Magical tips about how to choose the right breeder

I’d like to introduce you to a very important topic in this blog post, i.e. choosing the right breeder. There are many questions on Internet forums about who or which breeder it is worth buying a kitten from. Now, I’d like to help you with this initial confusion, because I also experienced this situation some years ago.

I would emphasize the importance of  this question by quoting the words of Antoine de Saint-Exupéry: ” You become responsible, forever, for what you have tamed.”

Added to this is the fact that we choose our cat, not for 1-2 years, but in the best case for even 15 years. That is why it is important to choose the right cat breed, which you can read about more in my future blog post.

Since a new family member will arrive it does matter how well we will spend the coming years with our mini tiger. In the case of animals purchased from propagators or backyard breeders, you can read on the Internet about the diseases they suffer from and how much medical cost they incur.

Unfortunately, even the conscientious, right breeder doesn’t guarantee that you will not have to take your cat to the vet apart from the mandatory annual vaccination. However, it matters whether we can turn to our breeder for advice in case of trouble, whether we can ask him/her for help about which one we should choose from the vet’s therapist’s suggestions. Or whether the breeder can recommend a specialist. A conscientious and right breeder who has been working for several years has a lot of experience with kittens and adult cats just from breeding.

The role of the cat shows in the right breeder choosing

Cat shows are an excellent opportunity to choose a breeder and get to know breeders. It is worth going to the cat shows of several cat associations. However, it is also important to keep in mind that cups, medals, and goblets don’t always mean the best breeder.

You have to look carefully around, and talk to the breeders. You can also ask your questions, but you also have to take into account that the owners of the cats, invited to judging will be busy, so they may have less time to answer your questions. In any case, personal sympathy can develop even during a short conversation.

Breeders on the Internet

As the next step in breeder choosing it is advisable to search on the Internet for the websites listed on the collected business cards. Here, in addition to the general impression, it is advisable to check when the given website was last updated, whether there are the photos of male and female cats, planned litters, or only kittens currently waiting for a sale.

When choosing a breeder it is worth checking whether the selected breeder has a Facebook Page, an Instagram Account, or a YouTube Channel. What kind of content is posted on them, when was it last updated, and does the breeder upload other photos and videos in addition to the kittens for sale (for example about his/her breeding stock.

Larger catteries also have their own YouTube Channel, where you can watch videos about the cattery, the cats in the breeding stock, and the kittens in the current litters, that are looking for their future owners or are already reserved. In this way, the future owners of the given reserved kittens can also see the development of their future family members.

Furthermore, the breeder’s expertise in subjects can also be found in uploaded videos intended for future owners or just interested future owners on various topics related to breeding.

A sign of a good breeder is that he/she provides a contract for the kittens and has the parents’ negative tests for the most serious cat diseases and breed-specific diseases.

What to do if the problem has already happened and you have chosen the wrong breeder?

At the end of this blog post I’d like to mention the so-called fashion breeders, for whom serving the needs of those interested in the current fashion colors is a primary concern. Everything else, including the kitten’s nature and health, comes after that. If you are a regular reader of mine, you already know that you should never choose your future mini tiger based only on color and size.

A question may arise, if (despite the above-mentioned information) you haven’t chosen the best breeder or if the kitten has already been reserved by an improper breeder or even worse, from a propagator, what should the owner do?

There are breeders who give advice in such cases for money. It may be advisable to obtain the contact information of such right breeders, because if you want to consult with someone else, for example, the recommendations of a vet, then this breeder could be a kind of help or solution.

In summary, it can be said that choosing a breeder is an important step in choosing a kitten. First, don’t choose a little furball kitten, but a breeder, from whom you can buy the little heart stealer of your dreams.