Getting a kitten... What to expect from breeder?

[BittersweetMemories]

After doing months of research, I think now is the ideal time to get a kitten. Specifically, a Sphynx.

I've done lots of research on the breed itself and general cat care but this will be out first cat (we have had dogs, rabbits, hamsters etc?)

What I am confused about though is what to expect from the breeder... I've messaged three different breeders with litters and they have all said that the kittens haven't been vet checked or chipped due to COVID and that would be our responsibility, does that sound right? I'm reluctant to buy a kitten that hasn't had a once over from a vet.

Also they all seem to say different ages for the cats leaving the mum, some say 8, 10 or 12 and advice online seems conflicted!

Any help about what expectations we should have of the breeder would be great.

I got my cat at 8 weeks from a breeder. He had been wormed and weighed - we did the chipping, neutering etc ourselves. We didn’t get him during a pandemic though so I don’t know what reasonable expectations would be atm!

I re-homed kittens during the pandemic and they came with full health check, first lot of vaccinations, wormed and contribution towards neutering plus microchipping comes free at that point.

Our cat is 16, an indoor cat and has lived in several different countries without incident.

It is much more normal to have indoor cats in other countries so I wouldn't worry about the indoor part.

In terms of a breeder I would look for one who expects to keep the kittens until 12 weeks and asks as many questions of you as you ask them.

I’ve just had my kitten chipped and neutered, so vets are definitely doing it!

@vanillandhoney

What is it you like about Sphynx cats that you couldn't get in a bog-standard moggie?

Not "being in the market for any other breed" is a bit odd. A cat is a cat, at the end of the day.

That’s not true

There are huge range of characteristics, size, temperament, how vocal they are, how much they need access to outdoors.

For example a Bengal is completely different to a Ragdoll. A Norwegian Forest Car can easily grow to be the size of a small to medium dog as my neighbours has but an exotic or a munchkin cat is comparatively tiny.

I have only ever had British Shirthairs. They are not lap cats traditionally but are very sweet and loving cats who come to you on their own terms. One of mine is a lap cat the others less so but one lets you pick her up like a baby and cuddle her.

So a cat is not just a cat
It’s like saying a dog is a dog

They are the same species but there are many varieties

We adopted 2 pedigree cats in lockdown (so yes it's possible to get a specific breed without buying one). They've been to the vets several times now for health checks and vaccinations - they are collected from the car by the vet. On that basis I would expect the breeder to have taken the kittens to the vets.

I have 4 pedigrees, when I got my first one I had no real idea what I was looking for. Things I now know:

-12 weeks of age minimum
-Make sure you see one or both of the parents
-Personally I prefer kittens that live “under foot” (in the house) as opposed to outside catteries, but either way the areas the cats are kept need to be clean
-pedigree certificate and breeding information is a must, the breeder should be upfront about all of this!

It is fine to have a pedigree cat if you want one, but they are more hard work in general than mogs.

(As an aside for everyone saying adopt don’t shop, I spent MONTHS searching local and not so local rescues only to be rejected by all of them for being an indoor only household. Despite having a purpose built all day access cat enclosure, and catification all over the walls, more toys and cat trees than I can count. They wouldn’t even come for a home visit. I live on a main road and my sweet soul cat (who was a rescue) was killed by a car, he left a huge empty space that only a cat could fill, so I found reputable breeders)

Also yes it is their responsibility to vet check them before they are sold. Usually first jabs are done too, and they are flead and wormed.

A sphinx cat will be really hard work, and how guilty would you feel if it escaped? Cats escape all the time btw
You do know all the oriental breeds tend to be highly affectionate and good with dogs etc. But a Burmese or Siamese will probably survive ( and have fun) should it escape, a sphinx would freeze.
It's not a nice characteristic to have breed in a cat being bald sorry.
On the other subject I have always got kittens at 12 weeks vaccinated, vet checked with a return guarentee. I have also had to agree to neuter before being given the full pedigree. Expect the breeder to absolutely grill you about cats, if they don't be suspicious! But why do you want a cat without hair??? Please explain it.

Please consider a rescue. We had two and they were so loving and sweet and funny. Do you really want to feed the breeders' market and leave a kitten or cat in a crate in a rescue home as a result?