 Purred: Fri Mar 7, '08 7:32pm PST |
 | |  | | I love my Scottish Folds, and don't know what I would do without them. I am very sorry for your loss.
I spent quite a bit of time looking into breeders when I decided to get a Fold. I was lucky; there is a FANTASTIC breeder in the town where I live. She is very communicative, and answered all of my questions. I was able to go and visit the kitten that I chose until he was ready to come and join my family. That's one good way to choose a breeder; they should keep the kittens until they are at least 12 weeks old. They need to be socialized, thoroughly weaned, and eating solid food before they join your household. Also, the first vet appointment and visit should be done by the breeder to make sure everything is okay. Usually, they have you formalize an agreement that states that if you decide that you can no longer care for the cat, that the breeder has the first option of taking the cat back. If the person you obtain the cat from doesn't care much about you, your household, and how you will take care of the cat, then they are NOT a good breeder, and should be avoided. I don't recommend buying through a pet store. I heard some stories about a terrible breeder who sold her kittens to pet stores from the lady I bought my cat from. She continually goes to stores in this area to check and make sure the kittens this lady puts out are okay. She has a folded ear female that she will breed to any stray, and claims that they are purebred. As you stated in your original message, serious issues can develop when you cross-breed to folded ear cats together.
As for age, I think it depends on so many different factors. Are they an indoor, or outdoor cat? Male or female? Altered, or not? What type of food they are given, and the veterinarian care they received? There are no guarantees in life, so I don't think you can say for sure that one cat will live to be 19, and another will only live to be 12. I wish they had the same lifespan as humans, but alas........It pains me to think that I might outlive my two beautiful cats. I try to make each day count, and play with them as much as I can. They bring so much joy to our human lives, no matter what breed, and I think we are lucky for however many days they share with us.
Magic and his cat-mom, Kathy |  |  | |  |
|
| my posts | my page | msg me | my family's posts | gift me | become friends | [notify] |
9
