Pedigree cats- do you let yours out? and whats in the contract the breeders make you sign

[kbaby]

Just wondering really.

I want to get a pedigree cat to hoefully get as affectionate cat as we can( I know its not guarenteed but hopefully more likely to be so than a moggy)
We currently have a moggie who uses us as a hotel and doesnt like the kids. Therefore instead of getting another moggie we thought of a pedigree kitten. However all the breeders ive found seem to say that the kittens must be an indoor cat. Now although I would like to keep it indoors realistically the kids may open the back door and let it out while they are playing etc. So what I want to know is do you think it would be ok for me to let it out( I dont want to let it roam but would need it to get used to its surroundings incase they do let it out) I wouldnt want it to get confused or lost.
Also as you have to sign a contract to state that you wont let it out etc, what was to happen if they did find out that it had gone out.
Does anyone have a pedigree cat that goes out? if so what breed is it?

Thanks

Why don't you consider going to a rescue shelter and finding a nice adult cat that you can assess the personality of when you choose it. It can then be allowed out. Getting a pedigree does not guarantee you a friendly homely cat necessarily, and you have higher risks of genetic inbreeding issues compared to a moggie too.

Does your other cat go out? How would you let one out and not the other?

We rehomed a pedigree kitten from a breeder and it was stated in the contract that it would be an indoor only cat.

If we were to let it out I doubt she'd know, but as the cat has been bred from lines of indoor kept show cats I doubt he'd last long outside.

When we move I'm hoping to get a run in the garden so that he can safely go out.

have two pedigree cats (one balinese and one birman)who used to be house cats but now go in and out as they please (they are both neutered and are just pets not for shows anything. They stick to a pretty defined area. Pedigree or not, they still have normal cat instincts re territory boundaries, chasing birds, rolling about on the ground etc, etc
Never had a contract with the breeders

kbaby, birmans are very affectionate but not too good with noisy, cat chasing toddlers (mine runs and hides). Fine with older children though

Wehreabouts are you?

We have pedigree Samese cats, as do my parents, and we have never had any problem getting hold of Siamese cats (who are fantastcially affectionate - more like dogs ) that are allowed to be "outside" cats.

The only contract that we have had to sign is that we are ot planning on breeding from them.

I've lived with Simese for over 40 years - they have all been "ooutside" cats.

When dh and I were looking for our first pair (about 14 years ago) we did see one breeder that only had "indoor" cats. However, we chose the breeder that was confortable with the cats going out (once we had convinced her that no, we didn't live on a main road. They have remained friends and although the first tow have now died, we have bought another 2 from them.

We have a Ragdoll and didn't have any restrictions on letting him out.
We let him come and go as he wants as he is neutered and chipped.
I'm not sure how a breeder would actually know if the cat was not kept as an indoor cat.

But i second what beautifulgirls says re temperament. Out of all the cats we have ever owned (all moggies) He is the least affectionate of the lot.

He does like a cuddle but only on his terms IE when we are on the bed and even then will just up and go in the middle of it.

He will walk over for a cuddle i bend down to oblige, only for him to turn his nose up at me and walk away.
He is so not a lap cat, he has never sat on my knee once in 3 years, and i can only pick him up for 30 seconds max at a time. He does not match his breed profile at all. He is so stuck up but i still love him!!!

But Yet both my moggie males (7&5) are the most loving, cuddly, affectionate lap cats you could ever want. They both love climbing onto your knee and purr immediatly as soon as you stroke them. They love to give you headbuts, my 5 year old also likes to suckle and pad you and will lie like that forever...if you let him !!!

Thank you everyone.
Dreamaway- I looked at a ragdoll cat as I read they were the best with children, however I was advised not to get one because they have no defense mechanism and therefore likely to get attacked by dogs/cats if allowed outside.

The reason we decided on a pedigree was to try and get a cat that would be used to noisy life with 2 children and if we went for an afectionate breed then we would up our chances of getting a affectionate cat.
Our moggie is very timid and hates the noise of the children. If any of the children approach him to smooth him he scrams them.

Prettybird- DH wanted siamese kittens and although they sound deightful and playful I was put off because I had read they build a strong bond with on family member and tend to get jelous of anyone else. Plus they are very talkative and I didnt think I could cope with more noise in our house. How do you find the ones that youve had?

It was a birman cat we were looking as it was from a siamese breeding line(to keep dh happy) but not so talkative. I did read that they were good with young children, which was why I had decided on one.
Our 2 children are loud but they are very gentle around our current cat(prob because theyre frightened to death of it) and they know how to correctly smooth a cat etc.
The contract we would have to sign with one of the breeders was to say we wouldnt breed/show the cat, let it outdoors and should our circumstances change that we would give the cat back to the breeder.

I understand that they want the best for the cat theyve bred but I cant understand why a pedigree cat should be kept indoors anymore than a moggie.

Sorry my keyboard sticks so I realised in the above post some letters are missing.
Sorry.

When I was a kid we had moggies, which were either as friendly as you'd want or totally snooty. We have had two Maine Coons ( and just picked up another two kitties today also Maine Coons). Very pedigree.

One was the cuddliest cat you could want (RIP now). Her brother is delightful but the closest he comes to a cuddle is looking hopefully at your lap for a few minutes, jumping on for 30 seconds, then sitting on the sofa looking at you again. Typical man.

Very early days with the kittens but one is really cuddly and tactile, the other is pretty but wary. I bet they stay like that too.

So, get a pedigree if you fancy a breed. Or get a moggy if you fancy a rescue. But the cat will be the cat, I think.

I've never heard about Siamese building a strong bond with one person and then being jealous.

IME (of both my own and my parents' cats) they are total tarts - looking for whoever will stroke them! In fact. we do have a problem with them looking for cuddles from one friend who doesn't like cats - but he learnt to tolerate them (we keep trying to explain to him that his human reaction of "fear/dislike", narrowing his eyes is that cat equivalent of a "come on" as they think that means "come to me, I am not a threat")

They are more vocal than other cats - in that you can actually hear them miaow (to me "ordinary" cat miaows seem pretty pathetic). In practice though, they only tend to miaow if they have been stuck in a room or are really hungry. The really noisy "calling" is from cats that have not been "done".

Both male cats we have had were/are wonderfully malleable. The various nicknames that they have had include "squrrel cat" (as they like lying on their sides with their paws up), "plaster" and "softy". They demand to cuddled and respond really well.

All the female cats have been very affectionate although slightly less malleable - although our previous female could be a bit of a pain as she would take forever to settle. The current one is very quick to sit on your lap - in fact so much so you don't even notice she has done it.

I find the female cats (n my vast expereince of 4 - two of my own and two of my parents) slighlty more "on their own terms" than the male cats (over the years about 9 - 3 of my own and 6 or more of my parents).
All the cats we have had have tolerated (and even come back for more) being carried about, petted and generally mauled about by young children. If they don't like it, they just disappear (now if an adult tries the same thing........ )

I beleive that with longer hair cats, if you are going to let them out, you have to be prapred to do a lot of grooming. Can't really comment though as I have never had a long haired cat.

When we bought our first pair, we did deliberately not choose the kittens that came from a home with no men around as we were worried that they might have difficulties with my dh - epscailly as Siamese are normally so strongly "people" cats. Not sure it really would have been an issue - but I am glad we chose the breeders that we did as they have become long term friends.