Breeder changes because of Covid?

[Razum'dar]

Hello. I'm speaking to a breeder about a possible kitten to adopt and they seem legit. However, I want to see the parent cats and see where the kittens are kept and how they live, etc. I asked about visiting and the breeder said no one is allowed in their home because of Covid. Anyone else run into this? It is their decision but how can I see the living conditions if they refuse visitors? Anyone run into this and how are breeders handling these types of things with the pandemic?

 

[Sarthur2]

I’m not sure there is much you can do. Perhaps ask for pictures of the parents?

 

[Silver Crazy]

The breeder is being very sensible in my opinion.
Ask for photos as Sarthur2 says but you can ask the breeder what association they are registered with and or/ contact names of people they have previously sold cats too and get some references.
A vet contact would be a safe thing to get too for a health history of the breeders cats.
If none of these details are not given to you find another breeder.

 

[lutece]

This is normal right now. No one has come into our house since March. Many cat breeders are also older and in a high risk category.

I take pictures and video to send to buyers. Another possibility is to do a video call on FaceTime, etc.

Also just talk to the breeder about how the cats are kept, raised and socialized. In my experience most good breeders are proud of their cats and happy to talk your ear off about how they do things.

Does the breeder seem legit in other ways? Kittens proper age when placed (at least 12 weeks, better 14-16 weeks)? Vet checked and fully vaccinated before placement? Spayed/neutered before placement or sold with spay/neuter contract? Registered in a major association? Health guarantee? etc.

A vet contact would be a safe thing to get too for a health history of the breeders cats.

I used to give out my vet's contact information, but I had buyers call my vet and waste her time who weren't really very interested in kittens. At this point I'm no longer willing to give out her contact information until after a kitten is placed.

 

[Willowy]

I agree about asking for a video, or a live Skype/Zoom/FaceTime kind of thing so you can see it isn't staged. It's not as good as being there but we all have to deal with the pandemic right now, things are weird.