Sarah mobbs'

Many times, I am asked similar questions by those who wonder about the practicalities of breeding. "What does it involve?" "How much time does it take?" "What a nice way to make a living! With the cost of kittens, it must be a good little earner."

Call this an FAQ of sorts, but I decided to include a section on the website to address some of these questions and give readers an insight into the life of a breeder.

On the surface of it, it doesn't look as though breeding costs that much. I mean, it costs little for your female to mate with a male, right? Cats do it all the time and it costs nothing. And cats carry kittens to term and deliver all the time without human intervention or money being thrown at them.

Unfortunately, in the pedigree world, that simply doesn't apply. For those of you considering breeding, and even just those of you who wonder why pedigrees cost so much, and why we breeders charge what we do, I'd like to outline all of the costs involved. These are not just financial.
Breeding queen: Anywhere from £750 to £1000 for a really good quality girl, even more if you want to import one.
Stud fees: Anywhere from £200 to £500. If the girl doesn't get pregnant with the first male, this fee may have to be paid more than once if you have to use a different stud.
Stud boy: Not essential, but many established breeders working towards a particular goal in their kittens will buy in a boy to help in their breeding. £1000 minimum, but I've regularly seen prices of £2500 and more.
Stud run: Again, not essential unless you have a stud boy. £2000 minimum for a basic run, but probably more as most breeders house their boys in nice quarters. They will spend many years out there, so their comfort is essential. The runs need to be heated and lighted, so you have those bills to consider too.
Testing: Health tests for the breed, approx £30 per test per condition.
Testing for colour: Not essential, but if you want to be sure of the colours of kittens you'll produce, then you will want to know if your girl carries dilute, chocolate etc. The cost is the same for health testing.
Snap tests: Essential before every trip to stud. £45-£70.
Vaccinations: Cost me £70 per year per cat, and that's with a breeder discount. I use a good vaccine, but justify the cost against the fact that it really is the best one in my opinion.
Show fees: Not essential, but if you wish to be known as a good breeder with quality cats, then showing is the best way to do this. Each GCCF show costs £28-32 per cat. Cats begin shows as a kitten to get them used to showing. Even if they are the best cat and never miss out on a class win (something virtually unheard of), and don't begin showing until they are classed as an adult, it takes 26 shows to gain the highest title available in GCCF, then a further 1 or 2 to gain the UK and/or Supreme title
Show whites: £20 per cat for blanket, litter tray, food and water bowls.
Drapes: Up to £300 per set. Not essential, but if you want to show at the Supreme, put your cats on exhibit etc, then you need these.
GCCF registration: About £90 per litter but the cost depends on how many kittens each litter contains.
Kittening pen: For a good one that will last for years, at least £500, probably more.
Bedding: About £150 for Vetbed for the bottom, plenty of vetbed for changing in the nest etc.
Kittening kit: Mine cost £250. Filled with essentials such as accurate scales, bottles/syringes/formula for hand feeding, heat pads etc.
Litter trays: I have 2 out for regular use, £25 each, then have another 4 in reserve for when kittens come along, £10 each.
Food: This varies, but it can cost almost £10 per day with a full litter of kittens. Per cat, it's probably about £15-20 per month. They have to be fed on good quality food, and can eat up to 4 times their normal amount when pregnant and feeding kittens.
Litter: Usage varies depending on how many cats/kittens are in the household. Kittens are messy, so use a lot more of it. Anywhere from £20-40 per month.
Toys, scratching posts etc: The initial cost of a post can be anywhere from £20 into the hundreds. Mine average about £30 but I do have one that cost me over £400. Essential if you want it to last a long time. My cats are indoor, so variety is essential to keep them from getting bored. This means that toys are replaced on a regular basis. Factor in that kittens destroy them, or choose a favourite that they take with them to their new homes, and that they need to be changed totally between litters, and it's about £7 per month if I'm strict with myself and don't buy them more. I'm rarely strict.
Replaceable: incontinence pads for the birthing box and kittening pen, kitten formula, syringes, teats, ID collars, disinfectant (the pet safe stuff is astronomically expensive), etc. I'm almost afraid to put a price on it. Probably about £30 per month, being conservative.
Kitten enquiries: Phone bills, stamps for posting pedigrees, paperwork etc, time taken to talk to people, people coming to see the kittens (sometimes they stay for hours, and need to be given food etc). Difficult to put a price on it as it varies, but it's not cheap.
Micro-chipping: £15 per cat.
Kitten vaccinations: £80 per kitten for the full booster course, but only if I have a litter of 3 or more. Otherwise, £120 per kitten.
Worming: £10 per year per cat.
Vet bills: Doesn't even bear thinking about, especially if you have a run of diarrhea or the like in a full litter of kittens. If one gets sick, they usually all get it, and that means big bills. Insurance doesn't cover kittens.
Pregnancy related vet bills: If a girl needs an out of hours C section, this can sometimes run into the thousands. Other breeding related problems might be eclampsia, pyometra, infection, mastitis. The list goes on and on and on. Vets are expensive.
Routine vet bills: Check ups, teeth cleaning, the run of the mill problems that any pet cat experiences.
Advertising fees: Necessary to sell kittens: About £50 per litter.
Travel: Fuel to and from stud, cat shows, new kitten homes, to pick up a new cat. Again I'm afraid to put a price on it. Probably £40 per month, again being conservative.
Time off work: This usually ends up being unpaid leave as you've used all your annual leave up with vet visits, kitten visitors, nursing a sick cat etc. Obviously, the cost varies depending on your pay bracket, but it's usually two weeks per litter. That mounts up fast when you have multiple queens.

These costs are based on a household of 2 cats and 1 litter of kittens at any one time. Now double, treble, quadruple it and you'll get the real cost of what some breeders have to pay for their hobby.
Money isn't the only cost of breeding though.
Time: It takes time to socialise kittens. In fact, you can spend 24 hours a day for weeks on end with new kittens. It takes time to scoop so much litter, time to make sure every cat gets their one on one attention, time to bathe them all, clip claws, groom coats etc.
Social life: You don't have one when you're a breeder. Forget that wedding you're supposed to go to, because your queen is just about to kitten. Forget going out for your birthday, because the kitten needs hand feeding and can't be left alone. Forget those lunches or evenings out with friends, the leisurely time you take to pamper yourselves, the nice shopping trips. You can't do it any more, or at least, you can't do it with any kind of frequency.
Fashion: No longer will you be the height of fashion unless cat hair becomes a fashion accessory. You will model it whether you want to or not, and will eventually end up choosing clothing styles and colours which complement your cats, i.e, ones where the hair doesn't show up as easily.
Holidays: You can't have them. You don't have any annual leave left from work, and you've had so much unpaid leave that you can't afford to take any more, and even if you could, you couldn't afford the holiday anyway because the leave has cost you the rest of your savings.
Heartache: When a beloved old cat passes on, when you have to let go of a kitten to go to their new home, when you see a tiny kitten born so deformed that it can't survive, when you hold a tiny, living being in your hand, feel the heartbeat slow, and know that your best efforts weren't enough to save that baby. When you grieve with a cat for a phantom pregnancy, try and comfort a mother desperately calling for her missing baby, comfort a cat who is searching for kittens who have left for their new homes. This last is perhaps the biggest cost of breeding, and one which does not get easier with time.

So to those of you thinking of breeding, think very carefully about whether you are strong enough to balance the costs due in payment for the incredible, unspeakable joy these living souls bring to your life. The price is high.