by Annette
(Black Diamond, WA )
Mostly fur!
We bought a "teacup kitten" in January 2010. He was almost 5 months old and weighing 2 and a half pounds, so I figured he would not grow very much after since the breeder told me his parents were only 5lbs.
After seeing the enormous pricing for shipping a teacup kitten, I thought $1500 for a teacup that we could drive and get home was reasonable.
The breeder had a contract, and I was to recieve the papers after I had him neutered.
The papers came and listed him as Himalayan?? Anyway, at 1 year and 1 month old, he weighs 7lbs (on my scale?).
I am not convinced he is a "tea cup" and feel that the breeder is just breeding smaller Persians and selling them for more!
Maybe I could have gotten one for $500??? Anyway, we have grown to love Zeus and he gets along with my 11 year old chihuahua. He loves a bath and needs my constant attention when I get home from work.
I try not to think about the $1500 anymore!
Annette
Annette... Hi Annette. Thanks for sharing. I think you are spot on right in what you say.
Zeus is a Himalayan (a pointed Persian) who should be very much smaller than average because his parents and their parents were small and the breeder is selective breeding for small size.
But 7 lbs is somewhere near the average for a domestic cat. Although on the smaller side of average. The smallest normal (non-teacup) purebred cat is the Singapura with an average weight of about 6.5 lbs.
As you say you were scammed (perhaps the better word is deceived) if we are to be totally honest. Although the breeder herself would probably admit that she cannot be sure what size her kittens are going to end up at when adult. It is not a science.
Some people might say that the whole Teacup cat thing is a bit prone to scamming as the prices are very high and the the customer is not sure of getting what they bargained for. Also there are some question marks about the ethics of breeding for very small size as there might be health issues.
Zeus looks adorable though. Actually he looks quite large! Perhaps it's his fur making him look bigger than he is. As you say, forget the money...)
Some people say I overpaid for my cat, but if I had to do it all over again, I would even pay double. The joy she brings to my life is priceless. Cherish your beautiful Zeus. Wow, his tail is gorgeous, it looks like a boa. And so sorry you lost your new kitten.
We have the same cat it is a red point ,we have 3 cats an blue point red point and chinchillas and we had a knew baby kitty and she died I was so heart broken so my mommy went on to the web site and wanted to buy my one and its a scam!
Hi Tammy. Sorry to hear that you lost your new baby kitty.
There’s no such things as “teacup” cats. They are not a breed of cat. Not recognized by the CFA. They are runts, sickly cats. Your comment that the breeder was just breeding smaller Persians and passing them off as teacups is ignorant. Because there is no such thing. You should consider yourself lucky that your kitty grew up to be a regular size. Also maybe buy a book on cat breeds to properly educate yourself and not get scammed in the future.
A reference to “teacup cats” means very small cats. And yes, they are not a cat breed. And agreed they can have health problems.