From time to time I might be looking for a host family for one of my cats. It could be a kitten or an adult.
What is a host family and what are the requirements?
Being a host family for a breeder is a big responsibility and demands a lot of trust between the breeder and the host. A host family is someone who perhaps considering becoming breeders in the future or would like the experience of having a few litters without the investment and commitment required to become a breeder.
In short being a host for one of my cats or kittens means that you are given either an entire female or male. The. cats will stay in my ownership as long as the cat is kept un-neutered. You will be responsible to feed the cat, regular vet visits and to keep the cat insured. So in all practical issues the cat will be yours. You will have to be able to guarantee that the cat will be kept strictly indoors. You will have to be very vigilant so that the cat does not escape. At the time the contract is signed we will agree what the maximum amount litters the cat will have. Normally not more than 3 with a year between each litter. The cat will have to be brought back to me for mating and stay here with me until we are certain it has bred. She will then come back to you as the host and spend her pregnancy with you. She will have the kittens with you and they will stay with you until they are ready to leave for their forever homes. Ideally I you would live within 1 hour of me in case I need to come over to help during delivery. I will consider you living further away depending on your experience and good vets locally. You need to have a vet locally that is qualified to perform early neutering on 12 week old kittens. I will cover all the costs related to kitten rearing, including food, vaccinations and neutering.
After the cat has finished having her litters with you and is neutered, all the paperwork will be signed over to you and she will become yours officially as well as in practice.
For males it is slightly different. We know from experience that adult entire males might spray, which is not a fun experience inside a house. However, not adults spray. Out of my four males, only one of them spray. It depends on a lot of things and with the absence of fertile girls it is less likely a male will spray. But, there is a risk that this might happen. If you end up taking on a male as a host, we will agree how long he will stay entire. I would normally just want a few matings from him, because of the risk of spraying. You could bring him to me, or I could bring girls to you, it would be agreed upon for each mating. The same thing applies, after he is neutered, normally around the age of 2 or 3, he would be signed over to you.
If you think this is something you would like to consider, please give me a ring on 07989395379. I would need to meet with you in person and do a home visit to ensure your house and circumstances are suitable. There are many things to discuss and consider and we would go over all of this before you or I commit:-)