Early retirement is something most of us dream about . . .

Quitting the job . . .
Moving to an island paradise . . .
Relaxing in the sun with a cool drink . . .

But, how about the cats in your breeding program? Don't they deserve an early retirement too?

Life situations can change. People divorce, lose jobs, lose homes, lose spouses through death, become sick, need to become full-time caregivers, etc. When these situations occur, sometimes a hobby that was completely manageable becomes too much to handle.

Ask any rescue group which cats are easy to place and which are not. Generally, kittens are the easiest to place, but often cats under the age of five years can find find good homes fairly readily too. But once a cat enters its "senior" years, seven years and above, it become very difficult to place.

Please keep this in mind when managing the future of your cattery. We all have those close pets that will never leave us, but we may also have breeding cats that have produced the next generation of show/breeding cats and can now move on to retirement, where they can be someone's very special cat, instead of one of many cats that must share your attention.

The earlier you spay/neuter and place those cats, the easier the transition will be to a new home and the more attractive they are as to potential buyers.

The healthiest cattery is a small cattery. Always keep the goal in mind to keep as few cats as necessary to acheive your goals. Rehoming young cats once they have replaced themselves in your breeding program is an important aspect of that goal.