# Breeders.. what would you do?



## Tigerkatz (Sep 29, 2008)

I sold a kitten today to a lady who has another cat at home.
She left here at 2:30 and she is approx an hour away... so would have got home at 3:30. 
I explained in great detail that a slow introduction is needed and that the kitten needed to settle first before introducing her to the 12 month old male. 
I am very good at explaining things til I start sounding VERY repetitive! 
She seemed to understand that the cats will not be best friends etc right away. She understood that it will take a bit of time and also the fact that I mentioned not to rush right on into it... otherwise it will cause some unwanted stress.

I get a phone call from someone calling on this ladies behalf (at 6:30).. asking if I will take the kitten back? She is not getting along with the other cat. She is hissing etc. I have sat and explained that the introductions were done too fast and in no way can they come to the conclusion that the cats will not get along. She wanted to know if she could have her money back as the lady who bought the kitten is worried?

What would you do in this situation. I have always said deposits are non refundable and if an owner contacted me later I woudl help rehome the cat from thier house etc. I feel so torn as to what to do. 
Another breeder friend of mine says that in no way do I take the kitten back as she has been in contact with another cat...... not to mention she has not listened to what I have said and needs to give it more time....

Any breeders advice on what you would personally do in this situation or if you have been in this situation.. what did you do?

MANY thanks in advance


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## Jen26 (Apr 22, 2008)

Has she just put the 2 together and expected them to get on? Sometimes it doesnt matter how many times you tell them, once they have the kitten it usually all goes out the window. Maybe try explaining what you told her on the phone again, or even pay her a visit if its not too far,


Ive only ever taken one kitten back because of an allergy, its entirely up to you but if you do take her back i would keep her deposit.
The kitten has been away from you and in contact with other cats, so i would quarantine it untill you now it hasnt brought anything back with it,( the kitten i took back had terrible diarrhea and cost me £80 in vets fees) if she wants to no why you are keeping her deposit, just explain it will cover your wasted time, advertising fees, vets fees etc while in your care, if she has the well being of the cat at heart she will understand.

I hope you can resolve this, jen


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## Tigerkatz (Sep 29, 2008)

Kitten bought outright.. so no deposit.. 

Came.. was here for nearly 2 hours.. and fell in love with the female (who I might add she clearly saw that she was the more dominant one... so nothing new there... she fell in love with her and bought paid for and I hoped listened to all instructions..

I have re- explained to the lady who rang (mom possibly) and ensured her that all instructions were given to her daughter and the lady who was with her.


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## Biawhiska (Mar 28, 2008)

I'd call her and speak to her. Weird her friend called. See what the situation is now with her. If she wants "rid" of the kitten then I'd take the kitten back and refund the money.


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## Jen26 (Apr 22, 2008)

Biawhiska said:


> I'd call her and speak to her. Weird her friend called. See what the situation is now with her. If she wants "rid" of the kitten then I'd take the kitten back and refund the money.


Ye i agree, some peolple like the idea of a kitten then get it home and think its too much like hard work, if you are worried about the kitten take it back, you will find a nice home for the little mite iam sure


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## Saynamore (Feb 28, 2008)

I would have asked first if the male cat she had was neutered or not before parting with the kit. If so fine, but as we all know it can take up to a week for a newcomer to settle in to their new home. I think you need to speak directly to the buyer and suss out the domestic arrangements. You may be able to put the persons mind at rest over the phone as there is bound to be hissing and spitting at first.

Worst case scenario, if the kitten is returned to you I would hold back at least £50 deposit to cover cost of vet health check and readvertising and other expenses


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## ChinaBlue (Feb 3, 2008)

Personally I think I would be inclined to take the kitten back (as you won't know whether they will shun it if you don't and the poor thing has done nothing wrong but be a kitten!) but I would make a deduction for your expenses (petrol, time, phone bill, inconvenience etc) - I would deduct between £50 - £75 (the price of a normal deposit). It may make her more careful next time.

Let us know how you get on.


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## rottiesloveragdolls (Nov 2, 2007)

Saynamore said:


> I would have asked first if the male cat she had was neutered or not before parting with the kit. If so fine, but as we all know it can take up to a week for a newcomer to settle in to their new home. I think you need to speak directly to the buyer and suss out the domestic arrangements. You may be able to put the persons mind at rest over the phone as there is bound to be hissing and spitting at first.
> 
> Worst case scenario, if the kitten is returned to you I would hold back at least £50 deposit to cover cost of vet health check and readvertising and other expenses


*totally agree with the above post, hope you manage to sort something out,*


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## xxSaffronxx (Apr 2, 2008)

I think I would take the kitten back as I would be worried for its welfare (not that im suggesting she or anyone would do anything). But she may rehome it to someone then and you have no control over who it goes to.

I too would keep back £50 deposit for my time and effort and costs incurred.


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## Guest (Oct 29, 2008)

I personally would speak to her first and try and speak to her again - it could just be a bit of a panic. I have introduced so many cats over the years and I always still panic the first few days!

If not, I think you need to consider taking the kitten back but agree with the others - keep back £75-£100 for the inconvenience and also the fact that you will possibly have to keep this kitten in quarantine for a few days, just in case it has picked up anything from the other cat.

Fingers crossed it all works out for the best

Lou
X


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## Tigerkatz (Sep 29, 2008)

The person who initially rang I believe to be her mother... albiet she does not live with her she lives on her own. I am unsure as to whether it is the mother or the daughter who has a concern. 
I have verbally given them instructions as to what to do and what to expect. It seems the daughter is worried they are always going to argue and she is stressed. I have explained to the mother that it will take a bit of time and that a few hours is truly not enough time. 

I have said that I would be happy to have the kitten back but as she has been introduced to another cat I would need to speak to my vets and find out how much a check would be. I will also need to change the microchip details etc. So would not be able to return the full amount. I said I would ring her again tomorrow.. but until then I gave her a few things to try and possibly stick to to help her with the introductions. One hopes she passes it along. If not then I will have her back minus the costs it would cost me to ensure she is ok to be put back with my other kitties. 
I have also given her the option that in a couple of weeks if she is still not happy I would readvertise the kitten for her and rehome her from there or have her back and pass on any monies minus explenses and rehome her from here. ?? just was unsure if this was appropriate?


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## Guest (Oct 29, 2008)

I think you have been incredibly fair and that is exactly what I would have done. I really hope it all settles down as it can take a good 3-4 days before cats calm down with a new arrival.

The vet check is hopefully just a precaution but it absolutely needs to be done so completely agree with that too.

Lou
X


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## Saynamore (Feb 28, 2008)

I think you've gone about everything the right way there lass, they really pee me off these timewasters that are dead keen one minute and then go total opposite, it is so frustrating  Stick to your guns and you and the kit will be ok


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## Tigerkatz (Sep 29, 2008)

well I needed to put my mind at rest.. I am stressing here.. (it comes natural lol) 
I rang the new owner.. she is scared, worried, and upset about the fact that she thinks her boy is frightened and the fact that she thinks they may never like each other. 
I spent an hour on the phone to her explaining that she possibly let them meet far to quickly and against my advice. I have went through everything again and hopefully put her mind at rest to the fact that her boy will not hate her and will not be afraid of the new addition forever. 
She is upset because the boy tried to sniff the new kitty and she hissed and batted her paw at him and he ran a mile and will not come put from under the bed. 
Poor sod.. poor new owner. I remember all those years back when I got my second cat. I thought they were gonna kill each other. They became best of friends after about 3 weeks. No one could have convinced me no matter that it would be fine.. I thought I would have to live my entire life with one cat upstairs and one downstairs 

I think she is really genuine and yes her mom stepped in all guns a blaring demanding a return because it just is not gonna work out. 
New owner is not convinced it will not work.. but more to the point scared it will affect her boy. 
I told he rto keep them separate until kitten finds her feet.. swap bedding for a bit so they are used to the smells.. and to TAKE IT SLOW. Sometimes we may be just the breeder.. but we do know a thing or two. lol


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## Biawhiska (Mar 28, 2008)

Let's hope the new owner sees that the kitten will settle in time and things will be better in the morning.

ps. i have an upstairs/downstairs thing going on here, night mare! LOL


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## Saynamore (Feb 28, 2008)

Sorry to ask again Tigers but has the boy at the home she has gone to been neutered? Sorry asking the obvious but it would make all the difference  xx


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## Tigerkatz (Sep 29, 2008)

It is easy when talking from experience as wel do know it will not always be like this... But I for one know that if she wanted a friend for her boy she will go out again in 6 months and do the same again so she may as well take a bit of time now and before she knows it he will have a new mate  easy for me to say.... she is stressed bless her and I am sure she has had an earful from her mother and god knows who else...


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## Leah100 (Aug 17, 2008)

Tigerkatz said:


> well I needed to put my mind at rest.. I am stressing here.. (it comes natural lol)
> I rang the new owner.. she is scared, worried, and upset about the fact that she thinks her boy is frightened and the fact that she thinks they may never like each other.
> I spent an hour on the phone to her explaining that she possibly let them meet far to quickly and against my advice. I have went through everything again and hopefully put her mind at rest to the fact that her boy will not hate her and will not be afraid of the new addition forever.
> She is upset because the boy tried to sniff the new kitty and she hissed and batted her paw at him and he ran a mile and will not come put from under the bed.
> ...


Hope she listens, I am so nervous about my babies going to new homes ... Has she a feliway? Sorry if it's been mentioned, I haven't read every single post. It really helps calm my lot down if somethings getting them stressed.

I think you handled it all really well, you really couldn't have been any fairer.


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## lizward (Feb 29, 2008)

Some people are totally unreasonable - the best one I had was one who wanted to return the kitten after having it precisely an hour because the poor thing was hiding behind the settee. You can tell them but that doesn't mean they listen. Personally I would just have taken the kitten back and given her money back.

Liz


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## Tigerkatz (Sep 29, 2008)

Leah100 said:


> Hope she listens, I am so nervous about my babies going to new homes ... Has she a feliway? Sorry if it's been mentioned, I haven't read every single post. It really helps calm my lot down if somethings getting them stressed.
> 
> I think you handled it all really well, you really couldn't have been any fairer.


Oh bugger I was going to mention feliway to her... I am gonna ring her again tomorrow.. so that will give me an excuse so she does not think I am "checking" up on her. 
I will def mention it as I know it works quite well with nervous and stressed dogs.. never used it on cats but I am sure it will help the new owner also.
Thanks for reminding me of that.. I think I gace her so much information I will have to go over lil bits again over the next few days.. 
I will try and get her onto here so she can also see that she is not being an awful owner who is stressing her existing cat... 
Its all so empotional for her right now  I do really feel for her.. but I just hope it all works out and she will thanks me later


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## Sungold-Bengals (Mar 10, 2008)

What a worry for you but I think you've been really fair.

Isn't is amazing that the little kitten can scare an adult cat so much?

My little female kittens definately think they are the boss of everyone here including my stud boy who is huge in comparison!

It's a shame that the new owner just thought they'd get along, I suppose she may have thought that the new kitty would be glad of a friend in her boy & they would just like each other.

We had new cats to introduce to each other this year over a period of 2 months. Each time a new kitten came we put her in a dog crate with a blanket over it and allowed everyone to have a good sniff but at arms length.
The other cats would be shut out of the room & the kitten could come out & play & get used to us. Gradually she was introduced to all the other cats.
It took each kitten about 4 days to except each other. 
There are lots of things to try as you will probably be more than aware but you have to give everything time!
It would be good if she could post on here & we could all reassure her 

Goodluck whatever happens


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## Leah100 (Aug 17, 2008)

Tigerkatz said:


> Oh bugger I was going to mention feliway to her... I am gonna ring her again tomorrow.. so that will give me an excuse so she does not think I am "checking" up on her.
> I will def mention it as I know it works quite well with nervous and stressed dogs.. never used it on cats but I am sure it will help the new owner also.
> Thanks for reminding me of that.. I think I gace her so much information I will have to go over lil bits again over the next few days..
> I will try and get her onto here so she can also see that she is not being an awful owner who is stressing her existing cat...
> Its all so empotional for her right now  I do really feel for her.. but I just hope it all works out and she will thanks me later


When I introduced kittens to my mature siamese she was horrified, she's been an only cat for a couple of yrs after we lost her soulmate. It took her a fair old while to get off her high horse, but it's been the making of her, she's talking and playing again, things we hadn't seen for such a long time. 
She needs to give her older cat time and space to adjust. 
Good luck!


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## Tigerkatz (Sep 29, 2008)

thank you everyone for your support  I did mention the crate method to her.. I just hope she does try it. I have also mentioned to her to swap blankets so they get used to each others smells without having to meet each other. 
Her biggest concern was the fact that the kitten was protecting her food.. growling and swatting th eother cat. I am not surprised... she missed her lunch, and then was being fed next to a strange cat. I am sure she was not highly amused. 
I explained to her to take it slow with the dog crate method and get them used to being in the same room but also giving them thier own security etc. 
I do hope she gives it a bit of time and effort because I know they will become friends. The other cat is only 12 months old so it has not been an only cat for long... fingers crossed for her


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## Cerridwen (Jul 26, 2008)

I've been in your situation. I'm always prepared to take kittens back, I've come to understand that no matter how clear you are... people are bad at introducing cats to each other and they often don't have the patience needed.

I got a call in the middle of the night (the new owner had picked up the kitten in the middle of the day) and the new owner was horrified. His older lady simply wouldn't accept the kitten and he asked if I could come and get the kitten as soon as possible.

Sure enough, I brought the kitten back... for the kittens sake. No deposit back since taking the kitten back will mean extra expences.


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## Janee (May 4, 2008)

Not a breeder so you may well poo-poo my 2 cents worth 

If I was in the buyer's position I would like something written down, so i could look at it again and again. What about asking whether you could send an email to her with all the instructions and advice put in black and white?

Also what about referring her to this board or another of your choice so that she can see that she is not the only one......


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## Guest (Oct 30, 2008)

Not a cat breeder myself BUT - know a very good cat breeder locally - she will always take cats/kittens back - BUT does not issue any refunds until the cats/kittens are rehomed again - and off the fee that was initially paid she will deduct any expenses that she has including so much per night for boarding (and a bit more besides if you ask me)i.e trips to the vets, speial diets.
regards
sue


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## lizward (Feb 29, 2008)

DoubleTrouble said:


> Not a cat breeder myself BUT - know a very good cat breeder locally - she will always take cats/kittens back - BUT does not issue any refunds until the cats/kittens are rehomed again - and off the fee that was initially paid she will deduct any expenses that she has including so much per night for boarding (and a bit more besides if you ask me)i.e trips to the vets, speial diets.
> regards
> sue


Which sounds fine of course - and the breeder is perfectly within her rights. However any breeder with a policy like this needs to be aware that many buyers will be likely simply to try their luck at selling the cat on if they think they are going to get more money back that way.

Liz


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## kozykatz (May 18, 2008)

I agree with the others that Tigerkatz has been very fair and the new owner has behaved rather irresponsibly.

Personally I do give written instructions on how to settle in a new kitten, and I make sure the potential owner has been sent these instructions in advance so that they have the chance to read and understand them before the excitement of actually getting the kitten home!

And having said all that, I freely admit that when I've brought in new kittens, I've just let them mix with my other cats straight away and there have been no problems whatsoever! My most recent acquisition was my choc Burmese girl, I brought her into the kitchen, put her carrier down and my cats congregated around it - there was no hissing from anyone so I let her out and she immediately found the food and the toys! but I do think my cats are very laid-back and tolerant on the whole - thank goodness 



Janee said:


> Not a breeder so you may well poo-poo my 2 cents worth
> 
> If I was in the buyer's position I would like something written down, so i could look at it again and again. What about asking whether you could send an email to her with all the instructions and advice put in black and white?
> 
> Also what about referring her to this board or another of your choice so that she can see that she is not the only one......


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## Leah100 (Aug 17, 2008)

Janee said:


> Not a breeder so you may well poo-poo my 2 cents worth
> 
> If I was in the buyer's position I would like something written down, so i could look at it again and again. What about asking whether you could send an email to her with all the instructions and advice put in black and white?
> 
> Also what about referring her to this board or another of your choice so that she can see that she is not the only one......


Lots do this, it comes in with the kittenpack in hard copy as part of the general advice , but is often discussed or posted or emailed beforehand too


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## lizward (Feb 29, 2008)

kozykatz said:


> And having said all that, I freely admit that when I've brought in new kittens, I've just let them mix with my other cats straight away and there have been no problems whatsoever!


Same here - three times this year, and the worst problem was Katie deciding she didn't like Archie and peeing up my leg to make the point! But I guess we are not quite in the same position as a total novice.

My parents recently homed a cat and one of her kittens together to a neighbour, and the neighbour soon phoned up in a panic "because they were fighting". Of course it was just the normal play that you would expect between a young cat and her kitten but the neighbour could not be convinced so my parents have pretty much accepted that they are keeping the cat after all.

Liz


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## Tigerkatz (Sep 29, 2008)

All information sent home with her... I doubt she read any of it to be fair lol 
Sometimes it does not matter what information is sent home lol Sometimes it never ever leaves the information pack. I am hoping that the verbal contact will have lessened the stress in this situation.  because everything has been verbally and discussed again at great length.


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## Sungold-Bengals (Mar 10, 2008)

Well it all sounds a lot more hopeful now - fingers still crossed for you


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