Advice for buying a Kitten

Before visiting a breeder arm yourself with tips and awareness
You will be paying a lot of money for a pedigree kitten - you need to know they are healthy and of sound temperament and type.
Before you decide on a kitten please visit as many breeders as you can - this not only gives you an informed opinion on what is available and what is right for you but also what criteria is set for the cats and kittens and their future welfare.
 Buying a kitten from a breeder you should expect a life-long support line or even better a life-long friendship based on trust and mutual respect. Questions that may appear difficult to ask should not in any way be difficult to answer
When visiting other breeders see how they keep their cats and do not be afraid of asking them questions - not only about their cats but about themselves, after all you will be asked plenty of yourself. .
Be very aware of breeders making defamatory comments about another breeder. There is much jealousy around this breed, and it is usually no more than that.
 Look for their motives for breeding - does it look like financial gain? How many breeding cats do they have?
Does the premises look clean and like a home where cats are happy and relaxed or a commercial enterprise with cats bored, dull, restricted and temperamental.
Basic checks YOU should carry out.

1.Are the kittens eyes, nose and ears clean?
2.Are there bottoms clean?
3.Do they have any flea dirt in their coats?
4. Do they have clean healthy mouths and gums?
5.Feel under their throats for enlarged lymph glands.
 

Question if the kittens have been vaccinated for FELV (Feline Leukaemia Virus) and other diseases. These are basic vaccinations and they protect your kitten - there have been many clinical trials for all vaccines to ensure their efficacy and safety - if you are investing money in a kitten you should at least have the basics.
Do they have their kittens micro - chipped and are they covered by a Veterinary Health Certificate. Are they insured for a minimum of 6 weeks which covers the initial settling in period when they are more prone to illness due to the stress of the move.
Are all these things covered in the asking price?

How are the cats kept

Are they kept in one room all the time or do they have access to the whole house? Where is their mother? With them or in another room? What condition is she in?
Are the adult cats grouped together living in rooms or are they in cat runs permanently!
If so
Do these cats have good stimulating surroundings? Any amount of money can be invested in cat runs and equipment but ask yourself, is this for the cats benefit? or just for show?
If the breeder has many cats ask to see them all and not just the one you are interested in.
When you visit and while you are going through the meeting process with the breeders notice first what the cats are doing - are they relaxed or curled up asleep, playing, running around and ambushing each other or a little wary because you are on their territory - or are they looking like they are in an environment they are not used to being in. Are they slowly and cautiously wandering around the outer perimeters of the room, are they too easily spooked by each other? probably because they are not too familiar with their surroundings? investigating things that they should be familiar with? Do you get the feeling that these cats you are seeing have just been let out into this environment for your visit?
Young kittens are your best source for information as they give better clues as to how they are kept than the adults do.

Cats in cat runs.

Much of the above applies with the addition of:
Do the cats have obvious behavioural problems such as intermittent meowing or pacing behaviour? Do the adult cats have knots or bald patches around their ruffs , backs or hind legs, or are they shaved?  This shows lack of care and grooming practices which can show just how much attention they do get. Cats enjoy being groomed if it is done on a regular basis which with these cats they should be and it takes a few minutes daily. Are they too overweight due to lack of exercise? Look for stale food that is drying out. Is their water clean and fresh? Look at the litter trays do they look like they are kept clean at all times?
 Are they too sleepy? Although cats sleep some 16 hours a day - if confined to a run or room they should show great interest and greet you when you are around them, after all this is new stimulation that is different from their normal routine..
Many breeders keep their stud males outside in cat runs, mainly because of the smell from spraying ( Although this can be cleaned!! and is no excuse for keeping them in a run all their life, but we all have different opinions on this.),
 Just imagine yourself having to live in one room for many years with no control over your surroundings, unable to add or move anything! or to find anything stimulating.
Of course the great majority of breeders adore their cats and look after them very well - but some do not.
 

Our Criteria

For information on how we keep our cats see our breeding page.
Our breeding program is based on the health of our cats first, second and last.
We feel it is very important to do a blood chemistry profile on the queens prior to being mated.
This is to ascertain that physiologically she will be in peak condition to carry and produce good strong and healthy kittens.
 Many breeders do not cover these tests, they are an important part of keeping cats and their subsequent kittens fit and well. Ill health can be as a result of many things and sadly, not all illnesses show outward symptoms until the problem is well under way - a good example of this is liver / kidney failure and diabetes along with many other disorders.
There are many conditions that can affect felines and apart from the infectious diseases, some illnesses can be regarded at being genetically predisposed or inherited. Having yearly blood profiles taken can alert people that all is not well at a much earlier stage rather than wait for outward symptoms by which time its usually too late!!

Our cats test results are on their own pages should anyone wish to view them
All of our kittens are fully vaccinated, micro - chipped and undergo a full program of treatment for ecto and endo parasites.
 24 hours before they leave to go to their new homes our Veterinary surgeon will give the kittens a full health check (equivalent to the exportation examination) then issue a Veterinary health certificate.

 Temperament of our kittens.

There is no point having a lovely looking cat if you cannot touch it. They all have their own personalities and we concentrate on the importance of good socialisation. This is very important for at least the first 7 weeks of the kittens lives to prevent them from being timid or aggressive they must be handled a great deal from birth and exposed to as many environmental factors as possible.
Our kittens are very affectionate and tactile they socialise and interact very well with people, children and other animals. They are all show trained from a very early age should the new owners wish to show them.
There is nothing worse than taking a beautiful cat to a show that will bite the Judge!

We are told by every one of our kitten owners that our kittens have excellent temperaments and are well socialised - this makes all the hard work so worthwhile. If you require testimonials to this and the health of our kittens please ask us - we have many and we keep a regular health record every 6 months on all the kittens we have bred.
 Breeding is a very important decision and we want to do it well and to give our kittens the best start we can.

If you would like information regarding our kittens please contact us by email
or telephone - 01748-833910 - mobile 07870 876634
If you would like to be added to our future kittens list please email us.


Our Kittens do not leave us until they are a minimum of 13 weeks old.
They will be registered with the Governing Council of the Cat Fancy.
All kittens have a treatment program for endo and ecto parasites.
They are fully litter trained and well socialised
They are fully vaccinated, micro - chipped and insured for 6 weeks.
24 hours before they are due to leave us they will be given a thorough health check by our veterinary surgeon who will then issue a Veterinary Health Certificate.
You will be furnished with GCCF registration documentation and a 5 generation pedigree.
We provide a full back up service for support and advice for the duration of the kittens
lives
Should any of our kitten owners have a change of circumstances whereby they can no longer provide for the kitten/cat then we ask for the kitten / cat to be returned to us.
We will not allow for any of our bred kittens to be resold or re-homed and certainly not go to a rescue establishment. This is for the duration of the cats life.
Our kittens go to their new homes with a kitten contract that stipulates the above.