Pet products & breeding
Books and taxes for cat breeders.
A kitten deposit held back until the spay contract is met, an echocardiogram on your breeding queen, a CFA registration renewal, and a retired queen rehomed at a lower price. Gus sorts all of it, an accountant checks every transaction, and you get one number a month.
- From $197 a month
- An accountant on every transaction
- Cancel whenever
May came in at $6,000. The echocardiogram on your new queen came in as a health testing cost, not a routine vet bill.
- Kitten balance, PayPalKitten sales
- Retired queen rehoming feeRetired cat sale
- Cardiologist echocardiogramHeart screening
- CFA cattery renewalRegistration fees
- New cat intake bloodworkQuarantine testing
Why your books are different
A cattery's books go wrong in a handful of specific spots.
A generalist sees deposits and vet bills. Your cattery runs on holdback deposits tied to spay contracts, heart screening on breeding cats, and a new arrival that has to sit in quarantine before it ever joins the program. When the books miss that, the numbers stop making sense.
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1
Kitten deposits get counted as income too soon
Many catteries collect a deposit and hold back part of the purchase price until the buyer proves the kitten was spayed or neutered, and if the full amount is booked as income the day it lands, a held-back portion that might get refunded looks like money already earned.
What we doBooks the upfront deposit as income and holds the spay-neuter portion separate until it is actually released. -
2
Heart screening looks like a routine vet bill
An echocardiogram to screen a breeding cat for HCM is a specialist cost that can run several hundred dollars, and if it lands in the same bucket as a routine wellness visit, it is impossible to see what proving out a breeding cat actually costs.
What we doKeeps heart and genetic screening separate from routine vet care, so the real cost of a breeding cat is visible. -
3
Quarantine costs for a new cat get lost
A new breeding cat joining the cattery usually needs its own space and a round of testing for FeLV and FIV before it can be introduced to the others, and those costs often get buried in general vet care instead of being tied to bringing that cat into the program.
What we doTracks quarantine and intake testing as its own cost, tied to the cat it belongs to. -
4
Retired queens get sold at a different price and get lost
A queen retired from breeding is usually rehomed as a pet at a much lower price than a kitten, and if that sale is not marked differently, it can make the average kitten price look lower than it really is.
What we doBooks retired cat sales in their own line, separate from kitten sales. -
5
Show costs blend with the cattery's other spending
Entry fees, travel, and grooming for a CFA show to prove out a cat's type are a cost of the breeding program, and if they land in the same place as everyday cat care, it is hard to see what showing actually costs against what it is worth for the cattery's reputation.
What we doKeeps show costs in their own line, so you can see what proving out your line costs each year.
Your categories
The categories Gus keeps for a cattery.
Set up once for how the cattery gets paid and what it spends. You never pick a category. He does, and an accountant checks it.
Money in
- Kitten salesDeposits and final balances paid by PayPal, Venmo, or Zelle.
- Retired cat salesQueens and studs rehomed as pets once retired from breeding.
- Co-ownership splitsYour share of a litter bred under a co-ownership arrangement.
- Stud service incomeFees received when your stud is used by another cattery.
Money out
- Routine vet careWellness visits and vaccines for the cattery.
- Heart screeningEchocardiograms and cardiology visits for breeding cats.
- Genetic testingPKD and other breed-specific health panels.
- Quarantine testingFeLV and FIV bloodwork for a new cat joining the program.
- Registration feesCFA cattery name and litter registration.
- Kitten suppliesLitter boxes, weaning food, and health guarantee paperwork.
- Show costsEntry fees, travel, and grooming for CFA shows.
What we watch for you
- Cost per litter
Vet care, testing, and registration against what the litter sold for, so pricing is not a guess.
- Health screening cost
What proving out a breeding cat costs before its first litter, tracked against future sales.
- Held-back deposits
Spay and neuter deposits still owed back to buyers, so nothing gets forgotten.
- The set-aside
What you will owe, tracked every month, so tax season is a number you already knew.
Ask Gus
Things cat breeders ask Gus.
Text him like you would text anybody. He answers in plain English, and when a question is above his pay grade, an accountant looks and gets back to you.
Just the upfront part. The held-back portion stays separate until you actually release it, so it doesn't count as earned before it really is.
That's health testing, not routine vet care. I keep it apart so you can see what proving out this queen actually cost before her first litter.
Usually not, since most specialty vet practices are corporations and skip the 1099 rule. Whether yours does depends on how the practice is set up, so I flag it and the accountant checks.
The tax side
The tax side of a cattery.
Most of what matters here is proving this is a business, not a hobby, and keeping each litter's real cost visible.
What your return has to get right
Your accountant signs it, so it gets done right the first time.
- Hobby loss rulesThe IRS can treat a cattery as a hobby if it does not run or record itself like a business, which limits what losses can be deducted. Clean records of every litter's cost against its sale price are the best protection.
- Self-employment taxA breeder not on payroll owes 15.3 percent self-employment tax on top of income tax, paid in quarterly estimates due April 15, June 15, September 15, and January 15.
- Inventory and cost of goodsKitten supplies and health testing tied to a specific litter are not deducted the day they are bought. They count as a cost against that litter once it sells.
- The pass-through deductionA profitable cattery run as a sole proprietor, partnership, or S corp can often take up to 20 percent of business profit off taxable income.
Deductions cat breeders miss
Your bookkeeper knows what to look for in your statements. You never have to.
- Echocardiogram and cardiology visits
- PKD and genetic panels
- FeLV and FIV bloodwork
- CFA registration fees
- Litter boxes and weaning supplies
- Show entry and travel costs
- Cattery name and website fees
- Quarantine room supplies
- Business liability insurance
- Health guarantee paperwork services
- Grooming for show cats
- Microchips
General information about 2026 federal rules, not advice for your business. Your accountant looks at your actual numbers before anything gets filed.
All year, not just April
A cattery year, kept every month.
Litters come on their own schedule, but the tax calendar does not move. Your team keeps you ahead of both. Every month in between, your bookkeeper closes the books and speaks up the moment something looks off.
- January
Plan the year
Last year's return gets started, and you get a monthly set-aside so April is already handled.
- April
Filed. Done.
Your return is filed and signed. No surprise bill, because the set-aside has been running since January.
- July
Halfway check
Where you stand, what you will owe, and how this year's litters compare to what you planned.
- October
Before the fall shows
Ahead of any fall CFA shows, Gus looks at health testing and registration costs worth handling before year end.
What you get
What you pay depends on what your business needs, and it does not move after that, busy season or slow. No hourly bills, no surprise invoices, no setup fee.
Book a call- Monthly bookkeeping
Every transaction sorted into categories set up for cat breeders. You never categorize a thing.
- An accountant checks every transaction
Real review, every month, before your books close. Not a spot check.
- Your business tax return, filed
Prepared, reviewed, and signed by that same accountant every year.
- The monthly number
What you made, what you spent, what to set aside for taxes.
- Your own bookkeeper
A real person assigned to your business, in the app whenever you need them. No hold music.
- On your books all year
Every month, not just in April. Your team speaks up whenever something is worth your attention.
- Cancel any time
No contract. No cancellation call. Your books are yours.
Straight answers
Questions cat breeders ask first.
How does Gus handle the deposit I hold back until spay proof comes in?
The upfront part of the kitten price is booked as income right away, and the held-back portion stays separate until you actually release it. That keeps a refundable amount from looking like earned income too soon.
Is an echocardiogram on my breeding queen a regular vet expense?
Gus keeps it separate as health screening, not routine vet care, so you can see what proving out a breeding cat costs before her first litter sells.
I sell a retired queen at a much lower price than a kitten. Does that mess up my numbers?
No. Retired cat sales get their own line, separate from kitten sales, so your average kitten price stays accurate.
What happens to the quarantine costs when I bring in a new breeding cat?
They get tied to that specific cat, so you can see what it actually cost to bring her into the program before she ever has a litter.
Do CFA show costs count as a business expense?
Usually, when the showing is tied to your breeding program. Gus keeps those costs in their own line so you can see what proving out your line costs each year.
My records are just PayPal screenshots and vet receipts. Can Gus start from there?
Yes. Send what you have and Gus will match each PayPal deposit and vet bill to the queen it came from. Most cattery owners see a clear picture within a cycle.
Is a real accountant checking my books?
Yes. You get your own bookkeeper, Gus does the first pass on every transaction, and an accountant checks every one before your month closes. That same accountant prepares, signs, and files your business return. Goatkeeper is not a CPA firm, and we never pretend a person looked when they did not.
What does it cost, and can I cancel?
It starts at $197 a month, depending on what your business needs. No setup fee, no hourly bills, no contract. Cancel any time from the app, and your books go with you.
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What makes a bookkeeper worth paying for Every business we keep books for
Book a call
Pick a time. That's the whole signup.
Fifteen minutes with a real person on our team. They look at where your books are, tell you straight what it takes to get caught up, and get you set up on the spot if it fits.
- $197 a month to start
- An accountant on every transaction
- Cancel whenever