Welcome to Sarikakings

Frequently asked questions for kitten owners ~
THIS PAGE GIVE S YOU ADVICE ON WHAT YOU SHOULD BE LOOKING FOR WHEN LOOKING FOR A NEW KITTEN
The links below are for kitten owners about introducing your new kitten, whether your kitten should go out and also about raw feeding.

A few points to help prospective kitten owners who are looking for a pedigree kitten.
Please, it is quite long, but it will hopefully help you find what you are looking for without too much heartache...
When looking for a kitten, the most important thing is to do some REASEARCH, the more you research, the less change of you making mistakes.

Read as much as you can about your chosen breed and if possible, study the Standard of Points ~ SOP (these are published for each breed and can be obtained from the breed clubs, GCCF or via the internet) There are loads of kitten breeders, and not all breed for the welfare of the promotion of their chosen breed(s). Remember this little kitten is hopefully going to be with you for around 12+ years, so its worth spending a little time making sure that you find the right kitten for you. there are breeders and then there Breeders. Do not buy a kitten because you feel sorry for it ~ you cant buy all the kittens you feel sorry for, and there will be lots more ...

Try to find a Breeder that you get on with, we can't all get along with everyone, but if you like the person you are going to buy from, it certainly helps, I love to hear from my kitten owners and I like to think of them as my "friends"

How to choose a Reputable Breeder

Breeding is a hobby, not a business. ~ Finding a reputable breeding can be really hard, over the years, I have decided that unfortunately people are not always honest and its not easy to tell who is telling the truth, Ive made mistakes myself, which makes me even more cautious now. If you have any doubts, then I would look elsewhere.   Here are a few points to help you

First, do they show, or are they just breeding, Usually if they show, they are interested in promoting their chosen breed, showing also tells you how your cats resembles the SOP, it also shows that this Breeder is trying to produce kittens that comply with the SOP.

Secondly, how are their cats kept. If they are outside, are their runs of an adequate size, heated and clean, remember these cats are kept in these runs for a long time, years. Do they have plenty of things to do. Where are their runs positioned, are they in the garden or tucked away out of sight.
Are their cats sociable.

Do they have cats indoors (it always surprises me when I visit breeders and they have no cats in the house ~ hubby is allergic to them, Im amazed how many breeders there are with allergic husbands ~ personally Id find a new husband!!!!)   I love and adore cats which is why I breed.

If you love something why keep them ALL outside. My boys do live outside most of the time, but they get to come indoors for their special time, NON of my girls live outside completely.

Are they happy to talk, do they ask questions (this is something I believe is really important) and are they happy to answer your questions, I love to talk about my cats, some woudl say Im a bit "mad", "obessed" but I love them to bits, they are my life, theya re very important to me.

Book appointments to see kittens, don't go with the intent of buying one, just go and have a look. Any reputable breeder will give you time to think about whether this kitten is right for you. I am always happy to hold a kitten for 48 hours sometimes longer. I would rather someone makes the right decision, it also gives me time to think about whether this kitten is right for you too, I do occasionally refuse a sale, these kittens are very special to me, its very difficult to refuse a sale, bit its something that I'm afraid does sometimes happen.

A reputable Breeder should be someone who will always be there, will provide you with as much support as you require. Breeding is a hobby, its not a money making business, if you break even one year, you are lucky ~ showing, VET BILLS, food, heating, toys these all cost money, and then there's the time you spend cleaning, and then more cleaning. Sleepless nights, and the Worry. It has fantastic highs, but the low are very very low.

When visiting the breeder ~ please do not make appointments to visit lots of kittens in one day (if the kittens have not been vaccinated, thsi could be very dangerous) Please inform the Breeder if you are visiting more than one breeder on the same day

Go prepared, takes notes, and ask questions.

Depending on how old the kittens are :-

How do they react with you ~ once a kitten is 6 weeks old (I usually don't let people visit until a kitten is at least 6 weeks old) they should be happy to come and see you and happy to be handled. They may be a little bit wary of you, but how are they with the Breeder, a kitten that wants to play rather than have a cuddle is fine, but a kitten that is hiding, may not be suitable for a noisy household.

Is mum around, (if not, ask to see mum ~ ask to see dad if possible) are both parents sociable, (remembering that dad is a "stud cat" he's far more interested in his girls than cuddles!!!, but he should be happy, well cared for, and know his owner, kittens take their temperament from mum and dad.

How do kittens react to mum and how is mum with her kittens. This is very important. Remember that not everyone is honest. This might not be mum, queens can call as early as 2 weeks after giving birth, my girls have one litter a year, this is not always the case.

A well socialised itten should be happy to be handled. They may be a bit shy with you at first, but how are they with the Breeder, are they out playing, happy to come and see what's going on, a kitten that hides away in a corner has not been socialised property. You do occasionally get a more nervous kitten than another, and certain breeders are more reserved than others, but if its the whole litter that is hiding them something is not right

A kitten learns most of its socialization skills from birth to 16 weeks
If you want a sociable cat then you need a sociable kitten

Not all kittens are the same, there are pedigree kittens and there there are Pedigree kittens, not all kittens are raised indoors, indoors confined to a pen is not the same as indoors running free We do use a kitten room and the occasional pen, but this is for safety reasons, but this is not constantly, kittens need to explore, they need noise, simulation, new interests daily. We try to introduce them to all noises, so that when they go to their new home they know what a TV is, the hoover, children, dogs, and other cats, we like to think of our kittens as "BOMBPROOF"

Use your common sense, if you have done your research, you should be able to decide whether the kittens have been raised properly, and do resemble the breed you are looking for.   There are loads of kittens advertised, there are loads of breeders, there are loads of pedigree kittens and loads of non pedigree kittens, "a kitten advertised with a pedigree is not necessarily a pedigree kitten" all are not the same

A Pedigree Kitten will be registered with a governing body, GCCF (pink slip) TICA (Transfer form)
~ these are the two that we use, there is also FIFE in the UK.
Your breeder will give you their registration papers on collection unless otherwise agreed, this has to be agreed with you in writing.
A kitten is not a pedigree kitten if it is not registered, please be careful.

Any pedigree cat that is breed from MUST be registered with a governing body and be registered as ACTIVE ~ this means they can be bred from There is no exception on this rule, please check that you are buying from a "registered active cat"

NON ACTIVE ~ must not be breed from, this could have genetic problems ~ health issues, the Breeder has sold this kitten on the NON ACTIVE as a PET.

It amazes me how many pedigree kittens are advertised with a pedigree but not registered. These are not pedigree kittens. There are numerous cats being sold on for breeding, advertised as "with papers but not registered" these poor cats should never have been bred from in the first place and yet, they are being moved around the country like a breeding machine
It upsets me to see this and makes me really cross .
Cats are living creatures, they deserve to be treated with respect and loved, not used purely as a money making machine.   Any Reputable Breeder will have a Contract on any kitten sold. This is to protect the kitten.   Any kitten sold for breeding, will have a Contract which will state that this cat cannot be sold, rehomed, or given away without the Breeder's permission ~ Reputable Breeders do not want their kittens to end up being used purely to make kittens; its not what breeding is about.

Please only buy from registered active cats, there are far to many kittens/cats in rescue, far to many kittens being sold unregistered, breed from unregistered cats, these usually cause the kitten owner loads of problems, please please do your research, if you are unsure then look elsewhere.

These breeders are breeding to make money, and its usually the poor cats and kittens that suffer. The only way to stop this is not to buy from them. I cannot stress this enough, its is so important to buy a kitten from a Registered Breeder If you are unsure then ask, any responsible breeder will happily answer any questions.

NO KITTEN LEAVES HERE AFTER THE AGE OF GIVE MONTHS UNNEUTERED, AND A NEUTERING CERTIFICATE WILL BE REQUIRED BEFORE ANY PAPERWORK IS GIVEN A CONTRACT OF CATE WILL ALSO NEED TO BE SIGNED ON COLLECT OF ANY KITTEN
Please click here for Care Contract

We very very rarely sell on the ACTIVE, if you do want to breed, then please check out our FAQ for Breeding

PET INSURANCE ~ Most breeders offer six weeks pet insurance with Petplan, we do not pay for this, this is something that Petplan do in a way of hopefully you keeping the policy going. However, I do feel that Petplan is one of the best insurance companies, they pay out very quickly, and are for LIFE. Please check any policy you take out and make sure this covers for Life, this means that if Tommy gets a nasty eye infection and this is reoccurring, Petplan will cover him for life any policy that does not state Life, only covers for the year of the policy.

BEDDING AND TOYS ~ Bedding, a cardboard box is usually preferred, I am always asked about buying a nice bed, most of the time the cat ignores the bed and prefers the sofa, or your bed, or a nice cardboard box. Mine love to curl up in their cat carrier, I leave my cat carriers out around the house so its less stressful when they go to shows or the vets and they love to sleep in them.    A scratch post is certainly a good idea, it will hopefully stop them scratching the sofa, buy a good quality scratch post, one at least 4ft high, a cat needs to stretch out when they scratch.   Bengals love toys, they love feathers, and will destroy any feathered toy very quickly, I go through no end. There is a toy on the market called a Da Bird and you can buy these from Ebay. These are brilliant and the cats love them.

LITTER TRAYS ~ Litter trays are very important, use a good quality litter, and empty the soiled bits daily, if you only have one cat, then you can empty the whole tray once a week and then wash with diluted bleach and leave to dry. If you have multi cats, then you should supply one litter tray per cat plus one extra. These should be cleaned regularly, daily if possible ~ empty completely, wash with dilute bleach and leave to dry.

Multicat households, are more prone to diseases, one being corona virus which are passed through faeces, if the corona virus mutates, this causes something called FIP, Feline Infectious Peritonitis which is a deadly disease, (some cats have survived FIP, but its believed that they were wrongly diagnosed). There is no cure for FIP.   This is a very strange disease and no one knows why the corona virus mutates in some cats, it doesn't necessary attack the weak, it can sometimes be the healthiest of kittens, I do feel that its something that cat owners should be aware off.

It is called Feline Infectious Peritonitis, but it is not infectious, the corona virus is infections, once the corona virus mutates, the infection has gone, if you have lost a cat recently to FIP and are very concerned about your other cats, try not to worry, you will probably never see FIP again, PLEASE do not let your vet put your cat to sleep until all tests have been done, numerous cats are wrongly diagnosed with FIP.    A cat that has a titre does not necessarily have FIP, 95% of cats that are sent for post mortem DO NOT have FIP.

Bleach is very good at killing corona virus, keep stress levels down, think of stress as a challenge to a cat, vaccinations, new home, new kitten arriving, visits to the vet, neutering, going to cattery.   Try and minimise your cats stress levels as much as possible, DONT DO TO MUCH AT ONCE, especially when young.

FIP is more likely to attack young kittens and old cats.   I didn't know very much about FIP until my mum lost a kitten to it a few years ago, her vets knew very little too. It is one of the diseases that all breeders dread. Its an awful disease, it behaves totally differently in the home, than in a laboratory environment. Its is very difficult to diagnose.

If you would like to make a donation into FIP research please click here.   http://web.mac. com/cat_toons/ iWeb/feline- care/DONATIONS. html

If you've got this far, then you will make a good kitten owner, I cannot stress how important it is to do research, I am always happy to help anyone with a cat problem, (not medical, ~ I'm always happy to give support, but I cannot give advice on a medical issue, this would have to be discussed with a vet) if you are looking for a kitten and want advice, please call, I will help if I can, even if its a different breed, I do have a lot of friends who breed, and if I don't know someone, I probably know someone who does.

I love this hobby, its amazing, and gives so much joy, anyone wishing to start out in showing and breeding, think about it seriously, is it really right for you, would you miss your sister's wedding, your child's first play, because your cat had just gone into labour, you really do need to be with them, something can go wrong, and you could loose mum and babies, you can plan, but nature does what it wants, and the best laid plan ............if you can honestly answer YES, then maybe you are right to breed. I will help anyone who really wants to start out in this hobby, but you must really really want to. Its very time consuming, and very expensive.   Think about WHY you want to breed. There is really only one reason............

Kitten owners, please also remember that, we as Breeders, are human, and we try out best, but occasionally things do go wrong, a good Breeder wants to work with you if there is a problem, we want to help, we cannot help if we do not know, don't feel that you are being a nuisance, or you don't want to worry us, this is what we are here for, to support and help, we cannot help if we are not asked, PLEASE PLEASE phone your breeder if you have any queries or worries.

As a responsible Breeder, I really do want to know what is happening, and I will try my best to help, listen to your Breeder, they do know what they are doing, they want the best for their kitten, if there is a problem, they want to know, Ive only ever really had a few problems over the years, but they have always been from owners that didn't keep in touch, didn't let me know what was going on, once communications do break down, then its hard to get them back, if you have a good "friendship" with your Breeder, which is how I like to think of my kitten owners, then its far easier to sort out a problem, no responsible Breeder, breeds to give anyone heartache.

We are members of the Novice Breeders Advice Group which is a brilliant group who offer loads of support and advice for breeders.

If these anything that you think would be handy to have on this page, please email me and I will add it....