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As the old saying goes - ‘A thing begun is half done.’ This is specifically true for us when we look for our breeding stocks to start our breeding programme.
Once you have chosen a particular breed that you are going to focus on, there are a lot of things that one has to consider when he looks for a ‘perfect’ cat for his cattery.
1) What are the features that you would like to produce in your cats? Although there are some written standard of each of the breeds, there are still certain looks that one would prefer more to. (e.g. big and round popping eyes, smiling expression, etc)
2) What patterns/color do you particular like and concentrate on? (e.g. bicolor, solid, etc)
3) Are you going to purchase a cat locally or import it from the other countries? You must pay attention to the quarantine rules from the relevant Authority of each country so as to avoid unnecessary quarantine period which may stress the cat out!
4) How many male/female cats are you planning to have in your cattery? Can your living space accommodate the cats adequately? Please note that over-crowding of cats population might result in animal cruelty.
5) Which bloodline(s) are you going to bring in to your breeding programme? Different bloodlines have different features and sometimes, bringing in them altogether will result in something unimaginable!
6) Do you think you can afford paying the tremendous costs arising from the cats ? (e.g. maintenance, vaccination, food, vet, etc)
7) And many more, you name it…………
Above all, no matter what you choose, they should be of healthy condition and free of genetically inheritable diseases (e.g. PKD for the Persian and Exotic Breeds) and do not forget to look for your own produced kittens forever loving home!!! Although I mentioned ‘perfect’ cat in the second paragraph of this passage, there is actually NO PERFECT cat in the world.. That is why breeders are still breeding! ^_^
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