Welcome to our FAQ. If you do not find your questions asnwered, please contact us.
How much are your kittens?
It depends.
As small hobby breeder specialized in selective few shaded colors, we put a lot of investment and effort into selecting our foundation cats for the most suitable matches for the look and temperament we desired. Each litter receive different degree of care during different phase of the breeding program, therefore, our price varies depending on the litter and each individual kitten. The average cost of our pet kitten are 2000 USD as pet.
What are included?
Your purchase includes the adoption of 1 kitten/cat. microchip, certification of pedigree registration, all age appropriate veterinary cares with health certificate, health warranty, and a lifetime of support from CinderBelle Cattery on tips to care for your kittens. We almost always send extra gift basket of items that your kitten enjoy. Since we let the kitten choice what to take home, the items go into their gift basket can be really surprising. :)
How does it work at Cinder Belle Cattery?
Deposit is currently open to all for our 2020 breeding program.
The cost of deposit is 200 USD. Deposit customers have priority choosing their favorite kitten. We will announce on this website and social media after kittens are born. Kittens are open for reservation to deposit customer between 2-4 weeks old according to the order deposit was received. If at any given time we have kittens older than 6 weeks old but not reserved by a deposit customer, we will open those kittens up for reservation with 30% reservation fee.
All paid customers are welcomed to visit the cattery to choose their kittens or make reservation online. We provide update from our nursery with photos and videos starting week 4.
I have paid a deposit/reservation for a kitten, but changed my mind. Can I get my money back?
Our cattery has a
no-refund policy. So please ensure you are committed before entering into the adoption. If after paying a deposit/reservation you have decided that you are not ready for a kitten yet, please drop us a quick line as soon as possible.
Deposit customers who have not reserve a kitten for any reason will have priority choosing kitten from another litters. Just simply let us know at the time kitten are ready for reservation.
Deposit customers who reserved a kitten at week 4 has until week 12 to give up reserved kitten free of charge. 200 deposit credit never expire.
I want to receive the kitten sooner, is it possible?
For the well-being of the kitten and to ensure the re-homing is a pleasant experience for your family, we do not suggest taking kitten younger than 10 weeks old home. We prefer to re-home kitten between 12-14 weeks old, to allow them to naturally wean from their mother and socialize with their siblings and other adult cats. We can and will re-home kitten as early as 8 weeks old to local families that have ample experience caring for young kittens. Kittens that travel home by plane must be at least 16 weeks old, preferably 18 weeks old.
I need more time to prepare. Can you hold the kitten for me?
We will have a minimal of 4 litters in a calendar year, usually born between spring to falls. Let us know your desired time to take home a kitten, so that we could suggest kittens of suitable age to you. We can usually keep kittens in the cattery for up to 18 weeks free of charge for paid customer, but it depends on the capacity of our cattery at the time. Please contact us to discuss details.
What makes your kitten so expensive?
The cost of our kittens are in line with the average cost of kitten of this and similar breeds in the U.S.A. We do not compare ourselves to kitten mills or backyard breeders who don't have the knowledge or a program to breed healthy kitten ethnically.
A quick google search with the keyword "why are purebred cats so expensive" will turn up some interesting read for ya.
Why is your kitten so cheap? This other breeder wants xxx dollars more.
Good question. I don't know.
Perhaps it is because $100 dollars actually worth $112.49 in Ohio, according to the Tax Foundation, which used data from the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA) to show just how far your money will go in all 50 states, published by CNBC in 2019. (Sorry, NY and CA)
Or perhaps each kitten is unique.
Your kittens are so cute. Can I buy one now?
Thank you so much for loving our babies. We currently do not have kittens available. We are expecting next litter in late summer of 2020. Please check our
breeding plan on the kitten page of this website, and follow our Facebook page for updates.
I want a kitten for (insert holidays or special occasions) for someone. Can I have the kitten on this date?
This must be one of the sweetest gifts on the planet! However, please do make sure this lucky person truly wanted a live kitten, and he or she is capable and committed to take care of a kitten. The celebration with a kitten is a life time of joy, not just on a special day.
If you are truly committed, we want to try to make it happens for you on your special day. But the cats decide when their babies are available. Naturally, the winter months are not a good time to welcome a kitten to new home.
Contact us and let's chat and see what we can do.
I live too far away to pick up the kitten in person. Will you ship and what is the cost?
We can certainly ship within the U.S, but really prefer not to ship kittens in cargo.
Cost of shipping is not included in the price of the kitten. Shipping cost will be quoted by the airline at the time of booking, which is typically between 250-400 USD for cargo shipping. We charge 50 USD to 100 USD deliver fee to a nearby airport. (Pittsburgh, Cleveland, or Akron Canton) Kittens travel by plane must be at least 16 weeks old. Your desinated airport may charge a terminal fee in additional to the shipping fee charged by the airline. Please check with you local airport prior to shipping for accurate cost information.
We can also work with you on alternative re-homing methods such as courier deliver or meet in between if you live within 150 miles. Please
contact us and see what we can do.
Are your kittens pure breed?
Yes.
All CinderBelle foundation cats have minimal 5 generations of pedigree, registered in one or more World Cat Congress Member Associations. Kittens born at CinderBelle will be registered with TICA, however, the certification of registration will not be sent to you until after we receive proof from your vet indicating that the kitten had been spayed or neutered. You will be able to register the kitten and order pedigree from TICA directly using the certification number we provide. TICA's certified pedigree is recognized by all World Cat Congress Member Associations.
At what age should I spay/neuter my kitten?
The appropriate age to spay/neuter a pet is a constant debate. While some shelters and even breeders are fixing kittens as early as 8 weeks old before sending them out, these very young kittens assume much higher risks. We suggest you to ask a lot of questions and do your research if a breeder will send out altered kitten younger than 10 weeks.
We believe the health and safety of our kittens' safety is more important than anything else, therefore, we require our kitten parents to wait until kitten is at least 5 month old but no later than 7 month old.
Why don't you spay/neuter the kitten before re-homing like some other breeders do?
The operation is performed under general anesthesia, which can be fatal for very young animals' undeveloped organs. While modern veterinarian practice has drastically reduced the risk of fatality and complication of anesthesia performed on young animals, we decided to stay at the safe side for our own cats. We require our kitten parents to wait until kitten is 5 month old, but no later than 7 month old to spay/neuter their kitten.
Kittens develop rapidly both physically and socially between 12 to 20 weeks. We do not want you to miss out on spending this precious time with your kitten. So, we will send them to your home as soon as they are ready, provided that you consented to alter them. We trust you to be responsible and spay/neater your kittens when they reach
5 months old.
I really do not want to spay/neuter my kitten. Can you make an exception?
There is
no exception on our spay/neuter policy. Cats live a much more peaceful and healthy life after they are spayed and neutered.
Occasionally, we reserve kittens shown promising characters for our breeding program. Those kitten are under observation from birth to about 6 months old. If their development do not meet our expectation, we will adopt them out altered. Please follow us on Facebook on news on these kittens if you are interested in adopting an altered kitten instead.
Are your kittens hypoallergenic?
British Shorthairs cats are not hypoallergenic, our cats are no exception.
Many people associate cats allergy to cats hairs. The reality is, when someone is allergic to cats, they are not allergic to cat hairs but are allergic to allergens found in every single cat's saliva and scent gland. Since cats love grooming themselves, these allergens get on their hairs. Some cat breeds genetically have less of those allergens in their body, therefore, less likely to trigger a person's allergic reaction. British cats are not one of those cat breeds, therefore, you will be as allergic to a British as you would to any other cats.
Shorthair cats tend to shred less hairs than long hairs cats in general, but the British have exceptionally thick coat compared to many other shorthairs cats. That's what give them that adorable teddy bear look! British shorthair cats shred above average while compared to other shorthair breeds, due to this beautiful thick coat. If you are allergic to cat, having a British shorthair will require more frequent brushing to manage your allergy.
Why does this other breeder claim that their British Shorthair kittens are hypoallergenic?
The rumor is probably originated from a research being conducted in Swiss, to reduce allergens produced in cats by drug. This research is still in trial phase and not yet pass European or U.S drug regulations. The laboratory uses a British Shorthair cat as their first trial subject, likely due to the easy going and sweet natural of the British cats. That British Shorthair may be hypoallergenic if the drug was effective, but how likely is this breeder you have talked to have this hypoallergenic British Shorthair from Swiss, or have access to this unreleased therefore likely illegal drug? We suggest to ask many questions and do your research when dealing with breeders who claim their British cats are hypoallergenic, or "from experience" less likely to cause allergic reaction. It is simply not true.
