HI all,
I a newby from Philadelphia PA. in the U.S

Here is my challenge: All I want is a short hair, white, female kitten who is no older than eight weeks old. I don't care about fancy breeds. Why is it so hard to find one? Where can I find one & how much will I pay (generally speaking)

Thanks

Oh what a shame you are in the US, I know of some in the Uk ready in a few weeks, sorry that is no help, good luck with your search!

__________________
Follow Fifi on Facebook
http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?...00000914285896

Hard to find one - because non-ped white cats are relatively uncommon. How much might you pay? - how long is a piece of string? Anyone who has white non-peds may be charging a premium because they're uncommon.

If you can afford one, white British Shorthairs are lovely and not that uncommon. Perhaps more chance of finding a cross breed white kitten but I'd be wary of anyone letting them go as early as 8 weeks.

(sorry in advance for the long post - I tend to go into a bit too much detail )
If you want a non-ped, your search is going to be a lot harder, because there aren't a lot of white "moggies". It tends to be when a white cat/breed is bred intentionally with a white cat/breed.

I can't say for sure where you can get one or how to go about it (I'm in the UK and things can be a little different here) but if you do decide on a pedigree, visit a website like:

CFA (Cat Fanciers' Association)
or
TICA (The International Cat Association)

These sites will have loads of information on colours and breeds, as well as lists of reputable breeders.

If you do go for a pedigree, a few breeds that might be good to look at are the American, British and Exotic shorthairs, which come in all kinds of colours, and are fairly popular breeds, so shouldn't be too difficult to get hold of.

THIS is a search page on the CFA where you can choose your country, state and any preferred breeds, and it comes up with a whole list of breeders registered with them.

However if you go for a pedigree, the cost is likely to be a lot more (detailed below) and you won't be able to take it home until AT LEAST 12 weeks.

If you're set on a non-pedigree, take a look at the ASPCA cats for adoption HERE - the majority of them are older cats, but you can get kittens too! I think they're based in New York City, and from what I can see you may have to visit them there, but Philadelphia isn't too far.

If you still are SURE you want a non-ped kitten, do a search for "philadelphia pa cats for sale" online (or something to that effect) and take a look at some of the results. Also look in your local newspaper and check the classifieds, and/or visit your local vet - they might know of some kittens needing a home.

Once you've found a breeder/cat, some things you should think about:
*Be wary of anyone letting a kitten go earlier than 8 weeks. As I said above, a registered pedigree won't be let go until at least 12 weeks, but for a moggie, 8 weeks is the minimum. Any earlier and they'll have missed out on valuable time with mum and siblings, and aren't as likely to have picked up good social skills and play habits.

*Make sure the kittens are raised "underfoot" (i.e. in a home environment, used to noises like televisions and vacuum cleaners, well socialised with people (and preferably other animals and children) and looked after as pets) and not badly raised. If they're cooped up in a room all day every day, with little food and water, and (in the winter) the room is cold, these are things to watch out for.

*Always make sure you see the kittens with their mother. This allows you to check that she's healthy too. Ask about the father - if the owners know who it is, if he has any medical conditions etc.

*Check the kitten is healthy before you buy - check the eyes, nose, mouth etc. Check they are clean and well nourished. You can find out how to check these things online.

*If you get a pedigree, make sure it has all the correct papers and check them over, if not, you're probably getting ripped off.

*If the owner is a good person to buy from, pretty much the only thing they'll be concerned about is sending their kitten to a good home, so they might ask you some questions too!

As for cost, you could be looking at anything from absolutely nothing (usually for rescue cats or "accidental" kittens) to $1000 and well over (generally for pedigrees). Sometimes non-peds will go for nothing, others will have a price (maybe up to a couple of hundred dollars), but often this will just be to cover the price of any vaccinations or vets visits.

Depending on the breed of pedigree, you could pay $200 or $2000. Check it out with the breeder before you commit to buying.

Wow, this was long! Hope I didn't bore you too much! it's just that there's a lot to know and a lot to learn, and these are just some of the (many, MANY) things that people have told me in the past few weeks (I've been asking about adopting a kitten too).

I really hope I wasn't just covering everything for nothing and I helped you in some small way

Best of luck!

Dont non ped white kittens have a tendandcy to be deaf? Thsi may be somthing to watch out for?

British shorthair white orange eyed are fabulous cats. Google it.

Good luck with your search.

There are loads on white cats down my street, due to a white entire male roaming about.

__________________
Lives in a house full of neezers

Yes they do, i had a white kitten and he was deaf and with that came an awful screach instead of a meow he escaped and we never managed to find him, my guess is he was taken in by someone as he was so beautiful he cost me £50 not sure what that is in the us thought good luck with your search.