What is a backyard breeder?
This answer will change depending on who you ask and is between you and the breeder. This will be the biggest test on which breeder is a good fit for you. Here is my answer. A backyard breeder is someone who is an amateur, uses substandard methods, does not know how or why to breed healthy cats, cuts corners that is detrimental to the health of the cat, is unethical in their treatment of adopters, FEARS transparency, and has absolutely no idea of what a “show quality” and “pet quality” fold is. Lies and prevaricating are usually rife and money is usually the top concern of the breeder.
Here’s Wikipedia’s definition, but remember, not everything you find on the Internet or Wikipedia is undisputedly the truth.
Most backyard breeders don’t even know they are backyard breeders, they have pictures in their minds of kitten and puppy mills with cages full of dead and starving animals. And many backyard breeders are victims of other backyard breeders since their concern when shopping for their cats was cost or ease and not spending the effort to properly find show quality breeding cats.
Since backyard breeders fear transparency they avoid the cat fancy and shows because of this. If they have ever shown up at a show, they usually had dreams of showing up at a few shows and being able to charge show quality prices for years. They do not do well, usually because of health and husbandry and do not continue to show. They usually pack up mid show, which is very public since for the rest of the show their cats are continued to be called all weekend and every ring someone is sent to ask them to please bring their cat because we can’t move on until we call for the cat 3 times.
Why do I even care about backyard breeders? I am in contact several times a month from backyard breeders, either in e-mail or at shows, for cats or free mentoring from cats they got elsewhere. I tried not to be snobby, but was burned repeatedly. Generally they cannot do even the simplest google search and repeatedly ask me things that would take under a minute to find online. Many don’t even know how simple dominate and recessive genes work.
Reputable breeders are deluged by these requests which is why we have a “we won’t talk to you if you don’t show” rule. Even with that rule alone, we still get dozens of inquires a year or even month. I have also been burned by new breeders at shows who if I even make eye contact or any words spoken then use my name to try to prove their cats are show quality by implying we are friends or I want to sell to or buy cats from them. That why I ask that if any breeder is throwing my name around, ask me if I have worked their breeding program.
Since I go to every show and have Regional Wins and International breed wins, I usually get clean up duty for backyard breeders. I see the crying people who’ve spent thousands of dollars on cats realize their money is vaporized, and I’ve seen it over and over and over. I do have compassion, but my time is for my bloodlines, my kittens I’ve bred and placed with families I have screened. I give each family dozens of hours even after kittens have gone home. I can’t serve my families and give them the individual time and service they chose by going with me, AND give my time to hundreds of people who went with backyard breeders.
THAT is the purpose of this backyard breeder page. Only you can decide if you want to go with some who can answer these questions truthfully and get the breeder service and cat companion you want. My prices are expensive, but I openly show and prove to you what you are getting.