Breeding cats. Why would you want to do that?
No, seriously, there are enough cats to go around. Unless you show some special breed, then don't breed. Rescue some poor sodden kitten somewhere close to you. People drown kittens just to save on the food, they will surely give you one. Buying a cat from a pet store only perpetuates the habit of some people to breed anything they can sell off before it starts eating solids. You end up with
a cat that scratches your furniture, suckles on odd things and generally never behaves naturally its whole life, because it never was weaned. Kittens should be obtained free even if it takes a bit of waiting while dad asks around at work, ma has had a chat with some friends and the kids have asked everyone at school. Really, we always find a cat within one month that way.
If you want one of those special breeds that shows you have a fancy cat, or you think those ones look cuddlier, or the other ones that look so regal, well, then go buy it. From a show champion breeder. You are going to pay through the nose, you might as well give the money to someone who actually has properly bred stock. As with most other pets, also beware of breeds that have become so popular, the twenty original imported specimen has had ten thousand offspring, all related. See what happened to Alsation dogs' hind quarters. Well, I'll tell you more about that when we talk about dogs, but the idea is this: Greed has led to massive inbreeding of pet animals in South Africa, because we are so far from the places we import them from and hardly ever get fresh blood in. As with the Alsation, it might even be a world problem, but as far we can see, a universally poor diet has some blame to carry here. Deformed teeth usually is a good early indicator of bad breeding, so open that gift horse's mouth for a look-see. If you are a breeder/shower, look out for changes in the breed requirements. To our eyes, it seems they tend to be initiated by influential breeders to hide genetic deterioration in their stock.
To sum up: Go to your nearest factory or supermarket, kick over some dustbins, and find yourself a free kitten. Buying a crossbreed is like buying khakibos. Khakibos is a fine herb, but pay for it? While khakibosse all over the land are going dry and uncoddled? Stop next to the road and pick some up! Ask your vet, they get unwanted kittens all the time. Ask anyone that is honest, and they will gladly keep an ear open for you, there are way too many unwanted cats out there. Save a kitty, don't buy cats!
