Vet's Tips: How to Spot a Good Breeder and Say No to Puppy Mills (Part 1)

[@suj2125]

These are really great tips. I swear I had done a ton of communication and looking into the backyard breeder of a Toyger, and while the breeder did check in intermittently, the type of cat that I had clearly described as a fit vs what wouldn’t be, I was duped into ending up with the cat that I didn’t want. The breeder said at 8 to 10 weeks I think they’re able to tell the personality of the cat and this cat is very chill and sent photos of the cat looking very chill, but the cat is far from chill, the cat is insanely territorial, Bitey, active, And anxious . It’s been an insurmountable amount of stress and even contributed to the loss of my career from the job stress compounded by the high maintenance and antithetical to what I sought, cat. When I picked up the kitten, she passively mentioned that there was this contract. It seemed really weird, but somebody in there association had made it up because they were an attorney, blah blah blah, but it was basically a contract to relinquish any type of accountability. When I started discussing surrendering the cat back, she was unable to take the cat, she found somebody in her town that was willing to take the cat, but this individual didn’t have a home situation that would’ve worked out for the cat so it wouldn’t have been any better other than making my problem now somebody else’s problem. My heart was really set on going to the pound or shelters and finding a cat that just seem to gravitate towards me and getting that cat however the pandemic was dragging forever and after some ill advised encouragement I bought the kitten. To my chagrin about a year and a half later, serendipitously in my friends backyard, who was caring for a stray, that she really couldn’t provide care for any longer was the perfect cat I had sought-chill, docile, sweet, kind, well behaved. She’s really a little angel! The only problem is the Toyger is really not about Integration. And so the costs and stress, continue, hiring a behavioral list, buying screens and additional equipment to try to get integration. And at the end, there’s this huge emotional investment that you have in this living being, and so much guilt for not going with my core plan. And that emotional difficulty with parting with the fella which you really want to but at the same time, don’t want to experience the pain. I really appreciated the part about the breeder, having an intention of bettering the breed in a particular aspect. That really shows that there is a vested interest. Honestly, when I picked up the kitten, after a 3 Hour Dr. into the countryside of Pennsylvania, the home was simple in the countryside, pretty unkempt, so I didn’t think that this breeder would be focused on money. She also mentioned being a cat behaviorist, but whenever I would mention the issues that were coming up, her advice was no different than what I would see on KZbin videos. It was the one of two remaining kittens of the recent litter, the breeder I think probably says this about all the kittens was that the cat was show quality, blah, blah blah, but I’m starting to think that he was actually the skittish one that nobody seemed to want at the end.

[@nickit7655]

One caveat is that some responsible breeders have moved to only meeting in public places for their own safety, because there have been cases in the past of breeders being attacked in their own home by buyers. So a breeder who doesn’t want you to come over isn’t necessarily a red flag. Nowadays they can FaceTime etc to show proof of the dog’s living situation!

[@reginasharp2849]

I love Dr Em!

[@VetMedCorner]

Thank you for absolutely making my day! 😊💜

[@judithb4202]

This is such a good video! Thanks for sharing

[@VetMedCorner]

😊 I hope to edit Part Two soon, there's so much info people need to know!

[@ashlen8717]

If someone is providing paperwork and allowing you to come see the puppies, and seem to be in good health, how do you know the paperwork is legit?

[@VetMedCorner]

This is an excellent question. If there are zero red flags with all the other things mentioned, and the paperwork has a clinic stamp on it and the name of a licensed veterinarian, you would hope it wouldn't be forged.