Buying a kitten

Things to keep in mind when buying a kitten anywhere

• Cornish Rexes are purebred cats and should have a pedigree. It is prohibited in Belgium to breed kittens if you are not a recognized breeder with an HK number.
It is also prohibited to breed or trade kittens without a pedigree.

Applying for the pedigree document for a kitten costs approximately €15, so this cannot be an excuse to purchase a cheaper kitten without a pedigree.
In addition, it is mandatory to submit various health tests, to provide a warranty certificate with the kitten and to prove via DNA that the pedigree of the kittens is indeed correct.

Are you really buying a Cornish Rex? Are there no known hereditary diseases in the lines?
Often “purebred cats” without a pedigree have not been tested for diseases such as FIV (feline AIDS), FeLV (feline leukemia), HCM (heart disease), PRA (eye disease), PKD (kidney disease), etc.
See Medical info for more information about these diseases.

• Always ask for the pedigree and medical tests of the parents.

• Beware that the mother of the kittens should be present. If the cattery has their own stud, you can ask to see him too.

• It should be clean in the house where kittens are growing up.

• The kittens should be living and growing up in a home with their family, indoor and definitely not caged.

• Kittens should be clean, have clean eyes and noses.

• It is customary that kittens are only allowed to see visitors after the first vaccination, i.e. after 9 weeks, because they are very vulnerable at a young age. Washing hands and taking off shoes before entering the cattery is a normal practice.

• Kittens may not move to their new home until 14 weeks at the earliest. They receive a booster vaccination at 12 weeks and if they are not being sold to a breeder, they are spayed or neutered, according to Belgian law. A good breeder will ensure that the kitten has time to recover after the surgery.
When the breeder sees that there are no side effects from the vaccination or neutering, the kittens can move to their new homes completely protected.

• Be extra alert to “Tweedehands” and “Marktplaats” selling advertisements. A good breeder does not advertise on such sites, but through the breed club or on advertising sites that are specifically for pedigree kittens. Many breeders work with waiting lists. Just rarely and only through a lucky coincidence, you could reserve a kitten very quickly