If you are interested in buying a kitten, Contact me to see what I have still available. Include your phone number and the best time to reach you. I am usually home in the evenings and weekends. Feel free to call me. Or I will call you! I want to make sure that we get just the right kitten for you! I can tell a bit about a kittens personality by the time they are 5-7 weeks old. So if your looking for a very affectionate kitten, I will know which kittens would be the best match, or if you prefer a more active, but not so in your face kitten, we can find the right one for you.
I love and am very bonded to all of our kittens, and it is my responibility to ensure that they find a home that will love and appreciate them as I do. So don't be suprised if I ask you some questions! :D
If you are local we can set up a time for you to come out a see the kittens.
PAPERWORK
Once you have picked out a kitten, there is paperwork to be done. A $50 deposit will hold the kitten. I will need you to send me your contact information, Name, address, phone & cell, and e-mail address. I will e-mail a copy of the kitten contract to you to sign. If your picking up locally, the contract can be signed when you pick up the kitten. If we are shipping, a copy of the signed contract can be faxed to me, and the original copies(2) mailed. I will sign your copy, and it will be in the kitten kit.
SHIPPING
We do ship kittens when the need arises. Shipping takes a lot of work and coordination. It will take from 5 days to 2-3 weeks depending on factors such as the weather. Once I have received the deposit, I will make the appointment for the Health Certificate and start checking flights. I use American Airlines to ship the kittens. They are the only Airline that ships on the weekends out of St.Louis. I will keep you posed on flights available and weather forcasts. It must be above 35deg and below 85 deg on any point on the flight to ship. Once we have a flight figured out, and the health certificate, and signed contract returned, I will book the flight.
The full payment for the kitten and shipping must be paid the day before the kitten ships. It is a 2 hour drive to the airport, and we have to arrive 2 hours before the flight is scheduled to take off, so most mornings I don't have time to check and see if a payment was sent, I am usually double checking the kennel, kitten kit and paperwork to make sure nothing has been overlooked.
I accept PayPal, and it's the easiest way to keep track of funds. I do not charge extra for the PayPal fees, or for my gas and time to make the 4 hour RT journey to the airport.
How to prepare for your Kitten
At 12 weeks old, your kitten will have been using a litter box and eating solid food for about 6 weeks. I use a good quality clumping cat litter. We use both hooded and open litter boxes, but it must not be shallow, these guys like to fling litter!
I have done a lot of research on cat/kitten foods, and in the kitten kit I provide feeding instructions and recomendations. We are now feeding Maxximum Nutrition Kitten food exclusively. It is sold by Wal-Mart as their brand. It is made by Purina for Wal-mart, and is comparable to Purina 1 kitten food. I cringe at the thought of feeding my cats poor quality food, and I have found, and been told by a cat nutritionist that Maxximum Nutrition is one of the best foods on the market. Of course Iams, NutroMaxx, Eukanuba, Royal Canin and others are top quality foods, they also boast a Premium Price. Maxximum Nutrition is a Premium food at 1/2-1/3 of the price. I would not recommend Purina kitten chow, or any of the other cheaper name brand foods, look at their ingredients and see for your self! Corn and Meat by-products/meals should not be the main ingredients in you little carnivores diet! I also feed canned food 3-4 times per week, and as much as everyday with younger kittens. We read all the labels for the canned food as well. We feed Fancy Feast: Gourmet Turkey dinner and Gourmet Chicken dinner. Special kitty flaked tuna pouch (purple), and Friskies Liver & Chicken. The all have real meat as the main ingredient in them.
Your kitten kit will include dry food and cans to get you started.
WHEN YOUR KITTEN ARRIVES
If you are picking up your kitten locally, you will need to bring a carrier with you to pick up your kitten. We will have a kitten kit ready for you and your kitten when you arrive.
If your kitten is being shipped, you will pick him/her up at the American Airlines Luggage Claim area. I will call you as soon as the kitten has been delivered to the airport to confirm that the kitten is on it's way. The kitten will be in a carrier with labels and supplies taped to the outside of the carrier. I put shipping information on the top of the carrier, and on the inside bottom of the carrier, and the kitten kit will be taped to the back of the carrier. The kennel is secured by zip-ties to make sure nothing comes apart or open during the flight. Inside the carrier is your kitten. He/she will have on a new collar with a rabies tag (if they're 16 wks). If they are to young for their rabies shot, we will put an ID tag on their collar, just in case of escape, the kitten can be ID'ed easily. (Once the kitten is home you can remove the collar. I don't keep collars on our cats because of the dangers of strangling them, but I feel it is necessary for their safety on a flight.) I also put down an inti-slip pad, a puppy pad and a big peice of faux-fur in the bottom of the kennel, this way the kitten can cuddle up and if they must go to the bathroom, it will be absorbed.
As soon as you have the kitten Call me and let me know that s/he has arrived safely.
AT HOME
When you arrive home the kitten will be really wanting out of the carrier! Have 1 room set up for him/her to start off in. After a few days s/he will be ready to start expanding thier territory. You should also take the kitten to your vet during this time to make sure that it is healthy. Shipping and going to a new home can be extremely stressfull for a kitten. They sometimes get upset stomachs until they get settled. During the time of stress, they are also very succeptible to illnesses, so a trip to the vet after s/he has settled in a bit is good to head off any problems that could start to develop.
