Breeding

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Published: 21 April 2023

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When I started websites were not that common, computers were not present in every home, but not long after more or less every breeder had a website of their own.
But then came Facebook and now almost no one has a website anymore, and a lot of the information gets lost, I think a website is a must for every good breeder.
With a website, you get a much better overview, which is very important for breeders looking for a new cat to add to their breeding program, but also pet buyers start to demand more information nowadays.

Here is a short introduction including some tips and tricks when it comes to having a website, as well as some links.

Get a domain name
What to use to create your website
Content

Get a domain name
There are several places where you can register your domain name, Using web hosting where you can also register your domain name is the easiest way.
I use one.com, here is a link to use get a discount if you can use one.com in your country: http://one.me/svatbepb
I know they are available in Europe but I'm not sure if you can use them outside Europe.
Check and see otherwise just google, but look first and foremost for web hosting, which is normally a lot cheaper and gives you more freedom than if you use a web hotel with a finished website program to use.

What to use to create your website
My first website was very simple, I wrote it in HTML and I learned by doing, you can do that also, even if your first website is very simple you can still get all the information you like added.
There are also several places from where you can use already created code to add things to your website, do not invent the wheel over and over again, do use code someone else already created if you choose to create your own website in HTML and CSS by yourself. I use server-side-include to be able to update my website very easily.
Joomla is another way of doing this, also here there is a learning curve, you will need to learn how to use Joomla but, after that, you will have a lot of nice tools to use.
Of course, you can also use a finished website builder, they are a lot easier if you do not have any knowledge about websites, but they are often a lot harder to keep updated, and they are often limited in how much space you will have for your content and a lot more expensive, you might be forced to remove old litters for example or remove old cats instead of keep everything. But it's your choice so, therefore, I do mention it as an option.

Here are some links, some are free some have both free contact and some content that you need to pay to get access to:
Codefinity
Codecademy
W3School
Joomla - Here you can find Joomla to install and learn how to use it.

Content
You have your domain name, decided to use Joomla or create your website with HTML, or maybe you did choose to use a website builder.

• Photos of your cats - Of course 
• A link to PawPeds - This is very important, especially for breeders searching for a new cat to add to their breeding program, but also pet buyers often find it interesting and make things harder for scammers and that's a big win don't you think? 
• COI and Clones, if you have a link it's easy to check but I know many especially outcross breeders do appreciate it when it's written out directly. Otherwise, we need to click on many, many links just to find out, nope, not interesting, nope not interesting... well you can see the struggle here. It's a lot easier to see the information directly. Sometimes even if the cat is a bit higher it's still interesting if it's not too high, and that can be very nice to see, so please do write out COI and Clones even if your cat is very high if everyone starts to lower the clones for example, even if it's just one percent at the time, they will need to know this information.
• What tests are done and what results?
  HD, HCM, DNA like HCM1, PK-def, SMA?
• Blood group?
• A small presentation of each cat.
• Other traits, color for example.
• Present litters - Do a presentation of your current litter mother, father, test mating, photos, who is available, who is booked, COI, Clones, and so on.
•  Previous litters
• Plans
• Contact information of course
• Do you use restrictions, what do you demand of a breeder who is interested in your cats, what do you demand from a pet buyer, what are your conditions?
• What is your goal, why do you breed are you focusing on temper or maybe outcross? Of course (I hope) everyone is focusing on health and type.
• Please do let us know a little about you, who is behind the cattery?
  
  

Here are some examples of websites with a lot of information:
Dagdrivarn - This is my own site
YankeeCats - I love all the albums and the way you can follow her work to the beginning and all the health information.
Masterweaver - A lot of good information as well as education and test results.
Of Macadamia - A lot of good information, well presented, and easy to find what you are looking for.

 By: Malin Sundqvist