9 week old kitten = 680 grams

[KitKatLondon]

Hi! Any advice or insights on this would be greatly appreciated, as I'm clueless! Maybe over worrying? Not sure!

I've agreed to buy a female Russian Blue kitten, currently 9 weeks old. I will collect at 10 weeks. I viewed the litter 2 days ago. 2 boys and a girl. One slept through the whole visit, the others were running around playing. The female was much smaller than the boys. There was a 4th kitten who died very young. I don't know why.

I'm worried about her size. These kittens do not come vaccinated, wormed or vet checked (hence the cheaper price I guess) - they say they are 100% indoor so not exposed. I'm happy to do all this asap after purchace, but I want to buy a healthy kitten.

I said I'd take the girl, but want her vet checked first as I'm worried about her size and health. She was running around playing, and licking my hand a lot. Looked ok. Just the size. They told me she is 680 grams at 9 weeks old at anything over 500g is fine. Is this true? I've heard female Russian Blue should be around 900g at this age (from a breeder)

Is this a worry? Should I walk away? Or take her and fix her up? Also notices very slight tear marks on inner corners of eyes. Not runny, just looked like sleep, that animals and human gets! But hard to know after one visit.

Cheers, Kat

 

[Maurey]

I wouldn’t support a breeder that would sell kittens at 10 weeks — responsible breeders keep kittens until at least 12. Everything else is just further red flags. I’d walk away, to be honest, seems like a BYB. Reputable breeders sell with papers, all vet work, typically neutered, and at 12+ weeks. Keeping 13-16 is common, depending on breed.

 

[ClumsyBear]

My kitten was about that weight when I got him at 9 weeks, but he was a rescue with no mom. He had also been vet-checked and dewormed. It seems odd for a cat from a breeder to not have visited the vet or even be dewormed...
It's possible the cat is just a small cat naturally, but the fact that there's been no medical care at all is a bit odd and a red flag that this is not a responsible breeder.

 

[KitKatLondon]

Thanks for the responses. They are not proper breeders, so to speak. I’m finding a lot like this in my search. Just people breeding their pets to make a bit of money. I met the litters mother, though she was very shy. The owner is taking care of them and they are in a good home. but they are certainly not doing it by the book. I’m not sure how high the risks are here.

 

[GoldyCat]

If the kitten is not from a registered breeder it's probably also not a pure Russian Blue. In that case, the normal size of an RB girl is not relevant to your kitten. In most breeds the females are smaller than the males, but there can be a fairly wide range of sizes.

As far as health goes, if the owner is not having the kitten vetted you have no way of knowing whether or not she's healthy. The best way to protect yourself is to have a written contract that states you can return the kitten for a full refund if she's found to have health problems within a specified time. (A week is not unreasonable). Be sure to call your vet for an appointment now, before you get the kitten, so you don't have to wait too long to get her in.

 

[Norachan]

To be honest there are a lot of reasons why I'd avoid buying a kitten from this person. People who breed their pets just to make a bit of money aren't taking proper care of them and you don't know how many times the poor mother has litters in a year. She's not going to be a pure Russian Blue, as GoldyCat said, and you risk spending money on a kitten that could have a lot of health problems.

Have you thought about getting a kitten from a shelter? They will be vetted, vaccinated, microchipped and spayed/neutered, so your adoption fee covers all the initial vet costs.

 

[KitKatLondon]

Thanks. I'll do that. Now talking to breeders that have a lot more integrity and look great. Can I ask - is it normal for breeders to deliver the kitten? I'm talking with one that will deliver the kitten at around 14-15 weeks old, and neutered. I'm happy for a delivery service, and they prefer this to reduce stress on the kitten, which is great - but the cynical side of me thinks - well how do I know that's my chosen kitten - as they all look the same! I've a big imagination, unfortunately

 

[Maurey]

Delivery is common, especially for breeders who sell out of country; fairly typical for some rare breeds. Make sure they do all relevant health testing for the breed, and they should, ideally, show their breeding cats.

 

[KitKatLondon]

Hi Norachan - yes my first choice was to get a rescue kitten or cat. But the shelters here (London) won't touch me with a barge pole because I have a roof terrace. They deem it unsafe. When I tell them I will keep the cats indoors, they deem my resident cat unsafe. They won't take it any further. So frustrating. I had this 6 years ago when I get my recent cat. I had to buy privately. It's even worse now. I've bargained with them, told them I've had 3 cats living here and they've not thrown themselves off the roof, and I can keep them indoors anyhow. They tell me 'good luck!' and push me away. So, I can't rescue a cat. The private marketplace is a high risk minefield so I'm now going towards reputable breeders - at great expense, which is fine if I know the cat is ok. They are not from a governing body list, through internet searches - but seem to be doing things by the book.

 

[Norachan]

I've heard shelters can be pretty strict, it's frustrating when you know there are so many animals in need of a good home.



Kind of off topic, but is your roof terrace suitable for cat proofing or turning into a catio? Do you use the terrace a lot yourself?

 

[KitKatLondon]

Yeh thought about it for about 3 seconds - ha. It's my only source of a garden and I use it a lot. It leads onto a large flat roof of the whole building that has grown into a meadow - even has a tree on it. It's quite a dream for a cat - all to ourselves. Though I find my cats prefer to stay close. Shame.

 

[Norachan]

Wow, it sounds amazing! I know building restrictions are very strict in the UK, but does it have any kind of fence around the edge? Anything you could modify to make cat proof or anyway you could put up a cat fence?

You can buy cat fencing, but it's easy enough to make your own too.

But I guess if your cats prefer to stay close you could even get a harness for any new kitten and take them up there quite safely on a lead.

Sorry, taking your thread way off topic here.

I'm glad to hear you've found a better breeder now. Please keep us updated and let us see some pictures of the new kitten when he/she arrives.

 

[vansX2]

Thanks. I'll do that. Now talking to breeders that have a lot more integrity and look great. Can I ask - is it normal for breeders to deliver the kitten? I'm talking with one that will deliver the kitten at around 14-15 weeks old, and neutered. I'm happy for a delivery service, and they prefer this to reduce stress on the kitten, which is great - but the cynical side of me thinks - well how do I know that's my chosen kitten - as they all look the same! I've a big imagination, unfortunately

I have purchased 2 cats from the same breeder. The first cat(Miles) was 10 months old. That is the only neutered male they had at that time. My second cat (Jackpot) , was 12 weeks old and neutered when I received him. I chose not to meet the breeder in person as it wasn't cost effective for me. I purchased Miles at 50% of the going price, as he was a older kitten. I paid full price for Jackpot. Air shipment was additional.

 

[KitKatLondon]

Norachan - that's a fantastic set-up you have there! I'm unable to do that to my roof as technically it's not my space and off access. I have a railing around my designated terrace area that is quite small and the cats can walk through, and so access the full roof space.

I'm looking at Russian Blues and Tonkinese cats. I've heard they are wired hunters and so do worry they will hurl themselves at a bird off the roof. My other 3 cats never came close to behaving like that. They would chase birds, and look over the edge of the roof (which is raised) but no incidences. I've heard to keep windows closed with these breeds due to their hunting instincts.

 

[KitKatLondon]

I have purchased 2 cats from the same breeder. The first cat(Miles) was 10 months old. That is the only neutered male they had at that time. My second cat (Jackpot) , was 12 weeks old and neutered when I received him. I chose not to meet the breeder in person as it wasn't cost effective for me. I purchased Miles at 50% of the going price, as he was a older kitten. I paid full price for Jackpot. Air shipment was additional.

Thanks for your information. I've heard mixed things about neutering so young. Some vets claim to wait until 6 months. I've no idea if it's an issue, or just a UK thing.

 

[Maurey]

Thanks for your information. I've heard mixed things about neutering so young. Some vets claim to wait until 6 months. I've no idea if it's an issue, or just a UK thing.

Kittens can be safely neutered without issue as soon as they reach 8 weeks/1kg if the vet is experienced. 6 months is too late — many cats are already fertile by that age. May start exhibiting undesirable behaviors like spraying, as well.