Kitten Question???

I just have a question about how old kittens have to be to be sold...

I want to get a new kitty because I've been missing having one around since Spook died. I know it's a big change going from an old sleepy guy to a bundle of fun kitten, but I can't wait.

I want to get a blue burmese (Spook was part burmese and he was just so lovely) and have been doing some research on the net. How come if you buy a cat at the pet store (something I would never do by the way) it's 6 weeks old, but you have to wait 12 weeks to get a pedigree kitten? I'n not too sure what sort of size a kitten would be at 12 weeks. Are they still tiny and cute? My dad had two cats (one was run over) from about 2 weeks of age as they were dumped, and I just remember how cute and small they were.

Also, do you think it's a bad idea to ship kittens. There is a breeder that looks really good in Tasmania, but I'm in Melbourne. It would only be a short trip, but would it be harmfull or over stressfull for the poor kitty?

Thanks again
Melinda

:)

kittens should be at least 8 weeks to be sold, though I personally think it should be 12. at 2 weeks they would still be nursing I have no idea how those kittens survived without being bottel fed. I'm not sure what you mean about cute and small, I think all cats are cute kittens or not. Sometimes shelters will have litters of kittens, I believe that most shelters adopt their kittens out at 8 weeks.

My dads kittens were bottle fed. He looked after the whole litter but only kept two. I think they were 2 weeks old, something like that anyway. Their eyes were still closed. They were adorable.

seriously you want the kitten to be ready to come away from the mom before you get it, cute or not.

I have a black cat that I rescued, her mom was hit by a car before she was ready to come away from her mom, we bottle fed her and cared for her.

to this day shes got insecurities, and she can be very shy[ im not sure thats the right word but im having a hard tme coming up with a word to fit]

she sucks her back foot, im sure as a comforting measure, its just as tho she would ahve been nursing from her mom. coming away from her mom too early even tho there was no option has effected her greatly


never would I want too willingly put a kitten thru that insecurity is jsut not fair to them,

the extra couple of weeks really is worth it.

a bit of patience and you will have you little furbaby to snuggle and love, but please give it the time to grow and mature enough before you get it


sorry if im not making sence its 2 30 am and im a bit spacey :)


Eleni

I am on call so am still up. (Hopefully kind of awake, lol)

You are right about a pet store. They get their animals from puppy/kitten mills so patronising them is a terrible thing to do. Since they do not care about the health of their pets and just want to make a profit, they wouold sell a kitten at 6 weeks - even though that is WAY too young to leave her/his mom.

Most reputable breeders will only alllow their kittens to leave their mother at 12 weeks. The same is true for shelters. You can usually pay the adoption fee to reserve the kitten but it can only go home with you at 12 weeks.

A kitten needs to spend that time with its mother and littermates to learn all the important things it needs to know to be a normal, well socialized cat who has no behavioural issues. It should be weaned and eating on its own and know how to use the litterbox.

This is what one breeder wrote:

" It is strongly recommended that the kitten be at least 12 weeks old before bringing it home, as you can be fairly well assured that it has developed excellent litter box habits, is fully physically and mostly psychological weaned, and has probably been vaccinated at least twice.

Here is a web site that provides more information:

http://www.breedlist.com/faq/young.html

Have you searched Petfinder for Burmese?

And yes, I think it is a bad idea to ship kittens. A reputable breeder will show you the parents or at least the mother and provide you with the pedigree of the kitten. It should be provided when you purchased the kitten - do not allow anyone to tell you "I'll send it later" This usually is an indication of a backyard breeder - one who breeds for profit and not for the love of the breed.

There is an entire thread here on shipping - there is low oxygen on some airline cargos and this is dangerous for animals. Some people do ship their pets without incident however and I do not want to start that discussion again. :)

A new kitten, however, is another story. You will want to actually see the kitten you are going to buy - be able to pick it up, see how well it is socialized - how it interacts with its littermates, with humans? Is the kitten clean and robust looking? Does the skin feel clean and free from "bumps", scabs, or any sign of skin irritation? Are the eyes bright and clear? Does the nose have any discharge? (It shouldn't.) Does the kitten have good muscle tone? Is the kitten skinny looking with ribs or backbone showing, or does it have a "pot" belly? Healthy kittens should not have a "pot" belly, nor be so skinny that they have ribs or backbones protruding. Watch the kitten walk or run about. Does it show any signs of limping or having stiffness in the legs?

Breeders who show their cats - and really, if you are going to acvtually BUY a kitten, this is the only way to go. They will have pet quality and show quality kittens - show quality being the kittens who meet the breed standard. Pet quality are less expensive.

(I have a show quality Siamese even though I wanted a pet - she was the one I fell in love with :) ) Recently, I found a half Burmese, half Siamese at a local shelter and it will go to either me or another woman who I know to be an excellent cat caregiver and since she recently lost a beloved cat, I won't be disapointed if she gets this kitty. At the moment, the decision is up to me since I called first.Still, my point is the shelter listed the cat as Siamese and only when I called did I discover her Burmese background. My sister has a Burmese and she is indeed a wonderful kitty!

There are some Burmese breeders located in Australia listed here:

http://www.catteryrow.com/burmese.html


And this is a web site about everything Burmese:

http://www.burmesecat.org/

Remember that just because a "cattery" has a web site is no guarentee that it is reputable. Research all these breeders - ask people who know about the breed.

There is a blue cream female available here:

http://www.jovelles.com.au/sale.html (But please research this breeder first!!)

This looks like a good cattery - they have champions (Reputable breeders breed only their champions since these cats meet the standard):

http://www.users.bigpond.com/gbpogo/burmese/burmeseindex.html

But again, please research it!!! And ask as many questions of the breeder - do they provide a contract and are the kittens vaccinated and/or spayed/neutered prior to adoption? (Or if not s/n, there should be a clause stating they must be). (The one immediately above does stipulate their kittens are) Is the breeder very selective in who s/he sells to? She should be!!! Does the contract include a clause stating no declawing? (Again, it should) There are probably questions I am not thinking of but it is late (well, early Sunday AM, lol)

Good luck - I hope you find the Burmese baby you want!