Cat Breeders

Many people buy pedigree kittens from cat breeders. A breeder is a person who professionally breeds cats to sell and/or show. Suppose you wanted to purchase a Persian kitten. You could find a Persian cat breeder in your area, or a breeder who ships kittens to anywhere in the country. Ideally, you get a breeder's name from someone else who bought a kitten from them. If not, however, you can look in your local newspaper under the pet section.

Cat magazines have listings in the back, or you can call national organizations for listings of registered breeders. Your local veterinarian also can assist you.

Breeders usually have a range of ages of kittens for sale, from six weeks to six months old. Kittens under three months of age are the most popular. You can expect to pay several hundred dollars for a quality pedigree kitten.

You want to make sure the breeder is registered with a national cat registry and has been breeding cats for at least five years. They should be able to give you a certificate of pedigree with the kitten to prove it's a pure breed. Find out whether they offer a written guarantee for the kitten's health, and make sure they will give you a refund or exchange if the kitten develops a disease or genetic problem within the first year. Reputable breeders are more than happy to meet these conditions. If they are reluctant, or refuse, you do not want to do business with them - find another breeder.

Many pet stores sell pedigree and non-pedigree kittens. Most of them are young - under 12 weeks of age. They are often kept together in a pen or crate, which is great for display purposes, but not so great if one of the kittens is ill, because then all the kittens get exposed. The kittens are often placed in the main area of the store so people can get close and even hold them if they want. Although this is a bit risky, it does socialize them early, which is a good thing.

If you are interested in a pet store kitten, try to find out how the store got the animals - from a breeder, pet wholesale, or maybe just a neighbourhood family looking to place a litter of their cat. This matters, because it should reflect the price of the kitten. Prices at pet stores can range from " free to a good home", to a minimal fee of about $25, to several hundred dollars for a pedigree kitten.