My Sister and I are going to start are own cattery and were wondering if anybody had some advice or resources that we could use to help us get started.
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cattery
- Thread starter kiittykitty
- Start Date
I am doing the same. The internet is the biggest source of information and you can find out anything you want to know there. If you are interested I'll give you some websites I found useful. The other thing is to go to cat shows and speak to breeders. It is useful to talk to breeders who you are not going to be in direct competition with. There are many breeders out there who are only to happy to mentor if you just ask.
Also this site has a huge amount of information in it's archieves so just have a browse around.
Hope this has been some help.
What breed of cat's are you looking at and where are you.
Also this site has a huge amount of information in it's archieves so just have a browse around.
Hope this has been some help.
What breed of cat's are you looking at and where are you.
- Thread Starter Thread Starter
- #3
Thank you for the info, I would be appreciative of any websites that you could give us. We are starting out with persians and siamese,with polydactyl feet and also manx kittens. We want to provide kittens for pets that are good quality but not too expensive. What kind of cats do you raise? I have noticed that breeders in your own area can be competitive and not real helpful with information only discouragement. This has been our dream for so many years and now we are at a place to fulfill it and are so excited to get started.
poly-dactyl (pol'e-dak'tel) adj. zool.
Characterized by having many fingers or toes.
Gk polus "many" + daktulos "finger."
http://polydactylcats.homestead.com/15kittens.html
http://home.sprynet.com/~azhart/polydact.htm
http://members.aol.com/ipxcat/polyhist.html This has details on registering etc.
http://messybeast.com/folktails.htm
This site is great with stacks of info
http://messybeast.com/poly-cats.html
http://www.breedlist.com/
http://www.animalnetwork.com/cats/default.asp Heaps of info including shows.
http://www.manxcats.com/rmcf/rmcfsflr.html ROCKY MOUNTAIN CAT FANCIERS, INC. 25TH Annual CFA Allbreed & Household Pet Cat Show.
http://www.fanciers.com/links.html Links to Other Cat Sites.
http://www.exoticbengals.com/rep.htm Great info regarding difference between that of a Reputable Breeder and a “kitten producerâ€
http://www.cfainc.org/articles/due-credit.html This ois the CFA homesite which should give you heaps of information too.
Well this is a start so happy surfing.
Characterized by having many fingers or toes.
Gk polus "many" + daktulos "finger."
http://polydactylcats.homestead.com/15kittens.html
http://home.sprynet.com/~azhart/polydact.htm
http://members.aol.com/ipxcat/polyhist.html This has details on registering etc.
http://messybeast.com/folktails.htm
This site is great with stacks of info
http://messybeast.com/poly-cats.html
http://www.breedlist.com/
http://www.animalnetwork.com/cats/default.asp Heaps of info including shows.
http://www.manxcats.com/rmcf/rmcfsflr.html ROCKY MOUNTAIN CAT FANCIERS, INC. 25TH Annual CFA Allbreed & Household Pet Cat Show.
http://www.fanciers.com/links.html Links to Other Cat Sites.
http://www.exoticbengals.com/rep.htm Great info regarding difference between that of a Reputable Breeder and a “kitten producerâ€
http://www.cfainc.org/articles/due-credit.html This ois the CFA homesite which should give you heaps of information too.
Well this is a start so happy surfing.
Not intended to flame, but you may be hard pressed to find anyone to help for 2 reasons. One is that you are breeding polydactyl Siamese which most siamese breeders are going to find very offensive. Second is that you are doing multiple breeds on very different spectrums.
I have no personal experience breeding any of those breeds, so giving you breed specific info is impossible. The things I can tell you that are # one when considering a cattery are:
healthy cats and kittens
immaculate cattery
socialization of all the cats and kittens
regular vet care
top quality food
being prepared for any emergency situation that may come up
Breeding cats isn't as easy as it appears to be. I know very few breeders who make a profit and offer healthy happy kittens. The first 2 years we have had a large loss. With the cost of food, regular vet visits, medications, and emergency vet visits on 2 occasions, it seems to be more of a hobby than a buisness. The biggest satisfaction I have gotten are the stories from the families who have our kittens. None of them have been sick, and they are very well adjusted and bring smiles to thier new families.
I have no personal experience breeding any of those breeds, so giving you breed specific info is impossible. The things I can tell you that are # one when considering a cattery are:
healthy cats and kittens
immaculate cattery
socialization of all the cats and kittens
regular vet care
top quality food
being prepared for any emergency situation that may come up
Breeding cats isn't as easy as it appears to be. I know very few breeders who make a profit and offer healthy happy kittens. The first 2 years we have had a large loss. With the cost of food, regular vet visits, medications, and emergency vet visits on 2 occasions, it seems to be more of a hobby than a buisness. The biggest satisfaction I have gotten are the stories from the families who have our kittens. None of them have been sick, and they are very well adjusted and bring smiles to thier new families.
I agree Sandie there is a lot of info on the web about polydactyls. Even I have been toying with the idea for starting up as a breeder but am leaning more towards getting a show quality Russian and just staying very small with getting pleasure out of her and showing her. If after that I think it would be suitable I shall breed with her but intend to stay small so that my cats are in house and very much a part of my family. I don't want to put a dampener on you ideas kiittykitty as I know what that feels like from a previous forum but you are best to learn everything you possibly can before even beginning to get ready. Why do you want to breed polydactyls, I had never really heard much about them before? As with any breeding requiring such genetics it is very difficult. Perhaps you can concider starting out with one breed and one cat then weigh up the future. One of the sites I supplied shows the difference between that of a Reputable Breeder and a “kitten producer†please make sure you are not going to end up the latter.
It is very costly and as a good breeder you will never make money, never mind covering your costs.
It is very costly and as a good breeder you will never make money, never mind covering your costs.
- Thread Starter Thread Starter
- #7
Well I have been breeding polydactyls for several years already. Contrary to what many believe, polydactyl cats are not deformed or hindered in their ability to be a normal cat in any way. I didn't intend to breed them specifically I had a cat given to me that was a polydactyl. Every breed of cat has been new and was probably thought of as weird or abnormal by someone at one point or time. I am not breeding these cats recklessly without any thought to what should or should not be bred together either I do not breed siamese to a polydactyl. As for the vet situation and care given to my cats my sister who is also involved with our cattery is a vet assistant and has been for many years and she has significant knowledge in giving care and proper nutrition and such to cats and kittens. I also agree that every kitten born should be given to a proper family and not just anyone and I will always take the necessary steps and actions to insure that this will happen as best I can. If this reply sounds a bit hasty thats is because I find it difficult to understand why so many BREEDERS take offense to someone who wants to breed cats probably for the same reasons they themselves became breeders.......
I really don't see how you thought I was taking offense to your position. I was just putting my 2 cents in. The whole point of saying that you would be hard pressed to find a Siamese breeder to help with producing polydactyl feet is because it's not acceptable in thier standard,which means it's not a cat suitable for breeding or showing. It's a gene they don't want in thier lines. I understand polydactyl cats don't have any problems, but it's not acceptable in most known breeds.
Also, I wasn't implying that you wouldn't give your cats the best care. I was listing what I think it most important in a cattery.
Also, I wasn't implying that you wouldn't give your cats the best care. I was listing what I think it most important in a cattery.
I think the reason so many of us "BREEDERS" have such a problem with it is perhaps because of the way we understand what you are trying to do. I myself read your post and it plainly says that you want to try and breed poly-siamese. I am sure that you would see the line we as breeders would take on that statement.
But then you go on to say that you have no intention of breeding a siamese to a poly.
As for becomming a breeder, I would have to agree that you would be hard pressed to find a reputable siamese breeder that would be willing to sell you a cat with breeding rights if they knew about the poly plan. No one on here has said anything about something being wrong with poly's only that breeding them with siamese or any other recognized breed would be wrong.
While you may have been breeding poly's for a while, it is a whole different story when it come to breeding purebreds, and while i am not intending to be mean, it seems to me the fact that you don't know difference is a good indication that you should learn alot more before you even consider a breeding program with one breed, let alone 3 or 4 at the same time.
I have seen far to many people get in over thier heads and do more harm than good.
If you want to learn, this is the place for it, but you have to remember that we breeders on this site have been doing it for a while now and if you ask the questions we will be right up front with you, good or bad.
I hope this helps.....
But then you go on to say that you have no intention of breeding a siamese to a poly.
As for becomming a breeder, I would have to agree that you would be hard pressed to find a reputable siamese breeder that would be willing to sell you a cat with breeding rights if they knew about the poly plan. No one on here has said anything about something being wrong with poly's only that breeding them with siamese or any other recognized breed would be wrong.
While you may have been breeding poly's for a while, it is a whole different story when it come to breeding purebreds, and while i am not intending to be mean, it seems to me the fact that you don't know difference is a good indication that you should learn alot more before you even consider a breeding program with one breed, let alone 3 or 4 at the same time.
I have seen far to many people get in over thier heads and do more harm than good.
If you want to learn, this is the place for it, but you have to remember that we breeders on this site have been doing it for a while now and if you ask the questions we will be right up front with you, good or bad.
I hope this helps.....
Leslie would you pass the website on to me please?
Patty
Patty
- Thread Starter Thread Starter
- #11
Well I think the offense part comes from not listening first and forming your own opinions before actually asking exactly what is going on. I have never actually bred a siamese cat to a polydactyl because none of these cats are purebred and I am not looking for a purebred siamese cat to breed. I should have stated what I was doing more clearly because my partner has the manx, polydactyl, and siamese/ragdoll breeds I myself only have persians which are purebred and I don't intend to cross breed them with anything but a purebred. I have been breeding them locally and now I am in the process of building a cattery on my farm because of the large demand that I have been getting for my kittens. I am not looking to make a goldmine because this is only a small scale program and I am only trying to provide kittens for people that truly deserve them and can't afford to pay hundreds of dollars for a wonderful companion like I have had all of my life.
Hi PAtty
What websites do you need? I posted some further up in the thread did you want me to put those in a tread to you? you should be able to access them from the other post or did you want some differant websites?
I would be happy to help.
What websites do you need? I posted some further up in the thread did you want me to put those in a tread to you? you should be able to access them from the other post or did you want some differant websites?
I would be happy to help.
Sorry Leslie didnt see them.
Patty
Patty
Let me see if I understand this correctly. You want to breed Hemingway cats and sell them.Originally posted by kiittykitty
Well I think the offense part comes from not listening first and forming your own opinions before actually asking exactly what is going on. I have never actually bred a siamese cat to a polydactyl because none of these cats are purebred and I am not looking for a purebred siamese cat to breed. I should have stated what I was doing more clearly because my partner has the manx, polydactyl, and siamese/ragdoll breeds I myself only have persians which are purebred and I don't intend to cross breed them with anything but a purebred. I have been breeding them locally and now I am in the process of building a cattery on my farm because of the large demand that I have been getting for my kittens. I am not looking to make a goldmine because this is only a small scale program and I am only trying to provide kittens for people that truly deserve them and can't afford to pay hundreds of dollars for a wonderful companion like I have had all of my life.
There are a few problems I see with this idea:
1) people are generally unwilling to pay for mix breed cats
2) there are 1000s of kittens in shelters all over the country which are destroyed each year because they can't find homes. The most recent statistic is 15 million animals are destroyed in the US each year because they cannot find homes.
3) to sell a kitten for $100 or less will not even cover the cost of food, vet checkups, etc. for 12 weeks as this would be your minimum commitment to the kittens.
I have a foster cat with three kittens currently and in the 10 weeks they have been here, I have spent $125 on food alone. Please, please do not contribute to the overpopulation problem.
