FAQ'S
Q: What does ‘non-active’ mean?
A: ‘Non-active’ means that the cat is GCCF registered however they should not be bred from and kept as a pet only. They can be entered into cat shows. Bournepaws cannot guarantee success in shows.
​​
​
Q: What age should I neuter (boys) or spay (girls)?
​
A: Kittens should be neutered or spayed at around 6-7 months old. Any later, and you risk boys displaying territorial behaviour such as spraying, frustration and a desire to escape, as well as the added risk of certain male related cancers. With girls you risk them coming into call which means they will howl loudly night and day to attract a male, urine mark, try to escape to find a mate, fight with other girls, and if they repeatedly call without being mated they can risk getting pyometra which can be fatal. Not neutering/spaying also goes against our Kitten Sale Agreement.
​​
​
Q: How should I introduce my kitten to cat to our resident pet?
​
A: Patience is key, and scent swapping is a useful method for both animals to become familiar with each other before being properly acquainted. Feliway plug ins are also recommended as they help to reduce stress levels. Further advice on introducing a new pet is detailed in the Kitten Care Guide we will provide you with upon reservation of a kitten.
​​
​
Q: Where should I keep my kitten overnight?
​
A: It’s totally your choice, however kittens can be very active at night so if you value your sleep it may be beneficial to restrict them to a separate area. They will love sleeping on your bed if they are allowed, however we recommend you set their new routine from day one so they don't become confused. If you have a single kitten rather than a pair, they may cry out during the first night as they will understandably miss their litter mates, however it’s best to leave them to settle themselves otherwise they will learn that they cry and you come running! A teddy bear or something soft in their sleeping area may help them settle easier as it will remind them of the fur of their mum/litter mates. A heat pad may also be beneficial in the colder months. They will soon adapt to their new routine. If you have a pair of kittens from us, they will settle easily with each other.
​​
​
Q: What should I do when my kitten first comes home?
​
A: Consider restricting them to one room initially until they've had a chance to adapt to their new surroundings. This is sensible if you already have a resident pet as you should allow gradual introductions so neither become too stressed. Open the door of their cat carrier and let them exit in their own time. Once they’ve had a sniff around, show them where their litter tray is located by gently scraping their paws through the litter. This will remind them where to return to when they need to use it. Then show them to their food and water. They may not eat or drink immediately but they will be familiar with its location. If your kitten is feeling overwhelmed in their new environment, let them hide if they want to, or if they seem confident allow them to explore - let them guide you. If they choose to hide away, they will come out when they are ready and although you will naturally be excited to play with them and have a cuddle, let them emerge in their own time then they will trust you quicker. Moving home is extremely stressful for them, so any behaviour in the first 24 hours is normal - eg hiding away or immediately playing and taking charge, eating or not eating, drinking or not drinking, having a slight upset belly from stress, or not needing to use the litter tray at all. Patience is key, however please do contact us if you need any reassurance.
​​
​
Q: Why doesn’t my kitten drink much?
​
A: Cats are known to not drink much and that’s why a wet food diet is important rather than dry food/biscuits only, as it will help provide the hydration they need. Some cats will not drink water if it's located next to their food. Their natural instincts can make them assume the water is contaminated, so try re-locating the water bowl if your kitten doesn’t seem to drink much. They often cannot see the water, so a bowl with a picture of some kind can help with this. Also make sure food and water bowls are wide enough so there is room for their whiskers (google whisker fatigue). Ceramic bowls are better than plastic which can harbour germs and cause cat acne. A water fountain can also encourage your cat to drink as they prefer running water. Our cats are raw fed so as their diet naturally provides lots of hydration in the fresh meat, therefore they don't tend to drink much.
​
Q: Why does my cat frequently go to the litter tray, but only urinates a small amount or nothing at all?
​
A: This could be an indication that your cat has a urinary tract infection (UTI). This is more common in male cats, but females can suffer with them too. This warrants a trip to the vets where they will most likely be given a short course of antibiotics such as synulox, which will provide them with relief from their pain quickly. If they have recurring UTI’s your vet may advise a change of diet or investigate further.
​​
​
Q: What should I do if my cat has soiled outside of the litter tray?
​
A: Clean up the mess using a non-bleach product otherwise the ammonia will attract the cat to repeat mark. There are plenty of products on the market such as ‘Simple Solution Stain Remover’. There will be a reason why your cat failed to use the tray, for instance the tray was not clean enough for them or they are sharing with too many other cats. Scoop solids frequently and clean the tray entirely using a cat safe disinfectant regularly. It may be worth adding an additional tray as some cats like to use one for solids and one for urinating. Another reason is that they could have a UTI or constipation and therefore associate their tray with pain so don’t return there - in which case you’ll need to consult with your vet. Another reason could be that they are stressed, or have been scared by something while using their tray. If the inappropriate toileting is likely stress related, try to eliminate the stress and after throughly cleaning the area, move the litter tray to the location where they had their accident and this will remind them where they should be going. If this doesn’t work, you’ll need to go back to basics and shut them in one room until they are successfully using the litter tray again. It can be frustrating, but try not to show your cat you’re annoyed or reprimand them as this will only the exasperate the problem. Feliway can help a stressed cat, and this is available in most pet stores as a plug in or a spray.
​​
​
Q: What does “GCCF Registered" mean?
​
A: This means your kitten’s family history is independently maintained on the Governing Council of the Cat Fancy’s database which holds a register of all pedigree cats so that you can research their family tree and see which breeding lines you cat comes from. You can therefore be assured that your British Shorthair or Longhair is a certified pedigree and hasn’t been crossed with any other breed of cat, which would effectively make it an expensive moggy. You will receive a registration certificate upon collection of your kitten to prove its heritage. Breeders also have to adhere by a code of ethics to remain registered, and we can receive hefty fines or even suspension if we make any errors. This reassures you that the queen who birthed your kitten has not been over bred and the kittens have been raised according to the GCCF guidelines - eg fully vaccinated against core illnesses and only leave the breeder a week after their final vaccination.
​​
​
Q: What is a pedigree?
​
A: A pedigree shows the registered family tree of your cat. It will detail the colours and breeding lines of the parents, grandparents, great grandparents and so on. You will also be able to see any show champions in the pedigree, which is an extra reassurance that your kitten was bred from good true to type examples of the breed.
​​
​
Q: What colour eyes will my cat have?
​
A: All kittens are born with blue eyes, and if they are good examples of the breed, they will develop into their permanent colours from around 7-8 weeks old. Colourpoints should remain blue, tabbies usually have green eyes if the parents are both tabbies, and the remaining colours have beautiful rich amber eyes.
​​
​
Q: How often should I feed my kitten?
​
A: While kittens are growing, they should be offered 4 meals a day. Kittens don’t over eat and have frequent growth spurts, so may eat a huge amount one day and then less the next. They should be allowed to eat as much as they want within each mealtime. Obviously if they do appear to be gaining excessive weight this should be reviewed on an individual basis and your vet is your first port of call for any concerns. We feed kittens at approximately 7:30am, 12:30pm, 5:30pm and at 9pm to see them through the night. Our kittens are raw fed so we do not offer dry food alongside it as it's not good for their long term health.
​​
​
Q: When should my kitten move onto adult food?
​
A: 12 months old if using processed cat food. If you continue to feed a raw diet, fresh meat is the same for all cats however kitten recipes are often double minced to ensure there are smaller fragments of bone which are easier for them to digest.
​​
​
Q: Can I change their food from what they are used to?
​
A: Yes, but make any changes gradually. Slowly offer the new food for one of their meals a day, gradually increasing the amount of new food once you’re sure it isn’t giving them any tummy trouble. This is best transitioned over a period of around 2 weeks. Using a probiotic such as ProPlan FortiFlora or ProKolin will help keep their digestive systems settled during the changeover.
​​
​
Q: Can I change the type of litter they are used to?
​
A: Yes. Mix the new litter in with the old, gradually increasing the amount of new litter until they have accepted the change. Only use clumping litter for kittens over 4 months old. Younger kittens may try to eat the litter and end up with a blockage which is a medical emergency.
​​
​
Q: Can I put cat litter down the toilet?
​
A: No, as you can easily block the pipes especially with clumping litter, and cat stools can contain parasites which can infect humans.
​​
​
Q: What should I feed my kitten?
​
A: Please refer to the Kitten Care Guide you will be provided with upon reservation of a kitten for details about their high quality natural raw diet, and how to transition them onto processed food if you do not wish to continue with raw. Raw fed cats generally have a good health record, better oral hygiene, softer coats and are less likely to suffer with digestive upsets. Litter trays are also much easier to deal with as stools are less frequent, small, solid and have less odour.
​
​
Q: Should I allow my cat to go outside?
​
​​
​
Q: Do you offer a discount for a pair of kittens?
​
A: Our kittens cost us the same to raise whether they leave as a singleton or a pair, therefore we are unable to offer discounts if you re-home more than one kitten. Breeding is incredibly expensive and time consuming, & our kitten prices reflect the hard work and dedication we put into raising healthy, sociable kittens. We also have the additional cost of licensing which many breeders evade - it's against the law not to have one but many people operate under the pretence of it being a hobby when they are clearly profiting from the sale of an animal. We monitor the price ranges for pedigrees and remain very competitive within the market. If your budget doesn't stretch to a kitten, we occasionally have adult re-homes available which are usually around the £350-£500 price point, and great examples of the breed since they need to be top quality to be bred from. We also on occasion have older kittens available to re-home at a slightly lower price. This is usually where we have held a kitten back who shows breeding potential, however because it's difficult to tell when they are very young, we wait until they have matured more before we make our final decision. Any adult or older kitten re-homes can be found under our 'Available Kittens' section - please scroll to the bottom for 'Adult Re-homes'.
​​
​
Q: Why do you no longer operate a waiting list, I want the security of knowing I will be offered a kitten?
​
A: We've tried to operate a waiting list on numerous occasions, and it's almost impossible to maintain. When we make contact to offer a kitten, we're either ignored, the family have found a kitten elsewhere, a change of circumstances or the family have a holiday so the timescales don't work out. Other times we make contact and ask for a response within 48 hours, we don't receive a response so a few days later to give some grace we will move on to the next family, then the first ones reply and are offended when the kitten has been reserved by someone else.
Another example is a new family is really keen to secure a kitten right then and we have kittens available, we respond saying we need to honour our waiting list first which has for instance 10 people in front of them - that list of 10 in reality only turns out to have one family who actually wants a kitten when we offer the litter out, but because the new enquirer has been told there are 10 people in front, they secure a kitten elsewhere. We've lost a good home for a kitten and the list has proved pointless. People who have been waiting also often ask where they are on the list, but it's not representative as many aren't in a position to proceed or are time wasters. We have therefore decided to advertise kittens at around 6-7 weeks old when we're happy they're weaned and thriving, and offer them to any suitable homes that make contact at that point. We have tried to make a waiting list work so many times to help manage people's expectations, but we don't have time to waste on chasing people as caring for our animals has to be our priority. We post frequent updates on upcoming litters, births and when kittens are ready to reserve on our website, Facebook page & Instagram. We hope you understand the reasons for our new stance on this.
​​
​
Q: Will you take a kitten back if we change our minds?
​
A: Firstly, please consider everything owning a cat entails both time wise & financially. Insurance is an essential so that you can provide health care whenever it is required. They live an average of 14 years so it's a long term commitment and it's unfair & stressful for the cat to move home more than necessary. If however, the re-home doesn't work out for any reason (eg unknown allergy etc) please do contact us and we will assist you with re-homing the cat. We won't be able to have them back in our environment due to potential cross contamination entering our breeding programme. We strictly limit our number of resident pets to avoid them becoming stressed from over crowding, and also have to adhere to the terms of our breeding licence in respect of how many cats we can keep at any one time. We care about every cat that leaves us, and will always be on hand to offer help and support, so never be afraid to ask. There will be no judgement if we need to help you find a new home for your kitten, because we want the very best for them.
​​
​
Q: Do I have to pay a deposit and when is the balance due?
​
A: We only ask for a deposit after the kitten has had its first health check and vaccination so that you can be assured you are committing to a healthy, well bred kitten. You are then invited to meet your chosen kitten to confirm whether you'd like to proceed. If you're unable to visit, we can send videos showing their living environment, parents, littermates etc. Once you confirm you'd like to proceed, we ask for a £195 deposit with the balance due on collection. The deposit is only refundable if any health issue is identified and you no longer wish to proceed. If you simply change your mind, the deposit is forfeited, however we will happily transfer it to another kitten already available or hold it for a future litter. We take this approach to avoid any time wasters as unfortunately we've had our fair share of them - we've even had people not show up on collection day without any prior notice despite us setting up insurance and registering the kitten's microchip in their name. The full balance must be paid before you leave with you kitten - we learnt this the hard way too, so can no longer show any leniency with payment. We do not offer instalment plans, and payment is by cash or bank transfer. We are HMRC registered and do not offer discounts for cash as all income is declared.
​​
​
Q: Will my cat be microchipped?
​
A: From 10 June 2024 it will be compulsory for every cat to be microchipped before 20 weeks of age. We have always microchipped our cats before leaving us anyway, and use Animal Tracker. We purchase the microchip and register it in your name, however Animal Tracker may charge a fee for you to accept the transfer which is out of our control. I'm a fully qualified microchipper so all kittens are microchipped at home, which is less stressful for them than having extra procedures at the vets.
​​
​
Q: Some unregistered cats are much cheaper and I don't care about papers. Why should I buy a registered pedigree?
​
A: An unregistered cat means you have likely bought from an unregistered breeder (often referred to as 'back yard breeders'). These breeders are not regulated, and can breed a girl relentlessly to make money with no repercussions unless reported and investigated. They often re-home the kittens at 8 weeks old to avoid the costs associated with vaccinations, health checks, microchipping and the extra food required if they kept kittens until 12-13 weeks as per the GCCF guidelines. The kitten will therefore not have had any vet health checks, so you are buying blind and could be walking into a very expensive vet bill, or worse still, heartache. If corners are being cut, the breeding lines probably won't have been genetic tested for inherited illnesses such as PKD, and with no family history (pedigree) you can't even be sure you are buying a full British Shorthair, meaning they could have been crossed with anything. They will likely not be true to type, and bred for money rather than love of the breed. If the parents are full BSH but the kittens aren't registered, it's likely the 'breeder' didn't have permission to breed on the active register and is letting the cat have a litter without the original owner's consent - the cat would have been sold as a pet only. There may have been a reason why the original breeder did not sell the cat with breeding rights, for example the kitten may be perfectly healthy, but a litter mate may have a cleft palate for example, which indicates there could be an issue in the breeding line and it shouldn't be continued.
​
We are a GCCF registered breeder (our prefix is: Bournpaws as confirmed on the GCCF website), operating with full council issued licence, registered with HMRC and we passed our last inspection with the higher rating and no recommendations for improvement. All breeders should be licensed once they have received £1,000 of income from the sale of pets (income - not profit) otherwise they are operating illegally. With the price of pedigrees, only one litter would need to be bred to reach this threshold. Many breeders will try to get around this by saying they are 'hobby' or 'show' breeders - it makes no difference. If they are charging money for the sale of an animal, they are a pet seller requiring a license once they exceed the £1,000 threshold. Please do not support illegal breeding, for the health and welfare of all cats.
We have never been fined, warned, suspended or permanently excluded from any cat governing body. If a BSH is being offered for a low price, it's usually too good to be true - please don't support 'back yard breeders'. We can't promise that nothing will ever happen to our kittens health wise as Mother Nature has the final say, but we have clear breeding lines and give our kittens the absolute best start in life.
​​
​
Q: How many times can we visit our kitten?
​
A: To reduce the chances of any cross contamination, we send videos to potential new homes and post regular updates on social media while the kittens are young, and invite new families to visit after the kitten's first health check at 9 weeks old. You can then collect your kitten at 12-13 weeks old which will be a week after their final vaccination. We don't offer more than one visit as we have lots of families to juggle and limited time with all of the work that goes on behind the scenes caring for our animals. We keep all new owners updated on their kitten's progress once they have been formally reserved.
​​
​
Q: What can I expect at our viewing, and what times can I visit?
​
A: Viewings are offered Monday to Friday between 9:30am with the last visit time of 3:30pm. Viewings are booked in for an hour, as kittens are very playful but they also need to sleep a lot when they are growing. We'll often have more than one visit in a day, so this can tire the kittens out, therefore an hour is enough for them and for you to see their characters etc. You may play with and hold the kittens, and take as many photos and videos as you wish. Please try to limit visitors to your immediate family so that it's not overwhelming for the litter. Please also try to arrive on time as we often have several visits lined up and will not expect the next family to wait past their visit time.
Since Covid, all visits are conducted in our well ventilated conservatory which is accessed via the side of our house. This also avoids our excitable dogs going crazy with people in the main house! There are toilet facilities nearby in Tesco & Sainsbury's. During your visit we will explain how we operate our breeding programme and any particular likes or dislikes we've noticed your kitten has. You will be invited to meet the kitten's mother, and the father if he is not in stud with another queen. You will be able to see the kitten's living environment, and we will be happy to answer any questions you have to prepare for your new arrival. If you decided to proceed with a kitten, we will issue a Kitten Care Guide and ask for a deposit of £195 to secure your kitten. You do not need to decide during your visit whether you'd like to proceed with a kitten - feel free to go home and have a think about your decision before committing if you'd like.
If you're unwell on the day of your visit, please re-schedule as it's very difficult for us to care for so many animas if we become ill.
​​
​
Q: Will I need to take my kitten for a vet check once they join our home?
​
A: It's entirely your choice, but really not essential as they will have had a final health check by our vet a week before they leave us. With the stress of moving home, it's better to not subject them to another vet visit unless in the unlikely event you are concerned about anything (in which case we hope that you will have already been in touch with us). Vaccination boosters are due in a year - and we recommend you do your own research about duration of immunity for their future vaccination schedule after the year booster.
​
Q: Should I get a male or female / I have a resident cat so which gender would be better?
A: This is a question we're asked all of the time. BSH are a sociable breed (if well bred) and have such lovely temperaments so it really doesn't matter which gender you choose. Even if you're having two kittens from us, or already have a cat, any gender mix will be fine. Obviously if you have a male/female pairing, neutering/spaying at the right time is essential. Males do grow to a larger size than the girls, but all BSH are larger than the average moggy regardless of gender. I recommend choosing a colour and character you like rather than focusing on a specific gender. They are all wonderful!
​
​
​