[Altair]

I wanted to know if anyone has experience with finding a reputable cat breeder. I have never bought a cat before, I have always adopted homeless/shelter cats or rescued strays. However, my mother just lost her husband (my father) and is so, so lonely. She has 2 rescue cats currently in a big house and has said she would like a new kitten to give her something to love and cuddle up to and take care of. She's a great cat mom. I want to surprise her with a persian kitten because she has always wanted a white persian. She did have a himilayan (spelling?) years ago when I was young that she loved to bits. She wants a kitten, not a cat, because she has better luck integrating kittens into the other cats' lives than cats.

So, I was looking around at breeders (either in my area or hers, nyc/PA) and wasn't sure what I should be looking for-- I know so much about cats but nothing about breeding. And what about all the places selling teacup and mini persians? I never heard of that, is that a sub-breed Seemed weird to me.

Does anyone have any breeder recommendations, or a website to start a search? Thanks. I haven't ruled out another shelter kitten, just doing some research now.

ETA: i know the biggest flaw in my plan is that a breeder wouldn't sell to me and let it be a surprise. So, I may have to tell her so they can check her out and get her recommendations.

 

[Sailor]

A breeder may sell to you as a surprise if you explain the situation. It's your mom, after all, so you can give the breeder all the information on her, her house, her cats, etc. I don't think this will be a big issue, to keep it a surprise.

However, I know nothing about cat breeding. I know a lot about the dog world, but zilch about cats.

When looking for a breeder in the dog area, the main suggestion is to find some show or working competitions, go to them, and meet the breeders via this route.

They have cat shows too, I think. So, I think, the thing would be to look for the show competitions, and find the breeders via that way.

Do they have breed specific rescues for cats? That's another option - they have kittens around this time of year.

 

[phatchristy]

You know your mom and her situation...would she be comfortable with you picking out the kitten? It sounds like you've had rescues before, persians are not like typical cats in that they require a tremendous amount of grooming and care. Though, in all honesty, the consistency in personality and overall outgoing good nature of the breeds is what brought me back to persians (I was an exhibitor and breeder for a short while years ago...now only show occasionally our alters).

You could go to cfainc.org (they're the largest registry of pedigreed cats) and look up the show schedule. There are bound to be shows in your area. Finding someone who is reputable and puts money back into their animals (exhibiting, travel, grooming and show expenses are pretty high) weeds out the majority of back yard breeders. Look for someone who has a written contract, a genetic guarantee, who has PKD tested and ONLY breeds PKD negative cats. Polycystic kidney Disease occurred in about 45% of persians up until recently when a genetic test was discovered in 2005. Though the majority of cats live past 10 years with this disorder, there are those who succumb as early as 2-3 years! So, most definitely it is something to weed out.

Expect to pay anywhere minimum $300-500 for a persian kitten. Whites, and people who specialize in them are likely to be in the higher price range. Back when I was starting a breeding program (and I SPECIALIZED in white persians so I know them well), I had a waiting list for kittens.

Another thing to consider--persians, like other brachycephalic breeds of cat, often produce copious amounts of tear stain. A lot of it depends on the underlying structure of the skull. My blue female, who is near perfect in persian expression and extremeness, produces practically NO tear stain at all. Same with her brother, however my white girl produces more than both other cats combined. She needs multiple, daily eye wipes to maintain a clean face. And, she's a relatively 'clean' cat. I've had persians which are sloppy eaters, and chew on their ruffs, etc. You find then that your white persian looks yellow under the eyes and in the nasal creases, under the chin and on the bib area. Pedigreed cats also have ear wax.

Conservatively I would suggest anyone considering a white persian invest in quality grooming products, bathe 1-2 times monthly and groom with a metal brush daily to prevent matting.

This *may* be a lot honestly for her to deal with. I was starting a breeding program back when my father passed, my mom was so very lonely. In her case she didn't want any of my cats, even though she loved and adored them when she was here. She was worried about the maintenance, and the portability factor. She already had pets at the time, and didn't want to add anything to her plate...though she initially thought about it.

If all of this still sounds interesting to you, then you could always give it a shot. Visit a cat show, etc. I still think that a white persian is perhaps the most difficult maintenance wise of all cats...in particular after my last two whites had passed on I went and adopted two retired breeders...a blue and a black. They are SO much easier, I can't even begin to tell you--they always look good! But, I did get another white last year, mainly as my daughters were begging me for one.

There are also long haired breeds with no tear stain, but big eyes and good personalities. And, of course, a lot of kittens in shelters.

 

[Altair]

Thanks for all the advice! My mom is fine with doing all the daily upkeep, she is disabled and spends a great deal of time loving up and taking care of her pets. She brushes her 2 daily as it is, and had a himilayin in the past which took even more brushing. I was debating with the blues and whites.. Are the tear stains easy to clean? do you use those pet wipes made for that or something homemade?

thanks! and i found a breeder who had kittens born today. if anyone is a breeder and could PM me I'd love if i could show you the site.

 

[Sol_y_Paz]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Altair Thanks for all the advice! My mom is fine with doing all the daily upkeep, she is disabled and spends a great deal of time loving up and taking care of her pets. She brushes her 2 daily as it is, and had a himilayin in the past which took even more brushing. I was debating with the blues and whites.. Are the tear stains easy to clean? do you use those pet wipes made for that or something homemade? thanks! and i found a breeder who had kittens born today. if anyone is a breeder and could PM me I'd love if i could show you the site.

Not a breeder but have shown and would be interested to see the site.

 

[phatchristy]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Altair Thanks for all the advice! My mom is fine with doing all the daily upkeep, she is disabled and spends a great deal of time loving up and taking care of her pets. She brushes her 2 daily as it is, and had a himilayin in the past which took even more brushing. I was debating with the blues and whites.. Are the tear stains easy to clean? do you use those pet wipes made for that or something homemade? thanks! and i found a breeder who had kittens born today. if anyone is a breeder and could PM me I'd love if i could show you the site.

Feel free to pm me, I'm an experienced cfa exhibitor and know many breeders (only had a handful of litters though with a friend so don't exactly consider myself a 'breeder'...PKD was one of the reasons I stopped...though having a family would have been tough to do as well).

Well, I can help you out with whites, if you decide to get one of those. I make my own eyewash for my white cat (contains tylosin, a small spectrum antibiotic), however you can use multipurpose eye solution for contacts to clean. Also, there are enzymatic shampoos that you can use for bathing. From a reputable breeder that kitten will be used to being bathed.