home Endocrinology Which cats are best to breed for sale? Breeding purebred cats as a business. How to sell kittens

Which cats are best to breed for sale? Breeding purebred cats as a business. How to sell kittens

The pet breeding business attracts us with its prospects. Looking through advertisements for the sale of purebred animals, we see high prices, and accordingly, we come to the conclusion that breeding cats as a business is very profitable.

If you want to start making money from breeding pets, then you need to approach the issue very carefully so as not to lose your investment and make a profit. You must understand that such a business is very unstable, has its pros and cons, as well as the likelihood of incurring risks and losses if, for example, a pet gets sick.

If you think that it is enough to buy a couple of cats and give them the opportunity to peacefully reproduce and provide you with finances, then this is not entirely true. Breeding cats requires some knowledge about the characteristics of these animals, as well as business skills and the ability to correctly calculate all expenses so that they are less than income.

Where to begin

The first thing you must do is make a plan. No successful business does not happen without careful planning. You must take into account everything: the cost of purchasing animals, their maintenance, veterinarian, exhibition. When assessing where to start breeding cats, you need to understand that sometimes unforeseen situations occur that require additional investment.

The next step is preparing the premises. It is more convenient to maintain a nursery with several animals in a private home. In this case, cats will have to be allocated a separate room, and perhaps more than one, depending on how many animals are supposed to be kept. Careful planning of matings and selection of pairs will require you to separately house males, females and recently given birth females with litters.

In addition, you will need an area for walking and playing. An excellent solution is to make an outdoor enclosure. For these purposes, a strong mesh and a sun canopy are usually used. Of course, you can organize the breeding of cats at home, that is, in an apartment, but in this case you can keep no more than one pair, since the space is quite limited.

Cage for breeding cats

Now you must decide how many animals to purchase. You won’t get much profit from one pair, since the cat needs a rest from giving birth, but during this period it still feeds and requires care. This means we calculate how many females we need so that they consistently produce kittens throughout the year. In this case, you will have to take into account how popular the chosen breed is in your city and whether you will be able to sell the resulting number of cubs. If they are delayed, you will incur additional maintenance costs.

Therefore, your business plan should include:

expenses for preliminary preparation of the premises;
expenses for the purchase of breeding animals;
maintenance costs;
additional expenses: veterinarian, dietary food for indigestion and certain diseases;
costs of feeding kittens;
calculation of animal maintenance not only during pregnancy, but also during the rest period.

You are now ready to purchase breeding pairs. There are several options here.

We purchase young kittens and raise them until puberty.
We purchase grown-up cats and female cats from trusted nurseries.
We only purchase cats and then pay for breeding.

Each option has pros and cons. When buying kittens, you still don’t know what will grow out of them, so you need to choose a nursery as carefully as possible, having studied the pedigrees of the parents. When buying older kittens, you get cats that are almost ready for breeding, but, again, you must be sure that the animals were not sold to you. over a year old. If you choose the option of paying for matings, then you must be prepared for expenses: the more elite the male, the more expensive the mating will cost. For some breeds it can reach 20-50 thousand rubles.

Read also: Where to start goat breeding as a business and how to succeed

What else is needed to maintain a nursery?

In addition to a properly equipped room, you will need the following:

Breeding Features

Professional animal breeding requires certain knowledge. Many nursery owners take felinological courses, where they are told how to select pairs correctly, what they should pay attention to, how childbirth is carried out, features of keeping, participation in exhibitions and other important points.

For breeding you will have to choose a specific breed. Contain several different breeds Side by side is not recommended to avoid accidental crossing.

Animals without genetic defects and health problems. You will be a member of a club that approves matings and issues pedigree. Usually no more than two matings are allowed per year. The first mating occurs after the third heat. It is impossible to allow breeding to occur too early, but it is not recommended to do the first mating with an already adult animal.

Of great importance correct selection pairs by color, each breed has its own characteristics. The main breeds that are popular:

When choosing an expensive breed, remember that the demand for it may be small.

British Persian breed

All animals used for breeding are subject to vaccination. There is one for every cat veterinary passport. Pedigree kittens are usually given away starting at three months. They also receive vaccinations and receive veterinary passports. Pregnancy in a cat lasts on average 65-68 days; in Maine Coons it can last up to 72 days. Estrus in cats lasts about a week, its frequency depends on the breed and characteristics of a particular female. The average number of kittens is from 1 to 6, this large breed, like the Maine Coon, there are more of them.

Pitfalls when breeding animals

In pursuit of profit, you will have to work hard. Animal breeders are forced to devote all their time to them, and the more cats you have, the less time you have for everything else. When starting your business, you will have to invest a lot. For example, a purebred Maine Coon will cost 20 thousand rubles and more, it depends on the specific nursery and the prospects of the kitten itself. Breeders usually sell at a higher price for breeding. Here, of course, you can cheat and say that you are taking a cat for the family, but in any case you will need a pedigree and permission to breed if you want the kittens to sell at a high price.

This business will do only to sincere cat lovers, ready to serve them faithfully. Your hobby can become a business if you buy a purebred cat and create ideal conditions for her to live and have offspring. The price of a purebred kitten is from $100 to $20,000.

Breeding cats is more of an expensive hobby than profitable business. Without delving into the topic, the conditions seem very attractive: a purebred kitten can cost more than $10,000, pregnancy for all cats lasts only two months, the animals are famous for their vitality and they can be bred in a city apartment.

It is enough to buy one purebred cat, get offspring and sell the kittens. This is a superficial view, because the main condition for business prosperity in this case is selfless love for the “source of income.” Do not take up breeding cats if you do not have experience with them, you are not ready to serve these gentle predators and treat them like family members.

How much do cats cost?

If you are sure that you can pay maximum attention to your pets, you should start breeding by purchasing the first individual. Pedigree cats are not cheap; when choosing a breed, proceed from the amount that you can invest in the business without a 100% guarantee of payback.

The most expensive breeds are considered:

Savannah. An adult mini leopard costs $4,000-22,000.
Diamond eye (kao-mani). Blonde with with different colored eyes will cost up to $2,000.
Bengal cat. This spotted wonder is estimated at $1,000 to $4,000.
Toyger. A pet tiger can cost $4,000-5,000.
Maine Coon. Raccoon cat – $1,000-2,500.
Long time ago Rex. The price range for eared divas is $400-1,200.
Scottish lop-eared. Round faces, small ears and stripes, depending on the characteristics of the breed, can cost $200 or $1,500.
British cat. Aristocrats of the cat world – $200-1,500.
Russian blue. One of the most popular breeds in the world – $300-3,000.
Manx. Short-tailed cuties cost 4,000.

It’s better to start with unpretentious Bengal and British breed or from Maine Coons. These cats are in demand, are not too capricious and do not require complex care. It is easy to care for Bengal cats - all you need to do is trim their nails and brush their fur occasionally. Adult animals and kittens are playful and sociable. Such a cat is not cheap, but the demand for them is much higher than the supply.

Plush British cats are wildly popular. Calm and disciplined, the British are not picky - they only need to be brushed once a week. You can sell a British kitten even without a pedigree. Large Maine Coons are even-tempered and friendly. The only thing they require is personal space. These cats long wool which needs to be brushed several times a week.

What will you have to do

The cat business consists of several stages, none of which can be skipped:

Buying a cat.
Care and nutrition.
Trips to the vet.
Participation in exhibitions.
Organization of a nursery.
Searching for a worthy partner for a cat and mating.
Nursing kittens up to three months of age.
Kittens for sale.

Having chosen a breed and bought a cat, you must obtain the right to breed - a certificate and pedigree. Pedigree cats can be purchased from a reputable cattery. Sometimes the nearest nursery is in another country, so be prepared for additional expenses.

How to care for a cat

Take care in advance of everything necessary for keeping a purebred cat and create for it comfortable conditions. You need to buy:

Tray and litter for the toilet.
A comb, nail clippers, shampoo and other hygiene products in accordance with the requests of representatives of a particular breed.
Feeding plates and drinking bowl.
Scratching post.
Cat house, basket or box. It is impossible to train a cat to one place, like a dog, but perhaps it will like the proposed bed.
Food recommended by the nursery owner or veterinarian.

Vaccinations

In the first year of life, the cat receives three vaccinations against panleukopenia, calicivirus and rhinotrichitis. The first vaccination is carried out up to three months, the second - after three to four weeks, the third - at one year. The price of the vaccine is $7. The veterinarian should examine the kitten not only when the vaccine is administered.

Nutrition

Please pay attention Special attention nutrition, since the condition of the coat, the strength of the claws and the clarity of the cat’s eyes depend on it. Tuarine deficiency can lead to problems during reproduction, so include fish, beef heart or special balanced food in your diet. When developing a cat's menu, take into account the cat's predatory instincts - the diet should consist of 70% meat and fish, and 30% dairy products, vegetables, cereals, etc. Change the water in the drinking bowl several times a day.

Hygiene

Pedigree

The pedigree that you receive when purchasing a cat will contain information about three generations on the maternal and paternal lines. The upcoming mating should take place in a nursery, where the event will be registered, and after the kittens appear, they will be given metrics. In the future, you have the right to make a pedigree based on the metric or sell kittens with the metric in order new owner I did the genealogy myself.

Exhibitions

Participation in exhibitions gives the right to breed purebred cats. Before the first mating, a cat must participate in at least three exhibitions to receive a title. You will be able to join the club and register your nursery. The event will require financial investments, but without documents you will not be able to sell kittens at a high price.

How to sell kittens

You can sell purebred kittens with a pedigree or metric at exhibitions or through advertisements on specialized websites, in newspapers, etc. Without documents, the price is much lower, but people who do not plan to breed cats will buy kittens. Purebred kitten with a good pedigree costs from $200 to 2,000.

Possible difficulties and common mistakes

Purebred cats could undoubtedly bring good income to all animal lovers who combine business with pleasure. What could be easier - buy a cat for a few hundred conventional units and in just over a year you will receive a tidy sum for kittens placed in good hands. It can be assumed that people who breed cats do not experience financial problems. There is some truth in this - a poor person simply cannot handle the maintenance and care of purebred animals.

From normal business breeding purebred cats has very vague forecasts. You cannot be completely sure of your income and maintenance costs because you are dealing with a living being. You can minimize risks if you do not make serious mistakes:

Do not buy animals without documents, even if the price seems very attractive to you.
Buying cats at bird markets is dangerous: best case scenario you will have to treat your pet for infections for a long time.
When buying a cat through a club, do not agree to take it without documents. Cases when documents are promised, but never delivered, are often associated with inconsistency with the breed, hidden defects and other nuances that will not allow obtaining permission for breeding.

Even if you bought a healthy purebred kitten with measurements and pedigree, do not hope that the main dangers and expenses are behind you. Get ready for possible force majeure situations, because you are not dealing with a woodworking machine. Here is a list of mandatory and possible costs:

Expensive professional food, veterinarian services.
Introductory and membership fee to the cat lovers club.
Participation in exhibitions, possibly in another city or abroad. By the way, it is at exhibitions that it often turns out that your cat is not ideal.
Mating with a worthy partner costs money, including testing costs. It is possible that the cat lives in another city, and you will have to live there for about 5 days (the usual duration of mating).
The nutrition of a pregnant cat should be super complete.
The first cat birth should be attended by a veterinarian. This service, of course, is paid.
I don’t want to talk about it, but kittens can die in the first week of life. The reason is the incompatibility of the blood groups of the parents. It cannot be ruled out that the cat or cubs will get sick.
Everything went well, everyone is alive and well, the kittens are growing and developing. Now they need an enclosure, trays, and complementary food. Only the inexperienced may think that kittens eat little - the freshest meat, cottage cheese, baby food...
By three months, when kittens can already be handed over to the wrong hands, vaccination and worm prevention should be carried out.

If you fail to sell the kittens before they are eight months old, they may stay with you forever - everyone wants babies, and it is almost impossible to sell an adult animal at the planned price. The attractive prices that you saw at the beginning of the article apply to the best kittens with breeding rights; the rest you will sell for much cheaper.

Provided that everything turned out great, no one got sick, there was no need to call the veterinarian and all the kittens were sold on time, there will be no income at all or very modest from the first mating. Then you will gain experience and contacts among cat lovers, and perhaps you will receive orders. In a year or a little later, you will be able to return your initial investment and begin to receive income.

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With so many attractive small business ideas to choose from, you can always find something you like. Pet lovers can start distributing elite and rare breeds of cats. Breeding a popular species guarantees that the babies will be in demand. First you need to get acquainted with the rating of the most popular breeds, and collect as much information as possible about the most attractive one.

Breeding cats as a business will only be possible once you are thoroughly familiar with the physical characteristics of the breed and any potential health problems associated with the species. Ideas for breeding purebred animals work well with the following species: Siamese Orientals, Bengals, Bobtails, Sphynxes, Scottish Folds. The list, of course, does not end there. If you decide to breed cats, the choice of breed can be made based on your own preferences, as well as difficulties in care and breeding.

Very rare breeds, which are highly valued, most likely will not find their buyers. There is little information about exotic animals, so how to properly care for them and what to feed them remains a mystery.

Ideas for breeding, for example, Bengal cats can be brought to life by studying the genetics and history of the breed, and organizing the right conditions for animal development. Find out everything about the species you are going to work with. Make sure you know what the breed's ideal physical characteristics should be and are aware of any potential health concerns for the species. Be sure to talk to experts.

Thus, the Bengal cat is distinguished by spotted fur and big sizes. The breed was obtained by crossing an Asian leopard and a domestic shorthair. Such cats are active and intelligent animals capable of coping with complex tasks. They are friendly creatures who love to play and are easy to train. When choosing this breed, you should pay attention to the type of head, strong and powerful body and the beauty of spotting. In some countries, there are national programs for breeding Bengal cats; the ideas of such a business are supported at the state level.

Such an animal needs to be combed and stroked daily, perform oral hygiene, wipe the eyes with soft damp cloth, check your ears. These agile and graceful cats need room to move.

Nursery equipment

For a comfortable existence of purebred animals, a separate room will be required. This business is more suitable for residents of the private sector, with free territory for an enclosure. You will need a room of two or three rooms. The enclosure can be divided into compartments with transparent or opaque walls.

The room must be well ventilated and insulated with access fresh air. If the walls are solid, it is necessary to provide lighting and make small windows. Animals must be in comfortable conditions. The premises should have drinking bowls, feeders and trays; all this equipment can be purchased in special stores.

As is clear from the information described above, to work with purebred cats, one idea is not enough; you will definitely need:

cat litter boxes with bars;
scratching posts;
fillers (give preference to wood fillers, they absorb odor better than sand ones);
food (the health of pets depends on the choice), produced special feed for kittens and adults;
animal houses (for good rest cats need a dark corner);
special toys, combs, shampoos.

Hygiene products and the type of comb are selected depending on the breed.

Buying cats for breeding

The idea of making a profit by breeding cats is only feasible if you purchase purebred kittens from elite nurseries. Babies must have a veterinary passport and pedigree documents. When purchasing, it is worth enlisting the opinion of an independent expert, this will eliminate the possibility of error. When purchasing show-class animals, you will be able to attend exhibitions. Medals, cups and certificates will help raise the price of future kittens.

If the purchased animals have almost invisible defects, they belong to the breeding class; such defects are not hereditary and cannot affect the health of future kittens.

But individuals with hereditary defects (pet class) cannot be purchased. Flaws can appear even after several generations.

Cat advertising

So, the enclosures are ready, the animals have reached childbearing age... It's time to start advertising your business. This can be done on a special website, where it is advisable to place photographs of your pets, scans of their pedigrees, and create interesting description with the parameters of cats. For those who do not use the Internet, it is realistic to place an ad in a newspaper, indicating contact information.

Animals can produce offspring 3 times a year, so you can make money selling cats several times. In different breeds different duration pregnancy, and is approximately 55-65 days. A pregnant animal must be well fed and provided with comfortable conditions. Good care will ensure healthy offspring.

Mating cats

Advertising can help you find an animal of the same breed for mating. The idea of breeding cats requires searching for animals of the same species with a good pedigree. If you have a cat, you can make a separate isolated room in the enclosure. And if the female will most likely have to lead her to the “groom’s” home, the cats feel more confident in their territory.

Let's calculate the possible profit

Remember, breeding purebred cats requires a significant investment of time, money and preparation.

If you still like the idea of opening your own cat business, and love animals, of course, you will ask yourself how such serious troubles will provide income? Profit depends on many factors, for example, on the elite quality of the animals produced, their type, and the price for which you agree to sell the kitten.

For example, show class Bengal breed babies with pedigree and documents are valued at $950 – $2,000 and more depending on the beauty of their coat and physical characteristics. And the number of kittens can be more than two. From this we can conclude that ideas for breeding cats for sale are viable!

In this article I will talk about where to start breeding cats, whether this activity is profitable and who is suitable for it. You will learn how to choose the right kitten for breeding, keep and care for it. The main issues of mating, sale and the impact of the class of the animal on the price will be considered.

Breeding cats, like any business, begins with defining a goal - the result towards which the breeder’s efforts are aimed.

The main reasons prompting owners to start a business:

Receiving a profit from the sale of expensive breeds. As a rule, this goal is pursued by people who have a purebred cat and decide to make “easy money” by selling kittens.
« The cat needs to give birth“is a fairly common misconception among cat owners. Giving birth at least once before sterilization is not only not useful for a cat, but also not effective. Once a cat has given birth, it may not stop.
Breed improvement animals and changes in breed characteristics. People motivated by this goal constantly strive for the ideal, have a breeding program and set global trends.

Of course, the future breeder must love animals and have at least minimal experience with them.

But, unfortunately, just loving animals will not be enough; you need to understand, firstly, that business is not easy and requires not only financial, but also emotional costs. Secondly, when mating animals, you need to adhere to certain rules, thinking about the consequences.

Pros and cons of the cat business

the opportunity to earn income from your favorite business;
opportunity combine with main job;
opportunity make a profit quickly and evaluate the result;
the ability to easily start a business without obtaining permits.

market volume - high competition;
large time, financial and moral costs;
the need for special knowledge in the field of breeding and genetics.

Choosing a cat breed

Choosing a breed is perhaps the most important step in starting a cat business.

Popular breeds will not be easy to sell due to great competition. There is also not always a buyer for rare breeds; they cost much more, and such kittens often have to be shipped from abroad.

According to Avito - one of the popular trading platforms In Russia, the most popular cat breeds as of January 2018 were:

Scottish Fold;
Maine Coon;
Don Sfinsky;
Neva Masquerade;

When deciding on a breed, in addition to demand and average cost, study in detail the information: about genetics, care, nutrition rules and standard parameters.

How and where to buy kittens

Kittens for breeding should only be purchased from reputable breeders in nurseries with a good reputation. Nursery producers are encouraged to have awards and titles.

Optimal age kitten for breeding - 3-6 months.

As a rule, at six months of age, kittens are already quite independent, but at the same time, they have enough time to get used to their new owner.

The kitten must be carefully checked for compliance with breed standards and examined for birth defects. Ideally, the inspection should be carried out by an experienced third-party breeder of the selected breed.

The optimal age of a kitten for breeding is 3-6 months

Pay attention to the class of the animal; only breed and show class are suitable for breeding; if there is a pet class in the pedigree of animals, all offspring are subject to culling.

A pet-class animal has obvious or hidden defects and cannot participate in breeding.

After choosing a small kitten, a purchase and sale agreement is drawn up. The contract can specify the return period in case of non-compliance with the stated requirements.

Together with the animal, a veterinary passport and pedigree (or metric) are issued.

Legal side

WITH legal point From our point of view, private nurseries do not pursue the goal of making a profit. To open a nursery, the breeder just needs to decide on the specifics, come up with a name and join a club registered in the international system.

After checking and approving the name by the club, the nursery is assigned official status. State registration and the nursery does not need a license.

Maintenance and care of purebred animals

The room must comply with sanitary and epidemiological standards: be spacious, have sound insulation, and an air conditioning system. Ideally, make a small enclosure with partitions and windows in the private sector.

The enclosure must provide space for separate housing of lambing cats, pairs, stud cats and kittens.

From the inventory you will need:

retreat houses;
scratching posts;
litter trays;
bowls for food and water;
carrying;
various hanging floor toys;
hygiene items (scissors, shampoos, combs).

In addition, purchased kittens are shown to a veterinarian, receive the missing vaccinations according to their age, and purchase food appropriate for the breed.

Mating

Fully formed, sexually mature, healthy cats and female cats are allowed for mating.

The acceptable age depends on the breed. For a cat this is an average of 12 months, for a cat - 14.

During the first heat, the cat’s reproductive system is not yet fully formed and is not stable. hormonal background and underweight. Therefore, mating during the first heat is not permissible.

Average age for mating - 12-14 months

Breeders who are members of clubs receive a referral for mating and enter into an agreement with a mating partner. You can also find a partner at exhibitions or through advertisements on trading platforms.

Sometimes, before mating, owners require test results confirming the health of the animal. Mating is carried out in the cat’s territory, where he feels most confident.

A cat's pregnancy lasts 55-65 days.

During this period of pregnancy, her diet should be enriched with minerals. Responsibility for the birth and care of kittens falls on the cat owner. It is better to invite a veterinarian for the first birth. A cat's litter averages 3-5 kittens.

To distinguish between a boy and a girl, as well as to determine the gender of the newborn, look under the kitten’s tail, placing it with its belly on the palm of your hand. There will be two holes under the tail: the first (located closer to the tail) is anal, and the second, located below, is genitourinary.

In females, the distance between the holes is small, about 5 mm. In males they are located approximately 1 cm apart and with age the distance may increase.

Kittens from 1.5 to 2 months are subject to activation or registration, depending on whether the club belongs to the European or American system. Newborns are also given a metric, which can later be exchanged for a pedigree.

Kittens for sale

Kittens begin to be sold no earlier than after 3 months. Until this time, a veterinary examination is carried out, vaccinations are given, and training is given to the tray and hands.

The price is determined by the market method - based on supply and demand for a particular breed.

Factors that increase cost:

availability in track record parents awards and medals from exhibitions;
coat and eye color;
Class, which the kitten belongs to.

The most affordable for the buyer will be pet-class kittens, not intended for further breeding. Breed class cats can have initial exhibition titles - Champion and Interchampion (WCF system). The price of such kittens doubles compared to the pet class.

The most expensive is the show class, which is confirmed only by exhibitions in which kittens at least 10 months old participate.

Therefore, for a successful business, it is so important to take care of the exhibition career of pets.

A profitable sale will be facilitated by an advertising campaign. Place advertisements in the media, in social networks, popular message boards.

Is it profitable to become a breeder?

Profit and payback of a cat business is an individual issue. Let's look at the planned expenses and income using the example of the British Shorthair breed.

Let's sum up the costs:

the price of a future show-class manufacturer starts on average from 25,000 rubles, a pair (cat and cat) will cost 50,000 rubles, respectively;
if the nursery does not have a stud cat, the cost of mating will be no less than 6,000 rubles;
arrangement of an enclosure for one animal (4000);
vaccinations (600 rub.);
participation in exhibitions to improve the quality of the manufacturer - 2000 rubles.

Thus, the minimum one-time investment per animal: 25,000 + 6,000 + 4,000 + 600 + 2,000 = 37,200 rubles. To this amount you need to add the cost of maintaining one kitten.

Monthly expenses include food (1500), veterinary care (500 rubles), cat litter (500 rubles). It turns out 2500 rubles. per month for one kitten.

Since the cat’s prenatal period lasts at least 12 months, the costs for the entire period will reach 30,000 rubles.

Total minimum investment to start a business is equal to 67,200 rubles.

By multiplying the cost of maintaining one kitten by 3 months and subtracting it from the average cost of a British kitten - from 12-15 thousand (taking into account the appearance of both elite and rejected kittens in the litter), we get a profit of 2500-7500 rubles. for one.

Considering that a cat has an average of 4 newborns per year, the annual profit will be 10,000-22,500 rubles.

Naturally, all calculations are approximate.

Success will depend on many factors and, above all, on the attitude of the breeder. In addition to the financial costs of organizing and maintaining a nursery, purchasing animals and caring for them, it will be necessary to study the specifics of the breed and the mechanism of gene inheritance, and join clubs.

Experienced breeders talk about the possibility of getting “quick money” from such a business no earlier than in 5 years.

Breeding cats only at first glance seems like a simple activity accessible to anyone. In fact, to get worthwhile result It will take a lot of time, effort, patience and knowledge from the breeder.

Therefore, it is best to start breeding as a hobby, with the goal only of improving or creating a new breed, and only with time can you become a real professional.