Is this KittyCats business model

[Pyro Nitely]

I have a question or really a statement but first a line about me as this is important to what and why about to say the following.
I have only been breeding cats for 3 months and my progress is best described by the food bill. I got given my first cat and paid for a box of Kibbles 140L I think. Then my cat needed a partner so got a 50L cat to keep it company, then after 2-weeks my family had grown so off I went and purchased a 5-box of kibbles and milk. Then like a drug I just have to have more as this was so interesting so a 10 box of each was in order.
Now 3 moths later if KittyCats offered 100 box discount I think this will be the way to go… SO! Why do KittyCats bite the hand that feeds them?

With the Forest Fairies that I was told would only be available for one week so I thought this may be a good investment and purchased a few, far less as many I know. Then the next week I see they are still on sale at KittyCats and was told they were keeping them going for another week, Ok not to worry, waters the market down a little but not a biggie. Then another week later they are still are on sale at KittyCats. I now see that a lot of people are dumping them at half what they paid for them.
Kittycats is a business but so it is for a lot of their best customers so why are they doing this. It is not a good business practice and in the real world could be called dishonest.
No doubt I will get hate mail for saying this but I believe someone need to say it.

[Ivy Norsk]

To take things in order:

The 20-box purchase does offer a discount over the single or 5-box purchases. I don't remember what it is, but it's there. There's no question that the cats are addictive and the kibble bill adds up. That is what it is. It's a pay-to-play game and the mechanism is kibble.

Regarding Collections. Main Limited Edition Collection releases are pretty much always 3 weeks. They are released in the middle of the month, and then extend over a turning of the month since people often upload lindens on the 1st of a new month. This may vary a bit here and there, but 3 weeks has been the standard release time for years. I have heard the CSRs be coy about this, and say "oh we don't know", "we'll find out later" etc. But year in and year out, it's generally 3 weeks. This may not apply to other collection releases, event releases, various and sundry miscellaneous cats.

None of this could be called bad business practice or dishonest.

Next thing: the secondary market. KittyCats is not in control of nor involved in the secondary market. You have to remember that people "do" the hobby in different ways. Some people will buy extra Collection cats and hold them as an investment over the long haul. That's a multi-year strategy.
Other people are breeding the collection cats to find out their hidden traits and they resell them - as you've seen - when they know the traits. This stage lasts only a few weeks; it has no impact on the first people, since they are playing a longer game.
And of course, there are many people who buy the collection cats because they are cute and they will keep them as pets.
Again, none of this is dishonest.

[Tad Carlucci]

Also, this is probably the most frequently posted complaint, especially from people who've been playing a month or so. I'd add it to the FAQ but it's not a question.

[Shamu077 Resident]

Kittycats is like playing a slot machine. The odds are heavily stacked against you meaning the House wins in the short term and the long run. If you are a good customer to the casino, you might get free meals and drinks for your addiction, as long as you keep playing.

The only players that stand a chance of winning over time are the auctioneers that collect 10% on each sale, and get a chance to buy the best bred cats, ready to punch out higher value kitten boxes - to resell at auctions.

The recent changes, because of LL's imagined problem with Gacha's has only made the special editions more expensive. Add that to the continued oversupply in secondary markets, with 9T cats being dumped for 50L, and this is only an expensive hobby for most.

I have been breeding Kittycats continuously since 2012, btw. For most, it is not a profitable business anymore.

[Callie Cline]

(03-20-2022 04:04 AM)Pyro Nitely Wrote:  I have a question or really a statement but first a line about me as this is important to what and why about to say the following.
I have only been breeding cats for 3 months and my progress is best described by the food bill. I got given my first cat and paid for a box of Kibbles 140L I think. Then my cat needed a partner so got a 50L cat to keep it company, then after 2-weeks my family had grown so off I went and purchased a 5-box of kibbles and milk. Then like a drug I just have to have more as this was so interesting so a 10 box of each was in order.
Now 3 moths later if KittyCats offered 100 box discount I think this will be the way to go… SO! Why do KittyCats bite the hand that feeds them?

With the Forest Fairies that I was told would only be available for one week so I thought this may be a good investment and purchased a few, far less as many I know. Then the next week I see they are still on sale at KittyCats and was told they were keeping them going for another week, Ok not to worry, waters the market down a little but not a biggie. Then another week later they are still are on sale at KittyCats. I now see that a lot of people are dumping them at half what they paid for them.
Kittycats is a business but so it is for a lot of their best customers so why are they doing this. It is not a good business practice and in the real world could be called dishonest.
No doubt I will get hate mail for saying this but I believe someone need to say it.

Thank you for your post and comments. I would like to clarify something on the collections.

We have never said any collection would be out for one week. if you do not see it in a notice, it did not come from us. We hear ALL KIND OF THINGS that customers say they heard, and encourage them to make sure to read it in the various places we put it.

Since we began, 11 years ago, we have had the collections out for approx 1-2 weeks BEFORE a holiday (thought we don't name them after the holiday) and keep them out a bit after the holiday as well. For a total of approx 3 weeks. Never less than 2.

I think once we kept them for sale a bit over 3 intentionally as LL was moving to the cloud and purchases were having so many issues as well as people being able to log ins, TP, etc and so much of the community had asked for a few more days. But other than that, and i'm not even sure then we went over 3 weeks.


However, for the forest fairies, I accidentally did not pick up everything, so those stayed out 3 days longer as then I noticed I had made a mistake. I am sorry about that. Most all are bought the first day and then the first few days, so if we had any sales at all those extra 3 days, it wasn't many.

As someone else said, we do hang over the first of the month as many get paid on the 1st and over new years we have kept Winter things out as many are not in SL much, the main reason is to give a window where customers from all over the world can have an opportunity to buy the cats.

It's important you know that we in no way are trying to be tricky or anything at all. We want to provide great service, support and an experience that people enjoy and we welcome comments! even those that tell us what is not working for you!

we have never put out prior collections despite hundreds of requests and we never will. we have tried from day one to act with integrity as it's a core value for us.

I'm not sure what you mean about 100 bowls so I can't comment. We have kept our food prices the same for 11 years, and remain one of the lowest out there.

We continually try to add more value, and hopefully it translates to our customers enjoying their experience with their kitties.

I also keep an open door policy so you are free to reach out in world if you want/ need more clarification!

thank you for your comment and I hope you enjoy your kitties!

[Monavie Voight]

We all have our addictions. Yes, breedables is one of mine. Do I expect the breedable companies to pay for my addiction? No, I do not. If I can't control myself to only have one or two animals, that's on me. Not on them.

Investments pay off over time. Not usually immediately. Expecting to get top dollar sales price a couple of weeks or months after the sales have ended is a bit unrealistic. You may have to hold those cats for years before you will be able to make that ridiculously high price sale we all look for! It will be worth the wait.

Also, just because others are setting their prices very low, doesn't mean you have to. Hold out for your price. There is always a buyer for every seller. Wait for yours. If the marketplace you're at allows these ridiculously low prices, move to a different marketplace. Or even better, set up your own private place to sell your cats. I don't join other marketplaces and enjoy it very much. Not saying they are bad, just saying, I enjoy it the way I do it.

So, finally, enjoy yourself! That's what it's all about.