# How old is too old?



## gloworm*mushroom (Mar 4, 2011)

not sure if this is the right section but thought i would pop it here anyway.

How old do breeders here breed their queens until? (this is going somewhere) I was just wondering as I have seem some cats having litters quite, late in my opinion but maybe this differs between breeders.

When (if) you rehome your breeding queens, do you spay before they go, and what sort of 'price' do you put on your rehomed queens?


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## lizward (Feb 29, 2008)

I've only ever sold one on. She was 5 or 6 and had had two caesareans. The chances of getting her to mix with the others looked remote (I bought her in as an adult) so I decided to rehome her. I emphasised very strongly to the new people that she had had two caesareans in a row and they must not risk another pregnancy unless they wanted to also risk a very large vet bill. They seemed to be responsible so I left it to them to arrange spaying.

Several months later I had a phone call from a local vet as the cat had been taken in for spaying, Only it wasn't the person I sold the cat to, it was someone who had found the cat in her garden with a young kitten and had been feeding her for several weeks.

Never again.

Liz


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## Soupie (Sep 2, 2008)

Not at the point of neutering my first queen yet but she will be speyed next year after her 3rd litter - she'll be about 3.5 years by then. I'll be neutering her before she is rehomed and she will be rehomed to a place where she can be spoiled rotten and loved and adored without competing with other queens and babies for attention. 

I don't intend to charge for her when finding her a forever home.


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## gloworm*mushroom (Mar 4, 2011)

The reason I ask is there is a beautiful girl being rehomed near to me from a breeder (though whether they are responsible enough or not remains to be seen)

I enquired about her as a friend is looking for an older cat (this one is 5, just weaned a litter) and they are rehoming her, unspayed, and asking almost as much as a kitten would be...

Personally I think once you have 'used' the queen for what you wanted, you should find her a wonderful home, spayed, and not charge a penny for her (especially only weeks after getting money for their kittens!)

Must add I do totally understand people rehoming the queens, and have ZERO problem with people doing that.


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## Cat_Crazy (Jul 15, 2009)

My very first Birman was an ex-breeding queen, she was 2 years old when we bought her, had only had 1 litter but needed a c-section so they neutered and re-homed her.

We paid £100 pounds for her, she was fully vax, spayed and chipped etc.

Nala I bought on an active contract but she was also an adult. The breeder had not yet bred her but due to personal problems was taking time out and knew it was either spay Nala or breed her now. She was going to spay her and re-home her when we got in touch and she came to us on an active contract with provision that the breeder can purchase one of her kittens back to continue her lines with.

Sadly Nala's first litter did not go well and we lost all the kittens and so had Nala spayed at the same time. We kept her though as we were only really looking for a pet and just wanted to give having a litter a try.

We paid £250 for Nala, this is qute reduced from the normal active price as the breeder wanted to retain full control, keep Nala in her name until after the litter etc.


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## Sadie SU (May 15, 2011)

The RSPCA recently charged us £40 to adopt a young adult cat, and that covered the cost of both spaying and microchipping her. I don't think it unreasonable to charge an amount in that sort of quantum area to rehome a cat like Soupie's queen. 

I know that Soupie is in the position of having a wide circle of friends and acquaintances who I'm sure will be queuing up to take her cat when the time comes, but as a general principle I don't think I'd be very comfortable with letting a cat go for nothing, even if spayed. Sadly there is an underlying lack of respect that can be shown by people to something that they got for nothing.


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## havoc (Dec 8, 2008)

I wouldn't ever rehome an ex breeding queen without spaying first and as it happens I wouldn't expect any money. That said, I don't advertise either as I wait for the right home to turn up - they always do. If I rehomed by advertising I would definitely put a fairly hefty price tag on the ad and then drop the price dramatically for the right home. I'd be petrified of attracting people who were just after something for nothing otherwise.


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## missye87 (Apr 4, 2011)

Storm isn't a queen (he does sound like one though) and had been mated once before the breeder had to wind down the breeding for her own reasons. We bought him for £100 and we couldn't have been happier


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## LittleTyke (Apr 14, 2011)

gloworm*mushroom said:


> Personally I think once you have 'used' the queen for what you wanted, you should find her a wonderful home, spayed, and not charge a penny for her (especially only weeks after getting money for their kittens!)


Personally I don't see why people shouldn't charge for their ex-queens. They have paid for her vaccinations and spay and her general well being and you are still buying a registered pedigree, eligible to show and enjoy for life. I would have thought anything from £100 to £200 to ensure she goes to the right type of home would be about right. Less could equal dodgy, more could equal greedy (exceptions to both of course!)


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## gloworm*mushroom (Mar 4, 2011)

LittleTyke said:


> Personally I don't see why people shouldn't charge for their ex-queens. They have paid for her vaccinations and spay and her general well being and you are still buying a registered pedigree, eligible to show and enjoy for life. I would have thought anything from £100 to £200 to ensure she goes to the right type of home would be about right. Less could equal dodgy, more could equal greedy (exceptions to both of course!)


Like I said in my opinion, you have 'used' (for want of a better word) your queen. It is your responsibility to spay her, I dont see why other people should pay for the spay (new kittens owners mostly pay for the neutering of their own animals plus any vaccinations afterwards)

Making sure they go to a good home, of course, but trying to charge through the nose for a cat you have enjoyed the company of for 5 plus years, has given you kittens for however many years... My priority would be finding her a good home if I could not afford it, not trying to recoup my spaying, vaccination and 'well being' costs.


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## Soupie (Sep 2, 2008)

Sadie SU said:


> The RSPCA recently charged us £40 to adopt a young adult cat, and that covered the cost of both spaying and microchipping her. I don't think it unreasonable to charge an amount in that sort of quantum area to rehome a cat like Soupie's queen.
> 
> I know that Soupie is in the position of having a wide circle of friends and acquaintances who I'm sure will be queuing up to take her cat when the time comes, but as a general principle I don't think I'd be very comfortable with letting a cat go for nothing, even if spayed. Sadly there is an underlying lack of respect that can be shown by people to something that they got for nothing.


Absolutely Sadie - you know me - but then I would only rehome a queen if at all to a friend where I could be assured of knowing how they get on and trust them to be loved and adored.


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## Marley boy (Sep 6, 2010)

If I was rehoming a cat ex breeding or not I would not be sitting there adding up all her vaccinations over the years and spaying cost, for the simple fact that she was my cat for all them years. I dont see how breeders can justify charging 100s. You can tell a good potential owner by meeting them and asking question ect no need to charge them, they are essentially doing you a favour by giving your cat (that has been used) a home. When my dad gave me his old telly years ago he didnt charge me for tv license he had to buy over the years in order to use the telly.  This is not a dig at breeders just I would not pay (or not alot) for an ex breeding queen.


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## Marley boy (Sep 6, 2010)

oh dear its late my spelling has gone out the window :nonod:


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## Amethyst (Jun 16, 2010)

I would hope ALL breeders re-homing cats would have the decency and common sense to spay their girls before they let them go.

Personally I would not object to paying for the cost of a spay as when buying them, but no more. I do think many breeders are very greedy when it comes to selling their ex breeding cats and dogs.


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## missye87 (Apr 4, 2011)

The lady I bought Storm from wanted to charge but not too much, more as a token fee so she didn't get all the odd people wanting a free MC


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