What testing is done on breeding adults?
All adults (or their parents if bred by me) have been tested for FIV and FELV and are negative.
All adults receive an annual echocardiogram, and are only bred if the results are within normal limits.
All adults (or their parents if bred by me) are DNA tested via Optimal Selection.
What health guarantee is offered?
All kittens come with a lethal genetic/congenital guarantee unIl they reach 3 years of age. Bacterial, viral, and fungal illnesses are not covered.
What will my kitten come with?
Spayed/neutered
Microchipped
Vaccinated and boosted
1 month of Trupanion insurance
Dewormed
Do I have to put down a deposit?
Yes, a deposit (1/2) is required to hold a kitten. No kitten is officially held until there is a deposit down and the contract signed.
Are deposits refundable?
Only in the instance your kitten dies or I otherwise choose to terminate the adoption.
Is there a contract?
Yes, this protects both you and I.
Is there a waitlist?
Not formally, but I do maintain a list of specific things people are looking for. Once notified, first to put down a deposit gets the kitten.
Do kittens come litter box trained?
Yes! Kittens learn to use the litter box on their own at about a month old. Accidents can happen in a new environment, with new litter, with stress, etc.
What age can kittens leave?
Kittens need to be 2 pounds to be neutered. Once neutered they can leave. Typically this is around 12 weeks old, but can vary.
Why are kittens expensive?
Breeding cats is the most expensive hobby I've ever had- it took 4 years just to break even. To do it right, costs a lot. This is a labor of love!
How does shipping a kitten work?
I do not ship kittens, I do however fly in cabin with kittens to hand deliver them to you in any continental US state. I do not charge for my time- you just pay for the ticket. Southwest is generally the best deal and 2 kittens can share a carrier. You can also fly to me, and I will meet you at one of several nearby airports.
Do kittens see a vet before leaving?
All kittens are neutered by a vet. That is generally the only time they are seen by a vet unless there's a problem.
What are kittens fed?
My kittens currently eat Costco kibble and several brands of pate wet food.
Have you ever produced a kitten with HCM?
So far, no! My oldest kittens will be 5 years old in January 2025.
Do you need a vet reference before I can adopt a kitten?
No, that's weird.
What do I do if my kitten comes down with an illness?
This is detailed in the contract- kittens are like toddlers, they pick up everything they come into contact with, and breeding adults come from all over the world and carry all kinds of things. Vaccines mitigate many of these illnesses but don't prevent them. All this to say that acute illness is common in kittens, and generally not a longterm issue. A PCR is almost always the appropriate first step and you can do this on your own through zoologix.com and many other labs. Then, either antibiotics, antiparasitics, or antivirals are indicated depending on the results. Keep me posted on anything health related, I am a wealth of knowledge and want to make sure you're supported.
Are kittens returnable?
I will always take a kitten/cat back. While kittens and cats are not refundable, they are always returnable.
I'm breeder shopping, how can I protect myself from a scam?
1. Your first line of defense is checking for literacy. Make sure this person and their website are coherent and make sense.
2. Make sure the breeder has an obvious first and last name. Beware of anyone online using a fake name or avoiding disclosing their last name.
3. Bad breeders often breed dogs too.
4. Ask to see the most recent echocardiogram on the breeding cats. Backyard breeders are not scanning their cats each year, and because of this I hear from people who recently adopted kittens who quickly die of heart failure. Please take the time to read about HCM in cats, and verify that the breeder does echocardiograms and has some sort of guarantee.
5. Verify the breeder is TICA, CFA, or WCF registered.
6. Verify the breeding cats have been DNA tested for the common feline genetic diseases (ideally through Optimal Selection).
7. Verify the adults are FIV/FELV negative.
8. The TICA code of ethics mandates breeders spay/neuter their kittens before they leave. Any breeder sending kittens home unaltered is cheap and unethical.
9. Cash only is a big red flag. Do not buy a kitten from anyone who will only take cash.
10. Do not deal with anyone "brokering". These people get large quantities of cheap untested kittens from other countries (often Russia), and they sell them to you sick. When this goes wrong, which it often does, you have no recourse.
11. Make sure you are given a contract before sending any money.
12. Don't buy outside the country. You have no recourse, and this often goes very wrong.
13. There are "Bad Catteries" pages online. Make sure the breeder you're looking at doesn't have a bad reputation both there and anywhere else online.