Approved Breeder Lists
You may be wondering what an approved breeder list is, if you are in any Facebook groups odds are you’ve seen them but what do they prove? Breeder lists are commonly used in groups meant for sharing/selling kittens. These lists generally consist of a specific cattery’s name, social media links, and location. It’s meant to limit the potential scam accounts in the group, it keeps it organized and manageable for admins. The admins know exactly who the approved breeders are and remove any who aren’t approved.
These lists are usually made up of friend catteries of the breeders who have started the group. It’s basically a network of breeder friends who recommend each other. Most of these groups ask for proof of cattery registration, social media links, contact information, and location. Some may ask for proof of genetic testing but, that’s generally only for one breeding pair (1 queen, 1 king). These groups do not check ethics or legitimacy of the breeder, proof of registration for their breeding cats (anyone can make a cattery with TICA or CFA unfortunately, so proof of registration on breeding cats is one step further), proof of registration for at least one of their litters, etc.
It is understandable that the majority might not have the time to thoroughly screen each breeder and most do have a disclaimer, interested buyers just need to keep this in mind. Our cattery is listed on less than five lists on Facebook, is that a bad thing? Personally we do not join many groups, we do not need to. I do not think that you need to prove yourself as a breeder by joining every list, especially when some of those lists are biased. I would rather someone pick us based on research, not by a list on Facebook.
Are the lists biased?
In my opinion some of the lists are biased, this is not to say all are. If a group is private, remember that the admins have to accept said breeders into the group. Say a breeder has had a disagreement in the past with another who is an admin of the group, what are the odds that they will let the breeder in? This shouldn’t change anything but, it commonly does. I am not saying this always happens but, it probably occurs more than you may think.
What makes it ironic (sadly) is that said groups have rules against bullying and negativity. Though this doesn’t always seem to count for admins. If they have a problem with a certain breeder even if said breeder is reputable odds are they will not recommend them and may even spread false information. So keep that in mind when searching for a group to join and when scrolling the breeders list in said groups. If there is something you find odd, ask the breeder directly. Our recommendation would be to research, go online and look for breeders, check their social media, ask questions.
Do your own research.
The best thing you can do for yourself is research and ask questions directly to/about the breeder. Start off by researching the breed, get an understanding for what you are looking for, health, specific needs, the price range, etc. Once you’ve found a breeder, ask questions. They shouldn’t have a problem with answering any questions you may ask. Check out their social media, most are fairly active on Facebook, Instagram, some are on TikTok and Youtube. Ask about their health guarantee, when do the kittens go home, what is included, references from kitten families, what vetting do the kittens have prior to going home? For us our kittens go home at/after 16 weeks once they’ve had their three sets of core vaccines, rabies vaccine, age appropriate de-worming, microchip, state health certificate, and are spayed/neutered. We have a two year genetic health guarantee and one year FIP clause.
Lists and buying a kitten.
The moral of this blog post is to bring attention to breeder lists and why they are not the last step to finding a reputable breeder. This is not to say they are not helpful but, you should always research any breeder on your own. Don’t rush into reserving a kitten you see listed in a group, ask the breeder questions, ask for references from their current kitten families. Hopefully this is helpful and gives you a better insight to breeder lists. There’s nothing wrong with recommending your friends, just make sure they are doing the right thing as well.
