Thread: buying my kitten advice please

she has not got a breeding prefix as of yet she sent off all necessary documents but the never got back to her, as far as i know they are i seen their documents and certificates and they did not state that they were on the non active register, i think the dam is almost 2 and still on the tica register i do trust her but i will be asking all of this again when i see her and from there ill sort something out x

Even if she doesn't have a prefix, as long as the cats are in her name she can still import into GCCF and can register the kittens using the GCCF administrative prefix. She would need the documents to prove the cats are in her name and on the active register and she would need a certificate of entirety for her stud boy to prove that he is the father.

Unfortunately, even if you have a pedigree certificate for the kitten there is no way to prove that it is a genuine pedigree unless it is registered.

If they aren't registered then there is no way that you should be paying full price for them - generally speaking you would expect to pay around £350-£450 for a registered pet Maine Coon and around £250 for a Maine Coon that isn't registered and even then I would still be wary of the whole argument for not registering.

Originally Posted by WoodsideMaineCoons

Even if she doesn't have a prefix, as long as the cats are in her name she can still import into GCCF and can register the kittens using the GCCF administrative prefix. She would need the documents to prove the cats are in her name and on the active register and she would need a certificate of entirety for her stud boy to prove that he is the father.

i had a peek at your page your cats are gorgeous!

well i have emailed the gccf with this querie so im hoping they reply lol!!

oh i know i have extensively researched this both tica and gccf since posting my question as then i may as well just be paying this ammount for a domestic moggy and a form saying who the parents and grandparents are lol as i say ive not much problem with not showing etc would just be nice to know x

GCCF are notoriously slow at replying to queries but you never know - you may get lucky!

Thanks for the comments about my cats too...I must get the photos updated and we have a new litter of kittens to put on there too!

Anyway, even though you aren't worried about showing or breeding you still want to make sure that your Maine Coons is registered and full pedigree etc otherwise as you said, you may as well be buying a moggie. I would just contact the breeder and ask a few questions.

1: Are mum and dad both registered on the active register with GCCF/TICA
2: What are the full pedigree names (including prefix) of mum and dad (you can then research a little into the lines)
3: If you want your kitten registered with GCCF, would she be willing to do it? (It only costs about £10 I think so not expensive although she would have to do a little bit more work with the paperwork side of it etc)

Does the breeder have a website? If so I would be more than happy to take a look and see if I know of them at all.

If you get genuine answers back from that then all well and good. If not, as heartbreaking as it may be I would definately reconsider your options with regards to this kitten.

Hope this has helped

Louise

reply from gccf

If a breeder registers with us our rules specifically state that on sale of a kitten the breeder must provide an application for transfer of ownership or mating certificate and 3 generation pedigree. You state that the dam is not registered with us, we would accept a registration application but we would have to described the kitten as Unrecognised Breed as we have no background details of the dam to prove that she is a pedigree, If you are paying that kind of money then you are entitled to the pedigree papers and under no circumstances should be paying that ammount for unregistered kittens.

anyways as i said not bothered so much about that as not breeding or showing

Originally Posted by deeshell08

reply from gccf

If a breeder registers with us our rules specifically state that on sale of a kitten the breeder must provide an application for transfer of ownership or mating certificate and 3 generation pedigree. You state that the dam is not registered with us, we would accept a registration application but we would have to described the kitten as Unrecognised Breed as we have no background details of the dam to prove that she is a pedigree, If you are paying that kind of money then you are entitled to the pedigree papers and under no circumstances should be paying that ammount for unregistered kittens.

anyways as i said not bothered so much about that as not breeding or showing

I appreciate that you are not worried about breeding or showing but even the GCCF has said that the kittens would be classed as 'unrecognised breed'

There may be a legitimate reason for them not being registered but I still wouldn't be happy with it to be honest - I would never consider not registering a litter....that is all part of breeding.

While looking for a kitten I went through a few breeders, looking for those within a manageable driving distance first. Then I looked at their websites - if they had one. I must say I was more tempted by those that did as you got a good look at their cats and previous litters. I then rang a couple or emailed them. I of course was asked a lot of questions which I was fine with, as I feel any reputable breeder will be picky with who she sells her kitten to but I too, like Tomian when I finally decided on one and went to see them had a list of questions to ask. Mostly though again like Tomian they were all answered for me before I asked. We got to see mum and dad and the other kittens. I am paying £450, but for that he comes vaccinated, wormed, neutered and microchipped. She also offered a life time of help and the offer to take him back if things didn't work out. (this I feel is important even though it's the last thing I'd ever want to do). I liked the breeder and felt that she really cared about her kittens and of course totally fell in love with little Simba. The most important thing for me was that they looked very healthy, happy cats. The parents too. I haven't even asked about paper work although I will probably get it. But I did ask about any hereditary diseases and tests that were done for them. Apart from that I think you have to feel in your heart that it's the right choice of kitten for you - any doubts and I would back away. I did notice on my search for a Maine Coon how much the price varied. A long time ago I know someone who bred Osicats. She had an accident mating between her cats. She wasn't sure which cat was the dad. She sold these kittens for a small nominal fee about a third of what they were worth because she said it wasn't a planned pregnancy and they wouldn't be registered. We took one of these kittens and she was the most beautiful cat and I wouldn't have been able to tell whether she was pedigree or not. At the time we lived near a fast road. When she was just over a year old she got run over. It broke our hearts and I swore I'd never get another cat. Sorry think I've gone off topic!

Originally Posted by deeshell08

she has not got a breeding prefix as of yet she sent off all necessary documents but the never got back to her......

That information has alarm bells ringing for me. No excuse not to chase them up and see whats happening / why hasnt anything been done. The responsibility lies with the breeder to chase up & see whats happening, not offer an excuse like that to someone spending £400 or whatever the asking price is.

Disclaimer - could all be legit, and I doubt any breeder would mind you turning up with some questions written down. Which is definately what i would do, and did do when we bought Storvenn and Loki. I actually only needed to ask one question because the other 15 or so were answered already by the breeder before i could ask.