One of the first things new breeders want to do is run out and buy their new kittens. You need to have some guidelines on how to vet a breeder when buying your kitten. Why would you want to do that, you ask? If you don’t know and approve of the breeder personally, then you could find yourself spending money on kittens that can’t be used in your breeding program.
Episode 6 offers a recommended checklist (See Show Notes to Download the Checklist) for your to use when vetting a breeder that you’re considering buying a kitten from.
Show Notes
Resource Mentioned in this Episode : Checklist to Use When Buying a Kitten
One of your responsibilities as a reputable breeder is to select kittens for your cattery that meet the three main goals; Health, Temperament, and Type. Unfortunately, it’s hard to determine if your kitten will meet these standards until you get them and they’ve had time to mature. By pre-screening every potential kitten that comes into your cattery, you’ll have a better chance at success. Part of your pre-screening process should be DNA testing the new kitten you want to breed, read more about it here.
What Can Go Wrong When Importing a Kitten?
Knowing a breeder personally is the ideal place to get your breeding kittens . Importing seems to be the next best way until you’re able to start keeping your own. However, we don’t know who is REALLY behind the computer screen. It’s a big world out there. Be careful and make good choices. ALWAYS LISTEN TO YOUR GUT.
There are certainly many scenarios that can happen when you’re getting a kitten. It doesn’t always turn out to be the most pleasant experience of your lifetime.
Here are some to name a few:
- The kitten is sick when it arrives
- You discover that the kitten has a congenital defect shortly after it arrives
- You send money for the kitten, but never receive it
- The kitten has a bad temperament or hasn’t been properly socialized
- The kitten is mishandled during transport
- You’ve been given false or misleading information about the kitten
It’s always better to be proactive when it comes to selecting a breeder to buy a kitten from. Do your due diligence and don’t be in a hurry to buy the first pretty kitten that you see.
