So you think you want to become involved in Sphynx Breeding?

Breeding the Sphynx is hard work, very expensive and time consuming, the Kittens may require at least 2 weeks of 24 hour supervision and care once born. There's no money to be made from it and at the end of the day it is a real possibility that both your Female and/or the kittens could lose their lives. If you want to breed, do it properly, ask yourself why you want to breed as breeding should only ever be considered for the betterment of the breed  - NOT because you want a return on the Cats purchase price. Sphynx cost that much to buy because it costs that much to breed them!

Ensure your Sphynx actually looks like a Sphynx and that he/she carries no obvious genetic faults, enter him/her into a few shows and see how they fair in the rings. Showing is vital for the breeding of correctly put together Sphynx as all cats are judged against the particular organisations Breed Standard.

Research the pedigrees, find a suitable, compatible stud (this probably isn't the one closest to you). Get your vet to check your Queen over for any obvious health problems. HCM scanning is a huge part of breeding, something that can be expensive and of course if you find a positive cat you MUST be prepared to neuter him/her. Ensure your Cat is of sound temperament and be prepared for heartbreak.  

 

 

Things to think about

It's not necessarily good for your Queen to have kittens and it's certainly not a good reason so the children can have a litter of kittens in the house. Breeding your male will NOT stop him from his Male behaviour such as Peeing or spraying or from being very dominant towards other cats in the house. Showing him what it's for or assuming you are giving him the opportunity to "get it out of his system" will not cure him - IT WILL MAKE HIM WORSE! Females can also Spray and believe me they do! In full heat a Female can yell extremely loudly, this of course can happen anytime day or night and can go on for up to 2 weeks every few weeks! If you bought your Sphynx as a pet please make sure your breeder agrees with the mating, some breeders place endorsements on the pedigrees to prevent breeding, if they think they have sold you a pet it is unfair to breed with out their opinion or approval. Please don't kid yourself that you are only breeding for the pet market - this is back yard breeding and will do nothing to improve the health of the Sphynx and in fact could bring issues into the breed that will take years for everyone else to breed back out again. These are the matting's that produce unhealthy and unsound cats and could give this breed a bad name regarding health. 

 

And finally......  

If you still feel that you could make a real contribution to the breed the best advice is to find a breeder who you can relate to. Someone who is willing to mentor you help you through the good and the bad parts of breeding. It is important that your chosen breeder is honest and upfront about their own cats and the lines they work with. The whole foundation of your working relationship should be based on trust, your mentor should be able to trust you as you should be able to store all your faith in them. You may be asked to start with a show neuter, this will be an excellent way for you to learn about what it is like to live with your chosen breed plus you will learn allot about what is desirable and undesireable in the breed fromthe judges. Your mentor should be willing to go to shows with you and show you what to do, this is also a great way to really get to know one another and of course can be allot of fun! Remember breeding is not as simple as putting a Male with a Female, both parents should be chosen careful from suitable pedigrees. Learning about Pedigrees and health issues within your chosen breed are all the first steps of breeding and the foundation of your whole cattery.  Be sure you have plenty of breed knowledge and know what faults could be thrown from the lines you have used; if you are the one on the end of the phone to a worried owner you must either have the answers or be in a position where you can find out. Don't rush into anything, take your time and be patient.  

 

A very good friend told me that building up a good cattery is like building a house. Start from the very beginning and make sure your foundations are good ones and strong. With much hard work and dedication, slowly brick by brick your house will unfold before you.

Of course sometimes despite all your best efforts some of the bricks will fall but if you are one of the lucky ones, you will have many helping hands to help you build it back up again.

*This page was written by Nicola Loughran of Misfits Sphynx and is copyright to that fact. This page is not to be copied or reproduced without the permission of the copyright owner.*