21/11/2023
THIS WAS WRITTEN BY ANOTHER BREEDER REGISTERED WITH GCCFSA BUT I CAN'T FIND THE POST TO PUT HER NAME TO IT BUT THE BEST POST.
Hey friends. There's been more and more talk of scammers around the place recently. And "why won't breeders let me visit?!"
We have had people get angry with us because I wouldn't let "anyone" visit on their demand... Honestly, if I let every single local enquiry visit... that would be over 100 people a year. This is our home. Our sanctuary. Our safe, private residence. We aren't a business. My kid lives here. In *some* circumstances, we'll allow a visit from a local who has 100% been offered, and committed to their kitten, including payment and a contract to protect us and them. But in more recent times, I prefer to do live video calls rather than risk visitors and bugs. We had a situation in the earlier days when a bug was tracked in somehow, and it almost wiped us out. In that case, we wouldn't have any more kittens to share.
People can come and meet us at shows. See our cats in a controlled, neutral environment. They can ask around, word of mouth is invaluable. They can talk to admins on breed groups. They can cross check with local governing cat bodies to see that our registration is legit. We're with Gccfsa Inc - SA and DACO.
Yes, the scammers are getting clever. But the ones they successfully prey on, seem to be those that aren't doing their homework, they are handing over money without asking about health testing, a video call, asking around, or doing any checks. Whilst this is heartbreaking... the main take-away here is to check and double check. Also... education! Spreading the word, giving buyers the questions to ask. Often, in the breed groups, you're already preaching to the converted!
I've been impressed recently by more and more people asking:
What health testing do we do?
Who we are reg'd with?
What vet work do we get done?
What are our kittens are exposed to?
Do they like dogs and kids?
Can they be leash trained?
What do we feed?
Why do they come home at a certain age?
Who are their parents?
Can we do a video call?
We also have placed kittens successfully in intestate homes. These people haven't been to my home, they asked around, they did their homework. We did video calls etc. We made it work π
And lastly, while many scams are out there... the buyers aren't always what they seem either. I haven't heard of it here locally, but I've seen stories of people breaking into homes and stealing kittens and puppies in other countries. Humans have also been injured, and in extreme cases k!lled. While I hope that isn't much of a risk here, you just never know.
I need to know my buyers are real, genuine people. And they need to know I'm a real, genuine breeder. It's a two way street.
I spend quite literally weeks and months talking to our kitten homes. We build a strong friendship, and we also seem to attract people with like minded values. We stick around for the life of the kittens, and more. So by the time we get around to signing a contract, there's so much more on the table.
It's not just about having a registration number, that anyone can pay for. That's only ONE puzzle piece. It's about health testing parent cats. Building solid friendships. Showing occasionaly to make sure we're on the right track with the breed standard. Actively striving to preserving the traits and history of the breed. Genetic diversity. Socialising each kitten to everyday world things, sounds and experiences, including early neural stimulation. Supporting our kitten families. Taking a cat back if things don't work out (a reputable breeder's offspring should NEVER contribute to the shelter system). And being there for your offspring for their entire lives, no matter what - this can mean financially, but not always... physical and emotional support is just as important.