Importance of Pet Buyers
Breeding should be a symbiotic relationship between the pet buyer and breeder
Cat breeding is one of the most wonderful things one can do. You hold the newborn kittens in your hands, you raise them, you educate the new owners, you send the kittens off to their forever homes. If we do it right, this is the one of the few arenas in which one can sell love to the new owners.
When I started breeding and showing Sphynx in 2004, I listened to other experienced breeders and what they said. Some of those things turned out to be wrong.
Sometimes we just repeat things with hear.
Sometimes we don’t think about what those words actually mean. I’m guilty of this myself. One thing I have heard over and over is: “I breed for myself, I don’t breed for pet buyers, I’m NOT a pet breeder. Pet buyers get what I don’t keep for myself.” I (wrongly) repeated some of this mantra myself for several years. And also, cat breeders have a bad habit of being bullies and forcing their opinions onto others, so it’s easier to go with the flow.
Why did I say these things? I wanted to fit in! I didn’t want to be labeled a “backyard breeder”. I was going to show, test, and be a responsible breeder, so it was important I followed this. So I thought.
As time went on, I realized the fallacy and inherent arrogance that statement relays. To this day, I hear similar statements that belittle pet buyers repeated over and over, and it makes me cringe. It’s supposed to make them a “better breeder” but in reality, it isn’t. What makes a better breeder? Breeding healthy cats with good temperaments. Testing, selection, education. Belittling pet buyers and acting like they get their sloppy seconds? Not so much.
I’ve had it on my agenda to write an article for 2 years. I know some breeders who say it don’t actually mean it as it comes across but I wish they would stop repeating it.
Pet buyers are so important and should not be dismissed as a by-product, or treated like second class citizens by breeders. It’s a symbiotic relationship in which breeders and pet buyers should be partners. My pet kittens are as important as the ones I’m planning on keeping.
Without pet buyers, breeders cannot continue to breed as we can’t keep them all. I can’t speak for other breeders, but every decision I make is to hopefully make healthy cats with wonderful personalities that generally meet the breed standard FOR THE PET HOMES. Most of my kittens end up in pet homes.
Some breeders will argue that by my selecting my own kittens first, it isn’t putting the pet buyers first. However, that is shortsighted thinking and I’ll explain why. Breeders who strive to improve the breed will select a healthy kitten that is best suited for their program. For example, one breeder may have two kittens they are considering and their program may need larger ear size, so breeder will keep the one with larger ear size rather than the one with a more defined chin. It’s not always an easy decision, and it requires patience for pet buyers while they wait for the breeder’s decision. One really important consideration I have: how well do they eat. If they don’t eat well as newborns, they are automatic pets, no matter how pretty they are. This will likely have no repercussions for the pet owner, but could for newborn kittens in the next generation. Colostrum is ingested by newborns and is important for immune health. Eating is instinct and inherited. If this is repeated this over and over, that line of kittens will not eat as newborns. This will lower immunity and will affect the quality of the line.
For me, the main reason I continue to breed is the joy a new sphynx kitten brings to people. Sphynx are so amazing - insanely affectionate, part monkey, part dog cats.
My Sphynx have had much success in the show ring. 3 TICA Lifetime Achievement awards, 6 TICA International Wins, and TICA Regional wins every year since 2008. There are few with as much success in the show ring. While these awards are all fabulous and I’m proud; the most amazing part of breeding is enriching people’s lives with a kitten. Giving love. Giving joy. I’d take the happiness, the happy crying, when people finally get their Sphynx, over any award.
For me, all roads lead to making the best pets for people. If you do this, everything else just falls into place.
Am I pet breeder first? Sure am.
