Problem with our 'reserved' kitten coming home :(

nekochan

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Ack! I don't know what to do...I am sooo stressed now and worried about this!


We (my brother really) 'reserved' a kitten from a breeder about 2 months ago... My brother doesn't know a lot about picking a good breeder and that kind of thing so I was doing most of the correspondance. The breeder said she does not let kittens go before 14 weeks (and never before they are neutered) and told us we could pick him up in early January. I checked the calendar and saw he'd be 14 weeks in December and because of a problem with my brother's work schedule my brother and I asked if we could pick him up before January because my brother can't take time off in January to go pick the kitten up. We worked it out with the breeder a month or two ago and she agreed to let us pick up the kitten at the very end of December when he'd be 15 weeks old, she said she could get him neutered at 14 weeks so that would be ok.

This was the perfect time for him to come home too, because I will be home pretty much all the time for the next 2 weeks(vacation) and my brother also has some vacation time until New Year's so we could make sure the kitten had a lot of attention and help get him used to his new home.

The problem is I emailed the breeder the other day and she said she has not been able to get an appointment yet to have the kitten neutered... She said she made an appointment for the day after Xmas and we could pick him up a week later, in January. The problem is we are unable to pick him up in January (as we explained before.)
My brother is going to be "on call" in January which means he has to be able to report to work right away pretty much at any time if they call him, meaning he can't leave town... So now I don't know what is going to happen and I'm really worried about it...
I can't find a good solution. My brother suggested the breeder could bring him here directly to our vet--we could make a neuter appointment ourselves-- and she could bring him straight there so she would know he was getting neutered, but that would require the breeder to drive the several hours here so I don't think that will work out. I can't figure out what to do!
I emailed and asked if we could pick him up on the 28th still, since she had said she made an appointment for neutering on the 26th so he WOULD be neutered then...but in her last email she said we could pick him up a week after neutering so I don't think she is going to let us pick him up 48 hrs after neutering instead of a week
Now I don't know what's going to happen with him! I was all excited about bringing home a new kitten and I had everything all read and now...I just don't know...
 

scamperfarms

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I can understand how upsetting it is. But the breeder really is being wonderfully responsible by requireing the baby be neutered first, and making sure that he is properly recovered before coming to you.

i am sorry i cant offer a solution.
 
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nekochan

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I know... That's one of the things I really liked about this breeder, she is very responsible about her kittens and making sure there will not be any unplanned litters. I just wish I knew how to work this out! I can't see a solution so far
 

goldenkitty45

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Why can't YOU go and pick up the kitten in January? Or can you have a friend take you. I assume that since the breeder is a few hrs away - you'd have to travel the same to pick up the kitten at her house.

Even tho your brother can't go with you at this time, doesn't mean that its bad - after all, he'll have the kitten at his house "on-call" or not. Isn't that the goal?

In a way, be glad the breeder is caring enough to want to keep the kitten a week after neutering to be sure all is ok
 
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nekochan

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I can't go alone because I don't have a car or a driver's license. I don't know any friends who I think would be willing/able to drive 6 hours for that...
 

kluchetta

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I've had something similar happen - my kitten was scheduled for a neuter on July 3 and I would have gotten him around the 10th. But the vet had an emergency and couldn't do the neuter for another 2 weeks. It was hard, but I did wait for my kitten through a series of adventures
and finally got him August 19. It was a very long 4-5 weeks, but it was very worth it. So I would suggest waiting - even if you can't get the kitten until mid-January. (?)

Or what about meeting the breeder halfway? Or taking a bus or train? (I don't know if they let animals travel, though). Or paying someone to take you - or making the trip coincide with a shopping trip?

What is the breed of kitten? My kitten is a Ragdoll, so he's still very kittenish, as they mature more slowly. Is the breeder ok with keeping him another few weeks? What about shipping or air?
 

celestialrags

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Originally Posted by kluchetta

I've had something similar happen - my kitten was scheduled for a neuter on July 3 and I would have gotten him around the 10th. But the vet had an emergency and couldn't do the neuter for another 2 weeks. It was hard, but I did wait for my kitten through a series of adventures
and finally got him August 19. It was a very long 4-5 weeks, but it was very worth it. So I would suggest waiting - even if you can't get the kitten until mid-January. (?)

Or what about meeting the breeder halfway? Or taking a bus or train? (I don't know if they let animals travel, though). Or paying someone to take you - or making the trip coincide with a shopping trip?

What is the breed of kitten? My kitten is a Ragdoll, so he's still very kittenish, as they mature more slowly. Is the breeder ok with keeping him another few weeks? What about shipping or air?
I had quite a hard time for month or so there, LOL! Between him breaking down on the way to boston airport and my car accident totaling my car
(I"m glad you think he is worth the wait, he is just a doll, one of my favorite's)
Every time you talk about my getting him to you so late I feel so bad! I tried so hard though
I ended up having to get 3 different health certificates done and I had reservations for him about 4 times. He was getting costly, LOL! (it was about $37for each of the health certificats alone
) Im glad we finally got him sent out!

I think the breeder would be willing to help some how or meet half way. I am willing to do any thing I can to get my babies in their new loving forever home, so mabey the breeder can do some thing.
I think the kitten is a maine coon, I see it posted some where that's what it is. The breeder will most likely be ok with keeping a kitten longer til you are able to get him , I will, I keep them all til I find the best home and keep them till they are old enough and the new owner can get them or I can get them out to the new family. I will keep them as long as I need to. I will also take any cat or kitten back at any time too.
Good luck I hope you get some thing worked out soon.
 

familytimerags

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I know it can be hard to wait to bring your new family member home, but like everyone else has said, it sounds like you have chose a very caring breeder, who puts the welfare of her cats and kittens above everything.
I do have what may be a solution, however, each breeder is different, and each breeder has their own code of ethics that they stand by, so if my suggestion isn't liked by your breeder, just realize that how they do their cattery has obviously worked for them, and some don't want to change what is not broken.
My suggestion is, IF the vet has dissolving stitches done on the male kittens when early altering, then it would be my opinion that the boy should be ready for travel within 48 hours. If the kitten was mature, and the surgery went as expected, I would release a male after neutering within 48 hours, providing you had a vet already set up and ready to take the kitten to the vet within 48-72 hours of him being in your home.
That being said, some breeders have a very select set up of how they feel comfortable doing things, and if your breeder is set on keeping the male kittens for a week, then please respect her wishes, and understand she feels she is doing the best for her kittens.
I have met several of our families part way to pick up a kitten, if your breeder isn't busy, this may be something she is willing to do, gas is expensive, so she may ask for a small fee for the gas and mileage.
If all else fails, and the kitten can't come into your home until February, you will still have a kitten that will entertain you, and letting a kitten stay an extra few weeks at the breeders home will only have a positive effect on your kitten. Your breeder will have longer to train to appropriate scratching surfaces, and as well if the kitten stays until 16 weeks old, the kitten can have the last vaccination before going to his new home.
Again, a few suggestions, but they may or may not work. Just try to be patient with your breeder, and realize that he/she is being responsible for her kittens.
Please keep us posted, we wish you well.
Merry Christmas!
 

merrytreecats

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I wish you good luck with this. It can be very frustrating. If you cannot pick the kitten up in December or January, would the breeder be willing to hold it until February? I know the kitten would be past its cutest weeks, but what really counts is that you get your baby home.
 
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nekochan

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I asked if we could pick him up 2 days after the neuter (which would be the 28th, the day we had originally planned to get him) but the breeder said it would be too much stess to the immune system, that neutering and rehoming both stress it so it would cause him to get sick to do both so soon. Also she said she is going to be working on that day so we can't come then.


I am going to ask one of my friends (most do not have cars :p) if she might possibly be willing to drive there if I pay her for it, but it's a stretch (and I'm not sure if her car would make the trip!) I'm going to ask her though...it's very doubtful but I'm gonna give it a try.

I did check about trains when I was first researching breeders-- since it is a pretty long drive I thought that might be a good option, but as far as I could find out when I tried to research it there doesn't seem to be a train that goes from here to there. :/

Someone asked about breed, he is a Maine Coon, he's about 15 weeks old now...
 

denice

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She sounds like a breeder that really cares about the welfare of her cats. She will probably keep the kitten a little longer for you and you may have to be patient even though I know that is hard.
 

kluchetta

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Originally Posted by Denice

She sounds like a breeder that really cares about the welfare of her cats. She will probably keep the kitten a little longer for you and you may have to be patient even though I know that is hard.
I agree that it would be bad for his immune system. I had a kitten neutered at 6 months, and it caused latent FIP to flare up and we lost him.
Now I'm somewhat afraid of stressful things for my furkids - because I didn't know that before...
 

celestialrags

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Originally Posted by kluchetta

I agree that it would be bad for his immune system. I had a kitten neutered at 6 months, and it caused latent FIP to flare up and we lost him.
Now I'm somewhat afraid of stressful things for my furkids - because I didn't know that before...
I know that happened it was sad. I was just establishing my pediactric alter policy, and you were glad to have me do it, in case some thing went wrong, You wouldn't have to go through it. That was the start of his problems, right? when he was neutered? I never seen that happen with any of mine of with any shelter cats I guess we have been very lucky!

When I had Smudge 2 neutered before I shipped him to kludhetta the vet said a week was good, and that's what I did, er... well, intended to do, LOL! it was another month, acually
I wouldn't have let him go ANY sooner then the week, in fact I was glad I was able to keep him longer and he was completely heald, I also knew he was still healthy and showed no signs of any thing being wrong, like fip. It is the most important thing to be placing healthy kittens. I would be so devastated to have shipped him out and have some thing happen to him after his new family waited so long for him to be old enough (she had waited since deciding in May when he was around 4 weeks) then had to wait for me to get through all my crisses'. I want them healthy of coarse but if some thing is going to happen with them I want it to happen with me still, so the new family doesn't have to go through it, and be able to compensate them or replace before they had accually recieved the kitten and was becomming more attatched.

I was also shipping and with shipping it will only be a week or more after altering, before I will ship any kitten after neutering, better safe then sorry, it is only a couple days more to wait for a healthy kitten to be in your family for many years. A couple hour drive only 4-6 hrs after neutering? Mabey it would depend on the indiidual kitten I suppose.
 
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nekochan

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Well I'm still looking for a way to work this out :/ Nothing so far... I can't find anyone willing to drive that far and back for or with me...so I don't know what we're going to do about it.

She doesn't ship cats so that's not an option....
 

goldenkitty45

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Usually you can't take a cat on a bus/train. You'd have to check the companys.

If the breeder is willing to hold the kitten till February (and you pay at least 1/2 the price if not all), then you guys might have to do that. Waiting a little longer really is not much, considering you'll be having the kitten for many years.

I hope you can find someone to take you sooner tho - no one will do it for money?
 
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nekochan

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I'm starting to get really frustrated... I still don't know if/when we will be getting the kitten...
I even checked into the train that goes to a city that is an hour or so away from the town the breeder is in but they do not allow pets at all and even if they did I don't know how I would get to/from the town to the train. I don't know if we are even going to be able to work this out at all.
I just keep getting more upset and frustrated with the situation... When we first heard that they had not made the neuter appointment even though we had told them over almost 2 months before that we had to pick the kitten up in December(and arranged the date), my brother said he was considering just forgetting the whole thing and finding another breeder...I am starting to see that option too looking more appealing
It's starting to look like there is no way we can get him in January at all, which means he will be way older by the time we pick him up, and a big part of the reason my brother wanted a cat from a breeder is he wanted an actual kitten...
 

familytimerags

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I am sorry for your frustration. I know of many breeders who use this service and have had only good things to say about it, it is also a service I plan on using in about a month. I am not sure where you are located, and what the shipping cost will be. This service comes and picks up your kitten at the door and delivers it to the adoptive parents home. We are going from Oklahoma to California for the price of shipping the kitten on a plane.
You may want to check into it, I hope it helps.

http://www.lntpettransport.com/
 

familytimerags

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I am not sure of the exact age that the kitten will be when you are able to bring him/her home, but I would assume by the way you have spoke of the breeder, the kitten is in good socialized hands, and even if the kitten is 6 months of age at the time of pick up, he/she is still very much a kitten, that your brother will have many, many years to look forward to.
It sounds like you made a good choice in breeders, and will have to remain patient for a little longer, a few more weeks is not going to make a huge difference in the kitten, it is just hard for us humans to anticipate getting a new family member, especially when we want it now....LOL
You also may find that finding a breeder with the same ethics as your current breeder, and also may find that if you find an ethical breeder, they may not have the kitten you are hoping for, so you may find you are waiting all over again.
Remember that the breeder kept the kitten longer, for the saftey and health of the kitten that she has raised, and most likely it is an expensive hobby for her, because of the love of her chosen breed. It is breeders such as these that need support, and not the BYB's who will let a kitten go at a young age, with out being properly vaccinated, or altered prior to leaving the home.
I do hope you and your brother can remain patient for a few more weeks and give this breeder a chance, even if it is longer that what you had anticipated. This is just my respectful opinion.
Good luck to you.
 

goldenkitty45

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We picked up Charlie (drove) at 4 months old - he's very well socialized and very much a kitten. In reality even 8-9 months old are still very much kittens, even if they look adult.

How old is the kitten right now (January)? An older kitten sometimes adjusts to things quicker, especially if the breeder has him conditioned to normal household noises, etc.
 
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