Well I rang the kitten breeder because she said she'd contact me when the kittens are born, but I hadn't heard anything from her! She said her blue mitted girl Zinnia, gave birth to 4 kittens on the 21st, but sadly one was stillborn.
She said she hasn't looked to see what sex they are yet, so I'm praying there's at least 1 boy!!! She couldn't remember who I was, and had to look through her computer to find my details! She said she would ring me in a week when she can see if they'll be blue colourpoint, blue mitted, or blue bi colour, and she'll tell me then if there are any boys! She said mum and dad are both a good size and very laid back! She seemed quite forgetful, so I hope she doesn't forget me again!!!
That's a little scary that she doesn't keep up with people who plan to buy one of her kittens! Hope she has a boy for you.
I'm sorry to heard! Maybe she is just a very busy person and gives all her attention to the cats! I contacted many breeders and some only gave me news when they had new kittens! Good luck!
We let new litters get a bit established before contacting those with deposits. Depending on how long it has been since we got the deposit, we may not remember where people are in line, their preferences, etc, which only start to make a real difference when one has kittens and know how many, etc. are going to be available from that litter.
That's got to have been a bit unnerving for you! I'm sure she was just concerned about the kittens, considering that one of them was stillborn. Poor little mite.
She would have contacted you once she was sure that the others were happy and healthy, and that she was confident that they were fit to be sold.
Something that bothers me is that she doesnt know the genders... nevermind her not knowing who wants her kittens (That I can actually understand, especially if they've been on a wait list for a long time)
I weigh my kittens at birth, and so do MANY other breeders that I talk to, including my mentor.. and when I weigh, I also record their genders so that I know who weighs what, it helps to know who is gaining and who isnt.
BTW, I use food coloring on their heads to be able to tell them apart from each other.. my charts kind of look like this:
color- gender- weight- date- notes
green m 2.8oz 060710 lack of interest in eating, may be sleepy, watch closer
blue m 3.1oz 060710 nursing very well
red f 2.6oz 060710 nursing well, purring.. aww!!
etc etc etc
I dont know if ALL breeders use this method, but it works for us, and I know genders from birth. I've had 2 that have tricked me into thinking that they were the opposite of what I thought (girls turning out to actually be boys, have yet to have it the other way around), but I still know what MOST of the litters' genders consist of.
Thank you for your replies. When my dog had pups, I weighed and sexed them at birth, and I was able to distinguish them from birth. Maybe this breeder has been breeding for so long that she is bored of doing it! I don't know! She seemed very busy, but now it's the Summer holidays, maybe she'll have more time with the kittens. I was concerned that she didn't remember me! Also she tried to offer me a seal point or a flame point as she has those kittens now! I said I had my heart set on a little blue boy. She said some people change their mind when they see them, and sometimes even say they'll have a girl instead of a boy! She said she hasn't had many blues recently. I hope to God she's not lying to me and already has homes for these kittens when I asked ages ago! Why do I have a feeling she's gonna contact me next week and say they're all female, sorry! I don't know, I'm panicking now!
In my opinion... if a breeder gets "bored" with any experience regarding kitten raising... they should retire and not breed anymore.
Kittens are a little harder to tell apart for genders at birth... dogs are easier because their genitals are in different places (boys have their stuff on their bellies, girls near their bums in dogs), whereas their genitals are in the same location, under the tail for cats.
Yeah I do agree that if she's bored of it, then she shouldn't be doing it anymore!!! She goes to shows etc as well, so think she's very busy. She said the Mum cat Zinnia has won best in show, I think she said it was a TBRCC show. I'm sooooo praying she has a boy for me! I have looked at other breeders, but I just love the look of these cats most!!!
Honestly, telling the sex of kittens at birth is not something that all breeders
can do. Many of the top breeders I know usually wait until the kittens are 2-3 weeks old before they sex them. It doesn't make them less competent as breeders, IMHO. I myself have gotten it wrong before. *blush*
Additionally, I have been "caught off guard" by kitten buyers who've had their name on my waiting list who've called to learn their status. I keep all of that information on my home computer; if I'm called elsewhere, I'm totally lost.
That doesn't mean that each and every kitten buyer isn't special. It just means that sometimes, if I can't see it written right in front of me, I can't remember everything.
I imagine this is true for many breeders.
I wouldn't take either of those two things as red flags, IMHO. I'm crossing my fingers that a beautiful boy is in the litter for you.
