Not sure I made the right decision

I have a quick question. We are currently looking for a kitten; either Balinese, Birman, or Ragdoll.
Today I answered an ad in the newspaper. When I got there I decided not to get the kitten. I am not sure if my reasons were valid.

When I got there, not only was the house super super old and messy, but the kittens were in a cage so the lady "didnt have to round them up". The mama cat was sitting on top of the cage and started hissing when the woman went to open the cage. For me that seemed like a bit of a red flag, even though of course she was just being protective.
Then when I was petting the kitten I thought I heard the mama growl a little bit.
I decided too risky in case the mam doesnt have a great temperment. I have kids adn need this cat to have a great disposition.
Do you think I overreacted here. I just told the woman that I needed to think about it, so I could go back if I decide to.
Oh and also when I asked her if the cats had immunix=zations adn were checked for FILV she said they had vaccines adn were randomly checked for FELV when the vet comes to visit the horses.

Thanks for any advice. Oh and by the way the kitten was of course very cute

T

i think i would have passed too...i have sweet cats, but my sister-in-law has all mean cats and she recently got a kitten that is my kittens sister...it was so sweet when she got it but after being around the mean cats all the time, it's mean now too

I also would have passed. After witnessing the wonderful temperaments of our breeder's cats and our own Bijou and Mika, I would be nervous taking one of those kittens.

On the other hand, our previous cat Simba (Himalayan/Siamese cross) was 6 months old when we got him and we think he was raised in a cage. When I held him at the breeder's, it just felt "right", so we took him. He turned out to be the sweetest tempered and most loving cat you can imagine. Mind you he hid behind our headboard for 4 full weeks before we were able to touch him. After that, he was a love bunny - he wanted to be on our laps all the time (even when we went to the bathroom). It's really difficult to judge isn't it?

I do think gut instincts are a good thing to pay attention to though.

I think your reasons were very much valid. Messy house is never a good sign. If you are going to pay good money for the kitty, might as well pick the best breeder. Also, you should ask for references and vet's name, so you could check with the vet on the health of the kitties.

Messy house, kittens in a cage without mum, breeder wasn't that interested in offering up information.....I would have passed as well...
Not necessarily for temperament issues as the mam could have simply been being naturally protective, but for all the other reasons you have given above.

Sounds like a bad backyard breeder to me. It sounds like you made the right choice.

OK ... from a breeder's point of view -

... "the house super super old and messy" ...

The old part shouldn't be a problem, lots of people live in older homes, but the messy part depends on just exactly what you mean by messy. If there was an overabundance of visible waste in the litterboxes or even worse, on the floor, a strong, unpleasant odor, bowls of spoiled food and/or unclean water then I would say you were right to bypass this breeder based on the mess. But if by messy you mean the house was cluttered, there were a few dishes in the sink, the house was not dusted or the like, then I don't think it is fair to presume this person is a bad breeder just because she didn't get around to dusting a little before you got there ... a bad housekeeper, perhaps, but not necessarily a bad ~breeder~.

... "the kittens were in a cage so the lady 'didnt have to round them up'" ...

Cages are not the awful thing people make them out to be. Many breeders employ their use with no trauma to the kittens. In fact, cages can and often do serve a valuable purpose - it ~is~ helpful to both the breeder and the potential kitten buyer when the breeder has the litter all together so as not to have to waste both her time and kitten buyer's by trying to herd up the kittens. Cages are also helpful when introducing the kittens to the litter and/or solid food for the first time. They provide safety to kittens that can't be confined to one room in the house when we try to clean or when using the oven, clothes dryer or other household appliances. Now that all being said, I do not advocate the use of cages as a place of permanance. The kittens should only be contained in this way for short bursts of time. The rest of the time, they should be allowed free roam of the house with close supervision. Do you know whether or not the breeder cage-kept them at all times or were they allowed free access?

... "The mama cat was sitting on top of the cage and started hissing when the woman went to open the cage. For me that seemed like a bit of a red flag, even though of course she was just being protective. Then when I was petting the kitten I thought I heard the mama growl a little bit. I decided too risky in case the mam doesnt have a great temperment. I have kids and need this cat to have a great disposition." ...

As you have already pointed out, some queens are extremely protective of their kittens. This is instinctual and is to be expected when a kitten buyer - essentially a stranger in the environment - touches or handles the kittens in her presence. When kitten buyers come to see the kittens, many breeders will allow them to meet and interact with the queen first, then confine her while the kitten buyer is interacting with the kittens. I didn't like reading that the queen hissed at the breeder though ... it would be my hope that the breeder had a better relationship with her cat than that, but not every breeder feels the same way about it as I do.

While I agree that temperment is, in part, inherited, I also believe that a good temperment is, in a large way, the result of how the kitten is raised. If kittens are handled from birth, treated gently, shown love as well as respect and above all else, allowed to actually ~BE~ kittens, they often end up being simply wonderful companions - and in one case in which I have personal knowledge, the queen was just nothing but evil personified, but her kittens were the most loving, most trusting, gentle souls I have ever known. The sire's personality also plays a part - were you able to meet him and interact with him at all? Not all breeders keep their own studs and of those of us who do, many will allow kitten buyers to meet the sire but intact male cats can be unpredictable ... my own is skittish around strangers so I am not always able to allow them to interact much if at all with him. This is done for their safety.

... "when I asked her if the cats had immunizations and were checked for FELV she said they had vaccines and were randomly checked for FELV when the vet comes to visit the horses" ...

In my opinion, this really isn't an indication of whether or not this breeder is a bad one either ... in rural areas, where equine vets do come to provide service to horse farms, many of those vets cross over into small animal care - since many barns do keep cats. So, it is conceivable that this person's vet has seen and tested these kittens.

Hope this helps,

~gf~