How to start breeding cats

Cat breeding can be a thrilling and fulfilling endeavor, but it’s crucial to get started with the appropriate information and planning. Before beginning, there are important steps to take, regardless of your interest in a particular breed or your desire to just experience the process.

It is essential to comprehend the responsibilities involved. Breeding involves more than just matching cats and waiting for kittens; it also entails providing them with the necessary care and attention at every stage of the process.

Every step requires careful consideration, from selecting the ideal breeding pair to getting ready for the arrival of kittens. Cat breeding can be a rewarding endeavor that benefits both you and your feline companions if done properly.

Where to start breeding cats

Cat breeding is a business in the same category as trade, offering services for people or goods transportation, and many more. Additionally, decisions regarding the objectives, expenses, and opportunities must be made before beginning.

Typically, the following ideas encourage people to begin this activity:

• Breeding will bring sufficient profit. Usually these are the owners of a purebred animal. Having purchased it for a fairly large fee, they decide to recoup the costs.
• I want to give my cat the opportunity to give birth. Many owners mistakenly believe that the female must give birth once or twice and then she will calm down and will not demand a cat.
• Breeding will help to develop a new breed or improve an existing one. Amateurs are not bothered by such problems. Those who decided to do this are most likely real professionals.

If there is a well-defined objective behind the decision to breed cats, then it is time to project the future expenses.

Mr. Cat recommends: main costs

Breeding cats in an apartment in the city is strictly discouraged. In extreme circumstances, it may only require one pair, but even in that scenario, you will still require a separate room with insulated balconies. It is preferable to isolate the male cat during this time if a pregnant and then nursing cat can be housed in separate rooms.

If you own a heated dacha or a private cottage, you should consider constructing multiple enclosures, such as in warm utility rooms. Additionally, designate one, two, or three rooms inside the house for young animals and pregnant females.

It is imperative to guarantee that the premises possess adequate space, natural light, proper ventilation, and ease of cleaning and disinfection. The cost of equipping a single enclosure measuring 20 square meters is approximately 60,000 rubles.

Additionally, you will need to buy the following supplies and equipment in order to maintain one breeding pair:

• Three toilet trays. It is better to buy two of them closed type (for a male and female cat) and one open type – for future kittens. Minimum costs – 5 thousand rubles.
• Toilet filler. For breeding animals and young animals, it is advisable to buy chipboard, it is economical and safe for kittens. Average monthly supply of about 30 liters – 1,500 rubles.
• Food not lower than premium class for two adult animals. A supply for one month – 5 kg will cost about 4 thousand rubles. Read the article-review of the best cat food.
• Bowls for food and water. It is advisable to buy paired metal cups. Three sets will cost about 3 thousand rubles.
• Carrying case, preferably large, plastic with a handle. Cost is about 3 thousand rubles.
• A house for a cat or a special complex, preferably made of carpet, complete with a scratching post. About 10 thousand rubles.
• Toys, including interactive ones, and waving toys. You can spend 4 thousand rubles on this.
• Tools for caring for the appearance of animals (claw cutters, combs, massage puppies, furminators).
• Shampoos, lotions for eyes and ears, detergents and disinfectants – about 500 rubles.
• Minimal first aid kit for emergency veterinary care (at least Regidron, Vetom, Gamavit, vitamin E) – about 5 thousand rubles.

Therefore, 36 thousand rubles will be the additional expenses.

One breeding pair of high-quality animals can be estimated to cost, under certain conditions, around 120,000 rubles. Whichever breed is selected, this is the bare minimum.

Veterinarian services can be expected to cost 5,000 rubles per month.

Five thousand rubles can also be accepted as payment for additional costs, such as taxes, metrics for newborn kittens, pedigrees, and nursery documentation.

The table shows the typical monthly expenditures as well as the initial equipment cost for a cat breeding company. One thousand rubles is the unit of measurement.

Number of breeding animals	1 pair	1 male + 2 females	1 male + 10 females
Purchase of a male and a female	120	180	900
Aviaries	60	120	240
Inventory and consumables	36	52	168
Veterinary services	5	10	65
Other expenses (including taxes)	5	10	35
Utility bills	10	10	10
Other unplanned expenses (increased cost of maintenance, acquisition of new animals, exhibitions, treatment)	20	40	90
Keeping kittens (one litter)	30	60	150
Total:	286	482	1658
Total expenses for the first year business:	1452	2484	7356

In a year’s work, the investment will be recovered if the female produces 10 kittens annually and they can be sold for an average of 50,000 rubles (assuming the female produces at least 15 kittens). It takes slightly more than 1.658 million rubles to make the first one-time investment.

A profit of 1.3 million rubles will be realized in the second year of work if the same circumstances are kept.

Every computation is an estimate. There are never any standard starting conditions. Furthermore, it is customary to streamline many aspects of the plan; however, knowledgeable breeders advise against cutting corners when it comes to animal care and arrangement in order to avoid becoming just another "breeder."

The most crucial thing to keep in mind, though, is that you can’t succeed in this industry by merely counting money. Animals need to be truly loved, given time and attention, and continuously educated about the ins and outs of breeding.

Preparatory stages of breeding work

There are several steps you need to take in order to launch a business:

• Register the nursery and breeding individuals in one of the felinological systems and in the local club.
• Select and reserve / buy breeding animals. At the same time, do not forget to check all the documents (pedigrees, veterinary passports, sales contract).
• If only females are purchased, then find a worthy male (preferably two) for mating and agree on possible prices and terms of the mating agreement in advance.
• Prepare a site for advertising – create a cattery website, profiles in all available social networks, register on special forums and trading platforms.
• Find out about the schedule of annual exhibitions. It is advisable to bring only a male cat to them, so it is better to own one. You can also exhibit females, but usually experienced breeders do not do this, since a show animal always experiences great stress. It is not worth combining it with pregnancy and childbirth. From the age of 4 months, you can exhibit kittens at shows, but this is most often done for sale. And it is the breeding cat that wins awards and increases the reputation of the cattery.

Cat breeding can be a fulfilling but difficult endeavor that calls for meticulous preparation, dedication, and in-depth knowledge of feline care. In order to begin, you will need to select the appropriate breed, guarantee the health of your cats, and comprehend the fundamentals of genetics, mating, and pregnancy care. It’s critical to provide a clean, safe environment for your cats and to be ready to devote the necessary time and energy to raising kittens in a responsible manner. The welfare of the animals should always come first in breeding, and care should be taken to treat them with love and respect.

Advantages and disadvantages of breeding cats

In our nation, starting a cat breeding business is a very popular idea. Additionally, it offers a few benefits:

• Relatively small initial investment.
• Quick payback of the business, good profitability.
• Anyone has the opportunity to engage in breeding cats, according to the laws of the Russian Federation, licenses and special conditions for business are not required.
• You can conduct business as an individual entrepreneur or a self-supporting person, which significantly simplifies organizational activities. In addition, in this case, taxation is much simpler and more profitable.
• Breeding cats can be combined with your main job.

The following are some drawbacks to this notion:

• High competitiveness.
• Need to learn. For a successful business, at least minimal initial knowledge is needed, which should be constantly replenished.
• Additional labor costs. Breeding cats will require from the owner of the nursery not only monetary investments – all free time will have to be given to pets, especially when kittens are born.
• High risks. If any of the animals get sick or die, this is associated with additional expenses or a complete loss of income for the cattery.

Advice for novice breeders

When breeding cats, there are a lot of subtleties to consider.

Health and shortcomings of animals

Make sure every animal you buy for breeding is healthy. This is an important consideration. You can accomplish this by performing the required tests beforehand (at the buyer’s expense).

Furthermore, congenital defects should not exist in breeding individuals. For this reason, if at all possible, it is worthwhile to visit the cattery with a knowledgeable felinologist.

If kittens are bought, some flaws, like color medallions or kinked tails, cannot be identified. These are the risks of buying, so you can’t hold the breeder responsible in this instance.

Going forward, it will be imperative to take all necessary steps to ensure the overall health of the nursery. This can be achieved by deworming the entire herd on a regular basis (at least once every quarter), treating them for external parasites every six months, and vaccinating them against rabies each year.

You also need to be careful not to introduce ringworm into the nursery if pets are on display. There’s no reliable vaccination to prevent it. However, you can seek advice from a qualified veterinarian and implement the required precautions.

Exhibitions

Retaining animals does not require participation in exhibits. However, this will help the nursery’s reputation to grow.

These will be multi-weekend events requiring additional financial outlays. A pet may obtain a high title in as little as a year under certain felinological systems, but it may take up to three years under others.

Training

Young breeders frequently go through special training and receive a diploma in felinology before they start their business.

This only makes sense if the instructor is sufficiently qualified and the breeder has chosen the breed.

The certificates for any of these courses are not enforceable by law and are all voluntary programs run by clubs. Instead, they can impart some fundamental knowledge and modestly enhance the nursery’s reputation. After that, it’s essential to raise the training standard on your own by speaking with knowledgeable felinologists at events or online.

Veterinary care

Regular contact with a state veterinary clinic is required, at minimum for an annual vaccination. However, unanticipated situations do occasionally occur, such as when an animal is hurt or has a challenging birth.

Locating a knowledgeable "own" veterinarian who will regularly check the entire nursery is advised. In Russia, it is very hard to find a qualified professional. A financial reward is the only thing that unscrupulous doctors seem to be interested in. Even with passing banal tests, not all clinics—despite their seeming size and extensive advertising—can be trusted.

It is preferable to become familiar with some basic procedures and perform them on your own, such as pet claw trimming.

Selecting a breed for breeding

The following breeds are typically and most frequently selected, with the average market price of kittens (in rubles):

• British or Scottish Fold – 5,000-40,000.

• Canadian Sphynx – 15,000-75,000.

• Siamese – 15,000-100,000.

• Russian Blue – 10,000-70,000.

• Maine Coon – about 40,000.

• Persian – 5,000-80,000.

These breeds are widely available and relatively simple to breed, which lowers the cost of kittens.

Breeding pricey dogs like the Savannah, Caracat, Chausie, Snowshoe, Exotic Shorthair, Bengal, and Toyger is more profitable. However, this will cost more in terms of labor, special knowledge, and investment.

It’s important to consider your pets’ personalities when selecting a breed. For instance, Siamese, Bengal, and Toyger cats that are active will require a spacious area. Some (the same Abyssinian or Siamese) are extremely chatty and never stop talking. Exclusive hybrid cats are difficult to tame, have a wild disposition, and are highly erratic.

Matings

The breeding process needs to be controlled if the cattery has one male and multiple females.

A female should not be mated until she is between 12 and 18 months old, and then only after the first one or two heats.

The mating contract, which lays out every detail of the exchange, is crucial if a male from outside is invited. It is usually settled on the conditions of cash prepayment. However, the contract specifies "payment with a kitten of the first choice" if the male cat’s owner liked one of the cats in the cattery and thought there was a chance he would have interesting offspring. This implies that the second party, who has the primary right to do so, will select the baby from the litter that most interests him.

Pregnancy, childbirth, offspring

It’s best to place the mated cats in a different room and make sure they have enough food and comfort. High play areas and furniture must be removed in order to completely rule out the risk of harm and miscarriages.

We advise you to read the article on recognizing a pregnant cat.

It is best to prepare a "nest" for each female 30–35 days after mating. This can be a cat house or a sizable cardboard box that is fully closed with a hole cut in it.

Certain breeds, like Bengals, demand total seclusion. If it is not feasible to provide each female dog her own space, you can purchase multiple sizable metal dog cages and set up the "nest" along with a litter tray, food, and water.

The cat’s cage is covered with a blanket and sealed as soon as she gives birth. Here, the mother acts composedly and gives the kittens her whole attention.

They don’t need assistance if the birth is uneventful. However, you can arrange for 24-hour phone consultations in advance with the veterinarian for the first kitten birth.

When a cat is nursing its young, it’s important to keep a close eye on things to make sure the cat behaves appropriately, the babies are licked, and the babies grow bigger.

It is best to speak with an experienced breeder or veterinarian if something about the kittens’ or nursing mother’s behavior worries you.

Kittens must be gradually acclimated to food (it is preferable to begin with natural meat instead of dry), a litter box, and a scratching post after one month of life. Taking them away from their mother before they are two, sometimes even four months old, is unacceptable. See how to introduce dry food and a scratching post to a kitten.

Step	Description
Research	Learn about cat breeds, care requirements, and breeding guidelines.
Choose a Breed	Select a breed that matches your interest and lifestyle.
Find Healthy Cats	Get cats from reputable breeders with good health and genetic history.
Vet Care	Ensure your cats are regularly checked by a vet for overall health and vaccinations.
Create a Safe Space	Prepare a comfortable and safe environment for your cats and kittens.
Nutrition	Provide high-quality food to ensure the health of the breeding cats.
Track Mating	Keep records of mating dates, health checks, and any breeding-related info.

Cat breeding can be a fulfilling endeavor, but it calls for perseverance, commitment, and the right information. A healthy and well-maintained cat population is essential for successful breeding.

It’s critical to recognize the amount of work required, from creating the ideal environment to managing the difficulties associated with taking care of kittens. Making the best decisions along the way will depend on your level of preparation and knowledge.

The ultimate goals of cat breeding should be to advance the health and welfare of the animals, guarantee their placement in loving homes, and make a positive impact on the feline community.

Video on the topic

Breeding cats

How to make a Scottish cattery out of your apartment

Business on pedigree cats. The whole truth

Professional breeding of cats. Where to start? | Professional cat breeding

Breeding pedigree cats step by step.