Well we went and it was amazing! We really didnt know what to expect and I imagined an old dingy, dirty house with stray cats everywhere that hadnt been fed and with a bunch of kittens in the corner...how wrong I was!
Firstly the lady was extremely nice and she seemed to have converted a small portion of her house (something like a pantry) but with a see through caged door and she had many floors which contained food, blankets etc. where the kittens could play. She even had the radio on all the time to keep them company.
We was there for quite a few hours and although friendly, we were assuring her that we had thought everything through (at one point the conversation got muddeled and when i said they would be going to a good home, she thought id be getting rid of them when we have kids, to which she looked a bit hesitant) which is good, because it means that she wasnt going to give them to any Tom, Dick or Harry.
She had 9 kittens left, along with two other grown up cats which just roamed the house, along with 1 rotweiler and 1 alsation...basically this was a woman who loved animals!
When she opened the door to the kittens (after locking the rotweilers away) they all more or less came scurrying out, going to the 'clawing thing' (my minds gone blank) that she had in her large hallway. She had two tabbies and she said she would only sell these together because they were the last two which she had to raise herself - the mom wasnt producing milk and not letting them get near her so she fed them with a bottle etc. All the cats came out the pen and we didnt see any that seemed too timid or too lively etc. just normal, healthy cats which, although hadnt had vaccinations, they had been fleaed and wormed. But the two we eventually settled on was a black kitten with white paws and a black and white cat, with a tabby face (but white ears). Both look very striking! One is female and one is male and its also very cool that they are both from the same litter.
We gave her the deposit (£30 each) and said we would pick them up on Friday - once again she was concerned that we would get them then go out, she wanted to make sure that we would stay in as much as possible during the first weekend etc.. She obviously loved these cats dearly and she started hugging the white tabby.
But it was great going and she made us a drink and it felt great just talking and we all seemed to get on really well because of one unifying factor...Cats
I was worried when all the kittens were out in the kitchen and she let the dogs through (to put them in living room) but the cats were great and so were the dogs. Which is another great thing because these cats dont mind dogs - incase we get one in god knows how many years time.
Its the first time Iv ever seen any kittens in the flesh so to speak and they were adorable. Cant wait to pick them up on Friday! During the week we'r going to sort the house out (get litter tray, food etc.) so they are welcomed as much as possible into their new home.
The lady did say that its upto us whether we have them as outdoor cats or not but she liked the notion of keeping them indoors and was genuinly upset by the thought of anyone doing anything to them when they'r outside. The 'Kittens for dummies' book also said this, so now im unsure whether to lose them out (after we have had them inside for months obviously - dont want to let them out when they cant protect themselves etc.). What we were going to do is keep them indoor, but if they are at door and pining then begin the process of introducing them to the outside world. But only if they do that otherwise we have no qualms in keeping them indoors because we will see more of them.
Really appreciate all the advise you'v given us (and no doubt more advice in the future when the little babies are running amock!)
Although the lady didnt do any house visits, she did love these pets and knew all the right things on food and also confirmed all the things we have learned from our own research. She's going to give us a list of when to vaccinate, castrate, worm, flea again and when we should do them in the future.
Cant wait to post pictures!
