Updated
Jan 17th, 2021
Jan 17th, 2021
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When we decided to start this hobby we had a long discussion about having people we did not know come into our home and cattery. We have four small children and their safety comes first. We agreed that we would not allow potential kitten buyers into our home and we have stuck by that rule since starting Heart'nsoul in 2008. Yes, we have had some people comment on this and of course, they have the right to be cautious and to look elsewhere for a kitten if they do not feel comfortable, understand or respect our decision. But in 2010 we felt even better about the decision we had made when there were many reported cases of kittens and puppies being stolen from breeders homes in our area. Apparently people were coming down from the bigger cities to "view puppies and kittens", only to leave without one. They would then return later when the home owners were away to STEAL them and sell them for big bucks back home. Some heard that many of them were used as bait. Needless to say, we felt even stronger about not only protecting our human kids but also our fur-kids.
We do not expect buyers to just believe that we take good care of our cats and kittens. After all, it works both ways! We are lucky to be able to offer kitten buyers VETERINARY references, as well as past kitten buyer references and family/friend references. My vet clinic knows us very well and we feel blessed that they are willing to be references for us. At Heart'nsoul we DO put our cats and kittens health and well being FIRST. We do all that we can to keep our kittens and our cats as healthy as possible by seeing the veterinarian when ever it may be necessary and by ensuring they all receive annual vet checks and vaccines. We feed a top quality diet (good health starts from the gut!) and regularly groom and bath ALL of the kittens and cats (yes, some weeks it takes us HOURS UPON HOURS to do this!). And, equally important (if not more), our kittens and cats receive PLENTY of love from our children, ourselves and our family.
When we started Heart'nsoul
we felt that even breeding cats should be pets first and foremost and our
thoughts on this have not changed at all! However, our thoughts on
where our cats should reside have changed. As much as we love having our
cats in our home, after much consideration, we decided that building a
"home away from home" for the cats was our best option.
We don't consider ourselves the luckiest breeders out there. For a while we had considered giving up this hobby that we love so much. It was back in 2008 when we brought in a cat from Nevada who arrived with many health issues, including ringworm. We can understand now why they say that it is a breeders worst nightmare. Needless to say, having the cats in our home made trying to eradicate it much more difficult. Since then we, like all breeders, have dealt with different viruses and parasites as well. And each time I couldn't help but wonder if effectively treating these issues would have been less difficult if the cats were not allowed access to areas that could not be easily cleaned and disinfected.
It is only logical to assume
that if a cat is kept isolated, in it's own cage, it would be less
likely to pick up a virus/fungus/parasite/etc from another cat. This
is why shelters also separate and cage animals! But a
life in a cage is no way for a cat to live. Like with children in a day
care, if cats are all together in a cattery, they are going to get
sick. But, if they are treated and in an area that can be cleaned and
disinfected so that becoming reinfected is less likely and more
importantly, if they are overall healthy and are not stressed (like
caged cats would be) which would then lower the immune system, getting
better shouldn't be an issue. It should just be considered part of
breeding - part of life.
Unfortunately,
any breeder that shows, any breeder that brings new cats in and
any breeder that even goes into the vets office takes a chance each and
every time that they will bring something back into their cattery. The
truth of the matter is, "reputable" catteries are suppose to show. They
need to bring new blood into their program to stay away from inbreeding
and to better the overall health of their breed. And they definitely
SHOULD be taking their cats and kittens into the vets! So, needless to
say, any reputable cattery will deal with viruses, fungus, parasites,
etc. It's just the way it is.
To help prevent and to more easily
treat and rid our cats and kittens of any issues they may develop, we
have transformed our attached double garage into a "home away from home"
for our cats. We feel that by having an area just for the cats,
that cleaning and disinfecting will be easier and more effective.
The Garattery
Jerry started calling the cattery a "Garattery". Of course, he was being 'smart' because the cattery is his old garage. But, the name stuck. So please let us introduce the Garattery!
There
are four "area's" in our Garattery... but first... you must go through a
locked door, a small entry way and then, another door before you can
get into the Garattery! We did this to help ensure the cats didn't
escape.
First is the main area - where all of our "girls" are
kept. This is also where we have installed the laundry sinks so that we
can do bathing and wash dishes, fill water bowls, etc.
Second
is the "New Momma's Room". This room is for expectant mom's and NEW
mom's. Moms and kittens remain in this room until the kittens are of
weaning age (8 weeks). Keeping kittens isolated until they receive their
first vaccines is incredibly important. The room is fully enclosed, but
well ventilated and the door, which faces the large window, is glass on
the bottom and screen/glass on the top to allow plenty of natural light
into the room.
Third
is the kitten room, which has a FULL glass door as well that allows
plenty of light in from the large window. There is also a small window
inside the room to provide even more light and that can be opened for
fresh air on nice days. Kittens over 8 weeks of age will be in this
room. They can easily see their moms (and the other female cats) through
the glass door. If they remain in our care after they are 16 weeks and
have received their third (and final) FVRCP vaccine and their Rabies
vaccine they would then move from the kitten room into the open area,
where the rest of the female cats are.
The
fourth area(s) are the two stud enclosures that we built. They were
made from vacuum tubing and safety fencing. They are very light weight,
sturdy and durable. Not to mention a very decent size for the boys.
Although the Garattery is only 420 square feet, there is plenty of room for our fur-kids. The
Garattery was made to be very light (in every room) and to allow the
cats/kittens to see each other at all times (unless we felt it was best
they didn't, in which case a blind could be installed). We
have insulated it very well (floor, ceiling and all walls). We bought
an EdenPure Heater for the winter, which works wonderfully and keeps
every room toasty warm! And we have a large portable air conditioner for
the summer. All of the walls
(and ceiling) have been painted with HIGH GLOSS paint which allows us to
easily scrub/clean and disinfect every where! The flooring we used is
VCT - Vinyl Composition Tile (the same
flooring used in hospitals, nursing homes, etc). VCT has high
resilience to abrasion and impact damage are very durable and easy to
maintain. We installed rubber base and used silicone along the top and
bottom to ensure water doesn't seep under/over the base during mopping.
An axial fan was installed over the sinks which is on a timer to go off
multiple times throughout the day to ensure the Garattery remains well
ventilated. We installed a fan on the wall, going into the "New Momma's
Room" and from there, a vent into the "Kitten Nursery" and from there, a
vent going back out into the "Main Area", to help circulate the air and
to ensure any kitties in the two enclosed rooms are kept warm in the
winter and cool in the summer.
As
I am sure you have realized, it is of the utmost importance to us that
our cats and kittens remain in a loving environment. The kids and I are
in the Garattery off and on all day. Cleanliness is so very important to
us as well and believe it or not, having the cats and kittens in this
new area will be much less work for us since the entire "home away from
home" will be washable and easy to clean and disinfect.
We hope
you are able to understand our reasoning for not allowing potential
buyers into our home. Once our children are older, we will likely
reconsider this. But for now, we urge you to ask questions, check our
references and to have a little faith and trust in us. Once you have
your new fur-baby we know you will see that they have been raised in a
very loving, clean environment and that their health and well being HAS
been our first priority.
And remember, we are happy to meet you with any of the kittens (depending on location). We have a dodge caravan, sto-n-go, which allows us to put down all of the seats so you can spend some time playing with and getting to know our fur-babies.
