|
| According to new USDA-APHIS guidelines, effective November 18, 2013, breeders must be inspected - even when their kittens are raised in the home as pets. There are certain exemptions allowing such breeders to avoid inspection. It is our current understanding that exempt status requires that a breeder do one of two things. Either we may not ship our animals to anyone who has not met both the breeder and the animal face-to-face, or we may not keep more than four breeding females.
In the last 30 years of breeding Turkish Angora kittens in our home, we have sold quite a few kittens to pet owners in states where no Turkish Angora breeders live. There are large areas of the U.S. where one cannot reasonably drive to a Turkish Angora breeder's home to view kittens and meet the breeder. We are determined to remain exempt, because we do not want representatives of the government coming into our home and telling us what is best for our family members. We do welcome you to pick up your kitten in person, if that is possible for you. We have a country home with lovely wildflowers on over an acre, but we are a mere 1/2 hour from the Columbus, Ohio airport. We are willing to schedule your kitten pick up and come to the airport to bring you here to enjoy our hospitality and meet all of our cats!
Therefore, with a great deal of sadness, we have chosen to reduce our breeding females from six to four. Our current females represent six distinct and rare bloodlines, but apparently that does not matter to the USDA, so we will now have four females, and will still be able to offer shipping to persons who have taken the time and trouble to get to know us, and allow us to know them. Sales can still be done by photo, video, phone conversations, and other similar methods.
As a result of all this, I am looking for breeding homes for two females, so that the bloodlines they represent will not be lost to the Turkish Angora gene pool, and to the world. Please contact me if you are interested in becoming a Turkish Angora breeder - exhibitor, or a Turkish Angora satellite breeder (someone who owns one or two females but no males). And of course, if you wish to visit the cattery, drive or fly to pick up a kitten, you are welcome to make an appointment and come see us!
Hopefully, we have correctly understood the document that this new USDA policy represents, and air shipping is available, depending on the status of animal air transport at the time. Sometimes summer heat restrictions or other factors may delay the delivery of a kitten that is shipped by air, but we've always managed to get kittens to their new homes somehow.
We have never had even a minor mishap, other than a delay once in awhile. We believe this is due to the careful way in which we label and prepare our kittens and cats for shipping.
Most of our cats have arrived on time and in good health, and walked out of the carrier purring for their new owner. On a rare occasion, air shipping may result in a few sniffles and "cold" symptoms.
Air shipping costs a lot for us to arrange... we must have a health certificate from the vet, purchase a carrier for the kitten to travel in, food and water cups, and the cost of the flight, which is the lion's share of the cost. A new shipping rule states that the shipped kitten's ears may not touch the ceiling of the crate, so we now must use a bigger, taller, and more expensive crate. We have standardized our shipping price at $400, to allow you to know what to expect, and if there is a slight difference, we absorb it. We charge nothing for the time and work involved.
Some shipping arrangements can become quite complicated to book. Heat restrictions, bad weather, changes in connecting flights and their destinations and schedules, can cause these complications, but often involve making animal passengers safe. Patience during the booking period is greatly appreciated. In some cases, last minute bookings must be made, but patience is virtually always rewarded, and the new kitten and his or her safety is always "worth the trouble".
|
