Questions to Ask a Cat Breeder
Questions to ask a cat breeder before you pay a deposit on a kitten, in roughly the order the conversation runs. There are 53 in six groups: the first call, health testing and vet care, the cattery itself, the kitten in front of you, money and the contract, and going home. They hold for any pedigree, and the questions to ask when buying a Ragdoll kitten are the same ones, with more weight on the heart gene test, the registration papers and the indoor clause.
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The questions
Each question, and why to ask it
First call
How long have you been breeding, and why this breed in particular?
Why ask it
The second half is the useful one. People who have lived with a breed for years name its faults as readily as its charms: the shedding, the noise at five in the morning. If the reason comes down to how well the kittens sell, you have learned what the cattery is for.
What health tests have the parents had, and can I see the results?
Why ask it
Ask for the paperwork, because tested is a word anyone can say. Each result should name the individual cat and carry a date, and a heart scan only describes the day it was done, so check how recent it is.
Can I meet the mother and see where the kittens are raised?
Why ask it
A queen who is relaxed, in good condition and happy to be handled tells you more than any certificate. Notice which rooms the kittens actually live in: a litter raised in the middle of the household has seen and heard far more than one kept in an outbuilding.
How old will the kitten be when it comes home, and why that age?
Why ask it
Many registries and breed clubs set or recommend a minimum somewhere from twelve weeks up, so ask what theirs says. The usual reasons are a finished first course of vaccinations and more weeks of learning manners from the mother and littermates. A pedigree kitten offered at eight weeks is a reason to check the registry's own rule before going further.
Which registry are you with, and under what cattery name?
Why ask it
A registry and a cattery name are two things you can check without the breeder's help: ask the registry whether the name is registered with them, and search for it online alongside the breed. Registration is no proof of good practice, but reluctance to give the name at all deserves a direct question about why.
Are both parents registered as this breed, or is the kitten a cross or a lookalike?
Why ask it
A fluffy, blue-eyed, pointed kitten is easy to advertise as a Ragdoll, and any big tabby can be called a Maine Coon. Without registered parents nobody can show what it is. A cross can be a lovely cat, but it should be described and priced as one.
Do you have kittens available now, or when is your next litter due?
Why ask it
A planned litter with both parents named and a rough due date is a normal answer, and so is a waiting list. If kittens are always ready to go, set that beside what you hear later about how many litters the cattery raises in a year.
Which health problems run in this breed, and how do you screen for them?
Why ask it
Every pedigree breed carries something, so 'this breed has no problems' is the answer to worry about. Depending on the breed you may hear about heart scans for hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, the PKD gene test, hip scoring or blood-type matching. Read up beforehand so you know which ones to expect.
What is this breed like to live with: how vocal, how active, how much grooming?
Why ask it
The honest version comes with drawbacks: the Siamese that shouts, the Bengal that wants an hour of play, the Persian coat that mats if you skip a few days. If all you hear is the good parts, you are left to discover the rest at home.
Health
Have the parents been tested for feline leukemia and FIV, and when?
Why ask it
This matters most if you already have cats at home. Catteries usually test the adults and any new cat before it joins the household. Find out when that was last done and whether any cat goes outdoors or visits outside studs, and let your vet say how much a test on a kitten this young can show.
Have any kittens from your recent litters had health problems?
Why ask it
Anyone who has bred for a few years has lost a kitten or seen something go wrong, so a spotless record is harder to believe than a candid one. Listen for whether the buyers were told and what changed afterward.
Has anything infectious been through the cattery in the past year, such as ringworm or a respiratory infection?
Why ask it
Infections reach well-run catteries too, so yes is not the wrong answer. What counts is how it was treated, whether buyers at the time were told, and whether this litter was affected. If it was, ask your own vet what to check at the first visit.
How closely related are this kitten's parents?
Why ask it
Close matings fix a look and concentrate whatever else the line carries. Ask to see the pedigree and where the same names turn up on both sides. Someone who planned the mating can show you in a minute, and may know the inbreeding figure for the litter.
If there is a DNA test for heart disease in this breed, what was each parent's result?
Why ask it
Ragdolls and Maine Coons each have a gene test for one known mutation behind hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, and the certificate should name the parent it belongs to. A clear result is not a clear heart for life, so find out whether the adults are scanned as well and let your vet explain what each check can show.
How long have cats from your lines lived, and what trouble has shown up in the older ones?
Why ask it
Only someone who stays in touch with buyers can answer, which is half the point of asking. Not knowing is fair five years in. Twenty years in, it means nobody followed up.
What vaccinations, deworming and vet checks will the kitten have had before it leaves?
Why ask it
You want dates and the vet's name on a record you take home, not a list of intentions. What is already done decides what your own vet needs to do in the first two weeks and when the kitten can meet other cats.
Will the kitten be microchipped, and how does the chip get moved into my name?
Why ask it
A chip only helps if the database record points at you, and a record nobody updated still leads back to the breeder. The process and any legal requirement differ by country, so ask who does the transfer and on which database, and get the chip number on the receipt.
Will the kitten be spayed or neutered before it leaves, or is that left to me?
Why ask it
Both arrangements are common, and which one you get depends on the breeder and the country. If it is your job, ask whether the contract sets a deadline, what proof they want and what happens if you miss it.
Can my own vet examine the kitten before the sale is final?
Why ask it
Some breeders agree to a check before you pay the balance. Others give you a set number of days after the kitten goes home in which your vet's findings can undo the sale. Either works, as long as the number of days and what happens next are written into the contract.
Is there anything about this particular kitten I should know about: a heart murmur, a hernia, a kinked tail, a weepy eye?
Why ask it
Naming examples makes it easier to mention something small that had been filed as not worth raising. Plenty of findings like these turn out to be minor, and your vet is the one to say which. Hearing about it now is very different from hearing about it at the first check-up.
The cattery
How many cats live here, and how are the adults housed?
Why ask it
The number means little alone: a dozen cats sharing the house can be better kept than four in pens. Ask where the stud lives, since unneutered males spray and are often kept apart, and how much of the day each cat spends with people.
How many litters do you raise in a year, and do you breed more than one breed?
Why ask it
A handful of litters a year from one or two breeds is the usual shape of a hobby cattery, though numbers alone prove nothing. Several litters ready at once across unrelated breeds is the pattern to ask about: who handles that many kittens every day?
How often is each queen bred, and when do you retire her?
Why ask it
A good answer has a recovery gap between litters and an age or litter count at which she stops. Breeders and vets differ on the right gap, so the point is that there is a plan, with a vet involved in it.
Do you ever have retired adults or older kittens looking for homes?
Why ask it
Retired breeding cats and kittens held back for showing are sometimes placed already neutered, with a temperament everyone knows. If you want a settled companion more than a kitten, this may suit you better. The answer also shows what happens to cats here once they stop producing litters.
Is the father your own cat, and can I see him or his records?
Why ask it
Using an outside stud is ordinary practice, so a father who lives elsewhere is no mark against anyone. Half the kitten's inheritance is his, though: get his registered name, his own test results and a photo or video.
Do you show your cats or belong to a breed club?
Why ask it
Plenty of good breeders never show, so treat a no as neutral. A yes means judges who know the breed standard have looked at these cats, and club membership often comes with a code of ethics you can read and hold them to.
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 turned out, and whether the phone was answered when something went wrong. Put one thing to them: would you buy from this breeder again?
Which vet clinic looks after your cats, and would you mind if I called them?
Why ask it
Privacy rules differ, and the clinic may only confirm that the cattery is a regular client. That is enough. Mostly you are watching whether the name comes straight out or the subject changes.
The kitten
What have the kittens met so far: children, dogs, visitors, the vacuum cleaner, the car?
Why ask it
Whatever a kitten has met calmly while still with its mother, it tends to take in stride later, so this answer previews your first month. If your home has something theirs does not, a dog or a toddler, say so now. It may change which kitten they suggest.
Are the kittens fully weaned and reliable with the litter box?
Why ask it
A little comfort nursing at this age is normal, but a kitten that is not eating solid food steadily is not ready to leave. Ask which litter and what style of box they know, because a covered box or an unfamiliar litter can be enough to cause accidents in the first week.
What are they eating now, and how should I switch if I want a different food?
Why ask it
A kitten moving house, losing its littermates and changing diet in the same week often ends up with an upset stomach and a worried first vet visit. Ask for a few days of the current food to take home, and write down the brand, the flavor and how many meals a day.
What grooming is this kitten already used to: combing, nail trims, a bath?
Why ask it
A semi-long coat like a Ragdoll's needs a comb through it for the rest of the cat's life, and a kitten that met the comb at six weeks sits for it far more readily than one meeting it at six months. Have them show you the comb they use and where the coat on their own cats tangles first.
What is this kitten like compared with its littermates?
Why ask it
Months of daily observation is knowledge you cannot get from one visit: who is first to the door, who hangs back, who sleeps on a lap. If every kitten gets the same description, sweet and playful, nobody has been watching closely.
What are the parents like in temperament?
Why ask it
Temperament is partly inherited and partly learned from the mother, so the parents are the best preview on offer. If the father lives elsewhere, ask for a video of him on an ordinary day. A wary or sharp mother is worth weighing even when the kitten seems bold this afternoon.
How big will this kitten get, and when will the coat and color settle?
Why ask it
Pointed and shaded coats go on changing well past the first birthday, and the large breeds grow slowly, so today's kitten is a rough draft. Photos of earlier kittens from the same parents as adults are the fairest guide. Nobody can promise a show coat at twelve weeks.
Would this kitten do better with a littermate or as the only cat?
Why ask it
Some kittens cope badly with an empty house through a working day, and the breeder knows whether this is one of them. It is also the one question where the answer can earn them a second sale, so check it against what you were just told about this kitten's temperament.
How do you decide which kitten goes to which home?
Why ask it
Some breeders match temperament to household and some let buyers choose in deposit order. Either can be fair, but ask when the choice is made, since a pick made from a photo at two weeks old tells nobody much. This is your opening to describe what your home is actually like.
What would you like to know about me and my home?
Why ask it
Being questioned back is a good sign, not an intrusion. Expect to be asked about other pets, children, working hours and whether the cat will go outdoors. If nothing is asked, whoever bought the last litter was not screened either.
Money and contract
What's the total price, and what does it cover?
Why ask it
Go through it item by item: vaccinations, microchip, spay or neuter, registration papers, any insurance for the first weeks. Then ask what is charged separately on the day, so the figure you agree to is the figure you pay.
Why is this kitten priced differently from the others in the litter?
Why ask it
Color, pattern and how closely a kitten fits the show standard often set the price, and none of them changes what the cat is like to live with. A Ragdoll whose white markings fall in the wrong place for the show bench may cost less and be the same companion. A discount for a health reason is another matter, and belongs in writing.
How does the waiting list work, and is the deposit refundable?
Why ask it
Walk through each case: the litter is smaller than hoped, the kitten you chose is kept back or falls ill, or you change your mind. Deposit terms differ between breeders and under local law, so have them written down before any money moves.
How do you take payment, and what will the receipt say?
Why ask it
A receipt that names the kitten, the amount, the date and both of you is the plainest record of what was bought. How much protection a payment method gives a buyer depends on the country and the provider, so check with your bank before sending money to someone you have not met.
What's in the contract, and can I read it before I pay a deposit?
Why ask it
Contracts often contain terms people only notice later: indoor only, no declawing, a spay or neuter deadline, a clause requiring the cat to come back to the breeder instead of being rehomed. Read it at home, not at the breeder's kitchen table on pickup day, and raise anything you would not keep to.
Do you expect this cat to live indoors, and is that a condition of the sale?
Why ask it
Breeders of trusting, placid breeds such as the Ragdoll often insist on it, reasoning that a cat with little fear of strangers or traffic is badly equipped for the street. Hear the reasoning as well as the rule. If you picture a cat that comes and goes, say so before the deposit: some breeders will suggest an enclosed garden and some will simply say no.
Is the kitten sold as a pet only, and what would breeding or showing rights involve?
Why ask it
Most pet kittens are sold on terms that rule out breeding, and how that is recorded differs between registries. If you do hope to show or breed, say so now. It usually changes the price, the contract and sometimes which kitten you are offered.
Will I get registration papers and a pedigree, and when?
Why ask it
Registered parents do not automatically mean a registered kitten. Some breeders hand papers over on the day, and others hold them until you send proof of spaying or neutering, which is a common arrangement. If papers cost extra, ask how much and what the fee is for.
What does the health guarantee cover, and for how long?
Why ask it
Guarantees are often narrower than they sound: named inherited conditions, a set period, and requirements such as a vet check within days or a particular diet. Ask what the remedy is, a refund, a replacement kitten or a share of vet bills, and whether you would have to give the cat back to get it.
If I can't keep the cat at some point, will you take it back?
Why ask it
Many breeders write this into the contract and want first refusal at any age, for any reason. Ask how it works in practice: who pays for travel, and whether any money comes back. If the answer is that it would be your problem, you know how far the breeder's interest in the cat extends.
Going home
Can I visit again or get photos and updates while I wait?
Why ask it
A weekly photo or short video is little effort for someone who is watching the litter anyway. You also see the same kitten growing up in the same rooms, which is hard to fake, and you notice early if something changes.
If I live too far away to pick the kitten up, how would it travel?
Why ask it
Rules for flying or couriering a kitten differ by airline and country, so ask how they have done it before and who is with the animal on the way. Many careful breeders insist on a handover in person. A seller keen to ship unseen for a fee paid up front fits the usual shape of a scam.
What should I have set up at home before the kitten arrives?
Why ask it
Ask for the specifics: the litter they use, the food, the kind of scratching post the kittens already climb, and whether to start in one quiet room. Many breeders send a blanket that smells of the litter, and it is worth asking for one.
How should I introduce the kitten to the cat or dog I already have?
Why ask it
The breeder saw how this kitten behaved around their own animals, which beats a general guide. Expect to hear about a separate room and a slow start counted in days or weeks. If they shrug and say cats sort it out, get the plan from your vet instead.
What usually goes wrong in the first week, and when would you want me to call?
Why ask it
Hiding, a day of poor appetite and a loose stomach are what breeders hear about most, and they can say which they would wait out. Their view does not replace your own vet's, so ask where they draw the line between a message to them and an appointment.
Choosing a breeder, and the visit itself
Practical guidance for the conversation itself
Before you contact anyone
- Read up on 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 spaying or neutering, whether you will accept a contract that keeps the cat indoors, and how long you can wait.
- Look at breed rescue as well. Pedigree cats are given up as adults for the ordinary reasons: moves, allergies, new babies.
- Expect to wait. Kittens always available, in several breeds, is the pattern of a volume seller, not of someone planning each litter.
- Use the First call questions by phone or email before you travel. The answers on testing, registry and go-home age decide whether a visit is worth the trip.
What to notice on the visit
- 1Smell the room before you look at anything. A strong ammonia smell usually means litter boxes 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. If more than one kitten has runny eyes or is sneezing, ask what it is and what the vet said.
- 4See how the kittens react to you standing up and moving about. Well-socialized kittens of this age are usually curious, and a litter that hides as a group may have had very little handling.
- 5Ask to see the paperwork in the room instead of being sent it later, and ask whether you can photograph the test certificates.
Reasons to walk away
- Kittens offered weeks earlier than the breeder's own registry advises, or a suggestion that you can take the kitten early if you pay more.
- Refusal to let you see the home, or a proposal to hand the kitten over in a parking lot.
- 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 before you have seen the litter in person or on a live video call.
- Several unrelated breeds available at once, with litters permanently in stock.
- A seller who will only ship, wants payment in full first, and cannot manage a visit or a live video call with the kittens.
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: many health guarantees require it, and it gives you an independent opinion early. Before pickup day, confirm what comes home with the kitten: the vaccination record, the microchip number and how it moves into your name, the registration papers or the date you will get them, and a few days of the current food. Keep the breeder's number. The people worth buying from expect to hear from you about litter habits, food and the first illness, and many will still want photographs years later.