Screening
Be prepared to be asked questions about your previous pet ownership, current pets, your family situation and your knowledge about raising cats. We want educated buyers who will give our cats and kittens excellent homes. We understand the needs and questions of first-time cat owners and are happy to provide information to help them.
We do not place our kittens with the first person to wave money our way. There is more to owning a cat or kitten than the ability to pay for it. We want to make sure you will take good care of the cat and will view your pet as a lifelong commitment and companion. On the other hand, we also expect you to ask questions of us to make sure you want to work with us. We like to maintain contact with our "extended families" and hope to be a resource for our kitten buyers for years to come.
We require buyers to sign a contract which states the cat will not be allowed to roam outdoors and will not be declawed.
Contracts, Spaying & Neutering
All kitten and cat buyers are required to sign a sales contract.
AZOREZ CATTERY practices early spay and neuter on all kittens destined for pet homes. We will not sell a kitten before 16 weeks of age, and all pet kittens will be altered before leaving our ownership. This is not negotiable. If you want to buy a pet kitten from someone else without an early alter policy, you are welcome to search elsewhere. Early spay/neuter is a safe procedure that has no ill effects on the kitten's mental, physical, emotional, or social development. What it does do is prevent any chance of unwanted pregnancy or misuse of the cat. Unfortunately, some people will attempt to purchase pet kittens from unsuspecting catteries to use in backyard breeding programs, or worse, kitten mills, where cats are abused and overbred for profit. AZOREZ CATTERY wants to ensure none of our kittens are at risk for misuse of this kind.
AZOREZ CATTERY only sells intact kittens for breeding purposes to experienced breeders of our acquaintence. We may consider working with a dedicated new breeder on a case-by-case basis. Breeder kittens are priced based on quality. All of our purchase prices are in US Currency.
Guarantees
All AZOREZ cats and kittens come with a written health guarantee. This guarantees that the cats are free from all the following:
all known genetic or congenital defects
feline leukemia (FeLV)
feline AIDS (FIV)
fleas, worms, earmites, ringworm, and other parasites
any known illness or pre-existing condition
Kittens are vaccinated for rabies, panleukopenia, rhinotracheitis, and calici virus. We do not vaccinate against FIP or FeLV, as the danger of side effects from these vaccines is far greater than the risk of indoor-only cats or kittens contracting either of these diseases.
AZOREZ CATTERY offers return at our discretion, replacement, or veterinary reimbursement within 14 days if the cat or kitten is found to be, as a result of veterinary consultation, unfit due to "illness, congenital malformation or infectious disease".
However, the following conditions render ALL protections of the health guarantee null and void. AZOREZ CATTERY will not honor any health guarantees if the cat or kitten experiences any of the following:
the cat or kitten is vaccinated against FIP or FeLV.
the cat or kitten is allowed to roam outdoors
the cat or kitten is found to have been physically abused or neglected
Returns
Sometimes things just don't work out. For whatever reason, AZOREZ CATTERY will accept a cat or kitten back for any reason within fourteen (14) days of the original purchase date, provided the kitten or cat is returned in a like condition. We have a NO REFUND policy for deposits given for a reservation and the balance of the purchase price is refunded at MY DISCRETION and are considered on an individual basis.
A cat or kitten we produce always has a home at AZOREZ CATTERY . We will always accept back a kitten or cat purchased from us, no questions asked, at any time in its life. We would rather a cat or kitten we produced be returned to us, rather than go to a shelter. Our contract requests that if a person cannot keep a cat or kitten for any reason that we have the first opportunity to reclaim the cat. We do not offer any kind of refund, partial or full, after the first fourteen (14) days, but a AZOREZ CATTERY cat is always welcome back in the home of its birth. The reason we cannot accept refunds requests after the first fourteen (14) days is that we cannot be responsible for the condition of a cat which has been out of our control for so long, and therefore are unable to offer a subsequent buyer the same level of guarantees and sureties. Finding homes for older cats is often quite difficult, and going through the entire process of locating and screening new homes is time-consuming and costly. We simply hope to avoid this by finding all our cats and kittens one home for life. After all, this is best for the cat. Buyer assumes financial responsibility for returning the cat. If returned by air, the buyer will return the cat by the same service which was used to ship the cat originally. The buyer should accept some responsibility for their decision to return the cat.
Registration
AZOREZ CATTERY registers all its cats and kittens with CFA and occasionally with TICA. We do not sell any unregistered animals. Any breeder who is trying to convince you that you should pay substantially less for an unregistered cat is trying to sell you something that isn't quite right.
As a matter of fact anyone breeding purebred animals of any sort has no business selling them without registration papers. Our Canadian livestock laws require documentation of proof in order to claim an animal is purebred, otherwise regardless of the parentage of these animals they are not legally purebreds and are not permitted to be legally sold as such. It is our opinion that those who breed unregistered stock have no regard or interest in the protection of the integrity of our breed.
When you purchase your AZOREZ cat or kitten, you will also receive one of two pieces of paper, a blue slip or a transfer slip, one from CFA and the other from TICA if the litter was registered with TICA.
With most kittens, you will receive a blue slip. These is the slips of paper that we received for that kitten when the litter was registered with CFA and TICA. This shows that this kitten was registered with its litter, but it still needs to be registered under an individual name. You will need to decide on a name for your kitten and send the blue slip along with the registration fees to CFA and TICA to register your kitten's name. We can help you with this process, as it needs to be a unique name not already taken by another one of our past kittens.
With older kittens and adults, you will receive a transfer slip. This transfer slip shows that this cat has already been registered individually with CFA and TICA under a particular name and has already received its individual registration number. A cat or kitten must have this registered name and number to be shown in a CFA-licensed show. You will need to send the signed transfer slip and $10 to CFA to officially transfer the ownership of the cat or kitten into your name.
Shipping
We will ship cats and kittens domestically and internationally. We prefer to ship counter-to-counter when possible, as this service ensures the cat is hand-carried from the terminal to the plane without spending time sitting in areas that are not climate controlled.
We reserve the right to cancel and reschedule a flight if it appears that foul weather will endanger the cat (too hot or too cold) or cause delays that may result in the cat being rerouted or possibly lost. We will do nothing that we feel will endanger the cat.
Buyers are responsible for providing funds to cover the flight, airline-approved carrier, and health certificate. Veterinary costs for quarantine preparation for cats being shipped to countries requireing quarentine is also the buyers responsiblity. We will discuss these arrangements on a case-by-case basis.
Thank You...
For taking the time to carefully read the Cattery Policies. We hope that you now have a better understanding of the expectations we have of the individuals whom decide to make a AZOREZ kitten or cat a part of their family. These Cattery Policies, in addition, allow you as the purchaser to know what to expect from AZOREZ CATTERY.
We feel the requirements we have set forth for you as potential purchasers, as well as listing what you can and should expect from us as breeders, are the very minimal expectations we should have of each other.
Our hope is that after reading this, you have become a more knowledgable purchaser. If you find yourself dealing with someone who tries to sell you an 8 week old kitten, or tells you the price is less if THEY aren't required to provide the registration papers, or worse a breeder that is unwilling to offer a written health guarantee, please, "RUN FOR YOUR LIVES". If you ever get the feeling that something is not right, listen to yourself, it probably isn't. If you doubt what somebody is telling you, check it out, if you still don't feel comfortable, move on.
You don't want to deal with these breeders and there are many of them out there. They will take your money with no questions asked and in some extreme cases, you as the unsuspecting purchaser is handed a sick kitten in return. There is nothing sadder than a new pet purchaser having to take their kitten or cat to the vet and in some cases for it to never come out. In the end all you have is a large vet bill, a broken heart, and lots of unanswered emails and phone calls.
On the other hand, there are many reputable breeders, people who care for their animals, give them the necessary vet care and all the love they need to make them well adjusted pets. THESE ARE THE PEOPLE YOU WANT AND SHOULD DEAL WITH.
If we can ever be of any help trying to answer your questions, or by placing you in touch with somebody we feel to be a GOOD, HONEST, REPUTABLE breeder, please feel free to contact us at azorezcats@gmail.com. Or perhaps you would like to see about adding a AZOREZ kitten or cat to your family, then please drop by our available page for photos of our kittens or to see what may be available.
Acknowledgements
A special note of thanks to Chris and Jean Yves of Thai-Yves Cattery for permission to use the content of this document. We have edited it to reflect our own needs.
It is nice to know that there are others who share our policies and ethics.
Thankyou Chris and Jean!
