How did you select your breeder?

JoaneWing · How did you select your breeder?

A friend of mine recently asked me how I selected my cat's breeder. Well that is a happy story.
I was at a cat show and I saw the most beautiful golden persian. He was being sold and the new owner was there to pick him up. I thought--WOW! What a gorgeous cat but felt I could never own one like that.

I never forgot that golden boy. I took note of the breeder and spoke to her briefly. I saw the tears in her eyes as she handed her baby over to the new owner. I thought--what a sweet and compassionate person.

Well years later I wanted another silver and I remembered that cat show. I went to the website of that breeder and I was so impressed. It was full of great information and the most gorgeous cats I had ever seen. Well a little silver boy was available and my heart was stolen at that moment by looking at his picture on the internet. It was LOVE at first site.

That baby came home with me---BINKY! And the wonderful breeder is Tracy Smith from SimbaKui. Oh--and that beautiful golden cat that first caught my eye and my heart---is Binky's Grandfather! Binky is sweet and healthy and the ending to this story is " and they lived happily ever after." But I must confess, I am again looking at Tracy's website and my heart has been stolen AGAIN!

Sasha

Ah!!! Is THAT where #5 is coming from???

JoaneWing

The most recent additon to my fur family is Baby Jesse Blue. I went to a cat show ( I really need more self control---LOL) in March just 2 weeks after my brother died very suddenly. I went to see my friend Tracy since seeing her always cheers me up.

I walked down an aisle and this tiny Himalayan came running up to the door of his cage. He was a real cutie! I met his breeder and she was so kind and sweet to me. I left the show and could not get that little Himi boy out of my mind. So I wrote to Lyn and she told me the little boy was sold. However Lyn told me she MAY have another little boy available. She was going to keep him herself but was not sure. Well time passed and I went to another cat show and ran into Lyn again. I met Jesse and we had a strong chemistry and I KNEW he was the Himi for me.

posiepurrs

Okay Joane, is it the chin male or the shaded Tracey has on her available page that is going to be #5? I love Arwin, the golden girl she has available.

ladyradical

Joane, I found my first breeder--Belly's--in pretty much the same fashion: at a cat show.

I wasn't originally searching for a silver or even a Persian back in early 1992, but rather a brown tabby Wegie or Maine Coon--kind of like my longhaired torbie, Miss Taffeta. But I happened to see three tiny silver kittens playing together, and the rest was history!

That breeder was Terry of Terreanna cattery (based in IL)--and I have to say she was once of the nicest, sincerest human beings I've ever met. We had long phone calls about Belly hiding and my allergies to him several weeks later: she even offered to buy him back if worst came to worst. (Of course, I had fallen so much in Belly, that there was no way I was going to lose him--so I kept him and my allergies eventually cleared up.)

I kept in touch with Terry until I left for England where I was doing graduate study (couldn't pass up the offer!): she was so generous--always sending cards and even little gifts for Belly. She and her mom even came over for lunch and played with him.

I'm not the world's most organized person and so somehow lost Terry's address in my condo, but never stopped thinking of her from time to time. Finally, nearly 13 years later, when I was moving to CT, I found her address and called her. She was still the same great person--but alas, was no longer breeding.

As for my present breeder, I'm going to wait a while and see how the kitties turn out (although I promise I will not wait for 16 years, LOL). I will say tho' that since I wanted to have cats related to my Belly (yes, I know that sounds extremely silly), I chose the breeder who wrote the most sincere replies and didn't just copy off her site verbatim.

Maybe it's just me, but I tend to prefer breeders who have 1) show genuine care for their animals--as well as their prospective owners 2) detailed websites, with substantial info on health (photos don't hurt either) 3) prompt and detailed responses to questions. Sometimes the little things do matter!

One final thing I would recommend when you are scoping out breeders: always pay a visit! This way, you are never in doubt about the type of cats she raises--or the manner in which she does so. Ask what and how s/he feeds. What litter is used, etc.

Sorry this is so long--but I do feel this is an important issue and I'm glad Joane raised it.

posiepurrs

I found my breeder through Cat Fancy magazine advertisement and since she was close, I contacted her. We talked and emailed for a few months before I got my girl Lily from her. The rest is histroy, I have 5 cats from her now and just turned down another. I felt if I add another I should do an outcross from her lines. We have become friends and car pool to shows together when possible. I think I am friends with her because she values her cats - she loves them dearly. There aren't many breeders (I think anyway) who would drive 4 hours to university teaching hospital in the middle of the night with a kitten that had a birth defect that most would be put down for so he could have surgery. He had a hole in his diaphram and his intestines had wrapped around his heart. Can't spell the technical term for it. My jaw dropped when she told me how nuch the surgery cost - he made it and is now living a life as her beloved neutered pet.

JoaneWing

These are great stories and please keep them coming!

And Lynda---you are SO close to guessing my #5 LOL!

posiepurrs

Well, if it's not one of the kittens she has it must be one of the adults - Wyndcrest Devine Edition of Simbakui perhaps? Maybe one of the golden beauties? Just call me nosy! I have always dreamed of having a cat from Tracy, but Just never had the courage to ask when I was looking for one to use in my program. When she placed Jag it just broke my heart. I never saw him in person, but his photos were WONDERFUL!!!

Catlady50

Well Joane, as they say, there is one in every crowd!

I obviously didn't select mine very well. I know this is not a very good answer.

JoaneWing

Lynda---Divine is Binky's father! See the resemblance?

And Celeste--you know my horror stories. That's why I gush over the breeders that sold me healthy kitties. Two happy stories in over 30 years is a terrible track record for me. Live and learn. I sure did.

ladyradical

It's almost a nightmare world when it comes to searching for silvers. (Maybe there oughta be a movie or reality show, "Desperately Seeking Silvers?")

I was on one silver forum where I heard about breeders backstabbing one another--and one precious piece of advice from a breeder who thought I was an American breeder: "Do not buy from anyone here in the US." Breeders can purposely send you the records for the wrong cats. Right after she said that, there was a flap between two international breeders, one of whom sold the other a severly defective cat and wouldn't refund shipping.

Sometimes the selection process feels like Eenie meenie miny NO!

But one interesting question that came out of this was "Should there be a rating system for breeders like on Ebay?" Unfortunately, this one got squelched pretty quickly.

chatcat723

I got mine from a friend and after reading some of the horror stories on the cat forums, I feel so very lucky. He bred his himi to another himi but I doubt any testing was done prior...just to people who had himi's. I've been very lucky that the boys are healthy and happy with no problems that I know of at this time.

JoaneWing

I know what you mean about silvers Frances. I have had them since 1990. My first 2 shaded silvers both tested positive for feline leukemia so back to the breeder they went for a refund.

My silver tabby had HCM but I bought a girl and he turned out to be a boy. The love of my life so it didn't matter. He was given 2 to 3 years tops to live. I took him to a feline cardiologist that kept him healthy and going until the age of 13.

Puff was bought from a very well known silver breeder that actually wrote and had articles published on the subject. Puff came to me with ringworm so bad the vet advised me to put him down. He also had a host of other problems. I pulled him thru to a whopping vet bill which the breeder took no responsibility for. She retired but recently went back into business. I saw her at a cat show hobbling with a cane. She makes me physically sick.

Boo also came to me with ringworm and parasites and a cold. I pulled him thru and he is almost 5.

I bought a golden boy that has PKD. Well my heart is broken once again.

Bunny, a white persian, developed Lupus in her kittenhoood.

So I have been thru much heart ache not to mention the expense. You think when you spend big money on a cat it will be healthy. Not true for me.

So if I seem to gush over Binky's breeder, you now know why. The perfect 10 in my book.

I just bought my first Himalayan and that has been a very happy experience as well.

I do understand silvers and goldens are a challenge to breed. But that is NO excuse to produce unhealthy animals and then leave the new owner in a lurch.

To all of the good breeders out there---THANK YOU! If not for breeders, us pet lovers would not have our beloved fur babies.

Jean

I was very lucky, my cats all were healthy on arrival and none were shipped, all picked up by me personally. The first 5 came from a woman who owned a chinchilla silver and bred her to the best available stud she could find with stud service to be paid for. They were healthy cats and all lived to be old. They were not chinchilla but shaded. Then the same woman had her sister's female due to them moving, that is where Buttons and Boo (blue and black) Persians came from. Then she found a woman with a Chinchilla male and bred her female to her and that was the one that died at 10 months of age with a blood clot after being neutered. I knew he had a heart problem, he could not play hard like the others without getting too red on his nose and tongue and out of breath and he was very slow getting over being neutered. Then about the time he seemed over it, he went paralyzed one night and died the next day. The vet said a blood clot caused it and it moved. Then I bought from a breeder in B'ham, AL who bred for show cats. She sold those who did not come up to show standards for pets. I found her in Cat Fancy I think. It was a long time ago. Her cats were healthy but I would not want to buy from someone who breeds as many cats as she did again. I was very lucky they were healthy I believe. She loved them but she bred Persians, her husband bred American Shorthairs and they did all this in their basement. That did not sit well with me. I felt as if I rescued the kittens I got from her. They were healthy as I said, one of my grands died at about the age of 12, she had developed congestive heart failure but she was 12 though for a cat that is not old. Two of her kittens I got developed diabetes late in their teens so I don't think I can blame her with that. It shortened their lives but probably not by much.

The woman Foxy and Buttons came from breeds about 6 females in a very clean, nice environment. Not for show only pets and I found her on the internet. She is less than an hour south of where I live so very convenient. She obviously loves her cats too which is a good thing. So
far I am pleased with my interaction with her and with both cats I have gotten from her.

PurpleRose

CLEANLINESS!!! The Persians and The Home!!

I could not have one without the other.

Jean

I agree with you on that cleanliness thing. The woman in B'ham I bought several cats from, had too many. The home was not clean, couldn't be with all those cats and the male scent carrying throughout the home. As I said, I felt I rescued the ones I got out and I got what I could asap. You could barely stand to stay in there long enough to chat and do business with her due to the smell. Had I not loved cats so much and wanted to get those precious kittens out so bad, I would have left the minute I walked in the first time. We were sad and desparate though so I stayed and brought a kitten home with me. I don't believe she is breeding now, I never see her name in relation to shows or cats at all which is a good thing!

JoaneWing

Jean, I have always felt you can rescue a cat in more ways than one. Some people rescue cats off of the street and others rescue them from horrible breeding conditions.

When I bought Binky and Alexus I walked into a big house that was absolutely spotless. And both of these cats were healthy and clean as well.

I bought a silver years ago from a woman whose home smelled badly. That cat had ringworm among other things and I had a true nightmare on my hands. Yes, cleanliness IS next to Godliness as the old saying goes!