The Truth Behind Home Catteries: The Untold Stories

When you see a kitten lying in the sun, with a round belly and sleeping soundly, you might think:

"They must be born this cute, right?"

But in reality, only we know how much unknown experience and hard work are hidden behind that cuteness.

🌙 Every Night in the Delivery Room Feels Like the First Time

To be honest, no matter how experienced we are, the arrival of every litter of kittens always feels like the first time.

If the mother cat gives birth during the day, we breathe a sigh of relief—at least we won't be woken up at 3:00 AM by her rapid breathing, staying nervously in the delivery room, silently praying: "Keep going, as long as you are safe."

After the kittens are born, we stay by the delivery room almost all night, for as short as a few days or as long as a week.

A single roll-over or a slight carelessness by the mother cat could endanger the babies' lives.

At that moment, exhaustion, tension, and vulnerability are intertwined, but it is the most real and intimate companionship with life.

🏥 Every Birth is an Adventure

The mother cat may have complications, and the kittens may die young or fall ill.

When the mother cat refuses to nurse, you must bottle-feed every two hours—for days, three weeks, or even a month.

From simple diarrhea to serious infections, every step of a kitten's illness consumes a lot of energy, nerves, and money.

Sometimes things go smoothly, and sometimes they suddenly become tense.

When a problem occurs with the mother cat, we rush to the hospital immediately. At that moment, what we fear most is not the cost, but whether the life is safe.

After the surgery or treatment, the subsequent recovery and care are equally exhausting.

As day and night alternate, we only hope the mother cat recovers quickly and the kittens grow steadily.

🏡 Space and Responsibility of a Home Cattery

A home cattery is not simply "keeping cats," but a carefully arranged home:

* Male cat area, female cat area, nursery, isolation area... every space exists for safety.

* Reasonable zoning for female cats in heat.

* Proper isolation for pregnant cats, kittens, and other adult cats to ensure safe birth and rearing.

* Optimized arrangements for breeding plans.

Every cat has its own space, and every birth must be carefully arranged.

This means more rooms, larger space, higher costs, and also more responsibility.

This is not luxury, but a commitment to life.

😥 Day-to-Day Care

A single cry from a kitten is enough to make us instantly nervous.

Not drinking milk well, stomach discomfort, unstable body temperature, being squeezed by littermates... any slight abnormality will make our hearts race.

Sometimes, holding a tiny body, we can't help but burst into tears; other times, when it suddenly gains energy, we laugh softly.

Holidays? Travel? Almost impossible.

Daily feeding, cleaning, and disinfecting—over a dozen food bowls and the litter boxes in every room must be kept clean.

It's tiring, but seeing the eyes of these tiny lives, it's hard to just walk away.

📸 Invisible Investment

There are many invisible investments in a home cattery:

* Website construction and maintenance.

* Promotion and display.

* Photography equipment or professional shooting.

* Time spent editing videos and photos.

What others see is the cuteness; what we bear are all the costs.

💰 Home Catteries Are Never a Profitable Industry

Space is limited, output is limited, and energy is limited.

We are not a factory; we cannot and will not breed in large quantities.

This is more of a choice—a responsibility that requires long-term persistence and long-term dedication.

Every time we lose a kitten or an elderly cat, our hearts ache for a long time.

But the next day, as long as another kitten is breathing peacefully in our arms, we tell ourselves—keep going.

💗 Love and Persistence

All the hard work is often healed by a small moment:

A kitten wobbles over to find you and gently nudges you;

Or being held tenderly in a new home, hearing a "Thank you."

At that moment, you will understand—the all-nighters, the worries, the dedication, and the tears,

Are all to let life move smoothly toward a place full of love.

A home cattery is not for profit, but because of love.

When you have held a newborn, palm-sized kitten,

You will understand—what it means to be unable to let go.

— F.Zhang

12/31/2025 Written at home in Chesapeake, Virginia