Kitten Costs Raising

Purfidelis Burmese kittens come with a six-generation pedigree and official GCCF pink slip registration papers. They are vaccinated with the safest vaccines, health checked by a vet and insured for six weeks. Backyard breeders often cut corners by selling kittens that cannot be registered as the parents are not of breeding quality. They are known to over breed their girl, use inferior quality food, cheapest quality vaccines, if at all, and sometimes even raise kittens outside or in cages indoors with little stimulation. A slightly cheaper initial outlay might prove very costly in the end. Genuine registered breeders will rarely, if ever, make money. The costs are explained below:

Start-Up Costs

Quality Foundation Queen	often double the pet price
Numerous litter trays	£50.00
Selection of quality toys	£100.00
Wooden Nesting Box e.g. Rhampaws	£150.00
Playpen (or two) eg Snowsilk	£300.00
Heat pads	£40.00
Scratching posts	£20.00
Cat climber/gym	£150.00
Radiator Beds	£20.00
Outdoor Run/Cat-proof Garden	£1500.00
Books	£100.00
Breeders Assistant Software	£110.00

On-Going Costs

Stud Fee	£150-300
Tests prior to mating	£45.00
Round trip to stud x2 (Glasgow-Lincoln)	£200.00
Additional Premium food in pregnancy (9 weeks)
4-6 times as much food when lactating (up to 13 weeks)
High quality, high protein weaning food (10 weeks)
Vastly increased litter
Vastly increased washing and drying bill
Heating kept at minimum 70 degrees day & night for 13 weeks
Homoeopathic Nosodes to protect prior to vaccination	£15 per kitten
Full Vaccination	£60.00 per kitten
Queen’s annual booster	£40.00 per queen
Regular worming
Registration of Kittens with GCCF	£6.00 per kitten
Pedigree Certificate per kitten
Kitten Take Home bag of food and toys	£25 per kitten
Advertising Costs

Incidental (but essential) Costs

Annual Breedclub memberships	£24.00
Showing Costs per show (essential in order to access good studs)	£30.00 per cat
Annual Membership of various Scottish Clubs	£50
Breakage/wreckage/cleaning/replacement costs
Increased phone bills to discuss availability/suitability of kittens & subsequent support to kitten owners

Emergency (and hopefully unnecessary) Costs

Caesarean Section	£300+
Post Mortem	£200
Antibiotics or other required medication
Colostrum
Kitten milk replacer
Cancellations & readvertising

Emotional Costs

Six months off limits for holidays

Little personal time

Loss of privacy

Disturbed sleep

Time spent feeding, weaning and socialising

Annual leave for birthing

General Worry

Fraught nerves when queen is calling (for seven days & nights every two weeks, when not pregnant!)

Trauma if she loses her kittens in pregnancy

Devastation if stillborn kitten/s

Despair bordering on hysteria if your perfect kitten/s die

Untold grief if your queen dies in labour

Hand rearing kittens by feeding every two hours round the clock

Parting with little babies you’ve loved every second of their lives.

It took me ten years of dreaming, two years of obsessive research and twenty years of owning the breed before I felt in any way equipped to start breeding and even then I felt a huge responsibility. You don’t just throw two cats together if you want to improve the breed. This is an addictive hobby requiring endless time for research into health, genetics, animal husbandry, midwifery, feline nutrition, sanitation and exhibiting. As an ethical breeder I know I will never make money, but luckily that is not my motivation. When non- breeding people hear you have kittens they quip ‘you’ll be in the money now.’ If only they knew! If money was my motivation, I’ve plenty other skills so I’d teach a night class, do home tuition or do a holistic treatment.

The rewards are adorable and fascinating little creatures to love and care for until the perfect family is found. Then, seeing the joy on the new owners face when they pick up their kitten, hearing the delighted laughter of children playing with their special kitten, knowing that your methods are contributing to the breed, the thrill when one from your line does well at a show and the many beautiful photographs of your growing kitten sent from happy owners - this is what makes it all worthwhile.