Help please! Unhelpful breeder?

[Primula]

I'm not based in America. In the UK, shelters won't allow you to adopt if you don't have outdoor space.

I didn't know that. No shelter here will let you adopt unless you agree to keep the cat inside.

 

[Columbine]

I know! Drives me crazy :frusty:

 

[Primula]

I know! Drives me crazy :frusty:

So you're saying that no apartment dweller can adopt since they don't have a backyard?

 

[mservant]

So you're saying that no apartment dweller can adopt since they don't have a backyard?

@Primula  , this is an international site.  The cat adoption situation in the UK is almost oposite that of the US, and sadly what you say here is exactly what I have found over many years.   Living in an apartment and believing indoor is best (for inner city cats at least) the only way I managed to adopt cats was (with my first pair) via a friend's parents who lived in the country and had 'entire' cats, and then more recently to do what @Banzai  is trying to do.   I now have a 6 year old pedigree Russian Blue cat sourced from a reputable and registered breeder and haven't looked back.  I did do a lot of research on breeds and breeders before I got him though, and was horrified by the massive list of breeders who are suspended or banned here in the UK alone.   Banzai, if you do want to report your breeder and haven't looked at the GCCF website yet, go take a read.  It takes a long time but they have all the information you need there both for reporting breeders and for finding reputable ones.

Word of caution on making assumptions from web sites: not all breeders spend their time learning about tech' things and updating their sites - they spend their time socializing their cats and caring for them.  By all means pay attention to what is on the web site but do not ignore your sixth sense and beyond - intuition is important here.  Take note of the style and personality that comes across from the breeder's web site.  All business and fancy photos might not always be the best indicator but a warm, kind and understanding response when you do manage to make contact with the breeder is definitely important.   Like others have said though - remember they are busy, and may be making sure they do not over commit before they know all is well with their latest kittens.  I felt like a total pain when I was waiting for Mouse and I swear the breeder felt like I was harrassing them with my regular emails.  

  It didn't stop me plaguing her for photos as soon as I knew I had a baby to prepare for...  and yes I did manage to harrass her in to sending pic's to me but it was hard.   I wasn't allowed to visit until 7 or 8 weeks.    If you find them a little 'cool' with the kittens remember they might not be quite so keen to bond with them as you are - they have to say goodbye to the little bundles of cuteness when they are about 3 months old and if they fell in love with all of them their homes would be over-run.  

   (Come to think of it, Mouse's breeder's house is rather over run with blue cats.

).     Oh, and I would expect the queens to be indoors unless they are currently matched with a stud and the breeder is trying to get them pregnant again - if your queen is straight back outside with a stud again take that as a warning sign.   

I wish you all the luck in the world with finding another breeder  and bringing a new furry family member home really soon.  What you have done, walking away, is absolutly the right thing but desperately hard to do.  

 

 

[banzai]

@Primula, you're exactly right. It's a real shame as there are many apartment dwellers with ample space and love to give, but that's just the way things are here - so the only straightforward way to own cats is to get kittens, and the best you can do is make sure you go to a reputable breeder. Sounds like I should be living in the States...

@Columbine, bless you for taking in sick/disabled/elderly cats. I don't know if I'd be strong enough to do that, remembering how devastated I've been each time I've lost a pet over the years. I'm sure they all love you dearly for the efforts you've gone to.

Like you, I'm hoping kittens will bring some healthy energy into my life I'm set on Ragdolls for now, but if my next attempt isn't successful I'll likely branch out.

Thanks @MServant! I agree that I shouldn't judge a breeder by the flashiness of their website or frequency of contact. I think my experience with the previous breeder's reluctance to share was just indicative of a wholly bad situation, and I should probably have listened to my instincts from the start. I'm not surprised at all that she wouldn't send photos, as the conditions were not good and the kittens would have had no desire to stick around for photoshoots! Poor things would shake with fear if they couldn't escape human company.

I've started again with the breeder search and this time gone to visit multiple breeders (on different days of course), even though they don't yet have kittens. It's really helped to see their environments and suss them out. I've found some breeders who seem lovely and reputable, and whose cats seem happy and well adjusted - so I'll hopefully have better luck soon!

 

[Columbine]

The animals I was nursing were lifelong pets who each (a bsh cat and a rescue greyhound) developed congestive heart failure as they neared their end. I'm going to a breeder for kittens because I can't handle more elderly animals right now - just had too much illness and death in my fur family of late, and need some kittenish youthful exuberance in my life!

I wish you all the luck in the world with finding a truly good breeder, and that you have that much desired kitten in your life before too long :cross:

One tip - I looked around at a few different breeder's websites, and some of them (especially, I noticed, those who were focused on the health and wellbeing of the breed) would have links to other breeders on their site. If other good breeders rate them enough to do that, they're very likely a good and ethical breeder (Hope that makes sense!)

 

[mservant]

Another thought on finding reputable breeders is looking at breed-specific cat clubs here in the UK as they usually have links for the breeders who they believe promote ethical breeding and sometimes different ones to those listed by GCCF in their quick breed links.  

Also, if there are any cat shows scheduled in your area you can check out quite a few breeders there too.  It's a good way to meet them (and someof their cats) face to face before making any commitment.  You might want to do that if your current thoughts on breeders doesn't come up with available kittens quite soon.   The GCCF website has a complete list of all their  shows.