your expertise please

Hi

My wife and I are about to purchase a 1 year old cat. The seller states that the cat is a petigreed Himalayan. We think the cat is beautiful, but we don't think it looks like Himalayan, but keep in mind we have no breeding experience.

Any way, we're a lot more concerned about the seller's honosty than we are if it is a true Himalayan.

Here are a few pics, please give me your professional opinion.








thank you in advance for your help

Well, it's a Himilayan. But it's a Doll Faced Himi. Not that that is bad, not at all, I rather prefer them, and they can be pedigreed and registerable.
I don't think they can be shown in any cat association though.

I forgot to add...

As a breeder, and a purchaser of cats, if you have ANY doubt as to the honesty of the breeder, then I find it a good practice to go with my "gut" feeling and find another.

All the best!
Ken

If a pedigree exists for this cat, then you will be able to see exactly how the cat is registered, including color/point. Do you know which registry association holds the pedigree?

Ken is right about trusting your gut with breeders. Heck, it is just all around good advice when dealing with ANY one these days, but especially if you are making a purchase - and even more especially so when you are purchasing a pet. Ask a lot of questions, make sure the breeder answers them completely and honestly - ask for photocopied proof of vaccinations and health records too.

Are you able to visit the cattery? Is it clean? Does it have a bad odor? Are the cats running around, acting like cats or are they caged? Are the cages clean? Do the cats look, smell and act healthy to you?

Some questions you might ask:

1)Are there any known health conditions that I should be aware of in this cat or in her pedigree?
2)What do you feed here at the cattery and how often? (this is so you can duplicate once home)
3)What type of litter box and material is she used to using?
4)Has she been tested for the common feline viruses and found to be negative of them? (ask for the vet certificates for this if so)
5)Has she been vaccinated against any of the common feline viruses? When and by whom? (Ask for copies of her health records and the name/address of the breeder's vet)
6)Was she a part of your breeding program and found not to be acceptable for it? If so, why?
7)Does she have any siblings? Are they all healthy?

Just a few things to consider ... hope this helps. Let us know if you need assistance.

~gf~

Wow beautiful kitty. She does look like a Persian, just a long nosed one - quite different then the type that you will see at cat shows and that is preferred among most breeders. Do let us know what you decide.

First let me thank everyone who offered their help. It truely set our mind at ease.

We did purchase the cat and so far we are very pleased with Mr. Humphries and he seems pretty pleased with us.

He's been with us for 2 days now and despite being a bit little shy, he does like to be held and brushed for a few minutes every now and then. He began using his litter box with out any trouble and has found a prefered place to sleep in our guest room. We are giving him his space and for now Mr. Humphries is setting the pace.

Thanks again and any additional advise would be greatly appreciated.

J.

Hi J!

Oh what a gorgeous name he has. Congratulations on the new addition!