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ABOUT BREEDING CATS
Determining the Reputability of a Breeder
The defining difference between that of a Reputable Breeder and a “kitten producer” is the concern and the responsibility the person shows towards his/her breed, breeding program, fellow breeders, and his/her individual charges; cats/kittens and purchasers thereof.
The Reputable Breeder spends large amounts of time and money on that which he/she believes to be for the best interest of the breed, the cats and those directly and indirectly affected by his/her actions.
The Reputable Breeder sees his/her breeding program as an unfinished work, a creative masterpiece that drives him/her towards excellence and purrfection. Whereas, the “kitten producer” is motivated by profit.
While the “kitten producer” is happy to sell quantity to whomever; dealers, brokers ... the reputable breeder insists on individual contact with each prospective owner and will only place a kitten after careful and thorough screening. Direct contact is necessary in order to insure a mutual compatibility between the would be purchaser, the cat/kitten and him/herself. Because of this great concern on the part of the reputable breeder, he/she will help the novice purchaser select the cat/kitten that is compatible with their lifestyle, personality and expectations, even if it means talking them out of a cat/kitten. Screening is necessary to ensure a successful placement and this is foremost with the reputable breeder.
The Reputable Breeder is concerned with pedigrees and the breed standard is of utmost importance to his goal for excellence and the betterment of the breed. Because of the goal of betterment in mind, NEVER would this breeder think to breed without knowing the pedigree or without holding the papers qualifying the dam and the sire as breeder quality. A reputable breeder will own the right to breed, the papers proving such, and will have the pedigree of his/her cats as well.
This breeder is willing and able to educate and be educated, has a willingness to answer questions correctly and cares about the concerns of the potential new owner. He/she will allow visits to see the mother and if available, the father, and kittens in their environment when it is feasibly safe to do so. The “kitten producer” may offer seemingly good reasons to meet in places with available kittens other than the raised environment.
The Reputable Breeder insists on contracts and requires that the cat/kitten be returned to him/her if for any reason the purchaser is unable to keep the pet. It is this breeder who shows responsibility to the breed, and the cats/kittens they have “created” for the lifetime of this pet. Health records, pedigrees and care information are a source of great pride to the breeder that is reputable as well as a sanitary, clean, healthy and happy environment.
The Reputable Breeder is excited at the prospect of furthering his/her education through breed clubs, cat shows, seminars and will take advantage of available resources. This reputable breeder tends to live around their cats/kittens. Every opportunity to participate in activities with other reputable breeders ensuring them that their breeding program compares to others within their breed group is looked upon favorably by this reputable breeder.
The Reputable Breeder realistically understands that sometimes things go wrong but, he/she maintains a responsibility to the situation, if it is within his/her power, they do what is needed to rectify a problem fairly. The reputable breeder does not abandon a situation.
®Brigitte McMinn 1999
What is a Breeder?
A Breeder (with a capital B) is one who thirsts for knowledge and never really knows it all,
one who wrestles with decisions of conscience, convenience, and commitment.
A Breeder is one who sacrifices personal interests, finances, time, friendships, fancy furniture, and deep pile carpeting! She gives up the dreams of a long, luxurious cruise
in favor of turning that all important Show into this year's "vacation".
The Breeder goes without sleep (but never without coffee!) in hours spent planning a breeding or watching anxiously over the birth process, and afterwards, over every little sneeze, wiggle or cry.
The Breeder skips dinner parties because that litter is due or the babies have to be fed at eight. She disregards birth fluids and puts mouth to mouth to save a gasping newborn, literally blowing life into a tiny, helpless creature
that may be the culmination of a lifetime of dreams.
A Breeder's lap is a marvelous place where generations of proud and noble champions once snoozed.
A Breeder's hands are strong and firm and often soiled,
but ever so gentle and sensitive to the thrusts of a kitten's wet nose.
A Breeder's back and knees are usually arthritic from stooping, bending, and sitting at the birthing box, but are strong enough to enable the breeder to Show the next choice kitten to a Supreme Championship.
A Breeder's shoulders are stooped and often heaped with abuse from competitors,
but they're wide enough to support the weight of a thousand defeats and frustrations.
A Breeder's arms are always able to wield a mop, support an armful of kittens, or lend a helping hand to a newcomer.
A Breeder's ears are wondrous things, sometimes red (from being talked about) or strangely shaped (from being pressed against a phone receiver), often deaf to criticism, yet always fine-tuned to the whimper of a sick kitten.
A Breeder's eyes are blurred from pedigree research and sometimes blind to her own cat's faults,
but they are ever so keen to the competition's faults and are always searching for the perfect specimen.
A Breeder's brain is foggy on faces, but it can recall pedigrees faster than an IBM computer. It's so full of knowledge that sometimes it blows a fuse: it catalogues thousands of good boning's, fine ears, and perfect heads ...
and buries in the soul the failures and the ones that didn't turn out.
The Breeder's heart is often broken, but it beats strongly with hope everlasting ... and it's always in the right place!
Oh, yes, there are breeders, and then, there are BREEDERS !!
Author unknown.
A Breeder (with a capital B) is one who thirsts for knowledge and never really knows it all,
one who wrestles with decisions of conscience, convenience, and commitment.
A Breeder is one who sacrifices personal interests, finances, time, friendships, fancy furniture, and deep pile carpeting! She gives up the dreams of a long, luxurious cruise
in favor of turning that all important Show into this year's "vacation".
The Breeder goes without sleep (but never without coffee!) in hours spent planning a breeding or watching anxiously over the birth process, and afterwards, over every little sneeze, wiggle or cry.
The Breeder skips dinner parties because that litter is due or the babies have to be fed at eight. She disregards birth fluids and puts mouth to mouth to save a gasping newborn, literally blowing life into a tiny, helpless creature
that may be the culmination of a lifetime of dreams.
A Breeder's lap is a marvelous place where generations of proud and noble champions once snoozed.
A Breeder's hands are strong and firm and often soiled,
but ever so gentle and sensitive to the thrusts of a kitten's wet nose.
A Breeder's back and knees are usually arthritic from stooping, bending, and sitting at the birthing box, but are strong enough to enable the breeder to Show the next choice kitten to a Supreme Championship.
A Breeder's shoulders are stooped and often heaped with abuse from competitors,
but they're wide enough to support the weight of a thousand defeats and frustrations.
A Breeder's arms are always able to wield a mop, support an armful of kittens, or lend a helping hand to a newcomer.
A Breeder's ears are wondrous things, sometimes red (from being talked about) or strangely shaped (from being pressed against a phone receiver), often deaf to criticism, yet always fine-tuned to the whimper of a sick kitten.
A Breeder's eyes are blurred from pedigree research and sometimes blind to her own cat's faults,
but they are ever so keen to the competition's faults and are always searching for the perfect specimen.
A Breeder's brain is foggy on faces, but it can recall pedigrees faster than an IBM computer. It's so full of knowledge that sometimes it blows a fuse: it catalogues thousands of good boning's, fine ears, and perfect heads ...
and buries in the soul the failures and the ones that didn't turn out.
The Breeder's heart is often broken, but it beats strongly with hope everlasting ... and it's always in the right place!
Oh, yes, there are breeders, and then, there are BREEDERS !!
Author unknown.
Scottish Fold Breeding Considerations:
Breeding purebred cats is actually a byproduct of showing cats. Kittens that are not competitive in the show ring for any number of reasons, are sold as pets. A cat show is the proving ground for showing quality and improvement in a breed. Cat shows are extremely competitive -- Scottish Fold's are getting better all the time and winning is getting harder. Also, keep in mind that not every kitten in a Scottish Fold litter will have folded ears. It can take 5 to 8 litters of kittens before you produce that one nice show quality cat. The rest will be straight ears or pet quality kittens.
Showing a cat takes all weekend, Saturday & Sunday -- assuming that the driving or flying to get to the cat show doesn't add more time. Showing a cat is not cheap! There are entry fees, travel expenses, supplies, equipment and in most cases a fee to the pet sitter that takes care of your cats while you are away.
Scottish Folds takes hours of work a day, money to feed, house, pay for vet bills, register, advertise and for purchasing quality breeding stock for your program. If you want to breed Scottish Folds (or any breed) to make money, forget it!! It costs far more to breed, raise and show cats then you will ever make. Breeding cats is a hobby & labor of love, not a business opportunity.
If you are breeding unregistered Scottish Folds, you are merely providing competition for other unregistered cats looking for homes (strays). If your cats are registered, but you aren't trying to improve the breed, then you are hurting the breed. To my way of thinking, neither one of these options shows a true love and appreciation of the Scottish Fold breed or any other breed of cat. If You Want To "Raise A Litter":
For the children. A film is a safer bet. If something goes wrong, you end up scaring the kids and demonstrating the worst in birthing. Kittens, like humans, can have birth defects, get sick, die, etc. You could also lose the mother cat - your children's pet.
A female cat needs to have at least one litter. She doesn't care and despite the old adage, it does not improve their temperament or health. In fact, some cats are not good mothers, which is a whole new set of problems. Some may reject their kittens or not have enough milk to nurse them. Whole females can also "spray" all over the house when they come into season. Spay her and she will make a wonderful pet.
You also need to consider what it can cost if things go wrong. A caesarian can happen to cats as well as humans and you will be looking at a substantial vet bill ($1500 to $1800 in the ER) with a possibility of losing the kittens or the mother or both. Hand raising a litter is a 24 hour a day commitment.
So all your friends can have Scottish Fold kittens. As a breeder you are now responsible for guaranteeing that every kitten/cat has a place to go if the new owner can't or doesn't want to keep it years later. If you sell the kittens, you are responsible for the health, soundness and temperament guarantees as well as making sure each & every kitten/cat goes to the best possible home. This involves written contracts and lengthy interviews with perspective buyers. These are all long term responsibilities NOT to be undertaken lightly. In many cases, friends who admire your Scottish Fold really don't want to own one themselves (even though we know they are really, really missing out).
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* Showing Scottish Folds As A Hobby:
If you think this is the hobby for you, the first thing you will need is all the information you can get on your breed of choice and showing cats in general. I recommend going to several cat shows and talking to breeders, watching the judging and generally getting acquainted with the process. Contact CFA (Cat Fanciers' Association) for show schedules.
The next thing you will need is to talk to a lot of breeders in your preferred breed. Most cat breeds, Scottish Folds included, have two or more groups with differing philosophies and goals. You will need to find this out and align yourself with the group you agree with. This is very important because, in the cat fancy, unlike dogs or horses, bloodlines are very proprietary. Having a cat from one Scottish Fold breeder may mean that another breeder with a different philosophy will not want to sell you a Scottish Fold.
The best place to start showing is to purchase a "Premier". This is a purebred cat that has been spayed or neutered. The division is, perhaps, even more competitive in some ways then the other two divisions - Championship (breeding cats) and Kittens (4 to 8 months old). This will give you a real feel for the sport and enable you to learn what a good representative of your chosen breed looks like. It may also allow you to change your chosen breed if you made your initial choice in error.
If, after all these steps, you really like showing and want to raise some kittens of your own, your next step is to find a mentor. This is an experienced breeder who will work with you, providing you with breeding stock, answering your thousands of questions and giving solace when things go wrong. Without the help of an established breeder, you would be putting yourself at a very great disadvantage.
You must also know that there are many areas that have laws limiting or prohibiting breeding of cats and dogs. There are zoning laws in some areas. To avoid future problems, it's important that you know what your sate, county, city and even HOA's have as laws and where they are "heading" (ie: what laws they are trying to get passed). There are also state laws pertaining to the sale of kittens to the public that you will need to find out about.
If you think this is the hobby for you, the first thing you will need is all the information you can get on your breed of choice and showing cats in general. I recommend going to several cat shows and talking to breeders, watching the judging and generally getting acquainted with the process. Contact CFA (Cat Fanciers' Association) for show schedules. The next thing you will need is to talk to a lot of breeders in your preferred breed. Most cat breeds, Scottish Folds included, have two or more groups with differing philosophies and goals. You will need to find this out and align yourself with the group you agree with. This is very important because, in the cat fancy, unlike dogs or horses, bloodlines are very proprietary. Having a cat from one Scottish Fold breeder may mean that another breeder with a different philosophy will not want to sell you a Scottish Fold. The best place to start showing is to purchase a "Premier". This is a purebred cat that has been spayed or neutered. The division is, perhaps, even more competitive in some ways then the other two divisions - Championship (breeding cats) and Kittens (4 to 8 months old). This will give you a real feel for the sport and enable you to learn what a good representative of your chosen breed looks like. It may also allow you to change your chosen breed if you made your initial choice in error. If, after all these steps, you really like showing and want to raise some kittens of your own, your next step is to find a mentor. This is an experienced breeder who will work with you, providing you with breeding stock, answering your thousands of questions and giving solace when things go wrong. Without the help of an established breeder, you would be putting yourself at a very great disadvantage. You must also know that there are many areas that have laws limiting or prohibiting breeding of cats and dogs. There are zoning laws in some areas. To avoid future problems, it's important that you know what your sate, county, city and even HOA's have as laws and where they are "heading" (ie: what laws they are trying to get passed). There are also state laws pertaining to the sale of kittens to the public that you will need to find out about.
