It's just not plausible for breeders not to charge anything. I am not a breeder, but I took in a stray pregnant cat into our house earlier this year. It turned out she had lymphoma, and we took good care of her and the babies. For all her tests, spaying, the babies' shots and tests we have spent well over 1500 dollars. The technicians at the vet's office asked us if we got a second job to take care of the cat and the kittens. We gave the kittens away for free because we have found good homes, and honestly nobody wants to pay money for domestic short hair cats. But, the next time I see a pregant cat, I am calling humane society.
The work that went into it was very enjoyable, except force feeding the momma cat during the last stages of her life (we had her on chemotherapy asap but her lymphoma was advanced). We loved seeing her give birth, and we loved watching the kittens grow. I did not even mind paying all that money very much because we loved the momma cat, it was a one time thing, and we have enough money. But, it is definitely not something I would do intentionally as a hobby unless I had hundreds of thousands of dollars that I don't need to spend on anything.
I find it a bit disturbing to "buy," "own," "sell" animals because I believe their lives are just as priceless as mine, but that's on a spiritual level, not a financial one.
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