Hello all,
I would like to breed ocicats, but before i go out and purchase a queen etc i want to fill my head with as much help and advice and read as meny books go to lots of shows and talk to lots of breeders.
I'm not in a rush to just go out and perchase the first active queen i can i want to do right by the breed and the cat, also she would be my pet and a much loved member of our family so want to be 100% i've picked the right one as this is a home for life.
I also want to show her and offspring.

I have years of experiance breeding horses, dogs and live stock, i hope i can use some of this with my cats.

I know i'm green in the world of cats but we all started here, that is why i want to be totally upto date with ever side of it before i start it would be unfair for me to rush in blind.

I've contacted the breed club and some breeders i am also going to try and make the breed shows in oct and have studied the breed standards etc.

So what i'm asking really is for your experiances of breeding or the breed and showing, any good book dvd etc and what else i need to know/have i missed something out?
I do have a very good friend who has just retired from breeding siamese due to ill health that is close by for help if needed. Just like to pick everyones brain we all see things differently.

Sorry to ramble and thank you for your time

ocicats are great but real pieces of work when they wanna be! they need loads of time and stimulation. check the Ocicat Club-Home Page there is loads of info on there if you haven't already (as you said you contacted the club. There's also a Bengal Ocicat club The Ocicat and Bengal Cat Club which has good info as well
I have an ocicat neutered female. i love her to bits and wouldn't trade her for the world. but she's crafty and very very smart. good luck on your hunt let me know if you want any details or stories of her craftiness.

Hi

In any breed, you really need to know what you are doing and make sure you are aware of all the costs and pitfalls that are involved in breeding. I have started this year with Maine Coons and have a stud boy and 4 queens. However, I had no idea how much money it was going to cost and with hindsight, I probably would have delayed it by a year to get some more savings!!!

I think you are already taking the right approach by talking to other breeders and visiting the shows. I have a couple of really good breeder friends that have given me tons of support and advice and made it all a bit easier!!!

Good luck with it.

Louise
X

__________________
www.lynsragdolls.co.uk
Psychic Developing forum Bringing the 2 worlds a little closer together
http://spiritualbeginnings.messageforums.net/why not join us
http://lynsragdolls.messageforums.net/

Completely agree, when you are ready to start out, go to shows, ring, email, talk to breeders and find someone that you feel you can have a rapport with, someone who will be there for you when it really counts. The right person is someone that will not only trust you with an active cat, but one who will help you as you start out, someone you feel comfortable asking questions and maybe ringing at 2 a.m. when you really need to ask advice. An experienced breeder has invaluable knowledge that you can hopefully benefit from. There are also some fantastic books and resources to research some of the more practical bits .

__________________

Hi

Great news that you want to research , and going to shows talking to other breeders is a must !! Also not sure where you live but theres a show next month which is for Bengals and Ocicat please find link below this would be a great chance to speak to other breeders and see thst standard that they are at

The Ocicat and Bengal Cat Club

Thanks for all your nice help was worried i might get some bad comments.
Don't mind traveling, i want to do it right, right from the start so happy to wait and travel round the country, No matter how tempting it is to go out now and get the first kitten i see as i love all cats.
Thanks again you have all been very nice and helpfull

Book wise ...

this seems to be one a fair few have and it helped me a little bit so it's always good to have at hand ...

Amazon.co.uk: Complete Book of Cat Breeding: Dan Rice: Books

I also bought this but it's long winded and a tad boring...

Amazon.co.uk: Cats: Show and Pet - Their Varieties, Breeding and Management: C.A. House: Books

i'm also just about to grab this as genetics fascinates me...

Amazon.co.uk: Genetics for Cat Breeders: Roy Robinson: Books

and if ocicat is definitely your choice then this would obviously help too...

Amazon.co.uk: The Guide to Owning an Ocicat (Guide to Owning): Bill McKee: Books


breeders own experiences and information can be invaluable at times so if you can find yourself someone with the time to mentor you you'll find they will have found their own ways of doing things and tried many different things along the way x

Always remember though - what works for someone else may not work as well for you - breeding is a learning curve - you have to find your own way of doing things that suits you and your cats xx

the very best of luck to you hunny - i hope you have a smooth ride of it (alot of us didn't to start with - can take a fair bit of patience and a solid backbone to get through some stuff so be ready xx)

Winn Feline Foundation and FAB have masses of info too.

fabcats : feline advisory bureau - the website dedicated to feline wellbeing


Cat Health Information from the Winn Feline Foundation

__________________

widgetdog, as well as thorough researching if your really serious visit shows and speak to as many OCB's as poss,then if and when you want to move on a notch and you feel ready to care and oblige get a kitten and see how you go,as others have said it's loads of hard labor(which has to be a labor of passion and love otherwise it's a chore which you'll come to resent,which won't be good for anyone),when everything goes well it's amazing but when even something small goes wrong it can not only be devastating and crushing but have devastating ripples thru the whole house,it's an expensive hobby with stud fee's,shows,equipment,housing,litter etc etc so plus if your on your own then it's solely down to you,if your 1 prt of a couple or have a family then it's everybodys decision,also this is a hobby that takes over your life pretty much,these are not reasons to put you off,just to help you think carefully before you go on this road

__________________
Dogs have owners, Cats have slaves

Burnthwaites Siamese