Читать книгу Cats For Dummies - Gina Spadafori - Страница 46

A reputable breeder can be very hard to find and may not have a kitten available just when you want one — such as right now. Those facts alone send many buyers to other, less-than-ideal sources.

If everything goes well, you’re going to have your cat for as many as 15 to 20 years. Doesn’t taking a little time to find the right breeder seem reasonable? To make a few phone calls, read a book or two, search the Internet, and take a few field trips? To ask questions of a person who’s lived for years with the breed you want so that you can get more answers than a book provides?

So what to look for? You want expertise. A pet store with a selection of kittens often can’t provide you with information on the breed you want, because the staff, no matter how well-meaning, can usually offer only cursory information about the breeds the store stocks. A backyard breeder with one “let the kids watch” litter can tell you what living with her Siamese is like but hasn’t the expertise to talk about the breed as a whole. And neither source, of course, is offering cats bred expressly for the top-quality health and temperament you should demand.

A serious, reputable breeder can tell you more than you could possibly imagine about the breed. The breeder’s commitment to the kitten you buy doesn’t end after the sale is final. You get a healthy, well-socialized kitten and technical support that would be the envy of any software company.