Blog Hiatus

OK.  I’ll admit it.  I haven’t been keeping up with my blog lately.  For those who have happened by, I want to apologize for not posting more.  There have been a few changes to my Wild Kajaera experience, and I’m not shying away or anything.  For one….I’d become an auctioneer at one of the prominent auction locations on the grid.  Not only was it an intense learning experience and fun, but it was also loaded with drama…go figure.

There have been some amazing cats that have come out since my last blog post:  The Cecil Tribute Lion….come and gone.  The Trick or Treat Cheetah….come and gone…and impressive.  As well as the first Trick or Treat Wolf….yeah…I even got a wolf now.  That’s not the only addition.  All throughout the month of October, you had a chance to drop the new Halloween 2015 eyes – Witch Soaring, AvieVille, Storm Brewing, Batty Blue, and House with Eyes.  Not only that, but WK added two eyes for the wolves – Witches Brew and Pumpkin Patch.  So, I’ve been staying busy breeding the heck out of my cats to get these goodies…and walking auction and market sims looking for great deals.

That being said, word is getting out…slowly….but it’s very exciting.  From the start of my WK experience, I’ve tried to make as many of the classes I can as possible.  In those classes, the emphasis has been on trait breeding and the proper way to breed for traits.  Lately, I’ve witnessed that the idea is catching on.  Here’s the secret: Unless it’s a trait that’s hidden and unlocked at the specific level the cat is, the only traits that will pass will come from the parents of the cat being paired and the paired cats themselves.

Yes!!  Did you hear that? The only exception to the rule is for Uber / Hybrid eyes.  They can pass from the grandparents of the cats being paired.

So, what does this mean for you…..or other breeders?  It means that anything listed on the second page back on the ancestry is only fluff.  If someone tells you that you can pass a WinterMagic 2014 eye from the grandparents, they’re misleading you!  Yes…only the parents and the cat being paired will pass traits unless it’s a trait hidden by level….like Snaggle tooth at Level 30 for Tigers.

I’m excited, because I’ve been breeding my cats this way for the longest time, and I constantly roll my eyes and want to correct the uncorrectable ones who insist that the traits will pass.  Look to see what great cats come out to market now.  I can’t wait!

~Uriel

Why Are YOU Chasing Levels?

One of the biggest things I’ve noticed lately, as I work the auction scene, is the enormous number of cats out there that are highly leveled, but have bumpkiss for traits.  In my opinion, there’s nothing worse than seeing a Level 30 Tiger with “naturals” filling its stats, or a Level 7 Rohtak Bengal with only 1 desirable trait, like Sabertooth, and the rest of its stat line is barely traited at all.  In retrospect, you’ll see that Level 30 Tiger selling at auction for at least 10,000 Lindens, and the Bengal going for at least 7,000.  So, what’s the trick?

The trick of it all is, anyone who wants to spend a crap-ton of Lindens or wants to use all of their sanctuary points for stat boosters, can level their cats quite quickly.  You see this all the time.  When a new Limited Edition cat comes out, or when a new breed is released, you’ll see the offspring of those cats hit the market sooner than your cats would if bred naturally.  Are booster’s bad?  No.  But, effectively you’re entering into a level race that you’ll never win.

The known, “Top Breeders”, have the cornerstone on the market for high level cats.  This is rightfully so, because they’ve been breeding for so long.  They’ve weathered WK’s ups and downs and have honed their marketing strategy to manipulate everything to their advantage.  This is all well and good, but it will definitely deflate any notion of a new breeder coming in and becoming a ‘Top Breeder’ if they’re only focused on reaching the highest level cats.

The odd thing about chasing levels in WK Cats is that it is counter-productive to what Wild Kajaera wants.  Attending as many of the WK Classes you can, you’ll soon discover that one of the creators would rather see a low level cat with high traits than a high level cat with low traits.  That’s the right way to think.  That’s what true breeding is all about.  Wouldn’t you think that a Level 10 Tiger with Snow Flurry Fur a Black Nose with Sunlight Glow and Glisten along with Sabertooth would be a much better cat to look at than a Level 30 Medan Fur with Grey Nose and Naturals down the trait line?  I would. Would you rather have a cat factory?  Or, would you rather have top quality cats?

Here’s the idea.  Listen to the friends you make in the WK world.  Go to the WK Class.  Read through the WK Blog.  And, you’ll soon find out that chasing levels is futile.

~Uriel

You’re Missing The Point

One of the trends I’ve noticed as I work through the auctions, whether it be as a buyer or a seller for the WK Cats, is how much the addition of the Leopard cats have shook up the market value of cats.  Coupled with the latest update from Wild Kajaera, the market seems to be in a flux.  Not only has it made for a rollercoaster ride with breeders, but you can get a steal of a deal from them at this moment because they’re having to sell off stock that they’d normally keep, to pay for tier rentals and food for their big cats.

Witnessing this happen has urged me to try to find the reason behind it.  I could lay blame on the new update and the release of the Leopards, but I’m not quite sure that’s the reason.  The real culprits are the breeders.  Yes!  The breeders… that includes me.  The only way to really sell your cats at a premium is to ensure that you breed your cats correctly.  But, that’s only half of the issue.  The other half is that you have to grow your market base.  At first, I thought that growing the market base should strictly be on the shoulders of the auction houses, but that train of thought has shifted as well.

Auction houses and locations will make money off the breeders by offering rental prices for their stalls and display stands.  In addition to that, they make income from each panel that rents at auction, no matter if you sell your cat or not.  Flood the sim with two to five auctions a day, and it can still make for a pretty good week.  That doesn’t go to mention that they make income off selling your cats whenever you do happen to sell your cats.  Most places have a minimum tip requirement for 10% of your sale.  Which gets split between auctioneers, customer service representatives, and the sim owner.  So, who’s out the money?  You.

With so many hands in the cookie jar, you might be curious how you can increase your chances of selling and making money breeding WK Cats.  Well, the answer isn’t as simple as it should be.  The answer is… You need to market better.  Nothing’s more frustrating than looking across the auction houses and seeing nothing but breeders, most of them seasoned breeders who may already have better stock than you, giving them the premium for price.  Sure, you can set up a stall at an auction house to sell your cats.  Sure, you can have your own store where you sell your cats.  But, you have to think… the only people that are going to see those is the occasional sim hopper who’s checking out breedables or other WK Cat breeders who may have their own, better stock when compared to yours.

Do I have a suggestion?  Well, I do.  And, this blog is one of them.  Doing a Google search for Wild Kajaera Big Cats will mostly net you information from Wild Kajaera.  This is all well and good, but I’ve visited their blog site… and I’m not impressed.  They have a lot of very useful information, but it’s set up in a manner for you have a hard time finding useful information in one spot.  You literally have to search all over their blog to piece together information you’re looking for.  Certainly, the WK Blog Page can use an overhaul… but, they’re already making bank on us as it is.  Why would they really need to change when they can stand back and say, “It’s all right there in the blog.  You just have to look.”

So, in closing, you may have to think out of the box to try to bring new business to your breeding empire, pure and simple.  However you do it, I hope you’re successful.

Enjoy!

~ Uriel

Why Wild Kajaera Big Cats?

Someone might ask, “Why Wild Kajaera Big Cats?”.  It’s a fair question really.  Of all the things you can do or all the ways you can entertain yourself on Second Life, Wild Kajaera Big Cats only represent a small portion of the creativity you can enjoy in Second Life’s virtual world.  Truth is…I probably couldn’t tell you why it’s so addictive.  What I can tell you is the hunt for the elusive next great cat can be enchanting, elusive, exasperating, and a bunch of other “e” words that are conjured to mind when reflecting back on the initial trials and errors you may encounter when getting started.

First thing’s first, though.  I’m not a professional breeder.  In fact, I have yet to breed a spectacular cat that other, more experienced breeders seem to spit out at will.  If anything, I’m more of an observer.  I like to watch to see how people react during auctions.  I like to hear the progress people go through to get wonderful or less than desirable results.  I also like to be in the thick of it, nudging elbows with another bidder at auction or trying to sell off my own cats.  Let me tell you… It’s addictive.

With that said.  Welcome to my blog page.  In Second Life, I go by Uriel Bound.  Yes, it’s kinda cheesy to have a moniker of a lesser know archangel.  But… Like I indicated in my introductory paragraph, you can do or be anything you want.  So… please… Don’t come in world looking to have me as your insider guy.  This blog was created to be all the information you should need along with the websites I have posted to get started either entertaining yourself with Second Life and Wild Kajaera Big Cats or enjoy the other things this virtual world has to offer.  I have trained myself not to respond to random IM’s from people I don’t know.  And, you should understand why.  Either way… I’ll see you at auction.

~Uriel