Purrs In Our Hearts - Cat Forum UK
Cat General => General Cat Chat => Topic started by: lisa77 on August 28, 2007, 10:23:38 AM
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Visited my little boy yesterday & paid the deposit for him.
One thing i noticed was he had a small kink in his tail. Ive googled this & it has mentioned some abnormalities including this.
Is this something to worry about ? is this common ?
Should I approach the breeder about this ?
Thanks guys
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was it at the end of his tail ?
I believe these are sometimes called tail "pips" and would cause the cat no problems what so ever , however if you are intending showing him i it is a "fault" and he would be marked down for it. (unless the breed is meant to have it ?)
If it is further up the tail i am not sure, only known it to be at the end, anything further up is normally as a result of being shut in a door and the vertebrae dislodged or broken, i'm sure that is probably not the case in this little one though.
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It is litrally about an inch from the tip of the tail. I mean it doesnt worry me just wanted to check that there would be no further problems.
This may sound like a stupid question but should I expect to pay less ?
Thanks
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yes as i thought, no this wont cause puss any problems at all but like i say depends on whether or not you are paying a premium price for a show quality cat ?
if showing is your plans then look up the breed standards and you should see a list of "faults" or perhaps the list will give what points they give for x feature if that makes sense. I dont know about your breed but i do know that in laperms this is a point deducting fault. (incidentally i've seen maine coons grouped in with the "rex catagory" for some reason ?
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I wont be showing him. He is costing £350 - I have never bought a Pedigree so im not too hot on this kind of stuff!
Thanks for your help hon ;D
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If you're concerned ask the breeder about it, but I don't think it will cause any problems. he might even grow out of it. The only problem would be that it would be a fault in a show cat but as he's not being sold as a show cat you won't be able to pay less as you're already paying pet quality price (ie a pet quality cat being one that has a minor fault making it unsuitable for showing but no problems at all as a pet)
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ahh ok as long as im not being ripped off (horrid term & I would of had him anyway as he is georgous)
Thanks allot for your time
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sounds fair enough to me.
think about joining a maine coon club
http://www.maine-coon-cat-club.com/showing/
or i am sure their will be a yahoo based club aswell.
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Excellent - Thanks again
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And don't forget to post pics if you have any!
Maine coons are lovely :Luv:
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Don't worry i have a few to put on tonight..I need to reduce them as are huge !
Watch this space ! x
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Lisa, if your boy is not going to be a show cat, then I really wouldn't be worried about the kink in his tail. Yes, it is a fault that would be penalised on the bench as far as pedigree cats are concerned, but if his sole goal in life is to have a worshipful human
owner slave at his beck and call, then it shouldn't be an issue. ;)
Worth having a chat with the breeder though - a good breeder won't fob you off and will be more than happy to discuss things through with you.
Having said that, a friend of mine shows a black & white boy who has a double kink in his tail in the household pet classes - but in HP, it's all about condition and temperament rather than perfection and looks. Kinky's tail, despite its interesting s-bend doesn't bother him whatsoever.
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Thanks hon.. my mind is put at rest now.I have asked the breeder about it as I am a bit annoyed it wasnt mentioned befre really. we travelled 2 hours yesterday & if we had had any intentions to show him we would of had a waisted journey. She never mentioned anything about it !
Thanks allot
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I'd have expected the breeder to mention it in passing when you were discussing the kittens and maine coons in general, but a breeder won't always discuss each kitten's merit as a show cat in detail to every prospective owner. Anyone wanting a show cat needs to specifically ask for that (and can expect to pay more) so it would be assumed that you were after a pet quality cat unless you stated otherwise. Many pedigree cats sold as pets have some minor "fault" when compared to the breed standard but that's not a problem if they are only wanted as pets. I have a Somali and his profile is a bit too straight with insufficient nose break for showing, but in every other way he's perfect. But he could have all the faults in the world and he'd still be perfect to me ;D
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I've always wondered what that was on the end of Charlies tail.. He's cross Maine Coon.. ;D
Thanks Lynn!
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Just had this response from the breeder -
Date: Tue, 28 Aug 2007 13:31:17 +0100
Tail kinks are quite common, it is a show fault nothing else to worry about. Hence, the kitten is pet quality i.e not suitable for showing.
The kittens have been thoroughly health checked when they had their first vaccinations last week and yes, my vet is aware of the kink.
From a health point of view it is of no significance and as the kitten grows and develops a large plumed tail it will not be that noticable, if at all.
Hope this answers your query.
Best regards,
Of course I still want him - to me he is puuuurfect & I fell in love with him as soon as I saw the piccies... I just want to bring him home now !
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all sounds hunky dory to me. Sarah all cats can have them not just maines or peds, personally i'd quite like it myself as its something i'd sit and run my fingers along :evillaugh:
took michael years to stop me sitting slipping the battery cover on and off the remote when watching telly :rofl: He'd be better off just letting me smoke haha
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Love Maine Coons! Tried to get my OH to buy me one before I got Menue, decided that possibly I should go for a non-pedigree before I got a pedigree!
But I still get regular emails from the Main Coon rescue lady. There was one in Chester recently who needed a new home as he had been in an RTA. He needed help with weeing and the owners didnt feel that they could do it and the vet had recommended he got PTS. However, he was feeling the need to go to the toilet and a cat neurologist was being sought. He looks so cute! I dont know whats happened to him now though as lady has been on holiday.
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A kink I wouldn't worry about either.........and like with Billy, whatever the faults, you will love him regardless :Luv: I wouldn't personally go out and buy a Pedigree cat and I was sooooooo lucky when Billy came to me as a rescue, as a breed, they are the tops and he is my baby and I wouldn't swap him for the world. They have a personality all of their own and boy does he know he's gorgeous.........he look at us as if we're something he's scraped off his foot :evillaugh: :evillaugh:
I can't wait to see piccies :Luv: What colour is he?
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You see, to me, one of the great joys of cat ownership is running your hand up the full length of their tail until it slides off the end. My Burmese were always a great disappointment in this regard because you ran out of tail before you expected to. A kink at the end would annoy me like a crooked picture. But, as you say, if you already love the wee laddy then no fault will turn you off. I have had a cat lose part of its tail due to the wind slamming a door shut at the wrong time. Didn't stop me loving her.
Breed characteristics are for the show bench. Full furry tails will disguise a multitude of sins. If you don't plan to show, then go for the cuty. But make sure you are not paying show-standard prices. From what you say, you are not paying the high end of the market so there is no room for negotiating a reduction on prices. ...
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I would be a bit sneakie and get someone to ring her and ask her how much she charges for show standard kittens.....................this kitten should not cost as much ;D
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£350 is definitely a pet quality price, Gill. That's what I paid for Mosi a year and a half ago from a new, unproven breeder (albeit he has a good pedigree). You'll rarely find a pet quality for a lower price than that (you may among breeds that are very popular and where there are lots of breeders and a plentiful supply - supply and demand does come into play here, but I would be wary of any breeder selling them "cheap") and you will pay more for a rare breed. You'd be hard pushed to find a pet quality bengly for that price, for example.
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I agree with susanne.
BC i like to sit and twirl the ends of the tail :evillaugh: you know how some people can sit and twirl hair well twirling tail is very satisfying :rofl:
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Jaffa has a long tail and I love to stroke him from the top of his head, all the way down his back and along his tail - giving it a gentle tug at the end! ;D
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I love that aswell :) With cody the texture of coat changes and then you get to the tail and this is where he is most wavy, its very addictive :Luv:
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For those of you that havent seen him he is to the left had side of my post !
His tail apperance doesnt bother me at all. Infact it makes him more special ! I musnt grummble at the price I am paying for him. He will give me years of companionship & joy so to me you cant out a price on that !
I just can't wait !
29th Sep he is coming home with mummy !
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I lied ! Thats on the other forum, all my pics are too big to put on here no matter how small i make then !
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Im really keen on knowing what colour he will turn out when older ?
The breeder describes him as a Silver red Tabby with white & says the older he gets the more silver he will be but I cant see any silver !!!
Will he lose the red in him do you think ?
(http://i48.photobucket.com/albums/f215/Plums77/avatar.jpg)
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He looks lovely!
Well this is what a rather gorgeous red silver tabby and white NFC looks like and 4 and 8 months old :Luv:
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ahhhhhhhhhhhhh absolutley georgeous ! Thanks allot
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but I cant see any silver !!!
With him being a red silver tabby it means his markings are red but the ground colour will be a white/silver colour
Here's a pic of a red tabby and white so you can see the difference the silver makes
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ahh so with the silver missing the red is more vibrant ? & a res silver & white is like a watered down version of the red tabby ?? ha ha sorry if im babbling !!!!
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I love any colour
ginger sorry Red, but that creamy gingery red silver colour is just gorgeous :)
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He's gorgeous. I love red cats and I love silver cats ;D I have a red somali and I love the pale and dark red together. As has been said, being a red silver will mean his base coat is a silvery colour rather than pale red as it would be for a standard red tabby. A stunning combination.
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Little Sid has got a kink in his "tail." He says the lady cats love it. Makes them purr.
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LOL Iain