Orchid's Guide to Finding a Responsible Breeder and Getting the Cat of Your Dreams

v1.5

Purebred does not always mean high-quality. Registered does not always mean high-quality. How then can someone interested in getting a healthy, happy, well-bred cat find one? Here are some steps, tips, and warning signs when trying to find a good breeder. Responsible breeders are also known as 'hobby breeders' -- meaning that they are people who do this for the love and advancement of the breed, not to make money. It is very difficult to make money off of breeding purebred animals because of the cost of showing your breeding animals to Champion or above levels, proper pre- and post-natal vet care, etc.

First Steps:

1. Do the research.

One would think that this is a no-brainer, that of course someone who was about to shell out a few hundred bucks for a kitten would have made sure they knew exactly what they were getting in to. Unfortunately, this is not often the case.  Before you start calling up breeders, do the research on the breed. Buy books on your breed (or check them out from the library).  Find out what registries have standards for your breed, and familiarise yourself with the standards.  Find out if there is a national or international breed club for your breed.  If so, go over its website thoroughly and maybe even join it so you get access to its bulletins and internal articles.

2.  Join breed mailing lists.
This is your best conduit to people who can not only tell you what it's really like to live with one (or more!) of these cats but can also steer you towards respected, responsible breeders.  You may even meet breeders currently working within the breed!  There are hundreds of breed-specific mailing lists out there, check Yahoo Groups and other listserv sites to find them.  Or just Google for 'mailing list' and your breed name.

3.  Go to cat shows.
This allows you to see the current state of the breed and puts you in contact with multiple breeders for face-to-face time.  Bring some hand sanitizer, and they may even let you hold or pet one of their cats.  Talk to the breeders and collect business cards from the ones you like.  Make arrangements to go out and visit their catteries if they are close enough to you.  If they aren't, set up a time for a long phone interview with the breeder.  Cat show schedules for each of the registries can be found here:  TICA, ACFA, CFA, GCCF, FIFe, ACF, NZCF

4.  Be patient.
 Responsible breeders often have waiting lists for their kittens, or may not have a litter planned for a few months.  Do not let your eagerness for a kitten short-circuit your plans to get the healthiest, best-bred one possible.

The Breeder Interview:

Here are some questions you should ask and what you should be looking for in a response.   A 'no' answer to any of these questions is not necessarily a cue to run screaming, but they are warning signs.  During this interview, you should feel as though you are being interviewed right back.  The breeder will ask questions about your housing situation, your familial situation, your views on cat care and vet visits, maybe even ask you for vet references.  They do this because they want their kittens to go into the best possible home.

1.  Do you show, and if so, in what registry?  If you don't show, why not?
Breeders should show.  Showing means that an unbiased person (the judge) has judged their cats to be superior examples of the breed.  A breeder who shows is also going to be well-informed regarding the state of the breed, and is going to have the necessary contacts and friendships to have access to the best lines of cats.  The most respected cat registries in the US are The International Cat Association (TICA), the American Cat Fancier's Association (ACFA), and the Cat Fancier's Association (CFA).  Respected international registries include Federation Internationale Feline (FIFe), the Governing Council of Cat Fancy (GCCF), the Australian Cat Federation (ACF), and the New Zealand Cat Fancy (NZCF).  A breeder should be registered with at least one of these. (**NOTE -- If you are a breeder or show person involved with a reputable registry not listed here, please contact me with information about it so I can add it to the next version of this**)
If they do not show, there should be a good, plausible reason why not.  For example, if they cannot make it to shows for some reason, such as physical handicap or distance considerations.  As well, ask them how they determine if their cats should be bred or not -- do they make any effort to get an unbiased, educated opinion?

2.  What are your criteria for breeding quality?  Show quality?  Pet quality?
This is often a good thing to ask when you have a cat or three in front of you so the breeder can point out the good or bad features on each cat.  A breeder should have a ready answer for this.

3.  What is the goal of your breeding program?  What would the ideal example of your breed look like?  How are you going about achieving that?
This should also be a ready answer.  Responsible breeders have a dream cat in mind when they decide to become breeders, and that is what they are working towards.  All responsible breeders are working to better the breed in question.  This is also an exception to the 'run away' clause.  If a breeder has no goal, does not show, and says they are 'just breeding pets', RUN AWAY.  And don't look back.  That person is almost definitely a Backyard Breeder (BYB).

4.  What titles do you put on your cats before you breed them?
This should be Champion at the least.  There may be occasional exceptions within a breeding program, but the majority of the cats in a responsible program will be titled.  Obviously this question does not apply if they do not show.

5.  What health problems exist in the breed?  What tests are you doing to clear your cats of them before you breed them?
Many breeds have health problems.  This comes from the unfortunate fact that most breeds were brought into existence before we knew anything about genetics and recessive genetic diseases.  Responsible breeders are working to clear their lines of these problems, and they do the expensive medical tests to make certain they are not breeding animals who will pass those bad genes on.  Since you've done your research, you should know what health problems exist in the breed.  If they say that there aren't any, or leave any out you should ask about the ones they omitted.  Examples of genetic diseases suffered by cats are Feline Hip Dysplasia, Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy (HCM), luxating patellas (aka slipping knees), Polycystic Kidney Disease (PKD), and cryptorchidism (undescended testicles).  If a breeder just says that the vet checks them over, it's a bad sign.  All of these diseases (except cyrptorchidism) require special tests that are not done at a standard checkup.

6.  What do you do to socialise your cats?
This should be a ready answer.  There are so many ways to socialise kittens that I can't give you a 'right' answer, but the breeder should have a program in place that involves regular human socialisation and bonding at the absolute least.  Many breeders also try to socialise to dogs, children, grooming, nail cutting, etc.

7.  When can kittens come home with me?
This should be around 12-14 weeks old.  It should *not* be 8 weeks or younger.  Kittens need that third month to learn how to be cats from Mom, and how to play gentle from siblings.  They also are learning how to talk to other cats, how to use the litterbox consistently, and how to use the scratching post.  Some breeders hold 'til 14 weeks, others will base when kittens leave their home on the kitten itself.  Bonding will not be hampered if you get a three month old kitten instead of a two month old kitten -- you'll just get a more confident, happier cat.

8.  May I see a copy of your sales contract?
This is crucial.  All breeders should have a sales contract that addresses issues of health, includes a spay/neuter clause, and includes a 'right of first refusal' clause.  The right of first refusal clause means that should you decide to get rid of the cat for any reason, it must come back to the breeder.  This shows that your breeder cares about the animals they are sending into the world, and that they will always be there for you for advice.  Many breeders are beginning to add 'indoor-only'and anti-declaw clauses into their contracts, so don't be surprised if you see either of those clauses. They should be more than happy to give you a copy of the contract when you ask.

9.  How often do you have kittens?
If they say 'all the time!' be very worried.  A responsible breeder has litters carefully planned in advance, and does not often (though it is possible, especially if the breeder has outdoor enclosures for cats to play in -- lots of natural light will cause queens to go into a more 'wild' estrus cycle and thus all come into heat at around the same time in the spring) have more than two or three at the same time.  This allows the breeder to give the kittens the attention they need to be good pets.

10.  May I have some references from previous pet buyers?
They should be happy to give you references, and should have them on hand. Follow up on them -- some BYBs have begun to give out false references.

11.  What shots do you give kittens, when and why?
A twelve week old kitten should have had their first set of shots at least, and many will have had their second set too.  The breeder should be able to explain why they give the shots they do, and why they don't give the shots they don't.

General Stuff

Breeders should not actively badmouth other breeders.  If they have a problem with another breeder's practises, they should be able to discuss those practises and why they disagree with them calmly and professionally.

The breeder's house/cattery should be clean.  It should not smell overpoweringly of cats, litter boxes should be clean, cats should be healthy and well-fed.  Intact males should live in spacious runs with plenty of toys and environmental features.  If females live in runs they should be clean and spacious as well.  All the cats should be handleable, males and females alike.

Any questions?  Comments?  Flames?  Contact me at neko@ascendancy.net -- Be warned, flames will be posted and mocked.