A TRUE BREEDER

By: Sue Johnson

A Breeder is one who thirsts for knowledge, and never finds it all but continues to try. One who wrestles with decisions of conscience, convenience and commitment.

A Breeder is one who sacrifices personal interests, finances, time, friendships, fancy furniture,and deep pile carpeting!

She gives up the dreams of a long, luxurious cruise in favor of turning that all important due-date into a "vacation".

A breeder always has time to visit and answer questions from past buyer's. 24 Hours A Day!

A true Breeder knows this is a career that requires you to be at work 365 days a year, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. With no sick days, nor vacation days.

A Breeder's paycheck is one filled with kitten kisses, welcoming eyes, accompanied by a trusting heart & words of praise from the lives that are enriched by her breeding programs.

A true Breeder would never consider selling to a person that wouldn't keep in touch.

A Breeder must know how to communicate with her cats like she does with her children....after all, children can speak when something is wrong....cats can not. A True Breeder knows "Kitten Speak."

The Breeder goes without sleep (but never without caffeine!) in hours spent planning a breeding or watching anxiously over the birth process, and afterwards, anxious with every little sneeze, wiggle or cry she sees.

A Breeder has a connection with her cats, that ONLY God understands.

The Breeder skips dinner parties because a litter is due, or the babies have to be fed on time.

A Breeder's lap is warm & inviting never too busy for a furry purry hug. A Breeder's hands are strong and firm, often dried-out from bathing & grooming, but ever so gentle and sensitive to the bumps of a kitten's wet nose.

A Breeder's back and knees are usually arthritic from stooping, her back heavy from bending, and sitting in the birthing box, but are strong enough to handle heavy litter boxes.

A Breeder's shoulders are stooped from responsibility, often heaped with abuse from competitors, but they're wide enough to support the weight of a thousand defeats and frustrations.

A Breeder's arms are always able to wield a mop, support an armful of kittens, or lend a helping hand to a newcomer.

A Breeder's ears are wondrous things, sometimes red (from being talked about) or strangely shaped (from being pressed against a phone receiver), often deaf to criticism, yet always fine-tuned to the whimper of a sick kitten.

A Breeder's eyes can see through a dishonest person quickly. A Breeder's choices are sometimes unclear to the public eye. A Breeder's brain is foggy on faces, but it can recall all of her kitten's names faster than a computer can download a file.

A TRUE breeder does not need to put down other breeders, in order to make herself feel and look better.

A Breeder's head is so full of knowledge that sometimes it blows a fuse! It is capable of cataloging hundreds of furry faces, knowing each one by it's eyes.

It does not see anything less than a Purrrrr-fect feline, it does not recognize "runts" as being any less than 110%!

A Breeder carries a bruise on her soul for the ones that didn't turn out to be a breeder, yet held up in hope of someday producing outstanding family companions.

A true Breeder knows that it is a VERY fine-line held between life and death in the first week of life.

The Breeders heart is often broken, but it beats strongly with hope everlasting...and it is always in the right place!

A piece of the Breeder's heart is installed into each and every baby that leaves her arms, hoping and praying the new kitty client will keep her in their lives.....forever!

Oh, yes, there are some breeders, and then, there are BREEDERS!