# silver grey tabby kitten availability?



## martp (Apr 15, 2008)

Hi all,

Further to my previous post about deciding on getting a kitten I think we've agreed that a silver/grey tabby would be a good solution.

I'm thinking that Bengal/Savannah cats etc although very pretty to look at would be of unpredictable nature and not likely to be lap cats in any sense.

I really like the typical style Whiska's type cat that are seen on the ads, light grey with distinct black stripes. I find those ones really appealing and are likely to have a good temperament and be the sort of friendly cat my fiancee would really like.

The thing is, do the cat food companies have a monopoly on their breeding programmes and when they become available are they in huge demand and expensive like clown fish were after Finding Nemo and Red Eared Terrapins were after the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles film?


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## billyboysmammy (Sep 12, 2009)

lol!

You mean a silver tabby bristish shorthair i presume?

like this?










Shouldnt be too difficult to find, and a good breeder will have pkd tested the parents, all kittens will be 12 weeks old minimum and have recieved their full vaccinations (amongst plenty of other things that make a good breeder but this isnt about breeders lol)


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## Miss.PuddyCat (Jul 13, 2009)

I have a silver tabby mixed breed girl.










Shes a bit Sassy I think she may have Oriental in her but thats just me. Alot of people who see her comment on her looks.


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## Cazzer (Feb 1, 2010)

she is gorgeous!


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## Baby British (Jan 24, 2010)

You can't go wrong with a BSH, granted I'm bias but they really are the best breed of cat


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## martp (Apr 15, 2008)

That's it  British short hair.

We've decided it'd be a kitten for a start so that we can raise it together as my fiancee doesn't work so she can spend a lot of time with it. Also aiming to get a female to avoid the spraying.

We sound very fussy don't we!


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## spid (Nov 4, 2008)

if you get a boy and get him neutered he won't spray if you get it done around 5-6 months - girls can spray too if you don't neuter them. Boys (in general) are more affectionate (though my boy is very aloof - moggy)


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## Baby British (Jan 24, 2010)

martp said:


> Also aiming to get a female to avoid the spraying.


If a male is neutered before he reaches sexual maturity chances are he won't spray. We had Marley done at 3/4 months and he has never sprayed. Sometimes he will just shake his tail and pretend lol


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## celicababe1986 (Jun 22, 2009)

spid said:


> if you get a boy and get him neutered he won't spray if you get it done around 5-6 months - girls can spray too if you don't neuter them. Boys (in general) are more affectionate (though my boy is very aloof - moggy)


Have to agree, with all my experience that boys are more cuddly then girls.
and I once had a female that used to spray hmy:


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## The Twins (Oct 11, 2009)

Am sure i read on here that girls can scent mark too? Don't rule out boys cos of it tho as mine don't spray as we had them neutered. Boys are cheaper and easier to have neutered than girls too...


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## lemonpie (Jan 16, 2010)

Silver tabbies are lovely, I almost went for a BSH but decided on a maine coon instead  They're great if you want a semi-longhaired kitty.


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## martp (Apr 15, 2008)

Many thanks all, we were aiming for a female as we did think that somewhere down the line it might be a nice experience to have a litter of kittens. It would be a house cat so we'd have to acquire a stud cat at some point if we did.
My fiancee's cats had a couple of litters when she was younger and would love to experience it again.
I didn't realise the boys would be more cuddly, the male cats she had tended to be more skinny and bony than the females (sort of more rugged where the females seemed a little more podgy)


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## jenny armour (Feb 28, 2010)

you took the words right out of my mouth.
the british silver tabbies have a lovely nature at least my bsh blue cream has and she is a lap cat


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## billyboysmammy (Sep 12, 2009)

martp said:


> Many thanks all, we were aiming for a female as we did think that somewhere down the line it might be a nice experience to have a litter of kittens. It would be a house cat so we'd have to acquire a stud cat at some point if we did.
> My fiancee's cats had a couple of litters when she was younger and would love to experience it again.
> I didn't realise the boys would be more cuddly, the male cats she had tended to be more skinny and bony than the females (sort of more rugged where the females seemed a little more podgy)


If you are considering using your girl for breeding you must make the breeders aware of this.

Cats are sold on either the Active (suitable for breeding) or non active (unsuitable for breeding) register. Breeding from a cat that is on the non active register would be a breach of contract and you would not be able to register any of their kittens. There will be a reason for a cat being put on the non active register, and it would be irresponsible to ever breed from it.

As for BSH the boys are definatly the more rounded and cuddle looking - like teddy bears! Girls are curvy too - just not to the same extent as the boys.


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## spid (Nov 4, 2008)

Just be aware if you do decide to breed your BSH that girl cats can't go on having seasons until 'somewhere down the line', cats have a season around once every 3 weeks for around 5--10 days once they reach sexual maturity -- from around 6 months old - to a year. It is extremely unhealthy for a cat to have continuous calls/ seasons/ heats and not be mated - it runs the risks of a very serious potentially life threatening womb infection (pyomytra - sp?), variuos cancers etc, the more they aren't mated the louder and longer and more intense the calls tend to get. This leads to a much greater likelihood of spraying, frustration, and many, many escape attempts in her bid to find a mate. Really, if you want to breed you are best to go into it with your eyes open - knowing all the potential pitfalls and having the backing of your breeder who will probably help you with finding a suitable stud for your girl. You will need a small stash of money put by in case your girl have complications with the pregnancy (£500 ish for an emergency out of hours ceasarian),about £150 ish (I don't know BSH fees) for stud fees, all the releveant tests to make sure your girl isn't carrying any of the potentially leathal diseases (£50) -- plus test to make sure she is PKD free etc. (guessing at around £50). Buying in a stud woith only one girl isn't a good idea really - studs need at least 3 girls to keep them happy - and again you are looking at spraying issues especially once he has become sexually mature and sometimes even neutering them afterwards doesn't stop them spraying. Hence it's a good idea to use an outside stud. 

Don't get put off breeding your girl but do do it sensibly and in the right way -- make sure the breeder you buy from knows what you want and that you are ready for all eventualities and that you know all about the breed and breeding - do loads of research in to the breed specifically. I've had two litters now and still can't see when I'm going to break even costs wise - but that isn't why we breed. 

You may find that when contacting breeders about having a girl on the active register that many breeders won't do it -- just keep persisting and you will finally find someone who you can build up a relationship with and who will be happy for you to have one, but you may have to travel. When I got my girl (in my avatar) I lived in Scotland and she came form Suffolk and her breeder was the only one who would sell to me on the active at that time. 

Good luck


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## messyhearts (Feb 6, 2009)

martp said:


> The thing is, do the cat food companies have a monopoly on their breeding programmes and when they become available are they in huge demand and expensive like clown fish were after Finding Nemo and Red Eared Terrapins were after the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles film?


I am sorry but what? Is this a joke? British Shorthair cats, along with any other animal, are not merchandise.


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## Mystique (Jan 16, 2010)

What beautiful cats they reminded me of my kitty I had when I was younger Jeepers who lived to over 17. And my beautiful Bella who disappeared after Mystique was spayed. I think a neighbor has found friend with a litter of kittens that are gray tabbies, I hope so.


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## lizward (Feb 29, 2008)

messyhearts said:


> I am sorry but what? Is this a joke? British Shorthair cats, along with any other animal, are not merchandise.


I don't think it's a joke, I think the OP simply does not know a great deal about pedigree cats. So it's great that he is here where he will learn 

Liz


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## lizward (Feb 29, 2008)

martp said:


> Many thanks all, we were aiming for a female as we did think that somewhere down the line it might be a nice experience to have a litter of kittens. It would be a house cat so we'd have to acquire a stud cat at some point if we did.
> My fiancee's cats had a couple of litters when she was younger and would love to experience it again.


With most breeds (persians seem to be an exception for some reason), you don't start by getting a stud cat, you take the girl out to stud. You must make the breeder aware before you start that you are looking to breed, because the great majority of pedigree cats go on the non-active register. It may take some effort to find the girl as many breeders are very reluctant to let cats go on the active register at all, let alone to a novice intending just one litter.

This is not intending to put you off because I started breeding myself without realising how it should be done and was simply very lucky to be buying from a breeder who was happy for me to do that. If you are not intending to breed pedigrees then of course this does not apply. But it is not going to be easy to find a silver tabby moggy (most advertised as such seem to be just light coloured brown tabbies that someone thinks would sell better if described as silver!)

Liz


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