Need advice on cat I am looking at...

[Barrelstar]

Most of you know about my cat O'Malley who passed away a year ago by now I have been on the hunt for a rehome or rescue. A year old registered male has come up for $400 in my area. They say they are selling him and 2 other cats because they are left from the last litter and the economy is so bad. He is not fixed (but I don't breed and would fix him). He is used to cats and dogs but only gets to run in the house 1-2 hours daily. He does not keep him in a cage but in a 10x10 cat room the rest of the time. Says he is friendly. Also close enough that I could go and look at him sometime. He has not been HCM tested but he said his parents were. I do not know if there is proof of that or not. I do have some pics that aren't great. He has more fur than my other sphynx had. What do you all think and what other questions should I ask? Thanks!

 

[Mews2much]

I think you should be careful and do more research before you decide to get him.
You can get proof that the parents were tested.
I ask the breeder for a copy from the vet.
I also would like to know why he is not altered when he is 1 years old already.
He might be spraying becuase he has not been altered.

 

[ckutkuhn7]

I would ask for proof or copies of the negative HCM scan and I'd also go visit and see if you get any good vibes. Keeping a cat in a 10x10 room doesn't sound very sanitary to me. I would probably ask in person why he doesn't get the run of the house as well just so I could "read" his response. Just sounds weird to me.

 

[susi794]

Sounds like the guy breeds as a business if he keeps his cats in a cat room. A one year old unaltered male may very well be spraying. But for $400. I would check him out. My Moody sprayed like nobody's business, but hasn't done it since he was neutered last month--and he was almost three. So, if you can go and see the breeder's facility plus the cat, and the parents have been scanned and it doesn't look like anybody is sick--I'd give it a shot. But that is just me.

 

[Brooke]

Most of you know about my cat O'Malley who passed away a year ago by now I have been on the hunt for a rehome or rescue. A year old registered male has come up for $400 in my area. They say they are selling him and 2 other cats because they are left from the last litter and the economy is so bad. He is not fixed (but I don't breed and would fix him). He is used to cats and dogs but only gets to run in the house 1-2 hours daily. He does not keep him in a cage but in a 10x10 cat room the rest of the time. Says he is friendly. Also close enough that I could go and look at him sometime. He has not been HCM tested but he said his parents were. I do not know if there is proof of that or not. I do have some pics that aren't great. He has more fur than my other sphynx had. What do you all think and what other questions should I ask? Thanks!

So, it sounds like this boy is being sold by a breeder? Or is it a rehome? Is he a retired breeding cat? If they say his parents were HCM scanned, then they'll have proof they can show you. If this is a breeder, do they have a contract? What kind of health guarantee do they offer?

If it's a rehome/rescue, like we've discussed privately via PM, you'll be going into this with a little bit more risk than if you were getting a kitten from a reputable breeder because you won't have a full medical history or any kind of health guarantee. That's not always a bad thing - remember, all 4 of my sphynx are rescues/rehomed. As long as you do your homework, and are aware of the risk...it could turn out to be a great thing!

You mentioned this boy is registered. Find out if the seller is willing to send you a copy of his pedigree. If you PM it to me, I will help you check his lines against the HCM database to see if any of the cats in his pedigree are HCM positive. That will help give you an indication of his risk. Negative parents does not mean he will be negative, but it gives him much better odds.

I'm not alarmed by the fact that he's kept in the 10x10 room. If he's a whole male, and they have whole females, he may just be kept separated so they don't have any unplanned pregnancies, and that is actually a decent sized space. It's not at all rare for males to be kept separated from females in catteries. It's also a good sign that they're willing to let you visit him first and see where he's kept. (my boy Walter was 2 years old and not neutered when I got him. He sprayed a little bit but that stopped completely after he was fixed.)

So, I would visit the cat and see what conditions he's kept in -and also the conditions of the other cats, that can be very telling. Ask for a vet reference and copies of his vet records for proof that he's up to date on vaccinations and been tested for FIV and Feline Leukemia. And, trust your gut. If something seems fishy to you...run! Ask as many questions as you want. If they're put off by a lot of questions, they're probably hiding something. They should be just as concerned with finding him a good home as you are in finding a healthy cat to bring home, right?!

Good luck!! I hope this works out for the best!

 

[susi794]

Well said, Brooke!

 

[Barrelstar]

Thanks for all the replies, I knew you would all be great resources! He told me that he does not spray in the room (not sure If I believe him?). He did also tell me he has 3 females and will at certain times cage either females or males, but said this particular cat has not been used for breeding and has only been in that small room and not caged. I did get a couple pics of the cat in his room. He looks to be in ok health but the room looks kind of ratty to me. Sort of made me think maybe this is a cat I would like to give a better life to. I will email him and see if he is willing to give me some copies of his vet records and the HCM reports from his parents. I will keep you updated. I would like a couple of you to look at these pics also. Check your PMs, thanks!

 

[Jinxlover]

Be careful I paid $400 for my girl from the same kind of breeder and I'm in a big mess.. Well my poor kitten is in a big mess..

 

[Barrelstar]

Be careful I paid $400 for my girl from the same kind of breeder and I'm in a big mess.. Well my poor kitten is in a big mess..

Can you give me some details about this. What should I check for that hasn't been mentioned? What is wrong with your cat? Thanks.

 

[Mews2much]

Me and a few other people from this site are giving her advice.

 

[lemmysmommy]

I agree with the others, check it out and see. Just trust your gut instinct!

 

[ilovemysphynx]

It is worth looking into. It sound like they had to many kittens and had trouble finding homes for them. You are doing everything you should. When you go visit you will know if he is the cat for you.

 

[Barrelstar]

Thanks guys, especially Brooke and Mews2Much who have been putting mucho time into emailing back and forth with me! Now I really don't know what to do. I have this cat and maybe a 6 yr old retired female to choose from. Neither one HCM scanned. Should I choose the closer younger cat for my cats buddy or the older 1? Catman is 3 now. Very playful. One cat comes from what I would call a less than stellar breeder and the other from someone who is getting out of it. sigh...

 

[Marnasobsession]

I wouldn't worry about the age as much as your gut feeling when you go check them out.

 

[havingalook]

Gut feeling for me, would be to keep looking. You can get a retired (3 or 4yr old in a lot of cases) and tested cat from a reputable seller for about the same price and you'll know all its history etc.

Good luck.