Breeding pure bred cats and dogs whats your opinion?

Question

I have found that for some reason people think that breeding purebred cats , for the purpose of showing and enhancing the breed is almost a crime but breeding dogs for the same purpose is ok , I am curious about the ratio please post your opnions = ) .

darla only bad breeders can live off of an income from breeding animals. Breeding animals that are healthy happy and conform to breed standards is very expensive and in my experiance costs way more then any income you might make from selling a kitten, vet care, registry fees, show fees , travel , good quality food etc make for an expensive hobby

Answer 1

Many of the answers, so far, include valid points.

As a breeder of pedigreed cats myself, I have never had anyone challenge me on my motives or ethics. However, a few people have assumed that all of this work that I do with and for my cats and my breed is a "business". It isn't. I don't profit. It is a VERY expensive hobby.

Unfortunately there are a very few people out there who's actions as breeders ruin the reputation of the fancy for all of us. They are either motivated by money, cut corners and care very little about the health or well-being of their animals, or they have too many cats in comparison with the time, money and other resources available to them.

Raising cats, unlike dogs, has two challenges.

First, some cats need to be bred more than once a year; they are prolific producers and a cat's health may be at stake if she has too many unbred heats. Therefore, its very easy to have too many cats at a time if you don't have a waiting list of forever homes. If those cats get sick, a breeder often must treat every cat in the house/cattery at tremendous cost. It can get out of hand if one is not prepared physically and financially to care for many cats at once.

Second, raising cats can be very isolating. Dogs spend a lot of time outside. Pedigreed cats, typically, are indoor-only animals. For me, as someone who also has a job outside of the home, I do little more than work at my job and then work at home to do either housework or care for the animals. I don't get out much. I can't just meet up with a friend and take our pets for a walk. I don't see my friends and family who don't like my cats. The fancy seems to attract introverted people and often people who are loners stick with it; the extroverts don't, in my experience. Not that there is anything wrong with being quiet, shy or introverted, however these people and what they do are often misunderstood. Unfortunately the fancy also attracts what seems to be a number of self-isolating people with mental health problems; they prefer cats to people.

I think these two reasons contribute to the image of "crazy cat ladies". I am a self-declared sane and ethical cat lady... but there are some days I do come close to the edge. LOL I am an extrovert and I do think you MUST be crazy to go through what we do for the cats and not profit. Crazy for cats or crazy for... ? LOL

The one thing I promise to myself, my family and my cats is that we'll never end up on the news for being dirty or over-run. I think its upto the breeders in the fancy to educate others about what we do and why and how it should be done propperly.

That's part of the reason why I post here. I also love talking about cats and learning, too.

Answer 2

I think it's the same thing regardless of what species...you're breeding to enhance and prolong the life of the breed.

That said, perhaps the reason some people find breeding dogs more "okay" versus cats is the fact that dogs are generally perceived as "useful" or still able to serve a purpose such as herding sheep, bomb detection, etc. The cat is looked at as being merely ornamental, which in my opinion is wrong and bias, but it exists.

On a side note, I have seen places where the family dog runs up to any intruder in the house, but the family cat will attack. Now, who is the smarter one there?

Answer 3

More people own dogs then cats. There are more dogs breeders then cat breeders, and cats have a longer lineage then dogs do. There are breeds of cats way older then some dogs breeds. Therefore, when breeding for showing and keeping the line pure, it's infact just for that. Keeping the line pure and free of interbreeding. It's preserving the heritage of any one particular breed. Good dog breeders breed for the same purpose, but since purbred dogs (and now these rediculous designer/hybred dogs) are more popular there are more bad breeders just looking to make a buck out there then there are cat breeders. It's all relevent.

Answer 4

I run into anti-breeding types all the time in my volunteer work at the shelter. Most the volunteers and all the staff seem to think everyone should adopt their pets from a shelter or rescue. I understand their point as they see animals, especially cats, euthanized in huge numbers simply because there are no homes for them.

Answer 5

There are enough unwanted animals in the world. Visit your local pound or animal control to see all the animals already here that need homes. By breeding, you give these animals an unlikely chance of being adopted. Also I hate when people make their living by breeding animals...the lazy S.O.B.s.

Answer 6

I've never heard anyone criticize the breeding of pure bred cats. Sounds like uniformed people would do that.

Answer 7

If you are doing it the RIGHT way...I am all for it!!! I have a friend that breeds and shows cats and when done right it is as big a money pit as breeding dogs!!!!

Answer 8

It doesn't matter to me, if you're a cat breeder or a dog breeder. I think a disproportionate amount of people dislike cats, though, and think that the only good cat is a dead one, or one that hasn't been born!