Ethical Breeding: Finding the right Breeder and avoiding heartache.

Making the decison to add a new member to your family is so exciting! Starting the journey of finding a reputable breeder on the other hand can be exciting and a bit overwhelming. Follow along to learn more about ethical breeding and how to find the perfect responsible breeder.

What does it mean to breed ethically?

Ethical Breeders prioritizes the health, well-being and long-term welfare of all their cats and kittens above all. Responsible and ethical breeders adhere to strict guidelines to ensure that their breeding cats are in optimal health. Which means that regular health testing, vaccinations and overall welfare are a top priority and up to date. Among the basic health testing, ethical breeders dive deeper into DNA and genetic testing to ensure their breeding cats do not have any congenetial/hereditary health issues. Using a reliable lab (ex. Wisdom Panel, Neogen ect) is pivital in providing accurate results for DNA. An ethical breeder should also be a registered cattery with a well known and reputable registry (ex. TICA, CFA, WCF) and all of their breeding cats should be registered.

On top of health testing, ethical breeders ensure that their cats are raised in a nurturing environment, provided with proper nutrition, veterinary care as needed and are well-socialized from birth. All of this early care sets the foundation for confident, well-adjusted and healthy cats.

Responsible and ethical breeding practices.

Now that we have discussed what it means to breed ethically, lets talk about responsible breeding practices. Ethical breeders should carefully select their breeding cats, ensuring both adults have had extensive health testing and are free from any gentic diseases. Breeders should consider all of their breeds registry standards and charateristics when making a decison to breed and adhere to those guidelines to provide healthy standard kittens. Responsible and ethical breeders avoid inbreeding and are diligent in reading pedigrees to ensure that the parents don't share the same lines. It is important for breeders to understand the linage and health history of all their breeding cats. Breeders should be working to strenghten the genetics of their lines.

Hazel. PurrCozi Kitties seal point mink Sphynx Female.

Finding a Reputable Breeder.

Thorough indepth research is so important when looking for a reputable breeder. Checking out the TICA cat breeders page is a good way to find registered breeders. While not all registered breeders are ethical this narrows down your search. Searching for breeders that have a well known and solid reputation within your breed group is another great outlet for finding a breeder. Reputable breeders will make sure potential owners are well informed of the specific breed standards and are able to provide a suitable home for their kittens. Most reputable breeders will have an application form you will fill out to provide the breeder with a little more information about you. Reputable breeders are transparent and honest about their breeding practices along with the health and temperment of their cats. Breeders should provide plenty of pictures and videos of kittens along with offering facetime calls if they do not allow in home visits. While some catterys do allow in home visits, because our cats and kittens are raised in our home PurrCozi kitties is a closed cattery which means that we do not allow people to come and visit the kittens. Our safety and the safety of our kittens is our priority. We do offer facetime calls at request where you are more than welcome to see our kittens! In additon, ethical breeders should have their kittens early spayed/neutered and have a contract in place that covers any serious health issues that may arise in the future. When searching for your breeder check for referances from the breeder. Speaking to previous buyers can provide insight into the breeders reputation along with the care and quality of their kittens. A reputable breeder will be more than happy to provide you with satisfied customers. Most breeders will also have a social media outlet where you can see people who have left reviews.

What to expect when you're expecting... a new kitten.

Ethical breeders will make sure that they are setting their kitten up for the best life possible with their new families. This means kittens should be AT LEAST 12 weeks of age. Anything younger than this could be harmful to the development of your kitten. Unlike puppies who go home at 8 weeks, kittens need those extra few weeks to devlop. Kittens should come home with at least 2 sets of vaccines, deworming and have been spayed/neutered. Early spay/neutering ensures no accidental kittens or future health/behavioral issues. Ethical breeders will also provide you with a contract and health guarantee that will cover any serious health issues that could arrise in the future. A responsible breeder will also provide the new family with the food, litter and toys that the kitten is used to ahead of time so that you are prepared for your new family member.

Choosing your breeder.

If your potential breeder checks off all the boxes that have been listed and above all you feel comfortable, then the next step would be moving forward and placing a deposit. Never (I repeat) NEVER, place a deposit on a kitten without having all of the details, seeing the kitten over facetime or in person and signing a contract. Most breeder will have no issue reasurring you and providing you with whatever information you may need.

Thank you so much for reading! We hope this helped!!

Here at PurrCozi Kitties we pride ourselves in being an extremely open and ethical breeder. If you have any questions please never hesistate to reach out to us! You can also find lots of fun information, vidoes and pictures on our Instagram and Facebook! If you are interested in purchasing a kitten from us please fill out our kitten application form and message us!