Breeding Cats

Are you wondering what's involved in breeding cats? Before getting started, there are a number of things you should know, from the beginning stages to the final expenses.

Cat breeding may sound like it's easy but it is more complicated than you might imagine with a lot more involved than many people think. You need to educate yourself as much as possible if you plan on breeding cats. Buy a few good reference books to learn the ins and outs.

Here are some things you’ll need to be aware of:

When starting out you'll need to buy at least one good healthy female kitten that you’ll use to breed. The female or "Queen" will need to be registered and have a great pedigree.

Once you buy the kitten you will want to take her to the vet to ensure that she has no diseases. Tests include a physical exam, a stool exam for parasites, and blood tests for FIV & feline leukemia. It‘s a good idea to have PCR tests done for anything that’s hard to detect. Screening will cost approximately $200 per cat.

Next you will need to purchase a stud and build stud quarters. This can be quite expensive when you’re just beginning. As an alternative, you can locate a breeder who has a stud and ask about stud services.

The stud owner may require you to repeat blood tests and show the results before any breeding is done. Stud services and health tests for a Queen run around $400-600 per breeding. Registration fees are $70 for the first year and the next 20 years afterwards.

There is special equipment needed to care for each litter of kittens. At a minimum you'll need:

• A heating pad to keep the kittens warm. This is crucial because the leading cause of death in kittens is hypothermia.

• Clean rags for bedding and cleaning
• Disinfectant
• Special urinary enzyme deodorizers to reduce the risk of disease, and to help in housebreaking
• Feeding tubes & syringes to help feed formula to a weak or sick kitten. This is for supplementation of the mother’s milk, and is usually needed by least one kitten in every litter.
• Cardboard box
• 2 litter trays designed for kittens
• Scale for weighing
• First aid kit and delivery kit that includes: twine, betadine, latex gloves, kaopectate, eyedropper, paper towels

To establish your business as a cat breeder you need to advertise. There are various ways to do this, including networking and using the classifieds. It’s smart to join at least one cat association and one cat breeders club in order to start to your list of credentials.

Make sure you have a sales contract drawn up, brochures, and business cards, and consider a website. Also, have plenty of pictures of the cats you breed and the kittens that are available.




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