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How to Buy a Kitten
When you are ready to purchase your kitten, there are a
few things you should be aware of and ask right up
front. The first thing is to ask if your kitten is a
full-bred Ragdoll. Some breeders are out-crossing to
other breeds to bring in new colours and patterns. While
this is fine if it’s done honestly, the customer should
be told if the cat is less than the generation that
brings it back to full Ragdoll. The price should reflect
the generation of the out-cross. The kitten should be at
least 4 generations away from the outcross before it is
considered a full Ragdoll.
If you find a breeder whose asking price is much lower
than the rest of the breeders around your area, ask why
it is lower. Most good breeders don’t make money
breeding. If they are lucky, they break even at the end
of the year. If kittens are offered for less than the
average price being $550 to $600, it could be because
the breeder is cutting corners in order to outsell the
competition, or they have produced too many kittens.
They may have to lower their prices to attract people,
and so the people will overlook the conditions the cats
are raised in. A breeder should never compromise on how
he/she raises his/her kittens, and never breed more
kittens than they can easily raise and sell. That isn’t
responsible.
No kitten should leave its breeder’s home before 12
weeks of age, and with at least one shot. By not taking
a kitten before its 12 weeks old, you will be getting a
much better and well-adjusted kitten. Also, the kitten’s
immune system will be stronger, and the adjustment to
its new home will go smoother. Kittens need to be with
their littermates until this age. Then they can do their
chewing and attacking on each other instead of their new
owners. Kittens have to learn to be kittens, and it is
better for them to do that at the breeder’s house, with
their siblings and mum, than to do it to you and your
children. Breeders know how to train the kittens for the
best behaviour towards people.
Kittens go through stages of kitten hood that are
important. The first three weeks, they don’t want
anything to do with people, and are happy just to be
with mum. Most breeders will handle them at this age
anyway, to get them use to it. The period of 3 to 6
weeks is a fun time. The kittens are thrilled with
people, and want to climb all over you, and are so cute
toddling around. Then comes the 6 to 10 or 11 weeks of
age. At this age, they are either sleeping or flying
through the house. This is the age they need each other
the most. Sometime after 11 weeks of age, the kitten
then turns back to humans for affection and attention.
Getting a kitten at 8 weeks will NOT make that kitten
bond with you more than at 12 weeks. You will just be
depriving the kitten of a very important learning
experience.
It is much cheaper for the breeder to let kittens go to
their new homes at 8 weeks of age. Kittens between 8 and
12 weeks eat a tremendous amount of food, because they
are growing fast. So, if the breeder is feeding them top
quality food, as they should be doing, the food bills
add up and take away any profit that might be made from
the litter. As is stated above, most good breeders don’t
make money. They would rather sell you a healthy,
well-adjusted kitten than try to turn a profit.
You should never buy a kitten or cat without a health
guarantee and contract. This protects the buyer as well
as the seller. Read the contract carefully, so you know
what is expected if you need to have your kitten
replaced. Most breeders require an autopsy report. This
is a sad thing to have to have done on a cat you just
lost, and we do understand that. However, if we are to
breed healthy cats, we have to know what problems we are
dealing with. The vet’s "best guess" is not good enough.
We need to know for sure what the problem is, and if it
could be passed on to more cats and kittens. Make sure
you get at least a one-year health guarantee on the
kitten for any genetic or heredity defect. Many things
don’t show up until the cat is a year old.
It is always best to try to visit the cattery you are
getting your kitten from. This is not always possible,
but it is worth the effort if you can manage it. If you
can’t visit, ask for references and do call the people
who have been there. Breeders can tell you something
over the phone or email, but you won’t know if it is
true or not, unless you visit, or talk to someone who
has been there.
When you do visit, look for overall cleanliness, and
make sure the litter boxes are clean, with no faeces
stuck on the sides. The house should not have an ‘old
cat urine’ smell all over. Some breeding males produce
wonderful kittens, but have horrible personal habits
while they are breeding. These cats have to be confined,
usually away from the living area of the family, and
will have the smell of fresh urine around their cages.
It is a strong smell, but should not be stale smelling;
suggesting it hasn’t been cleaned for a while. Their
areas should be well lighted and clean.
Make sure some attempt at separating the males and
females are made. If not, ask how the breeder keeps
unwanted litters or inbreeding’s from happening. A
breeder should be willing to show you all the cats in
his/her house the males included. Many breeders will not
let you handle young kittens, but they should be willing
to show you where they are raised even if it is a peek
in the door of the kitten room. Look for overcrowding,
or high numbers of cats and kittens that could indicate
a hygiene problem.
The recommendation for raising healthy kittens is to
have the adult cats, except the mums, away from the
kittens. This is so they don’t pick up germs from the
adults who are not their mothers. Also, kittens shed
viruses more than adults do, so it is also for the
adult’s protection. If the total numbers of cats is
small enough, there usually isn’t a problem mixing them
somewhat.
On the other hand, you don’t want to buy a kitten from a
place where the kittens are so isolated that they are
nervous and afraid of people and normal house hold
noises. Ragdolls are by nature a friendly cat, but like
any other living things, they react best to what they
are use to. They need to hear normal sounds of people
talking, TV blaring and even kids running around. Most
kittens that have been too isolated will eventually
learn to accept noise and people, but it takes a while.
You have to remember that breeder cats do not look as
beautiful as they would be if they were spayed or
neutered. Males often have more important things on
their mind then food, and can be on the thin side, with
half the coat they would have if they were neutered. The
females are usually in different stages of "beauty".
They usually start looking good again with all their
weight, and starting to get back their coats, just about
the time they are ready to be bred again.
If you buy from a smaller breeder, you may have to wait
awhile for a kitten, but the wait will be worth it.
Naturally, a large breeder will have kittens available
all the time, but realize that with more kittens per
care taker, the kittens may not be getting the attention
they would from a cattery with fewer kittens at one
time. Raising cats is a hard job, and the more cats you
have, the more work and there will be less time for the
kittens.
Checklist
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Is the breeder willing to let you visit and see all
the cats?
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Is the house or cattery clean?
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Do the cats look clean and well taken care of? *
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Do they have plenty of room, and are not overcrowded
in their environment?
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Does the breeder offer a contract with at least a
one-year health guarantee?
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Are the kittens offered for sale no earlier than 12
weeks of age?
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Are the kittens well socialized? Do they seek out
people, or run away when approached?
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Note: Breeding cats do not have the weight or the
full coats of altered pets. This should be taken
into account. However, the cats should still be
clean and well taken care of without runny eyes or
matted coats.
We hope you enjoy your new Ragdoll family member, from
where ever you buy it.
Please Note:
©
2008
Redoak Ragdolls subject to copy write laws
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