From the English word “hosting”, meaning “to host”.

In the world of cat breeding, this is the name given to a typical contract between a breeder and a private individual concerning the management of a cat. The breeder entrusts a cat to a “host”, who will care for it in every respect without being its owner. There are many reasons why people choose this kind of arrangement.

Here is a case history of our own.

When we saw the first litter of Penelope, daughter of our foundation cats Crissie and Bono (both later neutered), the desire to bring a bit of their DNA back home was very strong.

At the same time, Rhum and Serafino, respectively her brother and uncle, were living in the same apartment, and with a female under the same roof, managing the situation looked complex and complicated, especially because of the risk of inbreeding.

So we made this decision: Serafino went to live with Chiara, and Rhum with Pia and Alessia.

In this case, ownership of the cats does not change as long as they remain part of the breeding program. After that, ownership will be transferred, and they will definitely belong to Chiara, and to Pia and Alessia, respectively.

Other cases may involve reaching specific goals. For example, the breeder may have other cats to take to shows and need a “host/exhibitor” to pursue the cat’s show career. At the end of the championship season, once the target titles have been earned, ownership is transferred.

For the host, it can be a way to fulfil a dream that would otherwise remain just that, because many breeders do not sell breeding-quality kittens while they are still actively part of their breeding project. It can be a way to start a cattery while keeping start-up costs low, or simply to have a cat without paying its full price, giving up ownership rights for a period of time.

There can be different forms of hosting, involving financial arrangements or partial “use” of the cat (matings or kittens). Here the range of possibilities is truly vast, and the two parties involved will need to reach an agreement and put as much as possible in writing.