Ocicat kitten cost

[meowers]

Today in the newspaper ad section I saw an ad for Ocicat kittens selling locally for about 200$!

I really want an Ocicat, but thought it has to be wrong or not right in some way. I've been looking into getting one and know that for a pet qaulity Ocicat is costs about 600$. The ad described them as abby/siamese/ocicats. Isn't that kind of weird too? Or is that just a way to educate people about what kind of cat they are, if they don't already know?

Tempted to go check them out if possible...but might come home with two, and I don't want to get ripped off or a too sick cat...

 

[white cat lover]

It's probably someone selling "pretty barn kittens"....some that look vaguely siamese, some ocicat, some abby.

 

[missymotus]

Aby's are still an allowable outcross, Siamese are not so anyone mixing the 3 together is not doing the right thing.

Over here the ticked early generation Oci's usually go for about 1/2 the spotted Ocicat price. They are still pedigreed cats though.

I don't know how it works in the US, but here permission is required from one of the governing councils if a breeder wants to work with the early generations, they can then easily show this to kitten buyers that they are doing legit work and not just crossing breeds.

 

[mews2much]

That is way to cheap.

 

[sharky]

I would suspect either they are crosses or it is a BYB breeder

 

[goldenkitty45]

The only way you will get a purebred Ocicat at that price is a retired adult or one of the non-spotted kittens. Otherwise you are looking at $600 or a little more for pets/altered cats.

More then likely its a backyard breeder attempting to breed what looks like Ocicats. I've seen so called "ocicat/mixes" on Petfinder that look NOTHING like an Oci. There are not many Oci breeders in the USA - and none of them advertise in newspapers - they all have waiting lists for kittens.

I would strongly advise you not to get anything from this person. If you do, you only encourage them to breed more poor quality cats. And one other thing - legit Ocicat breeders are spaying/neutering their kittens before you get it (at 3-4 months old); so my suspicions are this is an attempt to breed them by crossing the cats again.

I pm'd you legit breeders in California - I would stick with them

 

[ferriscat]

$200 is roughly the cost of a spay/neuter and the first round of vaccines where I live. Buyer Beware!!!

 

[meowers]

Thanks for all the good advice everyone...just the fact that they were advertising in the newspaper seemed weird enough to me. I definately won't be buying one of them anyway, as I'm not ready quite yet. Thanks again for the Ocicat breeder list GoldenKitty45, that's where I'll go when the time is right

 

[sarahp]

I would be inclined to go and check them out anyway and see what sort of breeding they are doing, and make sure the kitties are being well taken care of, and asking about pedigrees.

If the people seem nice, the cats are well taken care of, and look how you want, then why not take them? If not, report them to the ASPCA!

Of course if you want full pedigree, or want show cats, then they probably aren't a good idea.

 

[goldenkitty45]

Even if the people seem nice, its not a good idea to take one. I have an Ocicat (getting a 2nd one) and know that the legit breeders would not sell in a newspaper nor price them at that price. As I stated above, you get those prices ONLY on a non-spotted Oci (even then its about $300) or a retired adult cat.

I seriously doubt they are Ocicats - but probably look-alikes.

 

[ferriscat]

Originally Posted by sarahp

If the people seem nice, the cats are well taken care of, and look how you want, then why not take them? If not, report them to the ASPCA!

Not all breeders are nice and not everybody agrees upon the way that their cats should be cared for. I'm not sure that reporting these people to the ASPCA is the best way to go about things. There is no certainity that the local shelter would be a better place for the cats than where they are now; any number of things could happen to them, including euthenasia!

 

[yosemite]

Originally Posted by sarahp

I would be inclined to go and check them out anyway and see what sort of breeding they are doing, and make sure the kitties are being well taken care of, and asking about pedigrees.

If the people seem nice, the cats are well taken care of, and look how you want, then why not take them? If not, report them to the ASPCA!

Of course if you want full pedigree, or want show cats, then they probably aren't a good idea.

Looking back, I believe Bijou and Mika's breeder is one of the so-called backyard breeders (which I didn't have a clue about at the time). I have to say they are probably the nicest cats, personality and temperament-wise, that we've ever, ever had. They were much better socialized than any other cat we ever had before and we saw how they were raised, underfoot with kids, dog and mom, dad and grandma cat. It was easy to see that this woman loved her cats and treated them well. Not one of the cats ran or hid when we entered the house, rather they came to investigate us and loved to be petted which you won't find with every Siamese. So, IMO, not all back-yard breeders are bad. Her prices were what we could afford at the time whereas I doubt I would have been able to pay the prices requested of other breeders.

Even reputable breeders can have issues with their cats - I have a friend who got a pair of sphynx and one had health problems.

I don't think we should encourage back-yard breeders now that I've learned more about the reputable breeders, but I wouldn't trade Bijou and Mika for any higher pedigree cats (except maybe Gaye's George

). JK Gaye.

 

[meowers]

I agree that the kittens advertised were probably not real Ocicats, but they may be healthy and happy. I decided to not go check them out anyway. i've been talking to a breeder now and am on my way to getting a real Ocicat kitten soon!

The price is indeed alot more, but worth is as I want a cat that is more or less guaranteed to be healthy and 'normal'. My cat Kitty was adopted by us from a petstore and has some serious health probs (incontinence), but we love her and dont mind caring for her needs. But, one problem child is enough for me!

 

[bahger]

You won't regret buying an Oci kitten. We have two and they are gorgeous, sociable and funny. Make sure you get a scratching post and possibly a cat tree to protect your furniture as Ocis (in my experience) are energetic and physical.