Myth busting breeding facts

As breeders of cats, we often get a few questions from people around aspects of breeding. Such as money we make, the time required each week, how do we manage the cats and even disease management.

Breeders make very little money off breeding, with any sale of a kitten generally being returned to the upkeep of the cattery. This can include food, vet bills, additional enclosures (these are expensive!) as well as for emergencies and pet transport. As breeders we do this for ethical breeding and a love of the breed, no the finances.

The time required each week is immense. This means early wakes for feeding and cleaning of enclosures, more of these when you have kittens! As well as weekend work to show people the cattery, attend shows, have people pick up kittens and drop off for transport. You can expect an additional 6-8 hours a week work, increasing with the more cats you have.

We take disease seriously. Living in the Riverina and Central West, this can lead to long periods of wet and dry. Regular vaccines, flea and tick treatment are a must. Though, any animal can pick things up incidentally. We man age this by having different areas, as well as a quarantine cage if needed. This limits the spread of any further disease or infection a cat may incur. This can also include last minute trips to the vet if we are concerned something more may be wrong!

Cat management is done in line with the DPI guidelines. All our new kittens have a permanent file with paperwork, as well as a calendar that monitors breeding times between litters and when litters are to be due. This also includes all cats are healthy and in good physical condition before proceeding with mating with a male. We tend to limit the time between litters to be around 9 months, giving ample time for queens to recover and there is less stress placed on their bodies.

Cat breeding can be tricky, as there are a lot of intricacies and forward planning also needed. This is to ensure the COI remains low so we produce happy, healthy and robust temperaments that meet the requirements of being companion animals. One of the biggest aspects is just spending time with kittens, and tasks such as vacuuming and living your daily life around them so they adjust to their environment, but are also ideally a bit more robust when going to their new homes, though, some will always be more timid and careful!