (crates) around the clock is inhumane.

Purchase the best breeding-age representatives you can afford. Females are more important since you can arrange for shipped semen and do not need to keep a male. If you start with puppies, they will cost less but you will have no idea of their adult quality, and will need to wait a year or more to breed them.

Maintain a website to help you sell puppies all across the country and around the world. In addition, you can do A.K.C. (American Kennel Club) record-keeping and registration online. Consider purchasing dog breeding software. Good record keeping is essential or the I.R.S. may consider you a “hobby” breeder. Market locally and via the Internet.

Learn to groom, trim toe nails, brush teeth and giving worming and vaccinations to save money. Your dogs will need a veterinarian in case of illness, to give rabies vaccines and issue health certificates for puppies.

Price puppies according to market, gender, quality, color and the parent’s accomplishments. Socialize and start training on all puppies prior to sale. Send a puppy kit containing food, pedigree, registration papers and health records with each pup. Keep in contact with the owners and update your website with any newer pictures and accomplishments.

Leave a Reply