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Buying a Purebred Kitten

Over the many years I've been involved with breeding cats I have heard some real horror stories from pet buyers who purchased kittens from other breeders and pet shops. Hopefully the following tips will help you in choosing the right breeder, and a cat without health problems.
WHAT TO LOOK FOR

When you visit a breeder, there will likely be some odour, especially if their males are kept in the house and not in outside runs. However, litter-pans should appear clean and not wet through or heavily soiled, water and food dishes should appear sanitary. If water dishes are lacking water, get out. This is not a breeder you want to deal with. Most breeders cage some of their cats at least some of the time. You will have to decide for yourself what you find acceptable. The “Cattery of Excellence” certification means very little, and I don't recommend using this as a guide as to whom to buy from. Cattery conditions may have been different when the certification was given e.g. cats removed and cages enlarged at the time of the veterinary inspection. The cattery standard set by the registering bodies is really only a minimal acceptable standard and not in any way a reflection of how I think cats should be kept.

Also, take people’s ads for their catteries with a grain of salt. Does it matter to you if they had the top Persian in the country if the kitten you buy is ill or has an heritable disorder? Prioritize what is important to you.

Check the overall condition of the kittens and their dam, and any other cats that are out. The cats fur should be clean and not matted, plus ears should not contain dark waxy deposits indicating ear mites. Check through the coats for fleas and flea dirt, especially around the back of the ears and the base of the tail. A Persian or Exotic Shorthair may have eyes that run with brown tearing due to problems with the tear ducts in these breeds. However, no cat should have green or yellow discharge or eyes continuously streaming clear fluid, whether or not accompanied by sneezing and signs of other health problems. There is no such thing as “just a little cold.” Some kittens that are exposed to respiratory diseases become chronic shedders of the disease and can infect other cats. Despite what people think we do not vaccinate for every respiratory disease because vaccines are only available for the most lethal varieties. In recent years Bordetella bronchiseptia, a severe bacterial infection, has become endemic in some catteries. It is expensive to treat and can kill a young kitten in 24 hours. If you see a kitten who appears to be mildly ill, and you still want it, suggest to the breeder that they take care of it until it is well. You might also want to discuss the issue with your own veterinarian and the breeder’s veterinarian.. Chronic symptoms may indicate a serious underlying problem such as exposure to lethal and untreatable diseases: feline immunodeficiency virus; feline leukemia or feline infectious peritonitis .

Also check out the kitten’s skin. Many kittens will have little scabs from tussling with littermates between 6-12 weeks of age. You will also occasionally see a small bald spot on the back of the neck where the kitten was vaccinated, although these reactions are less common as vaccines have changed in the last ten years. Other bald patches should be examined carefully in case the kitten has any type of fungal infection. Look for patches around the face, ear, neck and front legs that are scaly .

Never buy a kitten because you feel sorry for it. If conditions are that bad, go home and call your local
Humane Society or SPCA and complain. In supporting only breeders who exhibit good husbandry habits and really care for their cats, you are doing a service in putting uncaring breeders out of business.

Healthy kittens alternate between playing madly and collapsing in a heap asleep. If one kitten hangs back more than the others, and you are attracted to it, have the breeder remove the other kittens and let you see that kitten on its own. Most kittens will show their true personality when on their own; after all, you aren't buying them in relation to the entire litter, but as an individual. Think about how the kitten will fit in with any other pets you already have.

Veterinarians are a good source of information about a breeder and it is worth the effort to find out what time of day they would be available to talk to you on the phone. Don't count on getting accurate info from a receptionist as to a particular breeder’s standards and whether that breeder is trying to eliminate any health concerns.

CONTRACTS AND DEPOSITS

Do not buy a kitten without a written contract, and make sure you have read the contract thoroughly before you hand over any money. The contract should spell out under what conditions (if any) the cat may be returned, any genetic guarantee, and conditions you are subject to in regards to keeping the cat. Other items such as whether the cat is to be altered, whether papers will be issued and when, etc., will also be covered. Please check out the Leeside Cattery contract on-line for an example of what to look for. It is almost impossible to enforce any spoken contract, so make sure you have everything in writing. In Canada it is illegal to sell as purebred any animal for which papers cannot be supplied. These contracts will hold up in small claims court.

I normally don't take a deposit for a kitten before it is a minimum of three weeks old; this is because any kitten losses usually occur during this time frame. Buying a cat to show as an alter or a breeding cat is a much more difficult proposition, and reputable breeders can rarely make up their mind about the overall quality of a cat until the kitten is between 12 and 20 weeks old. Be patient if this is what you are looking for. Different breeds mature at different rates. In my own cattery, the cats I don't want to keep for breeding myself are the ones I collect deposits on first, unless I have a buyer waiting for a kitten to show in the alter class. A kitten may be eliminated because I don't want to keep a kitten of that color or sex at that time, or because it is lacking a specific quality I was looking for in that litter, e.g. very low-set ears, unmarked chests etc. This is no reflection on the health of the kitten or its personality as a pet.

If you have any qualms about the breeder or the kittens, go home and think about it before you leave a deposit. If you change your mind they may not give you your money back. As in all business transactions,
if you leave a deposit, sign the contract and get a receipt for your money. I usually get a deposit of about 35% of the price of the cat, enough to insure the buyers are serious.

VETERINARY CHECKS AND VACCINATIONS

My kittens leave home with two or three sets of vaccinations and a veterinary check at ten weeks. This exam picks up things I might miss like a heart murmur. The reason some breeders can sell kittens cheaper is because they are using only the cheapest vaccinations and not providing a vet-check. Reputable breeders also supply kitten kits with food and information and provide follow up support. All of these things cost money, so work out what it is you are getting for your dollar. In addition, quality care for the adult cats is factored into the cost of kittens. Breeding cats should have at least a yearly check-up, as breeding constitutes a stress on the body, and optimum health in the parents helps produce healthier, stronger kittens, as does pre-natal care in humans.

Never give a deposit for a kitten that has not been born; anything can happen, and it’s difficult to get breeders to refund money. If you must buy a kitten from outside your own area, try and find a breeder in an area where you have a friend or family member and get them to check the situation out first. Don't let a breeder push you into giving a deposit if there is a problem you don't feel comfortable with; there will be other kittens and other litters.

BREED SPECIFIC HEALTH CONCERNS

Unfortunately, in part due to a lack of discrimination on the part of many breeders in culling animals who have or produce serious health problems, many breeds of cats and dogs can have serious heritable diseases and abnormalities. In the Abyssinian and Somali cats we have: renal amyloidosis (RA), and pyruvite kinase anemia, two lethal disorders; irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), a debilitating and often difficult to treat disease similar to the disorder in humans; and luxating patellas (LP), an orthopedic disorder common in these two cat breeds and some breeds of dogs. The later is usually surgically correctable, but the cost is about $400-800 per patella and left uncorrected the condition limits the cats movement and lead to painful arthritic conditions later on.

Many other breeds have serious problems too. Examples are polycystic kidney disease (PKD) in Persians, Exotic Shorthair and Himalayans; hypertrophic cardiomyopathy in Maine Coons; conditions related to skeletal abnormalities in Manx and Cymric; and luxating patellas in Sphynx and Devon Rex. It is important that you research breed health problems as well as personality characteristics, activity level, and grooming requirements. The World Wide Web is a good source of information. Check out the Winn Foundation and the AAFP sites as well as searching lists by breed. It also helps if you don't assume any one breeder is breeding to avoid a problem, or that new breeders have been made aware of the diseases in their breed. In this way you will be better equipped to purchase a healthy animal that also suits your lifestyle. Good luck!