Breeding Philosophy

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All breeders have a breeding philosophy, even if they cannot express it in words. A philosophy is something that you live by and it applies to everything you do in your program. First you have to have priorities. Mine are as follows (in the order of importance):

 

  1. Health – I breed for healthy kittens free of disease or illness.
  2. Making sure that there will be a home for every kitten that is born here.
  3. Personality – one of the most important factors of any breed that is sometimes overlooked. If you have a beautiful cat that is shy, aggressive, doesn’t bond with the family, or generally has no personality at all, that cat has more of a chance of being not wanted in the future.
  4. Beauty, which differs from breeder to breeder and doesn’t always meet the standard.
  5. Standard – this is what the registration body and Breed Club have developed as a tool for making sure each cat shown meets a certain number of guidelines on how it looks. This is what show cats are judged by (or what they should be judged by). So, those are my goals and what I strive to do. I will always be honest, even if it costs me a great home for a kitten.

 

You can rest assured that I will let you know if the kitten you pick out meets all or some of these 5 priorities. There has always been a debate about the “standard” of the Peterbald, so it would not be right to gloss over that on my Website. Some lean more toward a smaller cat with not extreme features. There are some other breeders that do not like me saying this, but if the cat looks too much like a Sphynx or a Don Hairless, I think those people should just breed Sphynx and Don Hairless. I breed more toward an Oriental look to my Peterbalds. I, also, breed for long legs, long tubular bodies, and try to have the most elegant Peterbald you will ever see. Not all of my cats live up to that standard, but that is what I strive to do. The Peterbalds that lean toward the look I love don’t always win in the show halls, especially in certain regions of the United States (currently). They would be more likely to win in Europe, though, where this is the look that is more sought after. The difference isn’t written in the standard, it is more in the interpretation of the standard. It is not that my Peterbalds don’t ever win. One of the top Peterbalds in the United States show halls is from Magnoliachat. So, it all depends on what you want in a Peterbald. There are many breeders that I respect that breed for a different interpretation of the standard (the cat cannot look too extreme or Oriental). Look at the kittens and their parents and make your decision based on what you see and fall in love with. You can’t go wrong that way. Now, for the Bramble……. The Bramble is a new breed that was first created here at Magnoliachat. I came under (and still come under a lot of fire) for starting this breed. There is a funny thing in the cat world that is hard to explain. Many breeders do not and will not accept someone creating a new breed of cat, even if it has exceptional uniqueness and quality. The funny thing is (or ironic most of the time) is that these very people have cat breeds that were created the same way. There are Peterbald breeders that do not like the thought of the Bramble, even though the Peterbald was created by crossing the Don Hairless to the Oriental Shorthair and Siamese. The same for some Bengal breeders. Their breed was created by crossing a wild cat with a domestic, yet they don’t like the thought of a new breed. The fact is that most every breed (except for a few mutation breeds) were created by man. Is there a cutting off point for new breeds being created? Yes. For me, it is the creation of a breed that is not wanted or that has a genetic fault that is not suited for reproduction. The Bramble is neither of those. There will always be new breeds. The key is for them to be developed slowly and by good reputable breeders. At Magnoliachat, we do not forget about all the stray cats that need homes either. The fact is that there has never been a correlation between the number of unwanted stray cats vs. the number of wanted purebred cats. I volunteer at shelters and help to place numerous stray cats. I, also, participate in trap/spay/and release programs. Yes, I get out there and do it myself. I think every cat breeder should do something to help alleviate this problem that is pretty much worldwide. People don’t usually pick between a purebred and a stray/feral cat. They have their mind made up before they start looking for their family member. I will state that on a few occasions, I have had customers that started out asking about some of my cats and, after talking to them, I have found them great pets at a rescue or animal shelter. It all depends on what the person wants and, after a conversation or series of emails, that sometimes is the best route and they leave happy with a new loving member of their family.