# Bittersweet moment



## havoc (Dec 8, 2008)

Problem free birth last night of my last ever litter. Lovely to have kittens but.........................


----------



## Paddypaws (May 4, 2010)

havoc said:


> Problem free birth last night of my last ever litter. Lovely to have kittens but.........................


Congratulations on the litter....but why have you decided not to breed any more?
I don't know your circumstances, but maybe you will be able to use your years of experience to help out a local rescue by fostering mums/kittens.


----------



## catcoonz (Aug 4, 2012)

Congratulations on the safe arrival of kittens, sad this is your last litter.

I have also been thinking of giving up, so I understand.

Enjoy your beautiful kittens.


----------



## havoc (Dec 8, 2008)

I'm stopping because I'm getting old  I'd love to be one of those who carries on into their 80s but I'm obviously not aging as well as some. I don't bounce back from the sleepless nights like I used to. Bags of cat litter are getting harder to lift. I am slower than I used to be. I have an absolute horror of turning into a crazy old cat lady who doesn't realise their house stinks. This has been planned out for the last few years and the day has come.


----------



## catcoonz (Aug 4, 2012)

Are these your only reasons.

Well, sleepless nights = shot of brandy.

litter heavy = older school children enjoy helping.

house stinks = simple solutions.

crazy old cat lady = :lol: no comment,


----------



## havoc (Dec 8, 2008)

I've always said I'd stop before someone else pointed out I should  It was the saddest thing when I served on club committees and we had to discuss an elderly member who wasn't coping any more - and in denial. Better to stop a year too early than a month too late. There's no doubt I will miss having kittens but I won't miss the work. There's no point in just having kittens for the sake of it, that isn't progressing the line or the breed.


----------



## OrientalSlave (Jan 26, 2012)

havoc said:


> <snip>
> I have an absolute horror of turning into a crazy old cat lady who doesn't realise their house stinks.
> <snip>


There are plenty of crazy young-ish cat people with smelly houses... I'm in fear of being one of those!

Hope your retirement gives you pleasure, hope this litter get wonderful homes.


----------



## carly87 (Feb 11, 2011)

I'm so sorry to hear this, Havoc. I hope you won't let your knowledge stop with you as that would be a tremendous loss. Why don't you mentor some new breeders?


----------



## gskinner123 (Mar 10, 2010)

I was 34 when, in our local shop, I was stood behind an elderly lady whose cardigan was covered in cat hair and I thought, oh dear, she stinks of cat pee. Until the smell followed me home and I realised my stud had sprayed up the leg of my jeans.

I don't know why I told you that.

It's too soon to give up


----------



## havoc (Dec 8, 2008)

> Why don't you mentor some new breeders?


I do that anyway and hope my phone never stops ringing


----------



## Lunabuma (Dec 12, 2011)

Where would we and cats be without people like you.  

Happy Retirement - think how many beautiful cats will exist in the future that are linked to ones that you have bred and bring such joy to their owners? You've left a big positive mark on the world forever and you should be proud of that.


----------



## havoc (Dec 8, 2008)

> It's too soon to give up


It may be a little too soon but giving up is something which has to be planned at least two years ahead and so I planned. To carry on I'd have to introduce/keep new cats to breed from and that 'just one more' mentality really is a recipe for disaster.

I've had a better run at it than most


----------



## MollyMilo (Feb 16, 2012)

It sounds like your mind is set, happy retirement havoc 

Now can you tell us what you breed, or at least post a photo of your latest litter


----------



## OrientalSlave (Jan 26, 2012)

gskinner123 said:


> I was 34 when, in our local shop, I was stood behind an elderly lady whose cardigan was covered in cat hair and I thought, oh dear, she stinks of cat pee. Until the smell followed me home and I realised my stud had sprayed up the leg of my jeans.
> 
> I don't know why I told you that.
> 
> It's too soon to give up


I realised a woman at a show smelt of tom-cat... Everytime I stood next to her I could smell it. The first time I commented to the effect that we must be near a male that had marked his pen. She couldn't smell it. Don't know how it happened, she doesn't keep a stud and I don't think the people she came with brought one.


----------



## sharonbee (Aug 3, 2011)

Happy retirement Havoc, I know what you mean about planning in advance, I have already spoke about retiring by the time I am 60, even at 51 I have problems with my knees, so I know in another 10 years I wont feel like breeding or grooming so many cats if I can't bend up and down or kneel on the floor helping queens when they are giving birth etc. 
Planning early is always a good thing, Before I started to breed I had thought about it for about 25 years before I started, I do wish I had done it much earlier though.
I have also spoke about not having any more kittens as pets either after the age of 58 in case they outlive me etc. I plan to go back to taking older cats in need and giving them a home for their last couple of years in my old age. 
Hope you enjoy the rest and whatever you plan to do with your time. Our friend has just retired at 65 and is now enjoying lots of holidays abroad.


----------



## havoc (Dec 8, 2008)

Holidays!! Don't think I'd know where to start. I don't plan on getting rid of my cats so holidays still won't be an option. We're all just going to grow old together. I'm also going to run my boy on for a couple of years yet for the benefit of others.


----------



## lymorelynn (Oct 4, 2008)

havoc said:


> Problem free birth last night of my last ever litter. Lovely to have kittens but.........................


It's a shame that you are retiring Havoc but I'm sure you have mentored others to follow in your footsteps and carry on with your breeding programme. As someone who came into this breeding lark late in life I hope I have a good few years left in me yet but who knows what is round the corner. 
Good luck with this last litter, I'm sure you'll miss the fun of having kittens around if not the sleepless nights and heavy bags of litter. As for being a crazy cat lady, there's no retiring from that I'm afraid :smilewinkgrin:


----------



## sharonbee (Aug 3, 2011)

havoc said:


> Holidays!! Don't think I'd know where to start. I don't plan on getting rid of my cats so holidays still won't be an option. We're all just going to grow old together. I'm also going to run my boy on for a couple of years yet for the benefit of others.


That's great to be letting others come to your boy, our friend was down to her last two cats so holidays are easy for her to do.


----------



## pipje (Jun 29, 2011)

Happy Retirement, havoc. A bittersweet moment indeed.


----------



## wicket (Aug 22, 2012)

Happy retirement but please pleas stay around in the breeding section , I always find your advice invaluable


----------



## kerrypn (Jul 25, 2011)

gskinner123 said:


> I was 34 when, in our local shop, I was stood behind an elderly lady whose cardigan was covered in cat hair and I thought, oh dear, she stinks of cat pee. Until the smell followed me home and I realised my stud had sprayed up the leg of my jeans.
> 
> I don't know why I told you that.
> 
> It's too soon to give up


I hear that!! I am a student nurse and was on a really busy bus to placement and I could smell wee REALLY strongly....so much so, as I got off the bus, I told the bus driver there was an awful smell on his bus. I got on the next bus-equally busy- only to find yet again I was on a wee smelling bus! I thought JUST MY LUCK, two horrible smelly buses in a row, again I diligently informed the bus driver of the nasty whiff.....only when I got off the bus, the smell followed me-my dearest darling ginger boy kitten had kindly christened my rucksack :mad2:


----------



## moggiemum (Mar 28, 2013)

congrats on your litter and best wishes for your planned retirement xx

loving all you pf er's with pissy pants


----------



## Tigermoon (Apr 2, 2013)

When I started breeding I planned to only do it for 10 years ..... here I am 13 years later still doing my original breed plus just starting out on a second one 

I too have been 'sprinkled' by my stud and had no idea until I noticed my girls taking close interest in my trouser leg 

Enjoy your retirement, hope you still hang around PF though


----------



## jaycee05 (Sep 24, 2012)

havoc said:


> I'm stopping because I'm getting old  I'd love to be one of those who carries on into their 80s but I'm obviously not aging as well as some. I don't bounce back from the sleepless nights like I used to. Bags of cat litter are getting harder to lift. I am slower than I used to be. I have an absolute horror of turning into a crazy old cat lady who doesn't realise their house stinks. This has been planned out for the last few years and the day has come.


Me too, having one of my girls spayed tomorrow, i have 1 kitten left from her litter, and*NO * enquiries coming in, both kittens were going to previous buyers, but 1 gave backword, and there are now 5 people in this small town breeding Ragdolls, theirs are not selling either,why people dont check how many breeders of certain breeds there are around i dont know
I am giving up for the same reason as you though havoc, too old to start on a new breed, and harder work having to be up all night sometimes, and everything that goes with breeding,
I have one more litter due in a couple of weeks and that it then
Like you i wont be going on holidays, or anything much different


----------



## Aurelie (Apr 10, 2012)

Happy retirement Havoc, enjoy your last litter


----------



## jaycee05 (Sep 24, 2012)

Having said in my last post i had no enquiries ,all of a sudden a lovely retired lady contacted me and she is having the last kitten, the last litter i am having is due soon, then that girl will be spayed,


----------



## Jiskefet (May 15, 2011)

sharonbee said:


> I have also spoke about not having any more kittens as pets either after the age of 58 in case they outlive me etc. I plan to go back to taking older cats in need and giving them a home for their last couple of years in my old age.


That's what we have decided, too...

No more kittens.
I am 58 and hubby is 54, so we don't know how long we will be able to still care for cats and get them to the vet if necessary. We know some elderly people who had to move to a home where they could not take their cat, and they were in such a panic over finding them a good home.
And if we take on a kitten now, it might well live to a ripe old age and outlive us.

So if, some time in the future, we should decide on getting another cat, it would be a senior catizen.


----------

