Tuesday, 31 December 2013
Colonel Mustard - the best kitten ever!
After two horrendous experiences with breeders (see posts below) I gave up on trying to buy a pure-bred Maine Coon. Instead, we acquired the amazing Colonel Mustard who is a Maine Coon/Bengal cross. He came from a lovely lady who was not a professional breeder and just wanted her cats to go to good homes.
Advice on buying a pedigree Maine Coon kitten in the UK: 3 top tips
Having been messed around by two different Maine Coon breeders, here are my three top tips for
anyone looking to buy a Maine Coon kitten.
1. Buy a mixed breed. That way you should avoid many of the unscrupulous breeders whose only concern is making as much money as they can from pedigrees. Our cat, Colonel Mustard, is one quarter Maine Coon and he's amazing!
2. Be aware that your deposit is worthless. Unscrupulous breeders won't think twice about sending your deposit back at the last moment if they get a better offer.
3. Get a mobile number. Some unscrupulous breeders prefer to deal only via email. If a breeder is reluctant to give you their mobile number then alarm bells should start ringing.
My brief experience in this racket has left me of the opinion that many Maine Coon breeders want to make as much money as possible and everything else is secondary. It seems that the welfare of the kittens and the interests of the customer are of little or no interest to some breeders, and they often won't think twice about going back on their word if a higher bidder comes along.
1. Buy a mixed breed. That way you should avoid many of the unscrupulous breeders whose only concern is making as much money as they can from pedigrees. Our cat, Colonel Mustard, is one quarter Maine Coon and he's amazing!
2. Be aware that your deposit is worthless. Unscrupulous breeders won't think twice about sending your deposit back at the last moment if they get a better offer.
3. Get a mobile number. Some unscrupulous breeders prefer to deal only via email. If a breeder is reluctant to give you their mobile number then alarm bells should start ringing.
My brief experience in this racket has left me of the opinion that many Maine Coon breeders want to make as much money as possible and everything else is secondary. It seems that the welfare of the kittens and the interests of the customer are of little or no interest to some breeders, and they often won't think twice about going back on their word if a higher bidder comes along.
Looking for a Maine Coon kitten? Watch out for a breeder using the name Jackie Newark in Westerham, Kent
Having originally agreed to sell us a Maine Coon kitten, a breeder in
Tatsfield in Westerham, Kent - using the name of Jackie Newark - went back on her word in dramatic and somewhat bizarre fashion (see previous post).
One of her final emails to me stated:
"Something is telling me not to sell you the kitten... I won't change my mind. I just don't think this kitten is meant for you".
My partner and I had travelled all the way from North West London to meet this kitten some weeks ago. We had fallen in love with him, we had named him and were poised to collect him after waiting for a number of weeks. Only on the morning that we finally were due to collect him had she begun to send emails telling us to hold off, for various - seemingly bogus - reasons. And now this. My partner was in tears.
The woman's email about the kitten not being "meant for you" was especially strange as she had shown no interest in what kind of home we had, asking no questions on this subject. But she had previously claimed to be very pleased when I told her that we were getting another kitten to be a companion for the Maine Coon. In response to this, the breeder told me via email that she was "so happy he'll have a friend there to meet him".
As a mixed race couple, who wondered whether she was a racist. But after speaking to a number of others with experience in the game, we concluded that a more likely explanation was that she had found a higher bidder at the last moment.
We were left with no option but to provide our bank details so that we could get our deposit back. What should have been a fun-filled Christmas period with a Maine Coon kitten became a period of angst and frustration.
I have no idea if this lady treats all customers in such a heartless way. But my advice to anyone considering buying a Maine Coone kitten from this lady in Westerham, Kent, would simply be:
Noooooooooooo!
One of her final emails to me stated:
"Something is telling me not to sell you the kitten... I won't change my mind. I just don't think this kitten is meant for you".
My partner and I had travelled all the way from North West London to meet this kitten some weeks ago. We had fallen in love with him, we had named him and were poised to collect him after waiting for a number of weeks. Only on the morning that we finally were due to collect him had she begun to send emails telling us to hold off, for various - seemingly bogus - reasons. And now this. My partner was in tears.
The woman's email about the kitten not being "meant for you" was especially strange as she had shown no interest in what kind of home we had, asking no questions on this subject. But she had previously claimed to be very pleased when I told her that we were getting another kitten to be a companion for the Maine Coon. In response to this, the breeder told me via email that she was "so happy he'll have a friend there to meet him".
As a mixed race couple, who wondered whether she was a racist. But after speaking to a number of others with experience in the game, we concluded that a more likely explanation was that she had found a higher bidder at the last moment.
We were left with no option but to provide our bank details so that we could get our deposit back. What should have been a fun-filled Christmas period with a Maine Coon kitten became a period of angst and frustration.
I have no idea if this lady treats all customers in such a heartless way. But my advice to anyone considering buying a Maine Coone kitten from this lady in Westerham, Kent, would simply be:
Noooooooooooo!
Bad experience 2: Maine Coon breeder in Westerham, Kent and big barking dog
We arrived at a house in Tatsfield in Westherham, Kent to view a Maine Coon kitten we
had seen online and discussed via email with a breeder going by the name of
Jackie Newark. When we finally found the house at the end of dirt track, our
first encounter was with a huge dog which was barking like crazy from behind a
gate leading up to the house. We subsequently learned that Ms Newark had been charged after her dog killed a pet rabbit.
Eventually the woman emerged and let us in to the house. We were left in a smelly room before she came back with the kitten we had seen online. I was concerned that the kitten had not been vaccinated or neutered. I was also somewhat put off by the fact that she was willing to let all of her kittens go aged just eight weeks, when the experts say that these kittens should stay with their mothers until the age of 12 weeks. However she assured me that none of this was a problem.
We were running out of options and the kitten was beautiful so we put down a £100 deposit. Everything was going swimmingly until two or three weeks later - on the morning we were due to pick him up!
First I recieved an email saying he couldn't be collected for a few days due to a problem with his eye. Then came an email from Ms Newark saying that her father had been taken ill and she needed to wait for the x-ray results before we could collect the kitten.
She then went quiet for a day or two, ignoring all of my emails asking what was going on and when we could finally collect him. I then received the following email:
"I've decided to keep the kitten here with mum for a bit longer... So I'm going to give you your deposit back..."
Eventually the woman emerged and let us in to the house. We were left in a smelly room before she came back with the kitten we had seen online. I was concerned that the kitten had not been vaccinated or neutered. I was also somewhat put off by the fact that she was willing to let all of her kittens go aged just eight weeks, when the experts say that these kittens should stay with their mothers until the age of 12 weeks. However she assured me that none of this was a problem.
We were running out of options and the kitten was beautiful so we put down a £100 deposit. Everything was going swimmingly until two or three weeks later - on the morning we were due to pick him up!
First I recieved an email saying he couldn't be collected for a few days due to a problem with his eye. Then came an email from Ms Newark saying that her father had been taken ill and she needed to wait for the x-ray results before we could collect the kitten.
She then went quiet for a day or two, ignoring all of my emails asking what was going on and when we could finally collect him. I then received the following email:
"I've decided to keep the kitten here with mum for a bit longer... So I'm going to give you your deposit back..."
Bad experience 1: Maine Coon breeder in Wantage, Oxfordshire
This breeder going by the name of Catherine Carroll appeared to be a very
nice lady. She had a number of Maine Coons and she seemed both knowledgeable
and concerned for their welfare. My partner and I made it clear we would offer a loving home, with at least one of us often around and a cat companion for the Maine Coon we wanted to buy. She took our £100 deposit for one Maine Coon
kitten called Barney Bear and also invited us to "make an offer" for a second kitten she
had. She has a website: Sugar Candy Kittens.
It only went wrong around two weeks later when I inquired about Barney Bear via email. She replied saying the kitten was ill and would not be available for a further two or three weeks. We said we could possibly wait a bit longer and it would be good to discuss the situation. But she failed to engage with this and only seemed interested in returning our deposit.
We then inquired about the other kitten for whom she had invited us to make an offer. We also failed to get a clear answer on this as she did not respond to direct questions via email. Eventually we gave in and sent over our bank details in order to get the deposit back. This then took a few days of chasing up via email as she gave us a story about how the bank clerk had inputted the wrong details.
Eventually the cash was paid in and we resumed our quest for a Maine Coon kitten.
At this stage, we weren't sure what to make of Ms Carroll. We had taken her on her word that Barney Bear had fallen ill. But we couldn't understand why she refused to enage with us about the possibility of us waiting a while longer to collect him - or why she wouldn't discuss the possibility of us taking the other kitten for which we had previously been invited to make an offer.
It only went wrong around two weeks later when I inquired about Barney Bear via email. She replied saying the kitten was ill and would not be available for a further two or three weeks. We said we could possibly wait a bit longer and it would be good to discuss the situation. But she failed to engage with this and only seemed interested in returning our deposit.
We then inquired about the other kitten for whom she had invited us to make an offer. We also failed to get a clear answer on this as she did not respond to direct questions via email. Eventually we gave in and sent over our bank details in order to get the deposit back. This then took a few days of chasing up via email as she gave us a story about how the bank clerk had inputted the wrong details.
Eventually the cash was paid in and we resumed our quest for a Maine Coon kitten.
At this stage, we weren't sure what to make of Ms Carroll. We had taken her on her word that Barney Bear had fallen ill. But we couldn't understand why she refused to enage with us about the possibility of us waiting a while longer to collect him - or why she wouldn't discuss the possibility of us taking the other kitten for which we had previously been invited to make an offer.
Problems with Maine Coon breeders in Wantage, Oxfordshire and Westerham, Kent
Maine Coons are beautiful cats, but unfortunately not every Maine Coon
breeder is the model of professionalism. Anyone seeking to purchase a Maine Coon
kitten should tread very carefully as there seem to be a number of breeders who
cannot be taken at their word. This blog details my personal experiences
with a breeder in Wantage, Oxfordshire going by the name of Catherine Carroll,
and a breeder in Westerham, Kent, who went by the name of Jackie Newark. All opinions expressed are mine and mine alone.
In late 2013, having recently moved out of a small flat and into a larger house, my partner and I decided that we were in a position offer a great indoor home to a Maine Coon. We had no idea it would prove so stressful!
Whether my experience with the two breeders mentioned above is typical, I have no idea. What I do know is that I visited both of these breeders and put down hefty deposits for kittens, only to be told weeks later that the kittens were not available after all.
In late 2013, having recently moved out of a small flat and into a larger house, my partner and I decided that we were in a position offer a great indoor home to a Maine Coon. We had no idea it would prove so stressful!
Whether my experience with the two breeders mentioned above is typical, I have no idea. What I do know is that I visited both of these breeders and put down hefty deposits for kittens, only to be told weeks later that the kittens were not available after all.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)