Inquiring about a kitten

[Trish Allearz]

Hi Everyone,

Okay- so I figured I'd toss this out there for lurkers...

There really is a right and a wrong way to inquire about a kitten that you are interested in... Please, if you find a kitten that you just LOVE- when you email the breeder, include a little something about yourself. Maybe about the cats you've owned in the past or that you've never owned a cat, but have grown fascinated with the Savannah breed. Inquire about the kitten- sure, ask about price! But DON'T send an email that simply says, "HOW MUCH IS THAT KITTEN?" Purchasing a kitten from a GOOD breeder is so much more then simply price! Now, you don't need to write out a full essay- because I'm sure if you are like me- you inquired on more then a few kittens as you tried to narrow things down to the right kitten for you- BUT just a few simple lines can make the difference between the breeder realizing you have the potential to be a great home and the breeder simply hitting 'delete' and moving on to the next email.

This is just MY opinion- but I think it falls in line with a lot of others. One sentence emails like, "I love Savannahs- do you have any available?" (Or what is the price range?)- I usually respond to. One sentence emails, "WHAT IS THE PRICE OF THAT CAT?"- I typically don't/

 

[beekeeper]

That makes sense

 

[Brigitte Cowell]

There's a sentence at the top of my kittens available page that says:
"Please contact me if you are interested in one of our kittens. It would be great if you could include a short description of your household and what you are looking for."

As Trish says, it doesn't have to be an essay...although I do have a questionnaire for when we really start talking about a kitten... but it helps me know if one of my precious babies is right for you. And if you include a little info on what you are looking for, if I don't have that I can suggest a breeder that might have the right kitten for you!

 

[Dantes]

When I first started the search, I individually typed little blurbs about both me and Dante, and usually included something about the breeder's site or cats, and sent them out. About 3 paragraphs, a little more if the site was really cool or was very personalized-looking.

Many never even got an answer. I thought maybe I was sharing too much?

Others got an answer, but it turned out that site was not updated and they had no kittens available.

Others got an answer, but the kittens that were available were out of my price range.

Now my emails are more like this: Hi! I am interested in learning more about the XXX Savannah you have on your website. Can you tell me about his personality? I am looking for the perfect little boy to be a companion to me and my ragdoll (who unfortunately is a bit standoffish with me, but seems to love other cats). Thanks for your response,

If I even get an answer, which is unlikely (see stats above), I'm glad to expand to my original long-winded (and hopefully humorous) 3 paragraphs, but it's too much work just to find out that theres 99% no chance of a match. But on a first contact? I'm too exhausted to keep talking to someone who isn't listening :-/

JMHO. Not trying to say you're wrong ("SELL ME YOUR CAT" is not a very effective way to communicate lol), just trying to present the other side. Or maybe I'm unique, who knows

 

[Pam Flachs]

You gotta love (NOT!) the ones that first ask: "How big will they get...I want a huge one!" or: "How much are your F1's?" If you are looking at my website, sir, you can see I don't even own an F1 ;/

And the one who thought my breeders are all for sale, too! That was a new one to me.

For the most part, I get emails and phone calls that are intelligent and well-thought out..... I love those!

 

[Dantes]

And the one who thought my breeders are all for sale, too! That was a new one to me.

Was that me? lol To be fair, the cat I asked about was listed on the Kittens page, and as I recall he had a price next to him too

I see the site is updated! Yay!

 

[Brigitte Cowell]

When I first started the search, I individually typed little blurbs about both me and Dante, and usually included something about the breeder's site or cats, and sent them out. About 3 paragraphs, a little more if the site was really cool or was very personalized-looking.

Many never even got an answer. I thought maybe I was sharing too much?

I don't think you were sharing too much, that is exactly the kind of enquiry I personally like to get. Many breeders simply don't reply if they don't have a kitten suitable or available. Unless the email is one of those "how much for a kitten" that is mass-mailed to every breeder on savannahcat.com I reply, I even often reply to those brief emails if in a decent mood and have time to spare. Someone that takes the time to write a paragraph is definitely someone I'd take time to reply to, even when I don't have kittens.

When I was first looking for a Savannah, I sent out a mini-essay to all the breeders I could find and got a handful of replies. Only a couple seemed willing to answer my million questions about Savannahs and one was the person I purchased from.

 

[Pam Flachs]

Was that me? lol To be fair, the cat I asked about was listed on the Kittens page, and as I recall he had a price next to him too

I see the site is updated! Yay!

lol! Was that you? No, no price was there, but there are days when I'd give them all away...there are days....

 

[Brigitte Cowell]

You gotta love (NOT!) the ones that first ask: "How big will they get...I want a huge one!" or: "How much are your F1's?" If you are looking at my website, sir, you can see I don't even own an F1 ;/

And the one who thought my breeders are all for sale, too! That was a new one to me.

For the most part, I get emails and phone calls that are intelligent and well-thought out..... I love those!

Agreed, there's a lot that send out mass mails for an F1 without even checking to see if the breeders own a Serval.

I love getting a well-thought-out enquiry...just I rarely have kittens so it makes me sad that I won't get to place a kitten in that great home! Sometimes I get to recommend one of my breeder friends though and hear back on how happy they are with their new baby, that's almost as good

 

[Pam Flachs]

Agreed, there's a lot that send out mass mails for an F1 without even checking to see if the breeders own a Serval.

I love getting a well-thought-out enquiry...just I rarely have kittens so it makes me sad that I won't get to place a kitten in that great home! Sometimes I get to recommend one of my breeder friends though and hear back on how happy they are with their new baby, that's almost as good

I absolutely agree!