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Original poster

How to buy a pedigree cat

30 replies

Snog · 22/09/2021 21:16

I need some help here about how to buy a pedigree cat!
I am interested in buying 2 GCCF registered cats being rehomed age 8 months. The price is half the going rate for 2 kittens.
I asked the owner to see the GCCF registration papers and vet records before travelling 1 hour to see the cats.
She sent me photos of part of each document and when I asked for copies of the full documents she said they would be available to me only at the viewing because otherwise I would be able to "transfer ownership to myself using the documents "

I am trying to make sure that the cats really are owned by the person selling them and really are GCCF registered bona fide and have had the health checks that the seller says they have had.

Am I being unreasonable?

OP posts:
Original poster
Snog · 22/09/2021 21:34

I have read up on how to buy a pedigree kitten from a breeder but can't find any advice on buying a pedigree cat that has already been owned by someone since they left the breeder.

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Suzi888 · 22/09/2021 21:37

Yes, I think YABU asking for hard copies.,

When I got my pedigree lab, a vet advised any amount of paperwork can be forged. It can and does happen, you’ll never be 100% sure.

Original poster
Snog · 22/09/2021 21:38

How will I know that the seller is the legal owner and hasn't stolen someone else's cats to sell ?

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Original poster
Snog · 22/09/2021 21:39

I'm asking to see scanned copies

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CrystalMaisie · 22/09/2021 21:42

Sorry I don’t know the answers to your questions, but as someone who bought a pedigree similar age, it was found to have an illness.
I would get insurance in place before you pick them up.

InTropicalTrumpsLand · 22/09/2021 21:42

I presume the cats will have been chipped before leaving the breeder. If the person rehoming them got them from the breeders, their contact should be on the chip.

However, if reputable cat breeders are anything like reputable dog breeders, I'd be wary as to why this person is selling the cats rather than returning them to the breeder, which should be agreed on the contract. And why are they being rehomed in the first place?

Original poster
Snog · 22/09/2021 21:47

I'm not sure how I could check the chip though?
The story is that the cats were born on 1st Jan, from the part of the paperwork that I can see they were sold to current owner on 6 June and now current owner says as she is out at work all day the cats need more attention than she can give them.
I'm not sure this is adding up and also PP experience that a cat bought in this situation had health issues is worrying me. If these cats have health conditions I couldn't return them, I guess this is different if you buy directly from a breeder

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Original poster
Snog · 22/09/2021 21:49

Price is still £875 so I don't want to make a bad decision.

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Wolfiefan · 22/09/2021 21:50

If I have to rehome my dogs I have to go via breeder. Cats have to go back to rescue. It’s in the contract.
This is someone who wants the money and isn’t worried about welfare of the cats. You have no way of knowing that they don’t have health or behavioural issues. The fact they may or may not be pedigree is the least of your worries.

Original poster
Snog · 22/09/2021 21:54

Ok, so I have no way of knowing if these cats have health or behavioural
Issues, or even if they have been stolen from someone else.
I think this has pretty decisively made up my mind that it's not worth viewing the cats. I'm grateful to all for the advice.

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OwlBasket · 22/09/2021 21:58

It seems odd that anyone rehoming properly bred pedigree kittens of this age wouldn’t do so via the breeder. It’s usually part of the agreement IME. This’d be a red flag to me. Is the breeder aware/involved at all?

OnlyFlans · 22/09/2021 22:04

It does seem suspicious that the kittens were sold by 'the breeder' age 6 months and the current owner is trying to sell them on after only 2 months. I thought kittens are ready to leave their mum around 12-14 weeks?

I wouldn't proceed with buying them.

Gingerkittykat · 22/09/2021 22:15

A previous poster has pointed out that there is a legitimate reason for not allowing you to see the certificates digitally and you will get to see them in person.

Has the owner asked for a deposit? That would be a red flag.

When I bought my ragdoll from a registered breeder I only had a 2 week return window and nothing in the contract about giving her back if i needed to rehome her.

Is it possible you can take them with the owner's consent for a vet check where they will also scan the microchip?

Toddlerteaplease · 22/09/2021 22:23

I think it is fairly common that pedigrees have to be returned to the breeder. I got my Persians from a rescue and I think that I was also told if, it didn't work out. They had to be returned to that rescue.

Original poster
Snog · 23/09/2021 00:01

I'm not sure any PP has given a reason why I can't see any of the documents digitally?
As the breeder isn't local taking them to the vet before the sale isn't straightforward unfortunately.
I think it's just too risky for me to go forward on this tbh.
I can't find the breeder on the internet or on the GCCF site. I realise that doesn't necessarily indicate a problem but neither does it fill me with confidence.

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Original poster
Snog · 23/09/2021 00:19

I meant the seller not the breeder in my last post

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StylishMummy · 23/09/2021 07:15

You should be able to find the breeders prefix. Have you joined any Facebook groups for the specific breed you're interested in? I'm in a ragdoll group and there's a wealth of information and also notices of lost/stolen cats

Original poster
Snog · 23/09/2021 07:49

@StylishMummy it is a ragdoll and the prefix is baby-bluerags

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Original poster
Snog · 23/09/2021 08:04

What is the name of the FB group?

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Wolfiefan · 23/09/2021 08:23

I think I found them on FB.

Original poster
Snog · 23/09/2021 09:08

It would be good if I could ask the breeder about these specific cats to verify the story and ownership

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Wolfiefan · 23/09/2021 09:16

@Snog it would be better if the breeder managed to get back the kittens and rehome themselves. Hmm

mistermagpie · 23/09/2021 10:35

I have bought Bengal kittens and rehomed an adult Bengal. The adult I got from the same breeder as the kitten, the cat was being retired from breeding so it was a slightly different situation. I didn't see her paperwork in advance but when I went to meet her I saw it all and have it all now.

I am on a group from rehoming Bengals and what I would say is that often people get a pet and then realise they just can't handle it (this happens a lot with Bengals because they can be a temperamental type!) so look to get rid of them. In the first instance it's more usual to return them to the breeder if at all possible - do you know if the breeder has been contacted about these cats?

It's unusual for a breeder to sell cats of that age so that's a bit odd...

What's really common is for people to look to rehome cats and say they 'don't have enough time to dedicate to them' or whatever, but it's actually that the cat has some issue like weeing on the floor or aggression which they don't want to tell people about.

I would happily rehome another adult cat and keep my eye out for any coming up on my pages, but my preference is to do what I did before and get a retiring 'breeder' because you are at least sure where they have come from.

As an aside, bengals are also expensive cats - on my rehoming page an adult goes for approx £200. My adult has an excellent pedigree (hence why they were breeding her) and was only 2 years old and cost £150. I yes not usual for a 'rehome' to be as expensive as you are being quoted.

Sorry, waffle there! But I would look elsewhere I think.

PhiRhoSigma · 23/09/2021 10:45

Agree, this may be a bit dodgy. A friend who breeds cats and is also a vet has stories of all sorts of disreputable/illegal practices going on, from unregistered breeding through to theft. Especially with the 'fashionable' breeds like ragdoll, bengal, siberian,...

Although, 6-8month old kittens are a real handful, perhaps owners were unprepared for the level of destruction they can wreak!

Original poster
Snog · 26/09/2021 07:05

I've given up on this seller but now having issues with the next one too...
This one is advertising 3 GCCF registered kittens at £900 and is saying all the right things in the ad but takes days to reply to messages - having arranged a Sunday morning viewing on Wednesday the seller has been very unresponsive to emails requesting her address. Finally she got back to me late last night and sent her postcode saying she would text me the actual address in the morning.

WTF with the secrecy over the address?
Once again I have alarm bells ringing.

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