Visiting the Breeder :: The Right Cat for You
by
Karen Leigh Davis
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Visiting the Breeder
Once you have identified several breeders of good reputation, make an appointment to visit their catteries. Look for cleanliness and professionalism.
Observe the adult cats. Are they timid and nervous or friendly and curious? Also, pay attention to your gut instincts regarding the breeder. Does she come off as trustworthy, open, and curious about you, or guarded and rude? Expect the breeder to ask you a number of questions before she allows you to purchase a kitten. Any good breeder wants to ensure that a potential customer will: Be able to properly care for the kitten Have an environment suitable for a kitten Abide by the breeder’s contractual stipulations, which could include clauses requiring spaying or neutering, indoor-only living, and prohibition of declawing
Purebred Pricing
Most breeders will have both “show” quality and “pet” quality kittens for sale to qualified buyers. The show-quality kittens cost more because they are near-perfect examples of their breed. These animals could eventually be entered into competition, and possibly do quite well. The pet-quality kittens, on the other hand, have some minor flaw in structure or appearance that would prevent them from excelling at a show. Perhaps the coat is the wrong color or a bit too long or too coarse. But they are just as healthy and well adjusted as the show kittens and can make great pets, so the breeder offers them for sale at a substantially lower price. If you don’t care about showing or breeding your cat, you should seriously consider purchasing a pet-quality cat, provided the “fault” is not severe or debilitating in any way.
Any kitten showing pronounced skeletal deformities, for instance, should definitely be passed over.
Questions You Should Ask a Breeder
After you locate a breeder with whom you feel comfortable, you will need to ask some questions to determine availability of kittens and assess the breeder’s competence. Some good questions include: When will you have kittens available? Reputable breeders do not have kittens available year-round. Many typically allow their females to produce only one or two litters per breeding season, so you may have to wait for a purebred kitten to become available. Only the profit-motivated “kitten mills” have animals available year-round, and you really want to avoid these types of facilities.
At what age will you let your kittens go home with their new owners? No reputable breeder will let a kitten go before it is at least ten weeks old. Kittens who leave their mothers and litters before this time do not become properly socialized, and may turn out to be very antisocial adults, particularly with regard to other animals.
Also, kittens under ten weeks of age will not have been fully vaccinated or wormed.
Are your kittens raised in the home or in cages? Most good breeders raise their kittens indoors, so they can become accustomed to the goings-on of a normal home. Certainly, they will have cages in their catteries to separate and protect cats, as needed, but this doesn’t necessarily mean that the cats aren’t handled often. Kittens raised exclusively in cages with little human contact will not be nearly as friendly or well-adjusted as those raised around people and their daily comings and goings.
How many breeding adult cats do you have? Beware of any breeder who has more than eight or ten breeding cats on the premises.
Any more than that and you run the risk of dealing with a profitmotivated, kitten-mill operation. Dedicated breeders choose breeding stock very carefully and don’t care about the number of kittens produced, only their quality.
Do you currently own any breeding Champions or Grand Champions? A Champion or Grand Champion didn’t win such prestige by being a run-of-the-mill cat. You can be sure that kittens produced by prize winning cats will be great examples of their breed. Poor breeders, interested only in high volume and profit, will not have decent enough breeding stock on hand to win any cat show, and probably won’t be interested in entering anyway.
Is your cattery regularly tested for feline leukemia virus? This fatal infectious disease can wipe out an entire cattery and spread throughout the entire locale. A good breeder will have a veterinarian regularly test for the presence of this killer. Any kitten you purchase should be certified free of this disease, especially if you have
other cats at home. What type of guarantees do you give on your kittens? Any good breeder will provide the buyer with a two- or three-week guarantee for the kitten’s general health, and a six-month guarantee against congenital defects. If the breeder will not agree to these terms, move on.
Do you fully vaccinate and worm the kittens? All good breeders see to this. If the breeder says it is your responsibility, and especially if the kittens have had no medical care whatsoever, you should go elsewhere.
Will you provide a veterinary health certificate? All responsible breeders will provide their buyers with veterinary health certificates, which certify that the kittens are healthy and free of diseases such as feline leukemia virus.
Will you provide references? Dedicated breeders will gladly provide you with a list of happy customers. If they hedge on this, don’t waste your time. Look elsewhere.
May I inspect your cattery? Good breeders have nothing to hide. As long as you do not disturb nursing mothers, there should be no problem with your inspecting the cattery.
A poor breeder may balk at this request because of terrible, crowded, or dirty conditions in the cattery that they don’t want you to see.
Should I leave a deposit? You will most likely first see a breeder’s available kittens well before they are ready to leave the nest. To ensure that the kitten of your choice is still available when the time comes to take it home, the breeder may reasonably ask you for a deposit. No breeder should ask for more than one hundred dollars up front, however, unless the kitten is of an extremely rare breed. Will you accept a check or a credit card in lieu of cash? Be wary of a breeder who does a cash-only business, as this is often the hallmark of a fly-by-night operation. Paying by check or credit card allows you to void the transaction the next day if foul play or fraud is detected.
The Sales Contract
Once you decide to buy, a responsible breeder should provide you with a comprehensive contract that includes the following:
- A written health guarantee, including a warranty against congenital defects
- The date of birth and a description of the kitten
- A written bill of sale that includes the price paid and the date of purchase
- Registration papers, including the kitten’s registration number
- The kitten’s pedigree (pedigree and registrations may be withheld until you furnish proof that you have spayed or neutered the cat)
- Any conditional clauses, including those covering altering, declawing, and indoor living only
- Instructions on diet, worming, vaccinations, and general care
- A health record of vaccinations and wormings to date
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