Pedigreed Russians vs. BYB (Back Yard Breeding)
WHEN YOU TAKE THE DESISION TO ADOPT A KITTEN, REMEMBER THAT YOU ARE ADDING A VERY PRECIOUS FAMILY MEMBER TO YOUR HOUSEHOLD. IF YOU DON'T WANT TO ADD A FAMILY MEMBER, PLEASE DON'T ADOPT ANIMALS.
SCAMMERS
Scammers will ask you to pay for a climate controlled pet carrier at a cost of R 15 000.00, most of them reside on websites that seem to have many, many different breeds available, yet don't breed any cats at all. Their aim is to scam people out of money. Please run if you find yourself in such a situation.
Back Yard Breeders (BYB)
In South Africa we have 4 Russian Breeders including our new Novice Breeder, who own Pedigreed Russians for breeding. Anybody else who says they breed Russians, are misleading YOU (the public). They are nothing more than Back Yard Breeders (BYB) that happen to breed with grey domestic short hair cats.
BYB advertise their kittens on junk sites and have no understanding about ethical breeding protocols. BYB have the audacity to sell YOU (the public) a grey "street cat" under false pretenses that it is a Russian Blue, for between R 3 000.00 and R 5 000.00.
Most of these cats are brother/sister mating’s, father/daughter or mother/son mating’s. No thought is given about age, health, genetics or inbreeding, none of this is important to a BYB, all they want, is to keep their females pregnant at all times to churn out kittens to MAKE MONEY.
BYB let the kitten go to YOU (the public) at 6 to 8 weeks of age, just before the kitten starts costing them money in food and care. 6 to 8 weeks is much too young for kittens to leave their mother and siblings. Mother cats play the most important role in socialising and teaching their young good manners from the time they are born, to about 12 to 16 weeks of age. If kittens are not given the opportunity to be socialised by their mother, they will develop behavioural problems in their new homes. Some kittens, need to stay on with mom a little longer, than their siblings as they don't all develop at the same rate, BYB don't see or understand that fact. BYB DO NOT care whether they sell you a sick kitten, BYB DO NOT neuter and spay their kittens, nor do they microchip their kittens. Many of them DO NOT bother with vaccinations nor de-worming and YOU (the public) think it is a "great deal or a good buy" to be lied to and scammed out of hard earned cash, by BYB's. These people are criminals, who should be jailed for stealing money from YOU. The only thing BYB care about is to keep their females pregnant and birthing to make money. There is nothing Russian, (NO RUSSIAN BACKGROUND, NO RUSSIAN GENETICS, NOTHING RUSSIAN) about these cats, NO THOUGHT, LOVE OR CARE HAS GONE INTO THEIR BREEDING. IN THE END THESE DISADVANTAGED CATS, WILL CONTRIBUTE TO MORE UNWANTED KITTENS AND CATS, THAT WILL END UP BEING PUT TO SLEEP, (IN OTHER WORDS KILLED BY SPCA'S AND KILL SHELTERS). JUST BECAUSE THERE ARE GREEDY PEOPLE OUT THERE WHO DON'T CARE, DON'T CARE ABOUT THE LIFE OF THE CATS THEY BREED.
If you simply cannot afford a pedigree Russian Blue, and before you choose to be scammed or lied to by BYB, which can cost you a lot of money and many tears, we recommended that you adopt a rescue or shelter kitten or cat. Rescue kittens/cats receive excellent care from the shelter staff or foster mom's and dads, in the event of a sickling, great care is taken to ensure that these sickling kittens get the correct vet and medical care. Rescue/shelter kittens and cats are tested for FIV and FeLV, are neutered/spayed, de-wormed, vaccinated and if you require, micro chipped before you take him/her home. Ethical Rescue Organisations also only permit kittens to go to their new homes at a certain age and not “premature”.
To find registered (ALL Breeds) breeders in South Africa, please visit www.tsacc.org.za - The onus falls on the kitten purchaser to educate him/herself on breeders in South Africa and cat breeds before committing to a kitten.
PEDIGREED RUSSIAN BREEDERS
A very different picture emerges when you deal with a SACC Registered Pedigreed Russian Breeder. Our breeders never have more than 6 breeding queens (max) or 4 studs (max) at any one time. Firstly, our Russian Breeders breed with pedigree Russians, and their parentage listed on their pedigree certificates, can be traced back, to probably the very first known Russians. Every single breeding stud needs to be registered with SACC at 9 months of age. Every breeding queen has to be registered with SACC as well as each mating, birth and number of kittens that were born into a litter. Every kitten receives his/her own SACC registration number, without exception, which will be printed onto the breed certificate, that the breeders send to SACC for approval, registration, stamped and signed off. SACC then returns the certificates to the breeders, which, will either accompany the kitten, on the day the kitten goes to his/her new home, or will be sent to the new owner by courier. Every single kitten will go to their new owners with his/her pedigree certificate, micro-chip certificate and vet booklet as well as proof of sterilization and vaccinations.
The 4 Russian breeders import Russian cats/kittens on a bi annual basis or every third year, from our International Partner Breeders around the world to ensure that the Russian gene pool is kept diverse and that only unrelated Russians are bred/mated. Our breeders do keep exceptional self-bred kittens entire for future breeding, especially when it is time for their mothers or fathers to be retired. Our breeders are continuously working on improving the Russian breed in South Africa and rarely breed with the same female for more than 4 to 5 years.
Breeding queens need rest between pregnancy and births and usually only have 1 litter per year, or 3 litters in 24 months, if,…….. the queen recovers well and is in excellent condition. All kittens are raised under foot (as part of the family), each kitten gets attention, love, care and a lot of play and sleep time.
The breeders keep the birthing beds and later the kitten beds spotlessly clean and change the bedding on a regular basis. The litter trays are cleaned twice daily, and sterilised either once or twice a week, daily fresh water and fresh free standing food is available to all cats.
The stud accommodation is washed and cleaned once a week and clean bedding provided at the same time. Fresh water and food is given to the studs daily, including attention, love, cuddles and regular brushing of their coats and garden time.
At 12 weeks kittens are neutered/spayed, micro chipped, vaccinated and de-wormed. Male kittens can leave for the new homes between 3 to 5 days after their neuter and female kittens 12 to 14 days after their spay.
No Russians will leave the breeders property before the age of 12 to 14 weeks nor will it leave un-neutered or un-spayed, DO NOT EVEN ASK FOR AN UNDERAGED OR ENTIRE RUSSIAN. NO EXCEPTIONS WILL BE MADE, YOU WILL BE STRUCK OFF THE WAITING LIST AND ALL OTHER RUSSIAN BREEDERS WILL BE NOTIFIED NOT TO SELL A RUSSIAN TO YOU, PERIOD!
Russian kittens are NOT sold on a first come first serve basis, most potential Russian kitten buyers have done some research on the breed, before contacting a Russian breeder to enquire about availability etc. An e-mail including a questionnaire will be sent to the potential buyer and if the buyer does not comply, or the breeder feels it is too risky for that particular buyer to own a Russian, then unfortunately the buyer will not be able to own a Russian. Breeders will notify our other breeders of potentially high risk buyers, in order for them to make an informed decision should they be approached by the high risk buyer. Once the breeders are happy with a potential buyer, a contract with the kitten’s information and pictures of the kitten will be e-mailed to the buyer, upon which, a booking deposit is paid. The kitten must be paid for in full, before it goes to its new home. The new “kitten owner” will receive weekly updates and pictures of their kitten. New awaiting kitten owners always have questions, which the breeders are happy to answer, guide or assist with. The breeders encourage new kitten owners to show their kittens/cats at cat shows, and will gladly provide you with a list of cat clubs within your province.
From time to time retired Brood Queens or Studs will come available for re-homing. These cats will be neutered and spayed before leaving their breed home for their new forever homes.