# I would love to breed bsh any help and advice much appreciated!



## sarahdewsnap (Apr 29, 2009)

Hi hoping that someone on here can help me get started in breeding british short hairs! I have had one in the past and i have one now all though he has had his knackers off ...lol..so i wouldnt be using him!
I just need as much advice as possible as i havnt done anything like this before, but because i love the breed i have time to spare ...lots of it! since i dont work..i would really love to get into it! and maybe showing them at shows! but i just have so many questions.. anyway i am gonna throw a few Qs out and if anyone can point me in the right direction i would be very greatfull!

* should i have a stud and queen or just the queen?
* i see lots of people have catteries in there garden! should i get one? 
* how do i go about registering as a breeder?
* what do i look for in a cat i want to breed and show?
* what should i expect to pay for my first queen and stud on the active register?

i think i could ask a million more questions but i will leave it at that for now!lol i do tend to go on!!!!..lol 

Sarah x:001_smile:
*


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## bluechip (Dec 26, 2008)

i think the first thing to do is make sure you have breeders near you and find one that can help you if need be.

i started off with queens on the active list.

i looked into the breed i wanted to breed and found out all about the colours and different types of siamese there was.

i rang round lots of breeders and asked lots of questions about there queens, who was in the pedigree and so on.

i found out by looking at shows what type of siamese was winning the shows and what a show cat should be.

i looked into getting a stud but you have to have stud quarters and queen quarters with runs and heating, light the lot and to be honest i think you can only keep a stud if you have loads of time and have had lots of experience at breeding as it is not easy.

i would always say if you are buying a queen for active ask to see what the babies pedigrees look like, i always send a copy or show a copy to people who are looking on the active or for show.

i paid £400 for one of my queens on the active but payed double for my other queen, it depends on the breeder. 

always keep in mind that even if the kitten is sold for active there is no guarantee that when she is old enough she will be able to mate so don't pay crazy price for a active girl.


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## bengalbeauty (Apr 11, 2009)

Hiya, 

Ive started to look into breeding too! Ive been researching Bengals non stop, research, research and research and make sure you take your time choosing your queen. I've been told its much better to start off with a queen rather than a stud.

xxx


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## Eiserblew (Apr 13, 2009)

My best tip for anyone considering breeding would be to start off by looking at results from cat shows, seeing whose cats are doing well, and then approaching them for a show neuter. Get out and show the cat for a while first, and build up a network of friends. 

Your show cat may not be an absolute show-stopper, but it means you will be in contact with other breeders and show people. They will be a valuable source of information and people that you can turn to for help. I also think it means you are less likely to make an expensive mistake with your first cat. I am so thankful that I was guided in the right direction by someone when I started looking for my first breed/show female (I already had a show neuter). I know now that I could have very easily made huge mistakes buying my first girls. 

By getting out and showing, you can gain the trust of good, reputable breeders who may not normally sell to novices they've never heard of. This is a real generalisation, but generally, the kind of people who would sell breeding cats to anyone and everyone are not the kind of people that you want to work with. If the breeder sells to everyone, the lines are already out there left, right and centre (I tend to call them 'ten a penny pedigrees'). There's something special about having a rare pedigree. As I say, this statement is a real generalisation, and there are exceptions to every rule! 

Not everyone starts breeding this way, it's just my opinion of what I think is the best way to start.


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## lizward (Feb 29, 2008)

You start with a queen (unless you want to go down the show neuter route first, there are plenty of snooty breeders out there who won't sell you a breeding cat unless you show a neuter first). You register a prefix for yourself (if you want one, it is optional) well before you start breeding because it takes ages to be approved. Then when you have kittens and they are old enough to register, you register them. It's not difficult. The garden run is entirely up to you.

Liz


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## DiamondDust (Nov 3, 2007)

I think the first thing you need to look into when thinking of breeding is

Why, why do you want to breed, after that you need to look into if this is something you can offord breeding girls are not cheap and you need to have money to cover costs should anything go wrong, you can take out breeders insurence but you are not able to claim for the queen on your policy for 9 months! 

The first thing you need to do is speak to people who already breed BSH, get advise, find someone willing to mentor and help, its not as easy as put this cat to that cat, wooop kittens wooop money, I am not saying this is how you think it will be but many do, there are so many breeders in the UK already only consider doing it if you have the funds and the energy it takes to go into it whole heartedly, and the passion for your choice of breed, for many breeding is their life and passion are you able to make its yours? 

Best of luck in what you decide to do! xx


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## sarahdewsnap (Apr 29, 2009)

Thank you for your advice everyone! 

What i have done so far is contact some breeders in my area, I live in rotherham south yorkshire and I found 3 in the surrounding areas, i just sent them an email basicily asking for some advice and guidence on breeding the short hairs. I hope none of them will be upset that i have approached them that way! 

I would like to go to the shows but are they open to the general public? or do i have to be showing a cat? does anyone know where there is one? and does anyone fancy a tag along???...lol

I am serious about breeding and want to learn as much as possible before i go into it and buy my first queen! i really dont want to make any mistakes when choosing my first!

As far as registering a prefix name should i be doing that now???

OMG i can see me being a regular on here, you are all so informative thank you!

you will be fed up of me soon...lol

sarah x


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## Biawhiska (Mar 28, 2008)

Go to cat shows, and speak in person to BSH breeders. Prhaps buy a show neuter and show him/her yourself while you learn more about the breed and make friends with breeders of BSH. Just a thought.

Yes show are open to the general public, usually 12.30pm til around 4.30pm

http://www.gccfcats.org/clubsnshows.html
list of shows,


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## Biawhiska (Mar 28, 2008)

Welcome to the Governing Council of the Cat Fancy

read this website, it will answer many of your questions.


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## Angeli (Jun 2, 2008)

You really need to do some thorough research before you decide. It is a very expensive and time consuming hobby..........no holidays for instance, and even most of your spare time will be taken up by your cats. You will also have to be quite tough - there will be a lot of disappointments and heartache that you will have to see through so a good reliable mentor for those times is a must

As already said, go to various cat shows and meet the breeders and their cats. Dont jump in and buy the first cat offered to you however tempting, there are many out there that would take advantage of you starting out and be willing to sell you a pet quality for a show price. More often than not the responsible breeders with good lines would want to get to know you first before they are prepared to sell you one of their babies for breeding.

You dont need to apply for a prefix until you get your first queen, but you will need to join a breed club beforehand as your prefix application will have to be proposed through them. It used to be after 12 months membership but that rule may have changed now.


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## sarahdewsnap (Apr 29, 2009)

If I buy a cat a show neuter.. do they have to be gccf registered? and this might sound like a really dumb question i know but do i have to get her neutered so that she can enter??? 

sarah x


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## lauren001 (Jun 30, 2008)

In order to go to a show a pedigree cat, the cat should be registered with the appropriate organisation, GCCF, TICA or possibly FIFE depending on which show you go to.
Unregistered cats can be shown in the household pets section.

If the cat is unneutered he/she cannot enter the alter classes but would be in the normal classes for unneutered animals and would compete against show/breeding quality cats.

I would advise showing a show neuter too.
It gets you in among the crowd and from there you can pick up so many tips and learn about the breed and breeding and it is fun really too. Once you show up with breeding cats, there is more element of competition as it is more serious, and for a newbie perhaps less acceptance.
Whereas when you get there after your show neuter days they will know you anyway.


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