What do you think of Cat Breeders?

karenbi

I have just started hobby cat breeding and have come across lots of different people in the cat world- most of them really lovely and helpful. Some of them have big operations with outdoor pens etc, others have several different breeds of cats and dogs in their programme. I am determined to be extremely ethical but wondered what everyone else thought about cat breeders? Do you think it's ethical to breed cats when they are so many need homes? What about breeders who don't register animals and sell them without papers?

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Fire_Fox

May I ask what you mean by ethical in this context? Are you hoping for a debate or are you wanting people to help make up your mind?

karenbi

More of an ethical debate- after all you have to make your own mind up on how you live your life, but there's nothing wrong with taking other people's views into account. I suppose my understanding of ethics is that is the subjective consideration of what is right and what is wrong, and your position on that scale in reference to the issue in hand.

I'm just interested as my previous cats were from the RSPCA and I was really against breeding. I'm not sure how carefully I had considered it, though. The only other people I speak to about it are people who'd like to buy a kitten or other breeders.

foreign_correspondent

The rescues are overflowing - if you breed cats, how do you intend to ensure that in their lifespan (which may be 15-20 years) the kittens you sell do not end up in rescue themselves, or being bred, and adding to the over-population of cats by hundreds or even thousands in just a few years?

lostinrates

As the owner of pedigree cats, I am in favour of breeders who allow me to own them. BUT I found it much harder to find and identify ''ethical'' cat breeders than dog breeders.

There are sme breeds of cat, like dog, I cannot come to terms with as being ethical. And there are things I would not do that I see other people consider ethical and understand why.

There is no simple answer I'm afraid, even to the ''ethical'' you state as a given.

spookylukey

This is not my quote but I stand by everything it means "Why breed or buy while shelter animals die?"

Niv

When I wanted a cat, I went to teh cats protection, it didnt even occur to me to look for a cat breeder. I have no major problem with people breeding cats, but I would like to think they would be responsible enough to meet demand with the supply rather than breed, breed breed, if you get what I mean.

As for the 'why breed them when there are lots in homes' same could be said for dog breeders or pretty much most of the pets people have. There are many children in need of adoption but many people still 'breed' (bit touge in cheek really I know its not the same but still true that there are good homes needed for homless kiddies)

karenbi

In answer to Foreign Correspondent.

I must admit cat overpopulation and the fact that there are loads in the rescue centres is my main worry. I do the following:

Register all cats with the Cat Council as non-active, sell as a pet only and ask for proof of neutering.

Have a sales contract that stipulates that the cat is sent back to me for rehoming if they can no longer keep it (I then refund any money I get from rehoming the cat).

I vet new owners as much as I can (I have refused people) and keep in touch with them after the sale.

My two girls will have only one litter a year and only three litters in total.

Also, the breed I have sell for a high amount as kittens and a decent amount as adults and would hopefully not find themselves in a rescue centre. I wouldn't say that just because you'd pay lots of money for a cat means you'll treat it any better or love it any more than we do our moggies.

Finally, I think one of the big problems is uncontrolled breeding of moggies in the general population. The kittens often aren't vaccinated, vet checked or neutered and are sold for 20 quid in the admag or given away.

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karenbi

In answer to lost in rates.

It is hard isn't it? I do lots of stuff (see my answer to Foreign) to ensure I am ethical (in my opinion) but thinking back, I'm not sure if the person I bought my kitten from was very ethical, nor the person who owns the stud cat my girls visit. They are lovely people and very helpful but I wouldn't breed cats like they do.

karenbi

spookylukey wrote: »

This is not my quote but I stand by everything it means "Why breed or buy while shelter animals die?"

I suppose in opinion, it's just a different market. People will pay more money for a certain thing, in this case a type of cat. It's the same with horses- someone could pay 100 grand for a horse but if that horse wasn't available they still wouldn't adopt a horse from the RSPCA in its stead.

Although my above argument still doesn't even convince me 100%, I have got two rescue moggies and have rehomed one dog, a cat and a horse for other people in the last 12 months...

sleepymy

How much ethics can be involved in treating a living creature as a commodity?