Hallo

I have always had non pedigree cats and have been feline free for the past year after the death of my 19year old rosie. I am now very tempted to get a kitten and have talked myself into getting two so they have a playmate and have fallen in love with the Norweigan Forest breed.

I noticed in one of the ads that they say their kittens are GSD IV free and having read up about it have learnt it is a genetic and terminal condition in this breed. What I am unsure about is would I be taking a major risk if I got kittens that haven't been tested as there is only one breeder offering tested kittens and they are £400 each which is too much for my budget.

Does anyone have any information they could share about this please?

Also are there any considerations in whether the kittens should be of the same sex or not. I would definately choose siblings but apart from that, and I would get them neutured, I wonder if it makes any difference whatsoever.

many thanks

Hi kittenfancier. If you go to the Norwegian Forest Cat Breeders website and then go to the websites of the various individual breeders listed there, you will find more than just the one that says they test for GSD IV. As for the others, they might test but just don't mention it - I'm sure they would tell you if you asked.

£400 for a pedigree weegie kitten is about the going rate though.

thank you.

I guess as that is out of my budget I have been looking at posts on websites where they cost a lot less but haven't been tested and what I am not sure about is what the risk is if I buy a non tested kitten.

From what I've read, most kittens with GSD IV are still born, but sometimes it doesn't show itself until 5 months or so. It's a terminal condition.

Because it's caused by a recessive gene, both mum and dad have to be carriers for the kitten to be affected.

The risk if you buy a kitten from non-tested parents is that the kitten will have a terminal condition - it's as simple as that.

It's not something I know much about so I don't think I should say any more - given that it's a known problem, personally I would make sure mum and dad had been tested.

if they cost a lot less then you can probably guarantee that the cats aren't GCCF registered etc so can't really be called pedigree - I've seen some very strange adds for 'pedigrees' that look nothing like the actually breed - bog standard tabby called a bengal, main coons with short hair, ragdolls and birmans that aren't pointed, etc - if you want a NF you really need to got to a proper breeder and see the parents certificates either FiFE, TICA or GCCF, and the mating certificate and know that the kittens will also be registered and make sure they look like NFCs otherwise you'll just end up paying over the odds for a non tested long haired moggy.

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please look at my website - www.finesthourcats.webs.com - for gorgeous GCCF registered RagaMuffins and Selkirk Rex

Im not a breeder but I would strongly advise caution when dealing with non tested cats.All reputable breeders will have their cats tested,will be vaccinated and not sold till 13 weeks old ensuring that they have been given the best start .

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I'm not sure where you're looking for these cats, but all GCCF (or similar) registered NFC breeders I searched for charged no less than £400 - 450 for their kittens. If you were being asked for any less than this I would be concerned you're not getting the full story..

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This on the otherhand is genuine that I've just found, could be worth a look dependant on how soon you were intending on getting new kittens:

HOME - Snowrock-nfc

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why did i have to click on that last link *swoons*

ihave three3 wegies and i have never heard of this. i am getting hopefully another kitten in a couple of months and the breeder is charging £450 but this includes neutering

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