A kitten under 10wks old |
Written by Melanie | |
We receive many enquiries from people wanting to purchase and take home kittens at 9, 8 or 7 weeks old and sometimes even younger! Firstly if you are purchasing a kitten from a Registered Breeder they are NOT allowed to let kittens go home under 10 weeks of age as registered breeders sign contracts and agree to a number of terms and conditions and a Code of Ethics that are put into place to protect the animals, breeders and buyers. The code of Ethics that breeders must abide by is put in place by the NSW Cat Fanciers Association which registered breeders in NSW must be a member of. The Code of Ethics is below and will give you an idea of what you should expect from a responsible registered breeder. If ANY registered breeder is prepared to let you take home a kitten under 9 and 1/2 weeks old I would strongly recommend you DON'T purchase a kitten from that breeder for a number of reasons..... Firstly this would tend to indicate that the breeder may be looking to just turn the kittens over as quickly as possible which would obviously be a financial advantage for them. The longer the breeder keeps the kitten/s the more it is going to cost them and the more work is involved as they will have more cleaning to do and they will need to pay for food, litter, additional worming treatments, visits to the vet and possibly additional vaccinations if they are due etc etc Secondly this would indicate that they don't have the kittens health and welfare at heart. A kitten is not only still at an important time of development health wise under 10 weeks of age but between 6 and 10 weeks of age they are still learning so much from their mother including using litter trays, cleaning and grooming, behaviour and socialisation skills and so much more. It is really in the buyers interest to NOT get a kitten this young. In my opinion the longer the kitten is with its mother the better off for both the kitten and the new owner. Recent studies have shown that animals that are removed from their mother early are more likely to developed behavioural problems including inappropriate elimination, biting and aggressive behaviour as well as possible health related issues. A good responsible breeder should evaluate each kitten individually before confirming that the kitten is ready for a new home. There are a number of developmental and health goals that need to be reached before going to a new home. Some of the factors that should be considered may be:
1. Has the kitten reached an appropriate going home age? (eg about 10 - 12 weeks)2. Is the kitten at a suitable weight? At 10 week old a kitten should be about 1kg (different breeds can vary). I would not recommend taking home a kitten much under 1kg.3. Is the kitten familiar with and eating a wide range of top quality vet recommend foods and foods suitable for human consumption?If you get a kitten that has been raised on only 1 type of food this may not be a brand that you can get hold of easily and may mean the kitten will be a fussy eater. Also what are you going to do if that brand is sold out or discontinued.4. Is the kitten confidently using the litter tray.5. Has the kitten been well socialised and is he/she friendly and affectionate? The kitten shoud NOT be fearful.6. To the breeders knowledge: Is the kitten healthy and flea free?7. No nasal discharge8. Clean Ears and Skin.9. Bright Eyes with no pussy discharge.10. Pink gums and correctly aligned teeth11. Well-proportioned body12. Shiny coat13. Good eyesight and hearing-check this by jingling your keys and seeing if the kitten responds. ??Always have your new kitten examined by your veterinarian as soon as possible. If there is a medical problem, you should be able to return the kitten to the breeder.14. Has the kitten been vet checked?15. Has the kitten been vaccinated at least 14 days prior to going home?16. Has the kitten been wormed regularly (at least 4 time by 10 weeks) and are all medications and innoculations/vaccinations up to date.17. Is all the paperwork in order to pass onto the new owners. Eg, Vaccination certificate, Microchip information, Kitten care info, Diet info.18. Is the breeder prepared to guarantee the health of the kitten for A MINIMUM of 14 days after the kitten goes home?
The NSW Cat Fancier’s Association has issued a Code of Ethics as set out below: Each member shall :- Each Breeder member shall :-
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Last Updated on Friday, 30 April 2010 05:38 |