Thread: Breeder/litter question

It depends what is wrong with the kitten exactly, how old the kitten is, what is the prognosis, and if the breeder is expecting to sell you a sick kitten for full price. If it is a long term condition, are you willing to adopt a cat that will need constant and potentially costly medication and care, and could have a very short and miserable life because of the illness? You probably won't be able to get any insurance to help with future costs and really the breeder should not be considering selling a kitten which sounds very poorly. It will be worth you doing some independent research, speaking to your local vet, and taking your time to decide whether to have this kitten or not. No matter how much you think you have fallen for her, sometimes as a buyer it is better to walk away. Make sure you have all the facts you possibly can before making that decision.

Originally Posted by Katiesmithy

Hi everyone, just a quick one, have been to visit a litter of maine coon kittens today but one of the girls has a kidney issue which has caused her to drop half of her body weight. The other kittens are perfectly healthy and fine, however i am concerned this may pose a problem for the kitten that we want and her health in the future. Is there anyone with any further information about this or that could provide some advice please?

I have read your message slightly different to Musicalife,I read it that you don't intend having the poorly babe but one of the others but are worried how it could impact onto the other babe..... Ask the breeder what exactly is wrong with the other kitten if it is a hereditary disease then yes it could impact on other babes & you would expect the breeder to have no more babes from that line if it is just a "problem" confined to the one babe then you should be ok but as Musicalife says once you know what the exact problem is then have words with your vet & take advice from them......
Having said that if you do mean to have the poorly babe then no way should you be expected to pay for it,we took on a very flat chested babe that wasn't expected to live too long but she has had a very long life span & has given us lots of love,was well worth the pleasure we have had from her,we also couldn't insure her but don't regret making the descion to include her in our furry family......
Good luck with your babe search & again Musicalife has given good advice if in doubt walk away.......xxx

Thanks for the advice, sorry if my original post wasn't clear. We are not intending to buy the poorly kitten - she was not for sale, we have chosen her sibling. I saw mother, grandmother, father and other siblings from litter all happy and healthy - will make sure to speak to breeder further in depth regarding exactly what the problem is.

Thanks all for help

I obviously misread your question Katie. Being armed with as much information as possible is the best thing, and good luck with your new baby.