I NEVER want a kitten to go home with someone who does not absolutely adore it. I have a take it or leave it approach during kitten visits. I show the kitten and our health and show records. If someone is not happy with the kitten (almost always because it is the last kitten so the best personalities were already reserved or a color they don’t want) I tell them it’s no problem and it doesn’t hurt my feelings.

 

It’s not good for them, the cat, or me if they take home a kitten they weren’t sure about. This is how kittens end up being surrendered back or in shelters. I let them know I am happy to notify them about next litters and if they want pick of the litter they do need to be first in the door.

 

I am very happy to refer adopters to other reputable breeders, many of which have lower prices than me. I only refer people to breeders with verifiable QGC or SGC cats and that I have seen enough of their cats at shows to know they have good bloodlines that they work on improving.

 

My first recommendation is my main competitor. When we both go to shows with cats in the same class (kitten, adult, shorthair, longhair) we have to share awards because we both have high quality cats. That’s right! I am referring my business to someone who can cut my awards in half at a show, a show I paid $300-600 to be at. I do this just to avoid having unsuspecting adopters go with a back yard breeder, getting a crippled cat. Since I’m at every show I am usually the one people send to get advise about an unethically bred cat. And I get several crippled cat contacts from people who went with a backyard breeder that they thought was legit.

 

If adopters are looking for a straight ear kitten I have more options and recommend breeders that have cats that look very similar to straights and most adopter can’t tell the difference.

 

My recommendations do not mean the breeder follows all the same breeding methods I do, only that they publicly show their cats that do well and they are working to breed better cats, not just make as much money as they could off the first cat they got. I don’t know how they raise kittens at home or what type of health screening the do, that’s a discussion for you and them. Many people specifically go with me because of my no cage policy, but many reputable breeders use them for males and/or kittens.

 

And after all this, I don’t even tell these breeders I referred them. I don’t expect any kickback on the kitten sale or expect them to refer adopter to me in return for my recommendation. My only goal is to help adopters get a healthy cat that meets the requirements they have and to give them options if cost or color is an issue.

 

When you have seen an adopter devastated when they found out they had crippled cats that may not be able to walk, that they were lied to, that breeder names were thrown around they had no connection to, see the tears when they realized the thousands of dollars they spent to get a healthy show quality cat is all gone, any ethical breeder would want to help novice adopters avoid that. And these adopters usually are crying in person at a cat show where they are publicly told how bad their cat is by judges. Now, picture that crying and devastated person going home, having an even bigger cry in private, and deciding to breed that cat and treat others to the same as they were and lie about the experience. Think about what type of human being you have to be to pull that same stunt when you personally felt that heartache and devastation. It’s something reputable cat breeders have seen again and again at shows and it’s why we LOATH backyard breeders.

 

Reputable breeders have to take a risk every time we bring in a new breeding cat. Does that breeder do all the health screening we do, have they improved all aspects of their bloodlines? Because of this we try to use only people we personally know or who have very high wins and a long reputation. We also usually don’t get all our cats from one person to avoid putting all our kitten eggs in one basket. We still sometimes get a bad cat, and even more rare if we are screening breeders properly, we get a bad cat from a breeder who will not stand behind their bloodlines.

 

The true sign between a reputable breeder and a backyard breeder is what they choose to do at this point. A reputable breeder will eat the cost if they adopted from someone who will not stand behind their bloodline. They will not go on to breed it and tell adopters what a good cat that parent is, perpetuating the sorrow they themselves have felt and been a victim of. Backyard breeders are often the victim of another backyard breeder and keep the vicious cycle of breeding unhealthy cats going.

 

And if you’ve read to this point, you now have enough knowledge to prevent yourself from becoming their next victim. Breeding cats should be about love and spreading the joy they bring to our lives, not about making as much money as possible from a bad investment.