schimmel Siamese & orientals faq's
Below is a list of frequently asked questions that kitten buyers often put in their emails to us or ask us over the phone.
Do your cats live inside or outside?
All of our cats live inside with us and they all have the run of the house (except for the kitchen). We have attached a fully enclosed wire cat run to our back doors which we leave open during the day so our cats can choose whether or not they wish to be inside or outside. Our stud boy, Ice, and our neuter boy, Kahlua are exceptions as they both reside outside in their own houses. We do bring both boys inside periodically for lots of cuddles and to ensure that they remain well socialised.
What colours do you breed?
With our Siamese we breed solids and tabby points in the following
colours: Seal and Blue.
With our Orientals we breed selfs and torties in the following
colours: Black, and Blue. At the end of 2005 we will also be breeding Havanas, Oriental Lilacs, Chocolate Points and Lilac Points. At this
stage, we have no intentions to introduce fawn, apricot, or cream
in our lines.
Where abouts are you located?
We are situated in Kent, (map) however we are actually on the border of Surrey/Kent and are much closer to Surrey than Kent. We are approximately 20 minutes from Croydon.
Can we visit your cattery?
We are more than happy to have possible new guardians visit us to meet ourselves and our cats. In fact, we encourage this as we have a policy of not adopting our kittens out to people that we haven't met prior to collection of our babies. Naturally, we expect visitors to wash their hands upon arrival at our home, and to please not come to us straight from another breeder. We also do ask that you please telephone or email first to make an appointment.
Do you breed the Old Style Siamese?
Although we have nothing against the Old Style Siamese and do think they are lovely, we do not breed them as we prefer the modern type that we feel is much more suited to the show bench.
What is the difference between pet and show quality kittens?
Pet quality kittens don't meet the breed standard of points that they must have in order to be shown. For example, a kitten may have ears that don't have enough width between them, or eyes that are slightly rounded as opposed to being Oriental in shape, or points that are too dark or too light. However, none of these things have any bearing on the quality of your kitten and are not even noticeable to most pet buyers. The kitten will still look like a normal Siamese or Oriental, and will still be healthy and have a wonderful temperament.
Do you accept deposits for kittens?
We will not accept deposits for unborn kittens. Once the possible new guardians have visited us, and met our cats and have met their future baby, we then ask the new guardians to leave a deposit with us to reserve their kitten. Due to time wasters creating a lot of problems with a previous litter, we will no longer reserve kittens for guardians unless a deposit has been paid.
Do you register your kittens on the Active register and let people breed from them?
All of our kittens are registered on the Non Active register (NO EXCEPTIONS) which means they may never be bred from. We are still novice breeders and feel that we need more experience before we register any babies Active. That aside, I feel that I would be doing a great discourtesy to the breeders who sold me my breeding girls (and boy) who spent years developing their own lines, to then turn around and sell Active cats from their line that they trusted me with, to anyone who wants them with no regards as to the health and welfare of future lines. When I have much more experience behind me and have developed my own line and feel that I have something to contribute to the breed, then this will hopefully change. If you are looking for a kitten to breed from, we may know of other, more experienced breeders who can help you. It's also worthwhile if you are considering breeding to visit the Novice Breeders Advice club as they are a wealth of information for beginner breeders.
Why do you use a kitten agreement?
The reason behind our Kitten Agreement is that we are extremely cautious about the homes that our babies go to. We are looking for the best possible homes where our kittens will be loved, cherished, and looked after for the remainder of their lives. Our agreement covers things like neutering, keeping the kitten indoors etc. If you would like to see a copy of our agreement, please email us.
What are your kittens vaccinated against?
We vaccinate our kittens for Cat Flu (FCV & FCR) as well as FIE and FeLV. This is done at 9 and 12 weeks of age.
Do you pen or crate your kittens?
We are firm believers of not penning or caging our kittens at any stage during their time with us. We feel that is is relatively easy to keep kittens safe from household dangers without having to resort to locking them in pens. As young kittens love to explore and play, we think that keeping them penned is stifling their development and doesn't allow enough freedom to exercise their muscles.
Are you there when your queens give birth ?
I am always at home with my babies and 4 days before my girls are due to kitten, they are kept close by my side and then are brought up in our bedroom to live 2 days before they are due. I am disgusted with breeders who won't take time off from work work or simply go out for the day when their queens are due to give birth and leave them home alone with no supervision whatsoever. Even the most experienced of queens can have labour difficulties and if you can't make the time to be there for your queen during labour, then quite frankly you shouldn't be breeding. If I'm with my girls, I can step in when necessary, or get them to the vets very quickly which is far better than arriving home to find dead babies!
Why do you use other studs when you have your own boy?
There are always going to be times when we want to keep a kitten back ourselves to add to our breeding program and we feel that it's better to do that from outside lines so we can add new blood into our own line and it helps to ensure that we aren't producing babies from too many inbred lines. The outside boys we use are chosen because of the healthy lines behind them and their assets which we need to incorporate into our own lines so that we can improve on the type of our own kittens.
When can I choose the kitten I want to adopt?
Provided we are not keeping any of the babies in your litter, and provided that no babies have been booked for show homes, you can choose your kitten from the moment you visit them and pay your deposit. Remember of course that what we are also aiming to do is to provide you with the baby that will best fit into your environment. For example, if one of our kittens, for whatever reason, shows an unwillingness to accept our dogs, and if you have dogs, then we will be recommending that you don't choose that particular kitten. The baby you take home needs to be able to fit into your environment and settle in with no problems. As I am with my babies for the first 13 weeks of their lives, I am able to understand each of my baby's personalities, likes and dislikes and will keep this in mind when you are here to choose your baby to ensure that the baby you take home is best suited to your family lifestyle.
How do I pay for my adoption deposit and for my kitten?
We no longer accept cheques as deposits or for kitten adoptions. All deposits and kitten adoptions must be paid either by cash or by postal order and they are paid when new guardians visit us and choose their kitten. We do not accept any adoption deposits for kittens prior to a litter being born.
What happens when I collect my kitten ?
When you come to collect your baby, we will sit down with you to go through all of the paperwork that we are giving you. Even though you will have seen examples of the paperwork on a previous visit, we will still insist that you take the time to sit down with us and make sure you thoroughly understand what we are providing you with. We do try to put the babies in another room when this is being done as the little ones are extremely distracting and we do prefer your full attention when discussing paperwork. Once we've been through the paperwork and the kitten agreements have been signed, you will then be able to interact with the babies while you finish a cup of tea/coffee. When you're ready to leave with your new baby I will take him/her away for a couple of minutes to say my goodbyes and I will then place him/her in the carrier that you have brought with you to take your baby home. Remember that we will not allow ANY baby to travel to their new homes in anything other than a safe cat carrier i.e. no cardboard boxes or cardboard carriers.
If my situation changes, what happens if I can't keep my Schimmel cat?
Firstly, let me say that if, for whatever reason, you are no longer able to keep your Schimmel baby, regardless of his her age, then that baby is to be returned to me as stated in the kitten sales agreement that you sign prior to taking your baby home. Next, I would like to say that here at Schimmel, we are not judgmental at all and we fully understand that people's situations may change over time. For example, you may be moving house and can't have any pets in your new home, you my be moving overseas and can't take your pets, you may be getting a divorce and can't keep your pets, you may be getting married and your new partner is not an animal lover. It makes absolutely no difference to us what the reason is, we are not here to judge you, we simply have our baby's best interests at heart. You don't even have to tell us your reasons for being unable to keep your Schimmel cat, even if he/she is 12 years old, it makes absolutely no difference. All Schimmel babies are welcome back here at any stage of their lives. There is absolutely no shame in having to return a Schimmel cat to us, and we most certainly will not condemn you for doing so, we merely want to make sure that our babies do not end up "on the street", or in rescue homes. We brought them into this world and therefore it is our responsibility to ensure that they are taken care of for the rest of their lives.
What food do you feed your cats and kittens on?
Our cats and kittens are all fed on a combination of the following foods, James Wellbeloved, Pro Plan, Hills, Iams, Sheba, Gourmet Gold, Felix, tinned fish, and chicken.
Do you ship our kittens overseas?
We will not adopt any of our kittens out to overseas buyers regardless of whether they are for pet guardians or breeders.
