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People and Their Cats |
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 Researched by Taylor
Dale |
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A cat breeder is a person who breeds cats. A pedigreed cat is one that is registered so you have documentation of its heritage. There is a difference between purebred cats and pedigreed cats. Purebred cats are not registered and are more common. Breeders take care to ensure that many beautiful breeds of cats are preserved. Some types of cats were virtually extinct, but through the dedication of breeders they were brought back. Breeders also ensure that the distinct and special qualities of each type of cat are preserved. Breeders also provide information about specific pedigreed cats and support the healthy maintenance of this animal.
History
Household cats began to evolve 35 million years ago. Some say that the earliest cat was called Proailurus. Proailurus is a predator weighing about 20 pounds that lived during the Oligocene era around 25 million years ago. People think most of its time was spent up in trees taking refuge, hunting small mammals that roamed on the ground. Like all animals the Proailurus became extinct. Although before it did, out of its evolutionary line came another kind of cat. This kind of cat was called Pseudaelurus. Pseudaelurus lived in the early Miocene era. This occurred about 20 million years ago. After many years it became extinct. But off of its feline tree two branches grew.
Many cats have similar traits, and their ancestors affect the domesticated cats’ behavior today. Even though house cats look as if they are tamed, nice, and trainable they still have wildness in their heart and soul.
Cats have not been domesticated as long as dogs. Dog domestication dates back about 50,000 years whereas cats have been with humans for around 8,000 years. Maybe that is why dogs are called “Man’s Best Friend” rather than cats. Cats were probably initially brought to live with humans so they could catch rodents. Then in Egypt cats took on a very important role. There are many artifacts that demonstrate the prominent position cats had. If a cat died in an ancient Egyptian family ‘s house, the family shaved off their eyebrows and went into deep mourning. During this same time period the cat was thought to be a symbol of fertility. Cats were even mummified and buried with wealthy people. There is one sanctuary that has 300,000 cat mummies in it.
The Romans smuggled cats out of Egypt and the cats continued to be treasured by them. There is a story of a chariot driver who ran over a cat and killed it. The man was stoned to death for this crime.
After the death of Christ, monks began traveling with cats. There are English roof tiles dating back to AD43 that have cat prints pressed in them. Then with the fall of the Roman Empire, cats began to lose their popularity. For almost 700 years cats began to be associated with witches and demons. Many people may have disliked the cat during that time, but throughout its existence it has always been regarded as an excellent killer of mice and rats. The cat fur was used to line garments and in times of famine, cats were eaten.
In the 1600’s, the popularity of cats began to come back. Then in the 1800’s real interest was taken in the pet. The first real cat shows began in 1860. Not long after that, clubs for specific cat breeds began to be formed. There were only about six main varieties of cats at that time.
Skills and Knowledge Needed For Breeders
There are many topics breeders must be familiar with. Breeders need to have a good knowledge of genetics. If they want to attain certain characteristics the breeder needs to know how to get those to be expressed. It is good for the breeder to have some knowledge of veterinary medicine. If the cats become ill, injured or have trouble delivering kittens, the breeder must be of assistance. It is a good idea for the breeder to be able to determine what cats should be paired up to make the kittens. Breeders also need to know the legal issues that relate to cat breeding and what animal rights advocates may be opposed to their business. The breeder needs to understand the process for registering their kittens to ensure the pedigree of the animal. Attending and showing the cat is another thing breeders must do. The breeder must be skilled in how to prepare the cat for the show and how to highlight the cat. A cat that has won ribbons and titles is considered more valuable. A breeder needs to know how to properly mate their cats so they are safe. Breeders need to read all the latest information, talk with many experts and continue to update their training. It is a good idea for someone who is new to cat breeding to find a mentor who will educate the new breeder.
Pros and Cons of Cat Breeding
There are many pros and cons to jobs like cat breeding. Even though it seems that the cons of jobs outnumber the pros it usually doesn't’t turn out that way. Some negative aspects of cat breeding are costly equipment for breeding and food, bed, litter box etc. The cost of owning a cat is high. To pay for the medical, health and life style of your cat you will need a lot of money, time, and patience. For many people finances are no problem although there are still the problems of diseases and illnesses that lead to death. There also is a possibility that there could be a bad genetic mutation like spinal bifida.
Some of the pros to a job like this involve meeting great people who share some of the same characteristics that you share so you get along together. Also you learn to appreciate all that people do in your life and others, with this you learn to appreciate miracles. It is heart wrenching to witness a new life being born and to see how one little creature can turn the world into a better place. Something that many people enjoy is that they get to work with the animals that they love and adore.
Items Needed For Breeding and Owning Cats
It takes a great deal of energy and cash to keep your cat or cats nice and healthy. In order to take good care of them you must have numerous items of equipment, and this does not come free. Also, if you want to make money you must go to cat shows. If you have a nicely built cat, you can make a lot of money. It is very important that you have several cats if you are not around your house very much. You will need this because cats can begin to get wild, untrained and disruptive if you don’t. Like humans, cats prefer a safe and odor free room because they too could begin to stink. Cats need to go to the restroom and their tool is a litter box. For cats, this is similar to how humans use a toilet. Seeing that a cat cannot flush their litter box, a human must dispose of the waste. You can get a self-cleaning litter box, but eventually you will need to change the litter material. The cat’s wet food needs to be changed every day, dry food doesn't’t need to be changed because the food can stay good for some while. The cat’s water does need to be changed every day because the water can become unclean. If you are planning on a pregnancy, then you need several tools like a cage, food, water, birth box, clean rags or towels, flash light, heating pad, thermometer, bulb syringe, scissors, hemo stat, white iodine, gloves rubbing alcohol, postage scale, telephone, vets number, stethoscope, K-Y jelly, safe mating area. As you can see there are many supplies and equipment needs of a cat breeder and I have only listed some of them.
Salary
The income for cat breeders varies greatly. If you were a famous exotic cat breeder that was providing animals to people such as Sigfried and Roy, your salary could be in the millions. Domesticated cat breeders may not even make any money after the expenses are deducted. There are so many variables in cat breeding that it is next to impossible to predict how much will be earned from each litter.
Potential For Career
The majority of people who become cat breeders do so because they love the animals and it is a hobby for them. There are some large industry breeders, but for most people, there is rarely even a profit. There are currently hundreds of unwanted pets in shelters such as the Humane Society. These animals are generally not pedigreed, but there is really no shortage of cats in the world today. If a person wants to be a cat breeder, they should invest in a rare breed or a popular breed. Then they must market their animals to get the best sale price. If you are a person with time and money and dedication to cats this might be a potential career for you.
Related Careers
There are many careers related to cat breeding. Every type of domesticated animal has breeders, from mice to large mammals. Other careers include animal trainers. These people help animals acquire specific skills. There are animal trainers who can teach elephants to do tricks and animal trainers who teach dogs how to rescue humans. Another related career would be a zookeeper. A person trained in this field must know about animals as well as business. A veterinarian or veterinary assistant both deal with the health care of the animals. All of these careers are interesting and related to cat breeding.
Information Summary
The domesticated cat has been around for nearly 8,000 years. The cats have gone from being treated like royalty, to being evil and now they are back to being a loved member of many people’s families.
Cat breeders are people who want to preserve a certain breed of cat. They use their skills to attain the highest quality animal. Then they show the animal to try and increase the value of the cat. The breeder will eventually sell the cat to a qualified buyer.
It is difficult to be a cat breeder because it is time consuming and expensive. You must be dedicated and willing to work hard at taking care of cats. The positive aspects of being a cat breeder include the joy of bonding with the cat as well as helping preserve a certain breed of cat.
There are many things that a cat breeder must know and do. The breeder must be willing to learn some veterinary skills, how to manipulate genetics and proper care of animals.
Cat breeding it not a very financially rewarding career. A person who takes on cat breeding is probably not going to get rich by doing it. Most sources recommend that a person take on cat breeding as a hobby rather than a full time career.
I have always been fascinated by the career of animal breeding. It was very interesting to study the history of the cat and all the fascinating breeds of cats that are around today. I think I am still interested in finding a career that relates to animals, but I’m not sure that I want to become a cat breeder though.
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