Expert: Marcia Owen - 6/17/2008

Question
I am the owner of 2 persians.  I already have one female and one male, however they are both out of the breedin business.  I am very interested in starting to breed.  Please give me your advice on getting started, from picking the right male and female to knowing what to expect through the process.

Answer
Hi

My advise would be firstly to visit a couple of cat shows and talk to breeders so that you can find one that will sell you good quality stock.  Do not put all your faith in another breeder though, do your own research too and look at the pedigrees to check that they are not too inbed, ie. do not have a lot of the same ancestors in the pedigree.  If you are buying a pair to breed from then you need to have the two cats from totally different breeders and again make sure you check that the two pedigrees will go together without too much in the way of common ancestors.

Make sure the breeder knows that you wish to buy the kittens to breed from in case there is a problem with the kittens which which preclude breeding and do try to see them in their own home with Mum to ensure that the mother's temperament is sound.

Good luck on your new venture.

Marcia