Buying a kitten

Points of attention

• Cornish Rexes are pedigreed cats and it is an absolute requirement that they have a pedigree document. Requesting a pedigree document from the studbook costs the breeder about €11, if the breeder is telling you the kitten is coming without a pedigree to make you a better offer – he is lying. Are you buying a real Cornish Rex? Are you sure there are no hereditary diseases in the bloodlines you are buying? Did the breeder perhaps commit direct inbreeding?
Cornish Rexes without pedigree documents are hardly ever tested for diseases like FIV (Feline Aids), FeLV (Feline Leukemia), HCM (lethal heart disease) or PKD (lethal kidney disease). Check the Medical Info section on our website for more information about these diseases.

• Always ask the breeder if you can have a look at the pedigree and medical documents of the parents

• Check out the mother of the litter. She has to be present! Sometimes the sire is present too. Ask if you can meet him.

• Kittens should be raised in a clean and safe house.

• Kittens should be living in the house, preferably in the living room. Not closed off in a small room.

• Kittens should be clean, with clean eyes and clean ears. Watch out for sneezing kittens with a dirty nose!

• Visitors are usually not allowed before the kittens reach the age of 5 or 6 weeks, before that age they are too vulnerable.

• Kittens are not allowed to leave for their new homes before they are about 13 weeks old. They are vaccinated for the second time when they are 12 weeks old. The breeder then waits for a few days to make sure the kittens respond well to the vaccination. At about 13 weeks of age, they are ready to leave, fully vaccinated.

• When buying a kitten, be very cautious with breeders who are advertising on websites like Kapaza, Marktplaats, etc. A good breeder will never use these kind of websites. Instead, he will post his advertisements on specialised cat breeding websites.