All too often I hear about pet buyers bringing home kittens that look healthy but are actually sick. Often times, these kittens have been purchased from catteries where breeders are not practicing good husbandry and/or not properly quarantining and PCR screening their newly arriving breeding cats.
I know that it’s probably going to be an unpopular opinion among some, but I firmly believe these “approved breeder” lists and online cat lover communities are partly to blame for this (Equally at fault are the brand new breeders popping up left and right who jump feet first into breeding, and without proper mentorship or support, but let me stay on topic here, as the later topic would require an entirely separate and equally long blog post.).
“Approved Breeder” lists (and why I no longer suggest them)
What most pet buyers don’t realize when they hop on the internet to search for a pedigree pet is that some of these approved breeder lists and online communities that promote them, are usually nothing more than a sales network compromised of breeder friends who all recommend each other.
Unfortunately, it has been my experience that even the groups that strive to educate buyers on avoiding scammers and finding ethical breeders are guilty of this too. Ironically, it’s these educational type groups I’ve found to actually be worse than a pet lover group because they give a false sense of security to those who network with them. That is to say, the assumption is that those who run the group are experts in their field who are ethical, reputable, and can be trusted; however, typically, this is not always the case, and more importantly, there is very little to no consistency, accountability, or oversight with who is added or removed from a list.
In order for pet buyers to be able to truly trust an approved breeder list, the individual(s) managing said list would need to have proof they’ve regularly visited and inspected all of the catteries on the approved breeder list, as well as verify the legitimacy of the registration, health screening, and vet records provided for each breeding cat. I am not aware of a single approved breeder list or Maine Coon specific social media group that does this with their approved breeder list (correct me if I’m wrong), and often times, only bare minimum proof of being registered with a cat association and doing DNA testing, or simply paying an advertising fee and signing a voluntary code of ethics is all that’s required to be included in many of these breeder lists.
Nothing compares to doing your own research
While some may swear by these approved breeder lists, I personally believe that nothing compares to doing your own research!
Research the breed.
Interview your breeder.
(Related Post: What is a Good Breeder?)
Beware of Scammers!
(Related Post: Learn how to avoid and report online pet scams)
Ask to visit the Cattery (or request to do a virtual visit via FaceTime or Skype if the breeder you’re interviewing is not local to you, or does not allow approved applicants to visit).
Talk to people who have purchased from the same breeder and ask about their experience.
What is the overall reputation of the cattery or breeder?
How is the cattery or breeder known for handling disputes with others?
Is the breeder quick to help educate? OR are they quick to be combative, dispute opinion, or tear others down?
How is the cattery or breeder’s track record for handling health concerns brought to their attention?
Does the breeder have and honor a genetic health guarantee?
Don’t rush the kitten buying process
Being a responsible buyer and reserving the perfect pet takes time. If you do opt to use an online community to find a pedigree pet, be sure to do your own research and resist the temptation to put blind trust in an approved breeder list. Don’t rush the kitten buying process!
Remember, when you take away the carefully crafted disclaimers attached to approved breeder lists and the groups who promote them, often times, what you have left is a bunch of breeder friends or acquaintances who have at one time or another either purposely, or more often than not, unknowingly associated with or promoted a less than reputable breeder.
Regardless of your opinion on the topic, I think we can all agree, the end goal should be to support ethical and responsible breeders. Pet buyer research and patience with the process is key to success!
