first, let me just make it clear before i go on i'm not about to go diving into being a breeder when i have no clue what i'm doing, i'm merely curious as to how the process og becoming a breeder works

it is something i would like to do in the VERY DISTANT future so this is the reason for my questioning

so, how does one become a breeder of NFC's? (would be my chosen breed)
what would be the most important things to think about and do first? including which diseases to be knowledgable about? what would costs be? are 'mentors' or guidance from experienced breeders available? and also, how do you get your first active registered queen? when many breeders wont sell
an active registered queen to someone who isnt an experienced breeder?

remember im only asking, dont worry im not thinking of doing it now! id just like to be educated for the future

Get a NFC to show as a neuter and get to know a] the breed and b] breeders. Kittens are usually only sold on the active register to people known by the breeder.

ah that makes sense. so by talking to other breeders at the show, you would learn more about your breed of choice and about how you become a successful and ethical breeder?seems sensible. would this help you acquire an active registered queen though?

and where do you usually get a stud? would you usually purchase your own? or use those of breeders you get to know that are compatible and would make good sires?

sorry for being clueless, i know nothing about it but im really interested to learn

Sorry to be unhelpful, i have never bred and have no interest in starting, but I can say yes you can get 'mentored' by others breeders. I would suggest doing a bit of background research on the best 1s around your area (not much point being mentored by a BYB).

If you do some searching on tinterweb there are plenty of different animal related courses about, I'm sure there must be some about that include breeding so you could get a better knowledge base before you start.

Can I ask why you want to be a breeder? What are you hoping to achieve from breeding?

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Adopted by:

Ginge - Abby guinea piggy
Bubbles - English crested piggy
Mackenzie - English crested piggy
Skit - Standard (but cute) piggy
Max - Ragdoll x cat
The Rainbow Fish
Rest in peace my lovely furfamily that are no longer with us.

i dont, not yet. but i'd like to learn as much about it as possible because i would like to in the future, if i were able. its definately not something i could do right now as i dont have the time or space necessary
we are moving house this year to a bigger place with hopefully a much bigger garden where i could provide an enclosed cat run and more space for my current cats etc
then, when we are settled in and have more money (we rent atm, mortgage on new house is much less expensive) i would then begin to think about about first raising my first pedigree nfc, then later on when im more experienced in the breed id be thinking aboutlearning the breeding ropes

im only curious right now, never too early to start learning right?

Very sensible way round to do things, research first!

Going to shows and finding out about the breed, see if you can pick out the winners (in your opinion) before the results come up, talk to breeders etc. Many breeders would want you to own and show a neuter to show your interest in the breed before letting you have an active regged girl.

Getting a stud boy is a whole different ball game to getting a queen, many breeders never own their own stud for a variety of reasons iwon't go into here. But knowing people who do have a stud who might make him available to you, is often a useful thing to do before getting a girl. Its a lot easier to make 1 long trip to buy a girl who'll be compatible with a more local stud, than to buy a cat from a local breeder only to find the only compatable (not related) stud lives at the other end of the country.

Emma

Have you ever owned a NFC? go on the TICA & GCCF websites and view the standard, what can you bring to the bred? What is your reason for breeding them? to further them? r.e. the standard?

for example (I dont know the NFC breed so ill go for bengals)
Example: bengals, you have a lovely snow girl, nice type (flat nose no bump) not very good markings, short tail, big ears.

stud one: champion all throughout his pedigree, his a snow, never been shown himself, amazing markings, bit on the small side, big ears, type is nose bump.

stud two: pretty unknown pedigree, ok markings, big, fantastic type, brown, short tail, amazing type, got bob (best of breed) at his first show.

so who do you choose...? Basically you need to know what your girl has to both compliment and give to the mating & the same for the stud!

You need to: 1. get a NFC off of a good breeder, show her & get to know the standard, best to get a neuter first. Make friends with the NFC community around where you are and further out, find breeders near you with open studs (never ever get a stud first - id wait a min of 5 + years) you might find you need to travel 2hours each way, not alot of NFC breeders about esp with open studs (will be hard!)

what colours are you looking at? and why those colours? the lines, you need to start now looking at the lines and breeders all about, get to know what they produce, you may even want to import at a later date...

health tests for the breed (langford vets are good to visit for that) are they in the lines you have choosen do the breeder do that? erm, god, so much to think of!! gccf/tica standards will differ slighty, if you want a gccf prefix join a NFC club asap as you have to be a memeber for over a year for them to sign to let you have a prefix. tica you can just buy one.

ask your breed if she will mentor you, Id start doing all of this now even if it is in the future, I did many many years before I started, shows dedication and knowledge aswell.

but NFC is a small community so they will all know eachother, if you havent owned one before Im pretty sure they wont just sell you one on active so a show/neuter is best to go for, and sort out contracts /vet that will neuter kittens before they go, how to revieve a kitten at birth, how to help mum given birth to a kitten thats stuck, how long to wait to rush her to the vet, have a minimum of £1,000+ put away for the first litter, thats After buying mum shows and mating fees health tests, incase of a c-section, learn how to hand rear a litter, look for signs of calling, so much to say that I cant think!

alot of research and hard work coming your way lol!

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Hiya, Jess

Goodness, it makes a refreshing change to find someone that wants to do research before jumping straight in!

Before you even consider breeding, you need to be asking some questions of yourself. You've already considered space and money requirements, so that's a good starting point. Just to outline some of the costs, a good kitten pen will cost £500 or so, an active breeding queen of excellent type can be anywhere between £700 to £1000, or at least in the Persian breed anyway. C sections start at about £200, but if you need an out of hours C section, you're looking at potentially closer to £1000. Then you have the snap test before you take your girl to stud, £20-35, the cost of travel to and from the stud, the stud fees, usually £200 up, the feeding of the kittens (anywhere from £5 to £15 a day), and vets bills for any problems you run into all the way. Do you have the finances to cope with all of that? My savings usually run dry in the summer time when kittens are around.

Then there's the issue of space. You will need an area safe for kittens. I kitten proofed my lounge so that they could have access to the centre of my busy household when they were young, but I'm in a good situation to do that. i have no kids, and had no other cats at the time. You may need to have a designated kitten room where mum and babies can be put to keep them out of harm's way. The more cats you have, the more litter trays you need. I had 4 in my living room alone when the babies were small, and i can tell you, that eats into floor space!

Then there's the time involved. If you have to hand rear kittens, that's a day and night job. Even if you don't, you still need to spend a lot of time with new babies to socialise them well.

So, if you have the time, money and space, the next question I'd be asking is what breed you were going to choose. You've chosen the NFC, but why? Examine this closely, as you'll be spending the rest of your life with lots of these cats, so their personality needs to be exactly right.

Then you need to work out what you can give to that breed. It's not good enough to simply produce kittens for the sake of it. Whether pedigree kittens or moggies, I still feel that this is wrong. You need to be breeding to better the breed, so do quite a bit of research, chat to other wigi breeders, go to lots of shows and get a feel for what does well, what doesn't place, and what needs to be improved on in the breed.

I'd choose a breeder whose cats are consistently doing well on the show bench, and who has methods of kitten raising that you agree with, i.e, some kittens are raised in purpose built catteries, some are put in a kitten room, some are raised in the breeder's bedroom. Then go and chat to that breeder and find out what her requirements would be for selling an active queen. Sometimes, although this is rare, a breeder will sell an active queen to someone who is an experienced cat owner, who has done a lot of research, but who doesn't yet own a neuter. You'd need to demonstrate a lot of knowledge though, and build up your relationship with that breeder over a long time period so that they can be assured of your interest. Be wary of a breeder who offers to sell you an active girl without asking some pretty serious, probing questions. Chances are though that the breeder will ask you to have a neuter first, so that you can get comfortable with the breed itself, its care and its showing.

Owning a stud is very different to owning a girl. You shouldn't have a stud until you have at least three queens to satisfy his urges. He will need outdoor quarters as he will most likely spray a lot, and you don't want that in the house. At any rate, he needs to be kept totally separate from your girls, so living indoors is often impractical for that reason too. With a stud, his quarters will need a thorough cleaning every 1-2 days, and he will need a lot of care to avoid him getting too thin when he's working, and to avoid things like stud tail etc. They are usually very expensive, and until you know what you're looking for in your breed, I'd not buy a stud. He will stamp himself on any kittens you produce, so you need to ensure that his type and temperament are fab, and that he isn't related to your girls in any way.

You need to research health tests, but no specific ones spring to mind for the NFC's. Doesn't mean there aren't any though, as I'm not terribly experienced with that breed.

Can't think of anything else at the moment, but feel free to ask all the questions you want!

Hi

I agree with all the previous info, and well done for researching first!

I can add a bit of specific, as i am a small breeder of NFC.

There is only one health risk, which is GSD, this is a disease affecting the glycogen storage. It is a resesive gene (means both parents need to carry the gene to get affected kittens, however they can 'carry' the gene and pass this on). It is a horrid disease that is usually fatal within days, but can cause nerological problems resulting in death before 12 months.
It is seen more in Europe, so take extra care with imported lines.

There is some research into HCM at the moment (seen in Maine coons and raggies), but there is no conclusive evidence yet that it is any more present in the NFC than moggies.

I would agree that a good show neuter (male or female) is a good place to start, as it gives you a good grounding in the breed, gets you out there seeing people and their cats. Most people are friendly and more than willing to talk 'cat'. I for one always say to people that ask questions about kittens etc, that no question is silly, we all need to learn (and infact there is always more to learn on any subject).

Some breeders are very picky where they let active girls go, some are protective of 'their' lines, others will ask lots of questions & almost put barriers for you, but this is all to protect the breed. I would suggest start talking to people now, and when the time is right look for someone who is easy to talk to, willing to help and guide you (there are plenty of us out there willing to help, after all we all had to start somewhere!).

I also agree stick with the girls, and take them to stud at least for a while, stud boys are hard work, need their own quarters etc.
The money thing is right to, its not a cheep money spinner, but hey its worth the pain on the pocket, to further the breed and kittens are fun (and bloomin hard work).

As a breed the NFC is not breed or shown for colour (just type), however we all have our favourites (and so do judges), and also of course the market (sorry no matter what the motives, and there sure is no money to be made!, you do have to think of the homes for kittens), varies as to what people are after. At the moment there seems to be a lot of blues & silvers, but that may change in a year or two.

Hope this helps x

i would love to breed, but at this present time i dont have the money or time to dedicate to such a time and money consuming venture...

im like you i also asked for information. i would absoloutly hate to breed an animal and risk the lives of my own pet and her babies , without doing some proper research.

i think you ladies who breed cats are amazing! i know now after reading so much here breeding is so much more than just making cute babies.. so many things to consider the mothers and kittens health ultimately being first priority.

vaccinations,feeding,cleaning and then finding safe homes for *your babies* because im guessing after all this your most likely as protective as mummy cat!




i have no useful advice as i dont breed, but wanted to pop along (to readand learn a little) and to say how responsible you are for researching first. wishing you all the best in your future breeding ventures xxxxx

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