Responsible Breeders

MAKING AN INFORMED DECISION WHEN PURCHASING A KITTEN

STOP BACKYARD BREEDERS & PET SCAMMERS

We have put together this article to inform people who are looking for kittens about the unscrupulous people who seek to scam, commit fraud and make a profit from their mass kitten sales. We hope that this will be a useful guide.

How to Distinguish a Reputable Cat Breeder from an Irresponsible Breeder

Before you buy a kitten, it is very highly recommended that you find a reputable breeder. Before you can trust what a breeder is telling you, you need to be sure that you are dealing with a responsible breeder, with some experience in breeding, as well as a desire to research, learn, educate and develop. Their goals must include first and foremost, health of the breed, then next on the list, temperament, type and conformation, finding loving homes and providing suitable care.

You can contact the registrar or cat club in your area to find out if they can refer you to breeders who are reputable according to their records. Unfortunately, this doesn't give you any sort of reference as to whether you are dealing with a responsible breeder or not. The registrar will be able to tell you, however, if the breeder has had any previous sanctions or warnings against them, and if anything goes wrong after the adoption of the kitten, you can report complaints to the governing body that they are registered to so that an ethics committee can investigate the matter further.

Most breeders will have a website, email address, phone number whereby you can contact them to find out what kittens they have available. A reputable breeder will be able to add you to her waiting list, if she does not have kittens, or will refer you to her breeding partners, if they have kittens. Registered breeds are not cheap and if you are looking for a cheap kitten, without papers, it is probably best to contact the various Kitten Rescue organisations to see if they have any babies available. Most breeders will offer some sort of payment plan to potential owners, if they are not in a position to pay the full amount upfront for a kitten.

The more rare the breed, the higher the price, so choose carefully and make sure you are in it for the long haul. Some breeds require special care or grooming and you must be willing to put in the time to keep the routine.

Tips for Finding a Good Breeder

Experience is not always a good indicator of a reputable breeder!
While the number of years as a breeder gives you clues about a breeder's experience, they can still raise both healthy and unhealthy cats. More important are the goals of the breeder - health must come first! If the breeder is fairly inexperienced but has an experienced, reputable mentor and is knowledgeable, this is generally a good sign. Experience is by no means an indication of reputability. Quality is key, not quantity! It is also very important to mention that every breeder has their problems and health issues. It is how they handle these issues and tackle solutions that is of key importance.

Quality vs. Quantity
Breeders who raise fewer cats may not have as much experience as their years of experience indicate. Breeders who raise hundreds of cats per year may run into epidemic health issues running through their cattery. Too many cats may mean too little attention for the cats' social development. The key is to find out how many queens are bred at the same time. Usually 2 or 3 is normal, to have one queen as companion to another and another queen as a back up ‘milk-bar’ for the other two. This can still lead to a large amount of kittens being reared at the same time, so you need to make sure the breeder is putting in the time and effort into giving each baby individual attention so that they are socialised and any health issues are being addressed as they occur.

Showing Cats
Reputable breeders usually show as a way of learning more about their breeds conformation, and the politics of the fancy, as well as to enhance their reputations. Trophies, rosettes and awards show that cats are of a high quality, but be wary of a breeder who takes more interest and pleasure in their winnings than the individual cats.

A sign of a good breeder might be a discussion of how he or she works to improve upon the breed, rather than the brags of the wins. Of course, the awards do show that the breeder understands the improvement needs of the breed, however, development must be the priority in this case and not 'winning shows'. Someone who does not show their cats at all might not have an eye for conformation, however, this is not always the case.

Obviously, if you are keen to show your kitten, you would need to buy a kitten from a breeder who is experienced in showing, who can mentor you in that aspect of owning a pure bred cat.

Temperament
Reputable breeders will be able to assist you in determining whether the temperament of the breed you have chosen is going to fit in with your life style. The breeder will suggest kittens based on temperament and not on colour or pattern! Finding the right fit for the kitten, rather than finding the right colour preference for the owner, is the breeder's priority.

GET TO KNOW THE BREEDER. This is the main reason why waiting lists are important. Not only do you secure your kitten early on, and have time to raise the money for the adoption fee, but it helps you and the breeder get to know each other while you wait for a kitten to become available.

IRRESPONSIBLE BREEDERS

• Are ignorant of a breed's genetic defects and not clued up about feline health issues.
• Have too many breeds and too many cats in a small space with few litter boxes. The home is dirty and unsanitary and smells very strongly of cat pee and faeces. Litter boxes are unclean, and kittens are underweight, sickly or very skittish.
• Keep kittens caged for long periods so, they have little space to romp and play.
• Brag a lot about titles, with little to say about the individual kitten's character.
• Say only negative things about other breeders. Gladly offers up information and gossip about other breeders.
• Aren't concerned about what kind of home you'll provide for the kitten.
• Do not offer an adoption agreement stipulating the terms of adoption.
• Charge very high prices for pet quality kittens based on the color of it's coat, or the size of it's body.  Only a cat that is show quality is worth more than a standard pet for it's breed and class. The standard Oriental & Siamese price for pets - regardless of their color, or size is between R2500 - R3500. The standard Peterbald price is around R5000 - R6000.
• Subsequently, a breeder who charges too little for a kitten either has too many kittens, so is able to make a profit, or is not dealing with the overheads that other breeders, who charge more, are dealing with. This could also be an indication of a Backyard Breeder who is trying to undercut the market to sell kittens of a lesser quality or health than the breeders who work very hard and put in a lot of time, money and effort to develop the breed.
• A breeder who has too many kittens and cannot distinguish between kittens, is a breeder who is most likely not attentive enough and will subsequently be the breeder who is 'cheaper', but not necessarily the breeder that will support you post sale and provide advice on an indefinite basis.

Different Types of Irresponsible Breeders

KITTEN MILLS
Over the last few years several kitten farms have popped up all over Gumtree, Junk Mail, the newspapers, etc. They show wonderful pictures of cats and kittens for sale at low prices. BE WARNED!

A kitten farm is a ‘breeder’ who is only truly interested in making money from breeding!

How to distinguish between a Kitten Mill and a Responsible Breeder

A Kitten Mill:-

• Sells many different breeds of cats or cross-breeds.
• Breeds PETS only - not interested in bettering the breed, or genetic improvement of health for the breed.
• Gives breeding rights on any kitten - not concerned with the breeding population. Will sell kittens with breeding rights without a full interview or mentoring process in place. Sells to anyone without a screening process.
• Charges by the color or mixed breed - not the quality or genetic health breed into the breed. Does not use the correct terminology for the colours, patterns and breeds that are recognised with SACC or CFSA. Beware people advertising ‘peach points’ or ‘grey’ (blue) or using international terms such as ‘lavender’ (lilac), for example.
• Sells hybrid breeds that are not registered accepted breeds - the breeds are not approved due to various issues - advertises 'new' breeds without proof of an official Standard of Points from a Governing Body. (Note: In South Africa it is illegal to keep or breed wild breeds and wild hybrids such as Savannahs, Servals, Ocicat, Asian Leopard Cat, etc unless the correct permits have been sought from the Department of Agriculture.)
• Sells in large scales - has lots and lots of kittens, that are often confused - breeder is unable to distinguish between them.
• Sells kittens that are under 10 weeks of age. Most reputable breeders will not allow a kitten to leave their home before 12 weeks of age.
• Sells kittens that are ridden with parasites, with no meal plan, no medical history and no registration papers.
• Sells kittens on the spot without appropriate interview of new owners.
• Breeds females without a resting period between litters. The acceptable resting period is 2 or 3 heats between moderate sized litters. Most females are bred once or twice a year and allowed a recovery and resting period during the show season, however some queens remain in very good condition throughout their breeding careers and are bred more frequently. (Note: As long as the queen is in good condition when mated, it is completely healthy to do so, and probably better than making her wait and risk a uterine infection and fertility issues down the line.)

BACK YARD BREEDERS are somewhat the same as kitten mills - but in a very much smaller direction. They can have from one cat to many many cats. Sometimes, a back yard breeder simply just doesn't know any better and needs to be educated, or has chosen to not take advice given by his or her fellow breeders. These people tend to advertise in the newspapers at low prices and are generally not registered, pose as breeding homes and seek outside studs, regardless of health, lines or temperament or even conformation. If these breeders are registered, in most cases they do not show, nor do they work with other breeders and generally are more interested in experiencing 'kittens' and 'births' than developing a breed. This is by no means an irresponsible breeder in every case, but these people have the potential to develop into Kitten Mills.

HOARDERS are obsessed with cats, end up with way too many, and battle to keep up with the bills all their cats incur. They become collectors and usually have anywhere from 40 and up cats from 1 - 3 breeds. Most often they do not want you to visit them and will make arrangements over the phone / email only or will bring a kitten to a location outside of his or her home. They will always have a sincere excuse why the cat is dirty and or sick! Again - beware! If the breeders cats are sick - why? if they are dirty - why? Too many cats to handle is normally the answer!

Cat disease and filth spreads like wildfire. Sometimes these people will have some of their cats end up at the SPCA. Sometimes they send a cat away just because they are tired of it. These are often breeders who are hooked on showing. They hoard cats from many different breeders and will beg for kittens from other breeders regardless of type, health or if the kitten is going to be a good combination for its potential mates.

They are often characterised by high kitten mortality and have a thousand excuses as to why this has happened, never taking responsibility and shortly after, seek to replace the kittens or repeat matings where there were previous problems. They seek to buy new cats regularly and are more concerned with colour than type/health and even though they might be experienced breeders, with years under their belts, most of their cats are bought in and not bred by them. These people often criticise other breeders and bad mouth them to potential owners and other members of the cat fancy.

PET SCAMMERS are people who mainly advertise kittens online and take your money and disappear without a kitten changing hands. Be very aware of these people - especially on the internet. Make sure you ask the right questions in order to deduce whether they are in fact legitimate or not. If you have any doubts, phone the SACC or CFSA offices to find out if they have a record of this person. They often will operate in syndicates, under a few aliases. These people might also attain kittens from other sources and try and sell them as pure breeds merely based on the fact that they look similar to a registered breed. Their prices are usually in line with registered breeders.

IDENTIFYING A REPUTABLE BREEDER

• A reputable breeder will ask you questions about your lifestyle, where you live, will want your contact details and will want to know what you know about the breed so that they can educate you further. A reputable breeder's questions might sound evasive and personal to the potential buyer, however these breeders have the best interests of their cats at heart.
• A reputable breeder will in most cases replace a kitten that has died. Few will refund in cash as these monies go directly into the upkeep of their cats, but there will always be some way that the breeder will support the new owner in times of crisis, provided that the owner has not acted irresponsibly.
• A reputable breeder has few litters at a time and gives each kitten individual attention and socialisation. A reputable breeder will separate litters if one kitten gets ill. A reputable breeder is obsessed with stressing the importance of a non-stressful environment for her kittens.
• A reputable breeder is educated and knowledgeable about genetics, breeding lines, the standard of points, aspires to develop the breed, not to win shows (although does not lie about the fact that they enjoy it) and is willing to mentor and offer a service of support to new owners long after the kitten has been homed.
• A reputable breeder asks how the kittens are doing, follows up, is honest about illness, is honest about genetic problems, is attentive and helpful, sensitive and always has the kitten's best interest at heart.
• A reputable breeder makes no secret about previous problems they have had in their cattery and seeks to correct those problems, either by replacing 'bad' lines, using healthy outcrosses or by researching ways to troubleshoot problems.

A reputable breeder is one who learns from their mistakes. But don't be fooled. There are many breeders out there who are very charismatic but not necessarily responsible. Ask the breeder the important questions and answer questions the breeder puts to you, truthfully. As much as you need to trust them, breeders need to trust their kittens' owners as well. Please contact the This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it or the This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it if you are unsure if a breeder is registered and to ensure that they are in good standing.