Читать книгу Proven Marketing Tips for the Successful Cat Breeder - Jasmine Kinnear - Страница 10

Finding a Mentor

Every breeder needs advice and help to create a profitable cattery. However, when do you know that you have found a competent mentor?

A good mentor will want to educate you. A poor mentor will place their needs first by using your success to profit their own cattery. There are many essential secrets that should be passed along from breeder to breeder. Unfortunately, these guarded secrets change from one breeder to the next and even within the different breeds.

That mentor who has become so helpful to you may not have your best interests at heart. If you have found a breeder who is taking on the role of mentor ask yourself the following questions:

1) Do you find yourself questioning your mentor’s suggestions?

2) Do you trust your mentor’s actions and agree that their methods are ethical?

3) Does your mentor raise the same breed of kitten as you and are you purchasing from their cattery?

4) Do you feel used or taken advantage of by your mentor due to contracts and purchases that appear to work more in their favor?

1) Do you find yourself questioning your mentor’s suggestions?

Always follow your instincts. Although I had an excellent mentor it was his suggestion to purchase three felines sick with ringworm. He found a breeder who was leaving town and the cats she needed to place were worth thousands of dollars. For a few hundred dollars I would be purchasing Top Show Quality breeding felines for a fraction of their original value. The magnificent stud male was proven and the two queens were adult but yet to have their first breeding season. It was a deal too good to let pass by and although I hesitated I felt pressured to follow my mentor’s advice. He had gone to a great deal of trouble locating this breeder and I felt obligated due to his kindness.

Within 24 hours of purchasing the cats I discovered that they also displayed a trace of blood within their soft diarrhea formed stool. After a veterinarian consultation, followed by three expensive lab tests, I was further informed that these poor cats were also infected with coccidiosis (coccidia). In addition to treatment for ringworm they would also require additional medication and time to cure this second condition. Coccidiosis is an annoying contagious problem with infected felines carrying the parasite responsible for the condition within their systems. It took months with several additional outbreaks before this problem was properly addressed.

Approximately eight weeks later with a great deal of care my three cats were finally cured of ringworm. However the male suffered through three additional outbreaks as he became known as a “carrier”. Such a feline carries the dreaded ringworm infection within their system despite the appearance of being cured. The ringworm infection lies dormant only to reappear. Three years later I was still battling this annoying infection and watching my beloved male depressed by weeks of medication and isolation.

I truly lived to regret my decision. Coming from a family of canine breeders my father had always insisted in only purchasing healthy breeding stock for our family kennel. As a cat breeder I wish to further stress the importance of only purchasing the best quality breeding felines you are able to afford. Ensure that you are conducting business with a reputable breeder and purchase felines with strong compatible bloodlines. You may spend more with your initial purchase but will save many years of breeding and expense to perfect your own bloodline. This holds especially true for your stud male as he is the ‘Cornerstone of Your Cattery’. There are few bargains in the Cat Fancy World. As the saying goes, “If it appears to be too good to be true it probably is.”

2) Do you trust your mentor’s actions and agree that their methods are ethical?

It is best to be of like minds with your mentor. I have known relationships that came to an abrupt end when breeders have tried working together. The same can be said of accepting a mentor’s advice in the management of your cattery. If you are uncomfortable with any aspect of your mentor’s participation within your breeding program it is best to politely listen but follow your own counsel.

3) Does your mentor raise the same breed of kitten as you and are you purchasing from their cattery?

Unless your mentor resides in an area far removed from your cattery problems often arise when this scenario comes into play. It is unwise to purchase from a cattery too close to your home. It is also unwise to sign any contracts which may limit your use or permit your mentor use of any stud male purchased from your mentor or in partnership with your mentor. Therefore, it may be better to purchase slowly and ask many questions from the cattery where you intend to complete feline purchases.

It is far easier to use cat shows, the internet and web sites such as Jasmine’s Confessions of a Cat Breeder for unbiased information. If you read or are given the same advice from several unrelated sources and are comfortable with that information chances are it will be right for your cattery.

4) Do you feel used or taken advantage of by your mentor due to contracts and purchases that appear to work more in their favor?

If you are feeling uncomfortable with your mentor then listen but limit your contact with them. Visit their cattery but restrict their access to your own. Do not sign any documents and do not commit to any purchases. When you are in their cattery you will still learn by observing. By not permitting them access to your cattery they will soon lose interest in your breeding program. If you always trust your instincts you will seldom go wrong.

______________________________

Jasmine had the unfortunate experience of having an unscrupulous, want-to-be mentor interested in her cattery. At one time this breeder attempted to get Jasmine’s best stud male into her own breeding program. She did this by sending someone masquerading as a buyer to make an offer. On yet another occasion she asked Jasmine to tell a couple that the Top Show Quality kitten they were buying had died so that she could use him in her own breeding program. Needless to say this breeder never became Jasmine’s mentor.

In the following pages you will find the support and encouragement you need without incurring costly errors and paying the price. You will learn proven methods to attract kitten sales and always maintain your integrity.