Thread: Buying a kitten unseen

Don't know why someone in Norwich would be quite that silly when there is two very good breeders very close by who no way would offer to just deliver their babies unseen,fingers crossed it is not one very big mistake,that is how a friend ended up paying a lot of money for a very definate "None MC"...
No I would not buy one that way is the answer Debbie,I would always want to see them in their home enviroment & would expect the breeder to want the same from me.

It sounds like someone wants a trophy cat and doesn't care about temperament or character! Very silly indeed. I just hope the poor thing is looked after properly.

:(

People in the US often end up buying kittens without being able to visit due to the distances that are involved. If I could get a kitten from a well known breeder off in another state or from a local person I knew nothing about but could visit? I would probably go for the well known breeder. I agree that it is nice to be able to go see the kitten and setup, but you can tell only so much from a brief visit. I can find out lots of information by looking at a breeder's website and by talking with them on the phone and by talking with other breeders. E.g., if I ask about HCM genetic testing and they don't do it or don't know much about it then I am done with them--the fact that the home setup is nice or that the person is nice is much less important. We have not actually visited the homes of either of the two breeders prior to selecting kittens (though it has always been understood that we need not accept the kittens once we get a chance to see them). In one case the breeder was living a couple thousands of miles away but was going to a cat show right near where we were going on summer vacation, so she brought the kitten and we met her there. Of course she sent lots of photos of the kitten beforehand and has a very extensive website with detailed health and other info, so we felt we already knew her and the kitten before we had even met. She also grilled us to make certain she thought we were suitable. The other breeder is one of the top MC breeders in the country. She also lives a long way from us, but had placed a kitten relatively nearby who was not fitting in well, so she encouraged us to go see him. Of course it was love at first sight when we did, and he is now a fabulous cat. I should not have gotten him because I couldn't visit the home of one of the best known breeders in the US first??

So what I would say is that people should be able to find out enough about a breeder to feel comfortable about the breeder. There is no single method for doing that though. I certainly would not get a kitten from a breeder I felt I knew little about, nor had concerns about, and if one will not let you visit then that should be a big red flag. But saying you cannot buy unless you can visit first is simply unrealistic in a large country like the US, and might restrict people to buying from less good breeders.

Maybe I have not put in what I should have? which may have pointed the feed back in the wrong direction though there are some very interesting contributions here, a couple of you say that you bought sight unseen from and I use the word as a grounding from """ reputable well known pre researched breeders""

What I am saying is google being the tool it is, with option to check on the Mainecoons...

For instance, there was a THREAD on here about delivery, which is a little bit different that buying sold unseen.



What are the pita falls from buying from a non reputable breeder then... sight unseen...

Maybe that would be a better question to ask..

I think there is a big difference also between sight-unseen but planned in advance versus impulse buying. The parents buying their wailing kids a puppy in the pet shop etc. That's plain wrong.

For those in a situation where travel is an issue, perhaps even those who are largely housebound and want companions, it is an option.

I bought both my kittens after only seeing their pictures and talking to the breeder. There were very few Maincoon catteries in our state, and I wanted to have a kitten within 3 months. I could not take any time off my high intensity job to have 5 hours flight ,spend 30 minutes with breeder and head back. My husband and I liked the website and kittens' parents therefore we were happy to have the option of shipping kitties by airplane. The breeder told us that kittens tolerate the flights better than adults. Ever since I thought it was the best decision. Have I decided to wait for a litter in our state, I would still be on waiting list.

Just to expand on the issues many US buyers might face...the closest MC breeders that we have been able to find are two hours from us. I certainly would do four hours of driving to go see a kitten prior to purchase/decision. However, from what I have heard from various sources, from looking at their websites, and from talking with some of them at shows, I would not feel comfortable purchasing from most of these breeders. The next closest set of breeders are 4-6 hours away. So we could be talking about 12 hours of driving and a couple of hundred dollars on gas and hotel to go see a kitten.

Another issue is that the best breeders generally have the lowest availability of kittens. Were you to limit yourself to one or two reasonably close good quality breeders, it might be a year or even more before you could get a male or a cat with a particular color. This is often not acceptable. In fall of 2009 we decided we needed to get a male MC kitten for our male Remy because the girl that had played with him no longer would due to his size. This pretty much meant finding a male in a short period of time--no waiting 6mos or a year. I think it is great that we have so much more choice in breeders being able to search the entire country, and I feel it is worth giving up the ability to visit the breeder and kitten in person.

Debbie asks if it is worth getting a kitten sight unseen from a non-reputable breeder. I would say getting a kitten from a non-reputable breeder is always a big risk--whether you go see the kitten or not. There is really only so much you are going to find out by a brief visit and by seeing a very young kitten. In particular I don't feel you can judge their eventual look too well. What about personality? I would think that is probably the best reason to go visit, and yet I am skeptical that will tell you a lot. As kittens, ours have all been much more similar than different, but they all have very distinctive personalities as adults. Will you see the true personalities in an hour? What if some are sleepy while you are there? I think the breeders see differences being around them for weeks, so I would frankly rely more on their assessment than one I did quickly.

Originally Posted by NCarver

Debbie asks if it is worth getting a kitten sight unseen from a non-reputable breeder. I would say getting a kitten from a non-reputable breeder is always a big risk--whether you go see the kitten or not. There is really only so much you are going to find out by a brief visit and by seeing a very young kitten. In particular I don't feel you can judge their eventual look too well. What about personality? I would think that is probably the best reason to go visit, and yet I am skeptical that will tell you a lot. As kittens, ours have all been much more similar than different, but they all have very distinctive personalities as adults. Will you see the true personalities in an hour? What if some are sleepy while you are there? I think the breeders see differences being around them for weeks, so I would frankly rely more on their assessment than one I did quickly.

Good Points.. and I understand the travel involved in the states, I have only bought 4 kittens unseen from reputable breeders 3 are fabulous my 2 chocolate abyssinians, and My Somali my British girl was well a disappointment but she went on to breed some fabulous kittens..

The question was general also to breeders too, I also understand what you are saying regarding kittens sleeping, but most people who come to me stary for a couple of hours so usually the kittens are awake I send photos and video which can also help...

Thanks for you input x

We didn't buy Darcy, she was a retired breeder cat and her mommy wanted her to go to a good home. They shared photos and gave us a full medical history and talked to OUR references. They had very very good reviews. But we had never met her before trekking 4 hours to get her. We got very lucky with her

Our next kitten we are planning on is much much closer and the breeder will allow us to come meet and see their cattery and everything.