I am considering setting myself up as a pedigree cat breeder. I want to do it ethically and responsibly - does anybody on here have advice on how to do that?

You might get better responce in the pet section

There are a great many questions that you need to consider before you embark on such a project.

Here are just a few
As I have no idea of your current knowledge and experience, please do not find some of these questions offensive or demeaning

Are you hoping to make money from such an activity? You won’t! Cat breeding is an expensive hobby! Ask the Inland Revenue!

Do you own a pedigree cat already? If you do, did the breeder say that it was ok to breed, with her?

Does the cat go out? Very few stud owners would entertain you if it did.

Do you have the commitment to breed cats? A litter could be a 6 month commitment. Waiting for her to call, taking her to stud, a 9 week pregnancy, and 13 weeks after that before you can sell the kittens.

Have you been to a cat show? This is the place to make contacts about studs etc and to see if you have the right cat for breeding.

You may feel that these queations are trying to put you off breeding, they are not they are trying to make you consider the commitment you are thinking of taking on, if you wish to do it responsibly.
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My wife and I have owned, bred and shown pedigree cats for nearly 25 years. If you wish to talk to me in more detail contact me off list md1shp@googlemail.com

A plug for local cat shows
Northern Siamese CC March-April
Noth of Britain Longhair and Semi long Hair CC Dec, both in Sheffield.
Yorkshire CountyCat Club (over 700 cats) Doncaster.

Steve P

You might find useful information here www.gccfcat s.org the governing body of the cat fancy and here http://www.fabcats.org/index.php the feline advisory bureau.

There are a great many questions that you need to consider before you embark on such a project.

Here are just a few
As I have no idea of your current knowledge and experience, please do not find some of these questions offensive or demeaning

Are you hoping to make money from such an activity? You won’t! Cat breeding is an expensive hobby! Ask the Inland Revenue!

Do you own a pedigree cat already? If you do, did the breeder say that it was ok to breed, with her?

Does the cat go out? Very few stud owners would entertain you if it did.

Do you have the commitment to breed cats? A litter could be a 6 month commitment. Waiting for her to call, taking her to stud, a 9 week pregnancy, and 13 weeks after that before you can sell the kittens.

Have you been to a cat show? This is the place to make contacts about studs etc and to see if you have the right cat for breeding.

You may feel that these queations are trying to put you off breeding, they are not they are trying to make you consider the commitment you are thinking of taking on, if you wish to do it responsibly.
.
My wife and I have owned, bred and shown pedigree cats for nearly 25 years. If you wish to talk to me in more detail contact me off list md1shp@googlemail.com

A plug for local cat shows
Northern Siamese CC March-April
Noth of Britain Longhair and Semi long Hair CC Dec, both in Sheffield.
Yorkshire CountyCat Club (over 700 cats) Doncaster.

Steve P

Hi there- I would echo what Steve has posted - its doubtful you'll make money from it- you'd need to set yourself up with at least one good quality breeding female maybe more as it wouldnt be fair to keep breeding from the same cat - and if you have stud males you wont be able to keep them in the home (un neutured cats = constant spraying!) and although on paper each kitten sold sounds like a lot of income, by the time youve taken account of vet care, injections, microchipping, food, litter and all other costs you'd have to incur during their time with you (a minimum of 13 weeks, assuming you manage to find new homes for every kitten that is born), you're probably on a loser- especially when you take into account the need to advertise and getting actively involved in the Cat Showing world.

More potential pedigree cat owners are becoming canny about who and where to obtain a new kitten from and they will opt for the ones from established breeders who show regularly and do well in the cat showing world.

A lot can go wrong during a pregnancy and you would need to be prepared to spay a female who is not suitable for breeding (and then consider whether you will keep or rehome her), so you may have invested a lot of money in a cat that you cannot breed from.

You'd have to ensure your breeding stock was fully vaccinated and not allowed to wander outside- if there is even the slightest chance that they could come into contact with a rogue male or an infected cat, you've got problems.

There are a lot of established breeders out there already (youve only got to look on the Our Cats, Your Cat and Cat World websites - as well as the GCFC website, to see that) so a lot of competition already exists - you'd have to have something that compares with or surpasses what is already on offer otherwise you could find yourself stuck with a litter.

When we purchased our first ever 4 posh cats in 2003/4 (a maine coon, a wegie, a havana and a bengal- we couldnt decide which breed to go fo and my gullible partner agreed we could have one of each in the end), we did a heck of a lot of research about each breed and went for breeders who were well known in the cat world and pedigree lines that were established and medically sound- and who advertised in the right places - not the free ads. We also visited some dubious breeders who were nothing short of kitten farmers and gave them a wide berth.

Which breed are you considering and do you have a lot of experience and knowledge of that breed? If you're serious about breeding and can commit to the sorts of things Steve and others suggest, then good luck, but as said at the start, dont do it for the money - youve got to be passionate about the breed and about improving the breed.