|
Frequently Asked Questions |
1.
We are inquiring about prices and
would be very interested in the procedure for adopting one of your
beautiful kittens.
2.
What can I
do to prepare my cats for an emergency evacuation?
3.
I just got a cat from my local shelter and it looks
like a Norwegian Forest Cat. How can I tell?
4.
How do I give my cat a pill?
1.
We are inquiring about prices and
would be very interested in the procedure for adopting one of your
beautiful kittens.
A.
If you look on the
NFCFA website, there is an area where some (but not all) breeders list
kittens they have for sale. Just click on "Kittens Available" on the left
side.
Also, you could click on "Breeder Members" and find breeders in your
area who you can call or email (or surf to their website) for specific
information on what kittens they may have available ... you may even
find one close enough to arrange a visit. Please keep in mind that most
breeders ship all over the world, so you do not have to limit yourself
to a breeder local to you.
In general,
most breeders will require you to agree to keep your 'Wegie' indoors and
not to de-claw. Prices will vary greatly depending on quality. You can
expect to pay around $600 for non-show pet quality to as much as $3000
for top-show, breeder quality. Plus you will have to pay for
transportation if you do not pick the cat up yourself.
Your breeder
will provide registration papers, a pedigree, a medical history (record
of shots received), and a guarantee. You should take your new cat to
your vet for a checkup within the first week. If you buy a kitten as a
pet, it is not uncommon for the breeder to hold your registration papers
until you provide evidence of neutering.
Again, this is
just "in general". You should use the above as a guide and get specifics
from one or more of our breeders. Each of NFCFA's Breeder Members adhers
to our Code of Ethics (which you can read on our website). You will not
find Norwegian Forest Cats from an ethical breeder in a pet store.
One last point:
these are our babies. So be prepared to answer questions about yourself
and your home. We don't let our babies go to just anyone :-)
2. What can I
do to prepare my cats for an emergency evacuation?
A. All of us
need to have a plan for emergencies. That plan should have at least a
couple scenarios: what if you have to leave immediately (like 5 minutes
or less notice) and what if you had an hour.
Some things to
think about:
What do you
need to take with you (besides the cats, of course!)? For starters:
food, litter & litter boxes, bowls for food and water, medicines. Other
things that might come in handy are paper towels, kitty wipes, garbage
bags, bottled water in case the water supply is questionable (like it
may be in a flood), health & pedigree records.
Do you have
enough carriers for all the animals? What about during kitten season?
How are you planning to carry mom and her litter of five? More than one
litter?
Where will you
go? Will you have to take the cats somewhere else as many emergency
shelters don't allow animals? Do you have friends to stay with or will
you stay in a hotel? Which hotels in your area allow pets?
Can you get
everyone (you, your family, your animals) in your vehicles at one time?
It's unlikely you'll get a chance to make a second trip. If not, do you
have a neighbor who'd help?
Is everything
you plan to take easily accessible? The last thing you'd want to be
doing in an emergency is racing from room to room trying to collect
everything.
3.
I just got a cat from my local shelter and it looks like a Norwegian
Forest Cat. How can I tell?
A. There is
only one way to know for sure if you have a Norwegian Forest Cat. You
must have registration papers from a recognized registering organization
such as the Cat Fanciers' Association (CFA).
Could you have
found a stray NFC? Possibly, but the odds are very slim.
The first NFCs
were brought into the US in 1974. At the end of 2002, CFA (the USA's
largest registry) had registered 5,753 NFCs. Of these, some have died
over the 28 intervening years. The rest were either kept by the
breeders, sold to other breeders, or sold as pets.
The rarity of
the NFC means that they are expensive; often sold for over $600 for pet
quality and even in the thousands for top show/breeder quality. Breeders
sell only to homes that will keep their cats as indoor only. Also, most
breeders insist that if for some reason you cannot keep a cat they have
sold to you, that you return it to them for placement. For these
reasons, finding an NFC as a stray is very small.
However, if you
have a cat that looks like an NFC ... you have a beautiful cat that will
be a loving companion for you.
|
