I have been looking and preparing to buy a Main coon kitten for 10 months now and am still desperatly looking for a breeder that can guarentee a kittens heath. I wuld rather travel to pick up the kitten myself to be safe but I want to try my best to find one in the surroung states of Maryland or in Maryland if you are a breeder or now one please email me at mel.dancechic@juno.com.

Thank you sincerly,

Melanie Tarter

-- Anonymous, January 02, 2000

Answers

If you buy from a reputable breeder you will be required to sign a contract. In that contract most breeders will require you to have the kitten examined by your own vet within a day or so of your collecting the kitten. GENERALLY, if your vet finds a problem with a kitten, the contract will also specify that the kitten may be returned to the breeder. Usually, the breeder will either refund your money or give you another kitten. These details are all laid out in a good breeder's contract. Now, you must be realistic too.....you cannot expect to get a kitten (or any type of animal OR human being, for that matter!) which has an ABSOLUTE guarantee of its being healthy for its whole life! Life just isn't like that! A breeder cannot control your behavior and how you look after the kitten. It cannot say it will never pick up a bug from any number of sources. You should ensure that you find highly reputable breeders to talk to in your area, and one way to do this is to go to some cat shows and talk to the breeders there. If you check out the websites of the Cat Fanciers Association (CFA) and The International Cat Association (TICA) you will see links to their cat show schedules. Good luck.

-- Anonymous, January 03, 2000