Čeština Angličtina

General breeding advice

Have you decided to get a cat?

If you have decided on your life with a cat, you are facing several crucial questions. Considering them is most important as the cat will influence your life for a few years. It is therefore essential to think over the following:

  • Would you like a noble breeding cat or would you rather wait for an abandoned "homeless" cat brought to you by an unpredictable fate?
  • Would you prefer male or female cat?
  • It is no less important to take into account the quality of your dreamed kitten.
  • Do you want just a pet for your pleasure or are you willing to bear worries but at the same time joys of breeding and shows?

Last but not least, you should answer the following questions:

  • Do I have enough time for it?
  • Will I be able to ensure feeding of my kitten four times a day?
  • Am I ready to stand kitten's temperament playing?
  • Wouldn't it be better to get an adult individual?

Do you find these questions too useless? You can be sure, they are not. You should be also aware of the fact that a purchase of a high-bred cat is not a cheap matter. Therefore you should consider this decission with a high responsibility so that not only you but also your cat can be happy.

Where shall I find the right one?

You have certainly an idea of your future cat's appearance. Go through a few encyclopedias on cats. Have you found the yours? If so, study in detail both the standard and demands of the required breed. Not all cats are convenient into a small flat. Try to find out a contact to some breeders of your required race. There are several possibilities: go to see the nearest cats show, go through a few magazines for breeders or have a look at the Internet. Try to address some of the breeders or make a not-binding appointment.

Honest breeder is always ready to show you his breeding individuals and will not feel any problem talking about both positives and negatives of his breed. Naturally, there will be many more positive things as the cats are a part of their lives and they do not mind overlooking some defficiences od their darlings. You should also notice the surroundings where the cats live and their physical and psychical condition. If you are offered some kittens without any certificate of the origin, do not hesitate to ask the breader why he does so.

Attention! There are two types of breeders!

Breeders and cat miltipliers. In case of the bad luck of  your decission to have a kitten from the second group,it can easily happen to you that instead of dreamed pet you will bring home an uncontrollable introvert or even a sick kitten!

Advisable age for taking off and upbringing the kittens

For the right psychical development of your kitten, contact with people is very important already in the very early weeks of his life. The surroundings where your kitten lives has an essential influence on his socialization in the third month of his life. Therefore never take the kitten off earlier than after his 12th week of life! Not even if you were assured by the breeder about the kitten´s independency and cleanliness. It is in your own interest. Younger kitten, found in alien environment, starts automatically being after his mother. Emotional scar, caused by breaking the bonds with mother too early, can bring about irrecoverable harm in kitten´s psache. On the other hand, a three-month-old kitten is eager to explore new environment. Of course, there may be short whiles of misssing mother and other siglings, however, with the many new impulses and scents, the kitten soon forgets about them.

It is therefore very convenient to spend withyour kitten as much time as possible during this stage. The kitten will be looking for something to replace the broken bonds with mother and will be ready to create new relationships with you.Devote much of your time to him and play with him a lot. You will be surprised how quickly he learns to react at your voice and how soon he will be able to recognize your steps.

Jak vybrat správné koťátko?

If you have already chosen the right breed and the right breeder, your last but no less impostant tast is to choose the right kitten. Notice him or her very crefully during your visit. Their behaviour will tell you a lot about their future character. Some kittens are eagerly curious to look at you from a very short distance, you can pet with him being allowet to hold him in your arms, another one can be more shy and will need more time to find a courage. And still another one can be too much busy having no time for you at all. In the first place, however, the kitten must be clean, playful, reacting at your impulsesand making a healthy impression. Honest breeders should be able to recognize each kitten's character features and recommend you the one most meeting your demands.

Female or male?

A lot of persons concerned fight the question: which is better – having a male or a female cat? If you are not going to deal with further breeding, in fact, it makes no difference since it is reasonable to have your cat castrated after reaching sex maturity. This way you can avoid annoying marking in case of male cats and sound demonstration of female cats during heat. Many people are afraid of castration because of later psychical and physical changes.

The fact remains that castrated individuals are more calm, better ballanced, more nestling and they get rid off their rood mood and distemper caused by hormon level swinging. As far as morfological changes are concerned, ther are no really strong changes in case the castrated individual is already matured. You can avoid obesity threatening after castration assuring your cats proper feeding and enough movment.

Quality versus price

Many breeders will ask you at the very beginning which are your requirements as fot the kitten's quality. The quality of kittens has nothing in common with their character features. It means visual presumptions, if the kitten meets more or less the strict standard criteria of the breed. The more the kitten reaches standard demands, the more "quality" he or she is. The higher, however, his price will be. If you are looking for a kitten as a caress pet, you will not certainly mind his higher set ears or on or two spots on his white sock. The prices of such kittens are more acceptable, however, they must not be used for further reproduction.

Provided you have breeding ambitions, you should be even more consistent choosing a suitable breeding station and a convenient kitten. We advise you to see a few shows, try to compare the individuals displayed with the breeding standard, respectively ask for explaining possible difficulties of the breed you are interested in.

Kitten or better adult cat?

In case you spend more time off your home and in spite of that you still want a cat, you shoul think of a purchase of an adult individual. Little kitten requires feeding four times a day, after his six months of age three times a day. It is necessary to devote him much of your time, play with himand teach him what is and is not allowed. From time to time you will have to sacrifice a vase or something else broken by your darling  or tolerate another nuisance of his. If you have not time for these, you will never bring your kitten up as a caress companion according to your images. Don't be afraid of buying an adult individual. A cat is able to create a very close relationto her new owner even as an adult and thus you will avoid difficulties connected with upbringing of a kitten.

An ideal situation for very busy people, however, is to get two cats instead of one. Your conscience will not suffer if you have to stay longer at work or will not have time for them for another reason. Two cats together are never bored, they assure each other sufficient movement. If you feel like doing that, you can always participate in their playing or you can be just watching them passively. Their mutual rivalry to gain your respect can be very pleasant for you. Two cats do not bring more worries than one. Neither the costs will be much higher. On the contrary, you will save money paid to their vet. A lonely cat often suffers from depression, tends to obesity and is inclinable to infections. Two cats keep each other not only in physical but also in psychical shape and you will feel happy seeing good-humoured, well-conditioned cats.

And that is exactly what we want. We would not only like to be happy with our cat but we also want our cat to be happy with us.