Most people buy pedigree kittens from cat breeders who usually breed a specific breed of cats. For example, if you wish to obtain a pedigree Siamese kitten, you should find a breeder who specializes in that breed. Usually these breeders are people who professionally breed cats to sell and/or show. They are very proud and knowledgeable about the breed they specialize in.
Once you have determined that you want a cat that has a pedigree, you need to find someone who breeds that type of cat. Ideally, you should get a breeder's name from someone who has already purchased a kitten from them. In this way, you can see the type of cat the breeder sells and determine if it meets your requirements. If you do not know anyone with the type of cat you wish to buy, then you can look in the pet section of your local newspaper to see if anyone local is selling this type of cat. You can also check with your local veterinarian as they usually have personal knowledge of all local cat and dog breeders.
Many cat magazines have listings of breeders near the back of the magazine. Or, you can call national organizations for listings of registered breeders. Another source is the Internet. For example a query of “siamese kittens for sale” performed on May 8, 2010, resulted in 163,000 responses from all over the world, so you should probably add some additional qualifications to your query to narrow down the number of responses, such as “toronto siamese kittens for sale” which resulted in 8010 responses which is still a large number, but a little more manageable.
Many professional breeders will 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, and you can expect to pay several hundred dollars for a quality pedigree kitten. Cat rescue groups and your local Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA) could also have kittens, but usually their pedigree is questionable, unless they were seized from a registered breeder.
You want to make sure that the breeder you choose is registered with a national cat registry and has been breeding cats for at least five years. (This ensures that their business and the lineage of their kittens is solid.) They should be able to give you a certificate of pedigree with the kitten to prove it's a purebred animal.
Find out if the breeder offers a written guarantee about the kitten's health. Also make sure they will give you a refund or exchange if the kitten develops a disease or genetic problem within the first six months to a 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.
Some pet stores sell pedigree kittens, although most are likely to only carry non-pedigree kittens. Most pet store kittens are young, usually 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 becomes ill, because then all of the kittens would be exposed to that illness. Pet store kittens are often placed in the main area of the store. This is so people can get close to the kittens and even hold them if they want. Although this is a bit risky, it does socialize the kittens at an early age, which is a desirable thing.
If you are interested in a pet store kitten, try to find out how the store got the animals - from a breeder, pet wholesaler, or maybe just a neighbourhood family looking to place a litter from their cat. The source of the kittens matters, because it should be reflected in the price the store is charging for the kittens. Prices at pet stores can range from about fifty dollars to several hundred dollars for a pedigree kitten. (Again the actual pedigree of the animal is questionable because many pet stores do not provide a certificate of pedigree with the kitten.)
Whatever method you use to locate a pedigree kitten, if you do thorough research, you will find a great kitten which will give you many years of faithful companionship.
Until next time,
Teia
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