Help with having a cat shipped to my location.?

Question

I'm talking to two breeders of cats a sphynx and a savannah cat and the bth asked for my
name
Home address
Closest air port address
Phone number
State and city

They both said all I have to pay is the shopping fee off $250(sphynx) and $300 (2 savannah) which Linda cought me off guard because I know these cats are kinda expensive

How can I be reinsured these are legit cat dealers or breeders and not just ripping me off, they say their cats have all the information and registered and all shots etc please help a newbie

Answer 1

Rip off - a reputable breeder can easily figure out the cost of shipping added to the cost of the cats and what the closest airport is. No breeder will just charge cost of shipping only. Where are the cats coming from in the first place?



BTW in the USA its about $250 to ship (per cat) in cargo - you pay that when the cat arrives - not before.



Added: - REPUTABLE breeders do ship cats - but it takes trust and a lot of communication between the parties. I've had both of my Ocicats shipped to me and may be getting a future breeding cat from one of them. They ARE trusted breeder/friends but live out of state so there is no way we can "meet up" - I've never had a problem in shipping cats with reputable breeders.

Answer 2

That sounds like a kitten mill to me. Not to mention the price for those cats seem very low... sphynx should be upwards of $1000, the low price seems fishy to me.



You should never buy a cat or a dog from a "breeder" that is willing to ship them.



Any caring breeder will insist on meeting you before allowing you to take one of their kittens and will want you to meet the parents as well. They will also not be willing to ship their kittens.



Look up Kitten and Puppy mills, there is more info on puppy mills but it is the same deal, just with dogs instead. It is a terrible business and you do not want to support them. You are very likely to get a sick kitten.



Hope that helps! I've linked some info on kitten mills in my source.



Some key points:



When you talk to people about their kitties there are a few warning signs when you are dealing with a disreputable, unethical, or irresponsible breeder:



* The "breeder" is more interested in the price your paying, then the welfare of the animal.

* The "breeder" doesn't care about meeting you several times in order to know if you'll provide a good home for their animal or not.

* The "breeder" lacks knowledge about the breed.

* The "breeder" shows ignorance or denial of genetic defects in the breed.

* The "breeder" doesn't let you observe the kitten or adults, or let you see the cattery.

* The "breeder" has no documentation & cannot provide papers. The cats are not socialized.

Answer 3

sounds a bit cheap to me which is a warning sign.

shipping usually runs 500 and up

the cats usually run 800 and up



you can get references, vet records, see if they are registered with other groups

ASK: what if I need to return the the cat at any point in its life: real breeders will always take them back

ASK: family history and testing for genetic conditions? real breeders do this

ASK: if you can come up and visit first: most breeders will insist that you meet them first they should want to know about you. They want to know that the kitten is going to a good home.



there are some good sites out there that help you ask the right questions to know if they are legit breeders.



Personally though I prefer rescues and there are some that specialize in unusual breeds, try those first

Answer 4

Sorry but there are no cats. You are dealing with a typical Cameroon kitten scam no matter where they claim to be

https://www.google.com/search?q=cameroon+kitten+scam&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8&aq=t&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&client=firefox-a

I can guarantee an IP lookup of their emails will show they are NOT where they say they are

http://aruljohn.com/info/howtofindipaddress/



Shipping alone is going to cost you over $500 domestically and $2000 internationally. Not to mention nobody is going to sell you a Sphynx or Savannah for that low price.



There are NO kittens - there is a scammer wanting you to send money to a fake shipping company. I bet they want you to pay through Western Union or Moneygram? NO legitiamte shipping company would ever ask for one of these payment systems. Legitimate shipping companies take credit or debit card payments only



And never let anyone arrange shipping for you. If you found a pet for adoption elsewhere and cared so little about their welfare that you would subject them to the stress of being shipped cross country or internationally, then YOU arrange the shipping. Ask for THEIR address and you call 3-4 different pet shipping companies on your own to get quotes then you pay the shipper of your choice. But there is no way I would ever buy from any breeder where I could not pick up the cat IN PERSON from them



Want to prove it's a scam, no matter where they claim to be tell them that you just found out one of your dad's friends lives within 30 minutes of them (even if they say they are overseas) and he's actually coming to your town in a week so he'll come over and pick up the kittens in person, pay them cash and he'll bring them as his carry on baggage on the flight. Ask for THEIR address and phone number saying your dad's friend will contact them tomorrow to arrange a time to come by this week. Then wait for the excuses - because there are NO kittens. There are only pictures stolen off some legitimate breeder's site

Answer 5

Sounds lik a scam to me,if all it is costing you is shipping and no cost for cats.

It is definetly a scam

Answer 6

Do they have a website, and do their cats have champion titles? If not I'd find someone else. PM me for more info.

Answer 7

Real breeders don't ship cats.