Ragdoll Cat Forums

Oh yes, I would never tell her what she is feeding is no good. I would never have advised the person who started this thread to say that what she was feeding that was no good. What I encouraged her to do do was contact the breeder to work a compromise. Read my original post.....I made the assumption - based on her posting - that the kittens were getting dry and that meat had been added recently (another assumption that she had already talked to the breeder about what she fed kittens when she was vetting breeders), and that they could ask that the meat be withheld (note the "just" the biscuits) - where my assumption was that was what they were basically getting.

"I would think that you could tell your breeder that you do not plan on feeding any meat and would she feed your two just the biscuits so that their digestive systems will be settled to that when they come home. I'm sure a breeder would be quite understanding. "

Well, you know what they say about assumptions!

Here's my second post to refresh the memory:

"I was under the assumption they were feeding biscuits in addition to meat. As a breeder would you really take umbrage if one of the purchasers of your kittens informed you that they hoped to feed their kittens biscuits only and could you assist in the transition to their home by not feeding the kitten they planned to purchase meat? I would think that a breeder would want to make the transition as easy as possible for the kitten and be willing to do their best to limit the kitten to just the biscuits they were already feeding.

If the breeder is feeding meat only -- then they have more concern and I think should discuss with the breeder that they don't plan to feed their kitten meat and could the breeder help them in the transition before the kitten comes home to transition to kitten biscuits. Approached properly and with the kittens health as the foremost concern, I can't understand why a breeder would be upset. To me it shows the potential adopters are thinking ahead and are concerned and understand the problems with a quick transition on food for a kitten. "

Note that I ask about doing exactly what I'm proposing to you -- not asking them to quit feeding meat - but instead to ask if the breeder might help them in the transition a little earlier....

My "conversation" with the breeder is based strictly on what I posted and at no point do I see where I advise them to tell the breeder that the meat they are feeding is no good and to quit doing it -- do you?

So.....this conversation has been totally pointless as I was holding up the conversation I had advised having with the breeder and not the conversation you interpreted I was going to have with the breeder. Do you agree?

I guess your criticism of my post was from not understanding it. It was about contacting the breeder to tell her to stop feeding what she was feeding, whether in whole or in part. I have looked again and do not really understand where the confusion crept in. I have not read of any plan or desire of squiglet's DH to do anything OTHER than that, which I thought a poor idea - and you seem to agree. ; ) If you want to make another go of it with the predicate that the breeder is feeding both and you are asking to stop feeding wet food only, then I think you end in the same spot, because the obvious response is that taking away a food is not going to upset their stomach's when they get to your home and to stop feeding wet before they leave means the breeder has to put them away while the wet is out for the other cats, which may be all night and a good part of the day. What possible disingenuous reason are you going to come up with in that case to avoid the "You are not feeding good food" message that you agree cannot be made. A very important part of the socialization at the breeder's is the time of the mother with the kittens, littermates with each other and kittens with other adult cats - and people. Closing them off is contrary to the reason they are not already moving to the new home.

I can't help but laugh at all we've been through to end up here!!

No, I would never tell a breeder not to feed my kitten what they are feeding them as a main diet, because if I've chosen them as my breeder then I would hope that I did so after doing my homework and determining that they have a good breeding program - therefore they must be doing really well by the kittens.

However, in this same vein, I do believe that a breeder should be one that we can take our concerns to and that is willing to listen and if possible, help the new parents to be successful. In this case, if feeding them only wet, then consider feeding some of the dry into their diet as a treat to begin with. I guess I find it hard to believe that any breeder would feed a kitten only wet anyway - in which case, it really is a moot point because discontinuing wet when dry is also successfully being fed should not upset those "iron clad tummies" that they have when they get to their new homes.

What 'cha say Jan, shall we call it quits??

That is fine. (By the way, I think it a VERY bad idea to deliver to the breeder the "because they are our kittens" part of the message too. ; ) )

I'll give you that one -- until they are in our hands, they are never "our" kittens

Well that was entertaining………

When I sit down with or write to potential families for my kittens, food is always a subject discussed before any contract is signed. We feed wet and dry and would never tolerate for an interested family to tell us our choices are wrong and must be changed but we would always help transitioning the kitten onto their choice of food as long as it was a healthy choice, in my opinion.

We have had our share of families agreeing to continue the brands of foods we feed our kittens but soon as spring rolls around they write asking why kitty is shedding sooooooo much hair. Nine times out of ten they have decided to offer kitty a supermarket brand food such a Whiskas.

Squiglet, if you truly would like to home these kittens I would advise you to calm your husband down before the next visit to the breeder otherwise you may be looking else where for Ragdoll kittens.

Milo’s Mum makes a good point here:

Quote:I can't speak for others but I did not buy from my breeder based on the assumption that she knows better than me how to raise my cat ... I purchased from her for the following reasons

She was a proven reliable breeder with good history,reputation, good blood lines etc
The correct paper work and registration was provided
A written contract and health guarantee was given
The neccessary vacinations and vet tests were done

Quote:I can't speak for others but I did not buy from my breeder based on the assumption that she knows better than me how to raise my cat

Since this has been repeated, I will just make the point that someone who has never bred cats is very unlikely to know the right QUESTIONS to ask about breeding kittens and raising newborns, much less know the answers to those questions better than breeders. Non-breeders SHOULD go to someone who knows better than she how to "raise her cat."

The first criteria listed really includes this factor: "She was a proven reliable breeder with good history,reputation"