Questions to Ask a Cat Breeder
For anyone choosing a kitten from a breeder. Twenty questions on health testing in the parents, what the kittens are used to at home, vaccination and neutering, the price and what it covers, contract and health guarantee terms, and references from earlier buyers.
The questions
Open any question for the note
How long have you been breeding, and why this breed in particular?
Why ask it
An easy opener that gets people talking, and the reason matters: someone who can describe the breed's faults as readily as its charms has usually lived with several. Answers built entirely around looks or demand are worth noting.
Can I meet the mother and see where the kittens are raised?
Why ask it
A queen who is relaxed, in good condition and willing to be handled tells you more than any certificate. Kittens raised in a spare room or a shed rather than the household rooms often need months of extra work on confidence.
Which registry are you with, and under what cattery name?
Why ask it
A name and registry you can look up separately turns claims into something checkable. Registration is no guarantee of good practice, but refusing to give the cattery name almost always means there is something to find.
What health tests have the parents had, and can I see the certificates?
Why ask it
The certificates matter more than the answer, because tested is a word anyone can say. Look for the individual cat's name and a date on each result rather than a general claim that the line is clear.
Which health problems run in this breed, and how do you screen for them?
Why ask it
Every pedigree breed carries something, so a breeder who says this breed has no problems is either inexperienced or managing you. Depending on the breed you may be asking about cardiac scanning for hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, the PKD gene test, hip scoring or blood-type matching.
Have any kittens from your recent litters had health problems?
Why ask it
Anyone breeding for a few years has lost a kitten or seen a problem, so a spotless account is less believable than a candid one. Listen for whether they told the buyers and what they changed afterwards.
How old will the kitten be when it comes home, and why that age?
Why ask it
Registries and breed clubs generally advise around twelve to sixteen weeks, and the reason is behavioural as much as medical: the mother does most of the teaching in the third month. An offer of an eight-week-old kitten is the single most common warning sign in this whole conversation.
What vaccinations, worming and vet checks will be done before then?
Why ask it
You want dates and the vet's name, not a list of intentions. Knowing which vaccinations are already given decides what your own vet needs to do in the first fortnight and when the kitten can safely meet other cats.
Will the kitten be neutered before it leaves, or is that left to me?
Why ask it
Practice varies legitimately between breeders and countries, so the point is to know who is responsible and by when. If it is your job, ask whether the contract sets a deadline and what happens if you miss it.
What are the kittens used to: children, dogs, being handled, car journeys, which litter?
Why ask it
Everything on that list is easier to introduce before twelve weeks than after, and this is the question that predicts the first month at home. It also tells you what to buy so the first few days change as little as possible.
What food are they on, and how much would you change at once?
Why ask it
A kitten moving house, losing its littermates and changing diet in the same week is the usual recipe for diarrhoea and a worried first vet visit. Ask for enough of the current food to cover the transition.
How many litters does each queen have in a year, and when do you retire her?
Why ask it
Back-to-back litters and a queen still breeding well past middle age point at volume rather than care. A breeder who has thought about it will talk about recovery time and about what the retired cats do next.
What's the total price, and what does it cover?
Why ask it
Ask what is included and what is extra: vaccinations, microchip, neutering, registration papers, insurance for the first weeks. A price quoted with no itemisation is often followed by charges you did not expect at collection.
What's in the contract, and can I read it before I commit to anything?
Why ask it
Contracts routinely contain terms people only notice later: no outdoor access, no declawing, a neutering deadline, a clause requiring the cat to be returned rather than rehomed. Any refusal to share it before a deposit tells you to stop there.
What does the health guarantee cover, and for how long?
Why ask it
Most guarantees are narrower than they sound, covering specific inherited conditions for a set period and often requiring a vet check within days. Ask specifically what the remedy is: a refund, a replacement kitten, or a share of vet bills.
If it doesn't work out, what happens to the cat?
Why ask it
A breeder who wants the cat back, at any age and for any reason, is telling you the animal matters to them beyond the sale. Indifference here is how pedigree cats end up in rescue at the age of three.
How do you decide which kitten goes to which home?
Why ask it
Matching temperament to household is a sign of someone paying attention; first come, first served is a sign of someone moving stock. This is also your opening to say what your home is actually like.
What would you like to know about me and my home?
Why ask it
Being questioned back is reassuring rather than intrusive. A breeder who asks nothing about your household, other pets or plans for outdoor access is not screening anyone, including whoever bought the litter before yours.
What is this kitten like compared with its littermates?
Why ask it
Twelve weeks of daily observation is knowledge you cannot get from one visit. Vague or interchangeable descriptions of every kitten suggest nobody has been watching them closely.
Can you put me in touch with people who bought kittens from you last year?
Why ask it
Buyers a year on know how the cat's health and temperament actually turned out, and whether the breeder answered the phone when something went wrong. Reluctance to give any contact is more telling than any single review.
Choosing a breeder, and the visit itself
Practical guidance for the conversation itself
Before you contact anyone
- Read the breed's known health conditions and the tests that exist for them, so you can tell a real answer from a confident one.
- Decide your own limits first: budget including insurance and neutering, whether you will accept a contract restricting outdoor access, and how long you can wait.
- Look at breed rescue as well. Pedigree cats are given up at one and two years old for the ordinary reasons: moves, allergies, new babies.
- Expect to wait. A breeder with kittens always available, in several breeds, is running something closer to a business than a cattery.
What to notice on the visit
- 1Smell the room before you look at anything. Ammonia means litter trays are not kept up with, whatever else you are told.
- 2Watch the mother with the kittens and with the breeder. A queen who leaves the room and does not come back is worth asking about.
- 3Look at eyes, noses and back ends across the whole litter, not just the kitten you like. Runny eyes in two kittens means an infection in all of them.
- 4See how the kittens react to you standing up and moving about. Well-socialised twelve-week-olds are curious; hiding as a group suggests very little handling.
- 5Ask to see the paperwork in the room rather than being sent it later, and photograph the test certificates.
Reasons to walk away
- Kittens offered before twelve weeks, or a suggestion that you can collect early if you pay more.
- Refusal to let you see the home, or a proposal to meet in a car park or at a motorway services.
- No written contract, or a contract you are only shown after the deposit.
- Health tests described but never documented, or certificates naming cats other than this kitten's parents.
- Pressure to decide today, or a deposit demanded by bank transfer before you have seen the litter.
- Several unrelated breeds available at once, with litters permanently in stock.
After you commit
Get the deposit terms in writing, including what happens if the litter is smaller than expected or the kitten does not thrive. Book a check with your own vet within the first few days, since most health guarantees require it and it also gives you an independent opinion early. Keep the breeder's number: the people worth buying from expect to hear from you about litter training, food and the first illness, and many will still want photographs years later.