So you have kittens!
So you have kittens!
Sometimes the duties of having a cattery are huge but also sometimes it’s the humans we have to interact with that give us pause.
Some buyers are awesome and become life long friends others are memorable for the wrong reasons.
When you have a kitten and you are looking for a home for him/her you will probably get multiple enquiries which means getting to know multiple people to find the right home.
The way you conduct these dialogues will separate your cattery from other breeders.
Should you allow buyer visits? This is a tough one. You will find some say that if you don’t allow visitors, you have something to hide. It’s a strange situation where you allow – even ask – a stranger to come into your home where you and your family live. I stopped having visits when my husband was working away. I didn’t like that he wasn’t here when visitors came and we felt vulnerable.
People also want to ‘see the cats’! keeping breeding cats is very different keeping pet cats. People often don’t understand why you have ‘so many’ or why some cats are isolated in rooms or runs and what irresponsible breeding can happen when they aren’t.
Also having visits will open you put to illness for your kittens. If the visitors come from other catteries along with them could come illness. Even if they haven’t come from another cattery, they can bring illness from their resident cat.
Stress on your queen is a very large consideration. Some queens are easy going and it won’t worry them, but other queens find that strangers touching their babies is not something they can cope with. Some Mothers will abandon their babies or try to move them and injure the kittens in the process. Some people believe that a kitten needs to choose them – like puppies are supposed to but a kitten that is 8 weeks old will not remember the people that have visited them when they were younger.
The worst thing that can happen is a kitten gets stolen. I’ve heard of this happening twice now and one was a very young litter of kittens – too young to be away from mum.
Should you have a contract? This is something that you should very seriously consider. A contract sets out clearly the conditions that you are placing a kitten with then buyer. Keep it clear and include the stuff that matters. Keep it simple. Hopefully no mismatched expectations. Your contract should have all the details of the kitten they are purchasing so that everyone is on the same page about the kitten that will be coming home to them. Mine has the clause that by paying the deposit that constitutes the contract being accepted. I also place a copy of the contract in their kitten folder with all their other paperwork.
Deposit – should you take one? A deposit is a signal that the buyer is committed – that they are serious. That they will wait till the kitten is ready and you won’t be left with an older kitten still for sale. My policy is that the kitten is not reserved until a deposit is paid.
Should it be non-refundable? Non refundable also means the buyer is committed. The won’t expect to have their deposit refunded if they find another kitten elsewhere. It also protects our time. It can be long process, and it means that we can confidently proceed with all that comes with a buyer wishing to take home one of our babies.
When is a deposit refundable? My policy is if I cant provide a kitten then the deposit is refunded.
“How do you do this? I would keep them all!” is a frequent comment. Placing our babies into homes will allow their new family to create a lifetime of memories. Yes the special ones or ones that needed that bit of extra care or those with those with big personalities you will find a connection with, but they will also have a bunch of love laughter fun and cuddles when they have a home of their own.
One thing that will also sets us apart from a professional breeder compared to a non-professional breeder. All the paperwork such as pedigree, care instructions, vaccination certificate, desexing certificate, microchip details etc I usually put into a kitten folder. This keeps all the paperwork together and easy to reference as needed. There will be some items that your local animal control association will no doubt have rules and regulations that say what their local branches require to give to new owners. Its best to check with them.
Once you have a new buyer allocated to a kitten remember they are not able to see their baby change and grow except – if you don’t allow visits etc – through the photos and videos you send. Its time consuming and can be frustrating to get a pic that you can use to send to the new mum and family but its worth it for those new owners. Keeping up with pics allows the new family to become more and more attached and the going home day to come closer and closer sparking excitement!
Getting your kittens out the door on “Gotcha Day” and into the waiting, loving hands of their new family –is a job well done.