FAQ and other miscellaneous things
May I visit the cattery?
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The short answer is NO.
I have received this question a lot lately, and feel the need to address it on my website in addition to individually answering questions from the contact form as needed. Because I need to maintain as sterile an environment as possible for my kittens and breeding cats, I do not allow visitors to come to the cattery prior to kitten pick up day. I have come to this decision after consulting with my vet and other respected cat breeders. At best, visitors could travel a long way, only to be able to look at the kittens, absolutely no touching allowed. At worst, a potential buyer could be carrying a virus/other dangers such as fleas, chemical irritants, etc. on their person that they are unaware of and infect the whole cattery - a cattery of kittens whose buyers are counting on me to keep them as healthy and safe as humanly possible. I am sure that you wouldn't want that to happen to your future kitten or someone else's future kitten?! Please note that until kittens have had all of their shots throughout their first year, they are highly susceptible to viruses/bacteria that are brought in from the outside world (i.e. on us!) and this is an unnecessary risk that I cannot afford for my beautiful and precious kittens. Besides all of these potential dangers, my schedule does not allow me to take time out for visitors. Thank you for your understanding and help in protecting these little ones! If meeting with me face to face would make you feel more comfortable about a final "sight unseen" purchase, I am more than willing to accommodate as my schedule permits (for local buyers). (Please see below about phone/other communication issues.) However, to ensure that you are serious about buying a kitten and all that commitment entails, I will ask that you send in your non-refundable deposit prior to us meeting if a meeting is something you would like. Of course, any in-person meeting will be contingent upon local Covid restrictions, which are out of my control.
If you're worried about whether or not to trust the safety and legitimacy of the cattery, well, I do have a license from the county (required here) and have had my required inspections/etc with those fine folks. So, that might give you a little more peace of mind?
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Can we talk on the phone before I send in my deposit?
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The short answer is, probably not.
I have a couple of reasons. First and foremost, I have a full-time "day-job" with a long commute that takes up almost the entire waking day. It's not glamorous, but it pays the bills and taxes that keep going up. I breed kittens not because it's a job, but because I enjoy it and I want to bring the joy that Burmese have brought to me into the lives of other people - covering my breeding costs with your deposits and payments is also great, but I'm not "raking it in" so much that I could quit my day job. Ok, back to my explanation...I am not able to be on my phone talking during the work day because my position is customer-service based, and I do not get a long enough lunch break to make phone calls during that time.
Secondly, I want to give you the quality responses you deserve. When I communicate with kitten buyers (no matter the method), I want to give you the full attention that you and your questions and messages deserve - I can't do that over the phone in quick, clipped conversations. When I get home after work, there are a lot of both "regular life" and cattery related chores and responsibilities I have to attend to, and after spending a full day of serving people in person and phone calls, and talking to team members at work, I'm emotionally wiped and don't really want to speak to anyone else, not with a clear head and enthusiasm anyway. (I'm a functioning introvert lol.) I am usually able to do email/written communication while I'm work during breaks and lunch time, which is another reason why I prefer that method. Calling you while I'm at work could end up being this, "Hi this is Amy - oh, wait, I gotta call you back. Bye!" because a customer often interrupts my lunch time. I cannot do your questions justice with phone calls. When I'm home and "free" for about three and half hours before bedtime, I need to focus my time and attention on my family and the cats/kittens. The weekends are somewhat better, but still, they are essentially "catch-up" days for whatever I wasn't able to do during the week. Another benefit to written communication is that there's no wondering what was said or agreed to - there's written proof. In my day job, we're taught to follow up important phone calls/conversations with an email or text recap - that way there's a record for later. These probably sound like lame excuses, but they are true for me. Oh, and in case you're wondering whether my cats are home alone while I'm at work - they're not :)
Finally, and although I know this will sound rude, I will say it anyway: I do not have the time to spend on "window-shopping kitten buyers". This is the potential kitten buyer who shops around and wants to talk to a bunch of breeders before putting a deposit down. Then, when they do put deposits down, it's on a bunch of places and then demand their deposits back from the others when one offers a kitten earlier than another. I simply do not have time for that "game". I spent considerable time designing and writing this website, and do my best to keep it updated; I spend time writing blog posts, and supplying comprehensive information on my policies and practices here on this site - if someone is serious enough and cares enough - they will find almost all the information necessary about me and my cattery here on the website to make a decision about whether they want a kitten from me or not. Sometimes there are questions that my site doesn't answer, but usually that's not the case. Usually people just want to have their questions (commonly asked questions I might add) answered personally rather than from a website. I cannot tell you how many times I have copied and pasted direct quotes from my website content as a response to people - people who clearly did not read the site as they claimed they did. We all want to be treated like we're the only customer in the world and be catered to with personalized responses - I understand that desire - and if I had an assistant or secretary to field such things, or didn't have a full time job myself, I might have a different way of handling it. I have a great rapport with my kitten buyers/waitlist folks (both past and present), but I just don't have time to devote to window-shoppers. I keep in touch with previous buyers - and I love that :) They share pictures/videos/stories about their kittens/young adult cats and it's so wonderful to see how they are in their new homes with their new families. Those interactions truly make my day, even my week sometimes :) So, how do I know that you're not a window-shopping kitten buyer? Well, mainly when your questions are something that my website doesn't address. I also know you're serious when you send in a deposit and contract. I understand that it's hard for some to send non-refundable deposits in without meeting the breeder/meeting the kittens, but that's how it is. There are companies we purchase goods from that are "sight unseen" all the time and we as a society have accepted that (Amazon, eBay anyone?!). To be honest, I was a little nervous myself when I ordered my cat wheel (a pretty high price tag) and it didn't arrive for about 5 weeks and the company kept emailing with more notices of delays during those weeks - I was tempted many times to think I was being taken for a ride, but I stuck it out and I guess the company was telling the truth about Covid affecting their production times, because when I did finally get the product, I was very happy with it. The point is, we're not always able to meet and talk to the people we do business with. Ok, rant over! :)
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Burmese are hypoallergenic, right?!
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The short and science based answer is NO.
I have received this question a lot lately, too. The answer is not that simple. I must caution you on considering any cat breed as "hypoallergenic". There has been some misleading information on the internet claiming that some cat breeds are "more hypoallergenic" than others. Sadly, that isn't the whole story. All cats have saliva, which is where the proteins are produced that people react to for their allergic reactions. Those with shorter hair in general (like these Thai related breeds) may not cause as harsh of an allergic reaction to humans because they do not shed their hair as much as "poofy" cats (Persions, etc) - shedding this hair that has their saliva on it is what would bother someone with a more severe response. (There's more science involved that is honestly above my own understanding! I would encourage you to do some research into it if you'd like a more complete understanding on the subject.) To help you decide on your own "risk factor", ask yourself this question: Do you (or the person in question in your household) have a mild, or severe, reaction when around cats? If it's mild, then there shouldn't be much to worry about, but if it's severe, then I will ask you to seriously consider whether a cat is right for you.
Have you thought about what you would do with a new kitten/young adult cat if it turns out that your (or family member's) allergies are in fact triggered beyond what you're comfortable with? I like to ensure that my kittens have a long-term home plan; I know that sometimes things happen in life beyond our control and I have worked with folks to re-home their fur-baby when no other options prove viable, but that is never the ideal solution. Burmese/Thai related cats especially grow very attached to their human family members, and having to separate them and bring them to a new situation is rough on them and can have lasting ill effects. Please consider the "what if" question to be sure there's a plan in place and that we won't have an innocent and heartbroken kitten sent to a local shelter, for example, if it doesn't work out. (PLEASE don't do that! Please contact me first before something that extreme is considered!!!!) These kittens are very important to me and I care very much for their well-being, both while they are in my care and after :)
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May I breed your kittens?
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The short answer is NO.
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Breeding is a huge commitment that takes a lot of time, money, and work. It's not just so you can be around adorable fuzzy kitten newborns and babies to play with (although that is enjoyable!). As explained above in the no-phone-call tirade, I do not have a lot of extra time right now to get to know potential breeders, as I would need to, to coach them and determine if breeding would be the best decision for them/us and to ensure that my high standards in their quality of life and care will be maintained in another cattery..
So, no, at this time, no, I am not selling breeding cats/kittens for the purpose of being queens/studs later. Perhaps in the future I will have more time to expand the cattery to a place where I would be able to invest in a potential breeder and be comfortable selling kittens for breeding purposes.
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I appreciate your cooperation and understanding in this.
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Will the kittens come with 'papers'?
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The short answer is NO.
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I have some of my breeding cats registered, but I do not register pet litters/kittens. Registering is mainly for people who wish to show their animals - which is not what my kittens are for. They are high quality pets with great personalities, but kittens from this cattery will not fit into the narrow parameters of what the Burmese "should look like" to qualify for showing. I think history has taught us that requiring people to look a certain way and that certain small, "controlled" gene pools are better than others didn't turn out well in the end.... Anyway - I don't see the point of spending about $10k per cat per year to show them - which is what it is - to what end? For a ribbon on the wall? Bragging rights despite poor health quality of the animal? No, I'd rather have a high quality, healthy pet who loves me and for me to love back - even if they don't fit the "traditional" or expected Burmese look.