SARSENSTONE CATTERY
Cheaper Kittens for Sale?
Here's Why NotOccasionally, people ask us if there are lower quality, "less pure," or "less perfect" kittens available at a lower price. No, there aren't. The price quoted on our Terms page is the price for a pet quality kitten. By definition, a pet quality kitten is one that is not perfect, but which will make a good pet. At Sarsenstone, we are a not-for-profit cattery. Even at the current prices of pedigreed kittens, we seldom break even with breeding expenses. We usually lose money.
Well, what about a kitten with a significant handicap or chronic illness? Or how about a kitten with a neurotic personality?
First of all, problems with our kittens have been extremely rare. We believe that's because we make very careful breeding decisions and give all cats and kittens the best quality love and care possible.
If a kitten has a very minor problem, we sell the kitten at regular pet quality kitten prices. We always tell potential owners everything we know concerning the kitten. We want the new owner to make an informed choice to buy or not to buy. We want all of the kittens to stay in their home and be loved for a lifetime. That can only happen if we make sure new owners are fully informed before they buy.
Incidentally, some things that are "problems" to one potential owner are not problems and can even be desirable to another potential owner. For example, once in a while we have had a Siamese kitten develop crossed eyes. We work hard to breed crossed eyes out of our lineage, but crossed eyes have existed in the Siamese breed for at least one hundred years and probably much longer. Geneticists believe that it is not possible to completely eliminate crossed eyes from the Siamese breed because crossed eyes are a downhill direct effect of the gene responsible for the Siamese colorpoint pattern. Some people don't want a kitten that has crossed eyes, but other people love owning such kittens. The kitten may remind the person of their Siamese cat of twenty years ago, or there may be other reasons.
For minor defects such as crossed eyes, we do not lower the kitten price. We simply make sure the kitten finds a new owner who loves the kitten just the way the kitten is.
What if the kitten has a serious problem?
If the kitten will not make a good pet, we will not sell that kitten. We will keep the kitten and care for the kitten forever. We believe that's what responsible breeders should always do. This is what is best for potential kitten owners, as well. A kitten with behavioral or physical problems is likely to cost the owner MORE in the long run than a kitten that is normal and healthy. It is false economy to buy a problem kitten for a lower price. Only an unethical breeder would mislead you into buying a kitten under those circumstances with the false promise that it will save you money.
Sometimes people ask us why we can't sell them a part Siamese kitten, or one without registration papers, for less money. It doesn't work that way because:
1. It would cost a breeder just as much to take good care of a mongrel litter of kittens and the feline parents as it does to take care of a purebred litter of kittens and their parents. The costs of registration papers are only ten bucks more here and there. Also, see #4 below. The real costs are the long-term feeding, cat litter, equipment such as litter boxes, veterinary care, and other ongoing cat necessities. Those are the same whether the litter is purebred or not.Another thing to remember is that the cost of caring for a pet is more in the long run than the initial price of the pet. It costs an absolute minimum of five hundred dollars per year to take decent care of a cat, and that is only if you feed lower quality food, visit the vet only for an annual exam and vaccinations, and avoid buying toys, cat furniture, and other "extras." Even then, once a cat gets older, the cat will need annual dental cleaning, unplanned vet exams, and sometimes medical treatments that will double or quadruple the annual costs of care. If a person cannot afford the initial price of a healthy pet, that person is unlikely to be able to afford high quality care of the pet for the fifteen years the pet is likely to live.2. It's true that a breeder would not have to pay as much up-front for a mongrel breeding cat as for a purebred breeding cat, but the initial price of a breeding cat is a drop in the bucket compared to the other costs. To see what we mean, please read our costs of breeding page and the rest of this page.
3. There is a legitimate reason for continuing to breed purebred cats—to preserve the world's beloved historic breeds from extinction. We believe there is room in this world both for purebreds and non-purebreds. Both are precious. However, given that there are many homeless pets in need of good homes, many of whom are euthanized in shelters every day, there is no excuse for deliberately breeding mongrel and part-mongrel kittens. No ethical breeder will deliberately breed cats that aren't purebred.
4. No ethical breeder will sell kittens or cats unless they have been properly registered by a major cat association. Ethical breeders proudly stand behind the quality of their breeding. Ethical breeders take responsibility for every kitten they breed no matter how long the kitten lives. The way for breeders to take responsibility is to document the breeding of their kittens by means of litter registrations and by encouraging the individual registration of each kitten sold. Also, good breeders use registration papers and pedigrees to track down and eliminate hereditary diseases from their breeds. They can't do that unless they keep registering their cats and kittens. Remember that future breeders can use past records to track diseases. It is not just the current breeder who is involved in the breeding of the lineage.
To sum it all up, the purpose of breeding Old-Style Siamese is to preserve the original wonderful personality and improve the health of the breed for posterity. This can be done if breeders breed only properly registered, carefully documented cats in accordance with the rules of their breed clubs and cat associations. A breed does not even exist unless it is bred according to an agreed upon definition and standard of appearance. Any "breeder" who sells an unregistered "Siamese" is not an ethical breeder.
Any cat owner who buys a supposedly purebred kitten "cheap" from an alleged ethical breeder because he can't afford full price is deceiving himself and possibly will be unable to properly care for the kitten.
If you know for sure that you can afford the several hundred dollars per year that it takes to care for a cat, but would rather rescue a homeless Siamese, Siamese mix, or moggy than pay for a pedigreed kitten, that's different. We agree that's a wonderful thing to do. One way to find a Siamese mix or homeless Siamese is to visit Siamese Rescue at www.siameserescue.com. As a first step in finding a good quality feline rescue organization anywhere in the United States, we recommend that you visit Feline Rescue. In Southern California, we also recommend Tigerlily Cat Rescue.
Copyright © 1996-2007 by Dr. Cris Bird of Sarsenstone Cattery. You may not redistribute it in any form without the express written consent of the copyright holder.
Back to Sarsenstone Sales and Shipping Policies