I wasn’t particularly keen on the idea of a video call due to the limitations it puts on you.
The strikingly obvious one being that you don’t actually meet the kitten you intend to buy.
But this was the only option due to Covid-19 restrictions and still, it was better than nothing at all.
Firefly Girl
So ‘Firefly Girl’ was a kitten I’d noticed before- actually it was her mother (above) I’d noticed as the kittens were still very young at the time.
However, a few weeks further down the line, it became apparent that this particular kitten fitted the bill- a rosetted, rich brown coloured female, within a suitable travelling distance and price.
Video Call
Pen and pad in hand (pen- the pad was on the table), we started our video call with Basia from Hotfuzz Bengals.
I didn’t get hissed at, by kitten or breeder, which was a good start…
We’d had some previous contact with Basia before and she’d asked us what kind of living environment we could provide.
During the video chat, we asked a number of things including what would happen if the kitten wouldn’t settle or we just couldn’t get along.
Cats aren’t toys and they shouldn’t be returned because they don’t live up to some fantasy created by you that was never going to be a reality.
We certainly had no intention of giving up easily should there be problems.
Perhaps we were being overly cautious, but since we had not met nor handled this kitten, I felt it was a relevant, necessary question.
I also knew it was something that breeders do differ on.
Incidentally, although Hotfuzz Bengals wouldn’t take the cat back, Basia’s policy was to offer advice and help with rehoming should things not work out.
It was clear Firefly Girl was a very active, inquisitive young cat (although I guess most Bengals are) and was comfortable being handled.
She even gave a little miaow.
We didn’t get to see the parents, but had no doubt that they existed and everything was above board.
Plus there were images on the website anyway.
Contract
Our conversation lasted about 20 mins, and Basia promised to send over a contract for us to look over.
As mentioned in my article ‘Bengal Cat Scams: List of the Top 9 Things to Know to Avoid One ’ a contract shows the breeder is serious/genuine and offers some kind of guarantee to both parties.
So Basia left us to read hers and to mull things over….
Further Reading:
