ENFI Member (Italian National Feline Body) - Authorised by the Italian Ministry to issue pedigrees for purebred cats
Siamese cat Cattery
Demogorgon +39 3457007372
info@gattisiamesi.com
FIFé registered Cattery
(Féderation International Féline)
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Demogorgon :
Siamese cattery in Florence
HOW TO CHOOSE A SIAMESE KITTEN?
How to choose the cat that will be our life companion? In Italy, the Siamese is not a widely bred breed and is not as popular as the Maine Con, British Shorthair, Ragdoll or Persian and remains a relatively rare and niche breed, but recently breedings of Siamese and Oriental have increased. How to move then?
These are the criteria (very personal and not absolute) that I always recommend when choosing a kitten.
-The cattery MUST be visited; there can be no alternative to this rule. If a breeder makes up fancy excuses not to let you go to his home, it is because he has something to hide (cages, too many cats in too small a space, dirt etc.). At least once you must see what condition the kitty that will be your companion lives in.
-Cats MUST be socialized. Obviously kittens may at first be afraid, but if you see them terrified, blowing and not giving each other a break, then there is a socialization problem in that kennel. Moreover, if the fear of the young can be justified, so cannot the adults. The Siamese is an extremely sociable cat and if well bred is a companionable cat. Of course there may be cats that are more introverted in character (by temperament or some mothers who do not want strangers to come near the kittens), but if ALL the adults in a cattery are hiding then there is a serious problem.
-CLEANLINESS. The cat is an extremely clean animal, but obviously more cats (with the addition of kittens) soil. Clutter should not be misunderstood with dirt. It goes without saying that a house with multiple cats is a lived-in house; kittens should be left free to play, and aseptic spaces (object-wise, that is, devoid of furnishings) are certainly not good for kittens. Cleanliness, however, is another matter: litter boxes should not overflow with droppings, the floor should not be soiled with pee, etc. Ask the breeder what cleaning systems he uses (kittens' immune systems are very immature, so it is important to use good disinfectants-I, for example, use 100-degree steam a lot).
-WEIGHT: The Siamese is a long, skinny cat, and so it must be (like the greyhound of dogs). Skinny, however, is NOT skeletal. If all the cats in the cattery are skin and bones, it means there is a problem of malnutrition: the pseudo breeder (because those who starve their cats are only traders in my opinion) to save money make their animals eat little.Run away now. A separate discussion deserves mothers: at the end of lactation often many cats are skin and bones despite eating a lot and it takes them a couple of months from the end of lactation to recover. If it is only the mom who is skinny and puppies and the other adults are nice and full then don't worry, maternal thinness is a result of lactation.
-PEDIGREE: Whoever does not give you the pedigree is cheating you, because for the Italian state a pedigree animal MUST be sold with its pedigree, no ifs and buts and no stipulations. The association may still not have sent it, but in that case have them put it in black and white that the pedigree has been requested and is pending issuance and have them give you a copy of the email requesting your pedigree, with a copy of the payment sent to the association. The pedigree costs very little (an average of 15 euros) and NEVER justifies raising the price of the puppy (anyone who tells you that a pedigreed kitten costs more is lying knowing they are lying). RUN AWAY. In addition, often those who surrender without a pedigree are because they have mated the cat more than the associations allow and therefore could no longer require a pedigree: in addition to cheating you, they are also mistreating their cats. By way of information in Italy for dogs only ENCI can issue pedigrees, for cats there are 5 ministerially recognized feline associations: ANFI, ENFI, AFEF,AGi, FIAF, it goes that the pedigree must be endorsed exclusively by one of these 5 associations.
-KNOWLEDGE: The breeder must be a breeder, not a makeshift charlatan who mates random males and females. First of all he must have an affix (mine is DEMOGORGON for example) and then he must know how to answer your questions, when he talks he must convey to you his love for the breed he breeds (of course there is the possibility that some questions cannot be answered and then in these cases the humility of saying "I don't know, I'll look into it," is best. Follow your instincts, you have to like the breeder on the skin.
-DOESN'T GOSSIP: A good breeder does not spit on his colleagues simply because he is confident in his work. If one starts telling you "that one there, that one there leave them alone," he is a dealer who sees his cat as a product to be placed. When I am asked about someone I don't think highly of I simply say I don't know and move on.
-DOESN'T INSIST: A serious breeder is not afraid not to sell his cats because that the right family will come along for the right kitten. If you have contacted him about a kitten, he will not call you back insistently to find out whether or not you will take it by keeping you on the phone for an hour and wear you down: anyone who has a kitten of mine knows very well that I always say that a MY kitten must be wanted and that you are the one who has to contact me again if you really want it. This may sound like arrogant reasoning, but it's the opposite: a neighbor is a living being and should not be placed with the highest bidder (I don't keep lists based on order of contact, the cat goes to whomever I liked.
In light of the above, these are the breeders I recommend to people who ask me for a kitten when I don't have any or simply want other names (the list is of people I trust completely and to whom I would entrust a kitten of mine with my eyes closed, people whose homes I have seen and whose way they treat their cats I know and, for the most part, whose breeding vision I share; there are many other Siamese and Oriental breeders in Italy, I simply don't know them, but I am sure they are good people):
- YESWECAT Cattery, Arezzo: Elena breeds Siamese and Oriental with excellent results internationally. Since oriental is a dominant gene, she gets mainly orientals, but every now and then she gets some beautiful Siamese, like the beautiful Penny!
-FELIS COU COU, Livorno: Rachele breeds Balinese and Oriental longhair (Siamese and Oriental longhair). Famous is her beautiful white Balinese Tristan
-SIAMARISTOCRACY, Vinci (FI): Francesca (who as an added value is a veterinarian) breeds only Siamese and mainly lilac colored. From her breeding comes my beautiful Drusilla.
I wish you a good choice and above all trust your skin sensations: a good breeder does not disappear, he will always be ready to advise you in times of need that may arise with your Siamese, so there must be feeling!