Animal husbandry, or breeding, is a unique hobby that is sure to offer many new and interesting twists in your life. For a breeder, however, the best surprise is no surprise! After devoting years to our particular breeding program, DiCaprio Cattery (http://www.DiCaprioBengals.com), we have come to the understanding that surprises are not the ideal when a litter of kittens is born. Sure, every kitten is beautiful in our eyes and is a bundle of joy, however, is this little one the future of the breed? To often, the answer by some breeders is yes! When starting a new breeding program, too many times novice breeders have dollar signs in their eyes instead of what is best for the breed. They obtain pet quality animals sold at discounted prices by catteries offering these animals as breeders. After a few litters of kittens that the novice has trouble getting rid of, they become dishearted with the whole idea of breeding and go on to the next great hobby. Really, it's a matter like multi-level marketing. The novices just didn't realize that they were the last ones to get in on a good idea. If you are a new, start up cattery, one of the most important aspects of having a solid foundation is to learn about your breed. This entails a little more work than finding our that your particular breed might be good at doing tricks or jumping in water. More specifically, it is of the utmost importance to look up and learn the entire breed standard for the breed you are working with. Too many times, novice breeders are placing pet quality (at best) animals together for a breeding and expecting show quality results. Let's be realistic and blunt for a moment. If you are pairing a $400 cat with a $300 cat, you will probably not be producing $2,000 cats. That just stands to reason. However, too many folks new to the cat fancy think that this is how things work. Before ever attempting a litter, read the breed standard. Before attempting a litter, learn the breed standard. Before attempting a litter, critically evaluate the cats that you are considering to be the sire and dam of the litter and know that they meet the breed standard. If they fall significantly short of the standard, they should be considered pet quality and should not be bred. They should be neutered immediately and taken out of breeding service. If, however, the felines in question meet the standard, a succesful breeding will lead to kittens of a higher quality that come closer to meeting the breed standard with development. Producing kittens of high quality that meet the breed standard is the goal of great catteries. In turn, this is tried and proven methog of advancing the breed and building a succesful cattery. Remember, do everything in your power to produce positive results and your reward will be much greater in the end. Good luck with your breeding programs! article by: G. Abel http://www.DiCaprioBengals.com