3 Things to Consider Before Breeding Purebred Cats

So, you want to become a purebred cat breeder. For anyone who enjoys being around cats, particularly purebreds, becoming a breeder is a great occupation that will let you raise beautiful animals and make some money in the process. However, before you leap into breeding, there are a few things you need to take into consideration. You should thoroughly research cat breeding before you get started, of course, but here are some other things to look at.

1. Space. Many people don’t think much about how much space you need in order to breed cats. You need to consider the size of the space that will be required to house your cats. The CFA Cattery standards require a minimum of 27 square feet per animal if they are kept in cages most of the time. That can mean quite a bit of space, depending on how many felines you end up with.

If you decide to go with a slightly more casual approach and decide to raise the kittens “underfoot” or in the home to ensure that they are used to people, you will still need to consider the number of kittens possible at any given time and be sure you have space to accommodate all those furry little creatures.

2. Specialization. Many breeders focus on just one breed. This works well if you have a passion for one type of cat, such as Siamese. It’s also a good solution for anyone who has little space or who wants to keep their cats fairly free. When you raise more than one breed, it is necessary to keep the cats in cages to ensure that you control all breeding. Having two different breeds together is a waste of time and money since you can’t sell the kittens as pedigreed.

3. Foundation Cats. You need to select the cats that you want as your breeders very carefully. Not just any cat will do. It’s important to know exactly what people are looking for in the breed, so attend shows and familiarize yourself with the different characteristics that are chosen by the judges. Then find yourself pedigreed breeding felines that fit those characteristics. Both the sire and the dam are very important, since they will both pass valuable genes to their kittens. If you want some variation, you can select two different colors, but for more consistent results in breeding, you will want to choose cats that are very similar in color and characteristics. They should also come from good breeding stock.

Whichever breed or breeds you select, it is very important to keep accurate records of everything. This will help you stay on top of breeding schedules and will allow you to provide full information to any buyers.
Setting up your own cattery requires plenty of research and is not just something to jump into. If you are serious about becoming a purebred cat breeder, then you need to carefully choose the sire and dams and make sure you are really ready to get started.