1.  What exactly does it mean when someone says we ship?  Does this mean they personally deliver?

2.  Is it a common practise to sell a retired queen/stud?  My thoughts on this is why wouldn't you keep and cherish the cat that was used for your profit.  It's not like enough money wasn't made to care for said pet right?

  

No, it doesn't mean they personally deliver the cat - it means that you pay extra for the health certificate and carrier and the kitty flys in the cargo hold of a plane. Seems awfully cold to me, poor scared little kitten taken away from its meowmy & siblings and having to travel all alone in a noisy scary place with no one to comfort it - I think some breeders agree because some will not ship cats.  There are some services that will send someone to the breeder to pick up your kitty and personally bring it to you, including flying with the kitten in the passenger compartment - that seems much kinder to me!

But the best way to take ownership of a purebred is to go to the breeder's home, pick out your kitty, play with it, and personally take it home yourself.  That way you get to see its living conditions, meet its parents, and reassure it on the drive home.

2.  Is it a common practise to sell a retired queen/stud?  My thoughts on this is why wouldn't you keep and cherish the cat that was used for your profit.  It's not like enough money wasn't made to care for said pet right?

Yes,it is a common practice.  Breeders sell their retired queens & studs to make room for upcoming queens/studs - while they may love all their kitties, they do realize that there are limits to how many cats they can keep. And they realize that they do need to retire their queens/studs after so many litters, for the cat's sake. If they always kept their retired cats, they'd eventually not be able to continue breeding!  Many times they want their retired cat to be an only cat so the cat can have more attention than the breeder can give.

Cat breeding is not a profitable enterprise. Most breeders are actually lucky if they break even.  See, for every one kitten that sells and brings in a profit, there's another kitten or cat who has some medical needs or just doesn't sell - yet that kitten or cat also has to be fed, provided with clean litter, veterinary care, etc. 

And there's this to consider, too - most breeders "pet out" their retired cats by selling them at a price greatly lower than their pet-quality kittens.  They certainly don't make a profit from those sales!  Many people who would enjoy a purebred cat and would give it a wonderful home cannot afford the kitten prices - so this allows them to enjoy owning a purebred.  I got my first two Scottish Folds as retired breeders. 

Sorry this is so long!

When I saw the "we ship" I turned my nose up because the first time I moved from home to another state I asked my mother to send Baby Kitty to me and she was terrified and acting crazy like she was being tortured when I picked her up.  I swore never to do that again.  She did fly with me in the cabin once.

Do you know how many litters it is until a queen/king is retired?  Are they still relatively young?

  

But usually they're retired while they're still pretty young, like 5-6 years old at the oldest, so their "forever families" have lots of time to enjoy them.  Mine actually weren't ever bred - they were intended to be queens in the breeder's program, but he got sick and had to close his cattery before he ever bred them.

Cats_Dolls

What kind of kitty is Harley?  I think I asked in another topic and forgot which one And who is the calico kitty in your far left picture?

  

This morning he opened the bathroom door.  He's been able to get into my closet by sticking his paw under the door and pulling, because the door doesn't completely latch.  But the bathroom door does! 

So anyway I was taking a bath and Harley was in the bedroom.  I heard him scratching on the door - he loves to play a shower curtain game with me and hates being shut out - then I heard him hit the door lever.  The second time he hit it, the door opened.  Pretty smart cat, figuring out how that worked!

Cats_Dolls

"I look at all the caged animals in the shelter...the cast-offs of human society.I saw in their eyes love and hope,fear and dread,sadness and betrayal.And I was angry."God" I said,this is terrible!Why dont you do something?God was silent for a moment and then He spoke softly."I have done something,"He replied."I created you"~Jim Willis

"I look at all the caged animals in the shelter...the cast-offs of human society.I saw in their eyes love and hope,fear and dread,sadness and betrayal.And I was angry."God" I said,this is terrible!Why dont you do something?God was silent for a moment and then He spoke softly."I have done something,"He replied."I created you"~Jim Willis

You should make one. 

Did you see Cricket?  She has the prettiest eyes.