Q. Where are you located?

We are located in Poulsbo, WA near Bainbridge Island; West of Seattle on the other side of the water.  Take the Bainbridge Island Ferry, Pier 52 off of Alaskan Way in Seattle or you can drive around through the Tacoma Narrow Bridge, which takes about an hour and thirty minutes from Seattle.

Q. What type of Siamese do you breed?

A. At Permes Cattery we breed Traditional "Applehead" Siamese.  We also occasionally have Classic Siamese kittens.

Q. What other breeds do you breed?

A. We have Siamese, Balinese, Javanese and Colorpoint Shorthairs.

Q. What is the difference in the four colors?

A. Seal points are the darkest of the four colors and the color that most people think of as a "traditional" Siamese color.  Chocolate points have lighter brown points (often times milk chocolate in color) with a whiter body.  They tend to keep the contrast in their bodies even as they get older, unlike seal points which get much darker with age.  Blue points have grayish-blue points and a slightly shaded body.  Lilac points are the lightest of the four colors, and stay white in the body even when they are older.

Q. What registry's are your cats registered with?

A. Our cats are all registered with CFA (Cat Fancier's Association) and CFF (Cat Fanciers' Federation).  . 

Q. Will a male cat spray after he is neutered?

A. No, there is no reason to worry about this.  The odds of your neutered male spraying are about the same as a female spraying (very unlikely!), therefore, don't let it affect your decision on gender!  Just be sure to get him neutered at the appropriate age, preferably before six months old.

Q. What is the price range of your kittens?

A. Our kittens are sold as pets.  The price of a kitten start at $700 and price goes up depending on pedigree, conformation, eye color, type, contrast, registry, color etc.  Lynx Points run a bit more and usually run about $1000 for starters.  We do offer a discount on two or more kittens.  We also offer a discount to repeat buyers.

Q. Do you sell kittens for less without 'papers'?

A. No. A reputable breeder should always give the registration slip for every kitten they sell.  It does not cost very much to register a litter of kittens, and if a breeder is selling cats without papers, it usually means that they don't have papers (or breeding rights) on the parents, and therefore shouldn't be breeding the cats in the first place.

Q.Do you ever sell adult cats?

A. We occassionallly have retired adults available.  Very rarely we have a younger cat that we hold back for ourselves and then decide we are not going to breed the cat. 

Q. What is a 'Retired Adult'?

A. A 'Retired Adult' is an adult cat that was part of our breeding program and has now been spayed or neutered, and 'retired' from our breeding program.  It isn't possible for us to keep every one of our retired breeders, and they deserve to go to a pet home where they can get more individual attention and enjoy being spoiled, just like one of our kittens.

Q. Why do purebred kittens cost so much?

A. There are many factors that affect the price of purebred cats.  Responsible breeders put a LOT of money into their breeding program.  This is usually not a profitable venture.  A responsible breeder will spend from $1200-$2000+ on the breeding cats that they purchase in order to get a cat from a reputable line with registration papers and breeding rights.  Expensive premium food, supplements, litter and vet bills for an entire cattery adds up very quickly.  There are also advertising costs, cattery registration and inspection fees, and individual kitten, cat, and litter registration costs.  Our adult cats are tested regularly for FeLV etc. along with various health screening tests done for breeding cats.  Breeders also face unexpected vet bills such as caesarean sections, pyometras, etc.  Most people are not prepared to house an 'intact' male that sprays, and must then build special accommodations for him, or even more than one male, which can add up to a considerable expense.

Q. Do you sell cats for breeding?

A. We do not generally sell kittens or cats for breeding unless the buyer is already involved with breeding in the CFA or another association.  A buyer interested in breeding rights will need to have references from other breeders before Iwe will consider selling a cat/kitten with breeding rights.  We will NOT sell cats for breeding to anyone that merely wants to produce kittens just for fun.  There are far too many homeless cats/kittens in shelters now. 

Q. Do you offer stud service?

A. No. For the health of all of our cats and kittens we keep a closed cattery, which means we do not offer stud service to anyone.

Q. Do you guarantee your kittens?

A. Yes.  Our kittens are guaranteed in writing to be in good health without any known genetic defects.  We give a 72 hour health guarantee and a congenital defects guarantee for the first year of the kittens life. Our kittens are guaranteed for health and temperament.  New owners must take their kitten to a licensed veterinarian for a heath check within 72 hours of purchase in order for this guarantee to be valid.  If the kitten is declawed, the guarantee does not apply.  Declawing can cause many health and behavioral problems, such as litter box avoidance and biting.  Please see this link on declawing.  There is also a great product that I recommend called 'Soft Paws'.  These are vinyl nail caps that glue on to your cat's claws and they are available in clear and colored caps.  See their website at www.softpaws.com.

Q. How old are your kittens when you sell them?

A. IWe sell kittens at 12-16 weeks of age or older.  Kittens must be at least 16 weeks of age to be shipped.  If you would like more information on why kittens must be a certain age before being sold, please see this link How young is too young?

 Q. Has my kitten been dewormed?

A. Yes.  We deworm all of our kittens. 

Q. Do you sell with a contract?

A. Yes.  Our kittens are sold with a contract.  We require that our kittens are kept indoors and are not declawed.  Neutering or spaying is REQUIRED between four months of age and no later than seven months of age for females and nine months of age for males. Click Here To See Our Contract.

Q. Can I have my kitten spayed or neutered before it comes home?

A. Yes you can.  Our vet will spay or neuter at 16 weeks of age.  The cost of the surgery will be paid by the new owner.

Q. Can my kitten go outdoors?

A. NO for all the reasons that we do not want our kittens to be let outdoors, please read my web page on why cats should be kept indoors.

Q. Do you accept personal checks?

A. We accept personal checks for deposits that are sent at least two weeks before the kitten is ready to leave home.  For any balance due after that point I require a money order, cashier's check, or cash.  NO exceptions.

Q. Do you accept deposits for kittens?

A. Yes, we will accept a deposit/holding fee to hold kittens.  Half the purchase price (minimum of $300) is requested, and a personal check is acceptable.  We will not accept deposits unless we believe that we will have a kitten for you within a short period of time.  We will NOT hold a kitten without a deposit, no exceptions!  Deposits are non-refundable, unless a kitten does not become available within one year. 

Q. Do you ship your kittens?

A. Yes, Iwe will ship our kittens.  The kitten must be at least 12 weeks of age.  Buyer is responsible for all shipping costs, including airfare, shipping crate, rabies vaccination, health certificate/exam and a fee for our transportation to the airport.  We do NOT ship kittens unless a kitten contract has been signed and returned to us first, with full payment.  Shipping does depend on weather.   At this time, we are using Delta Airlines for most of our shipping, and Continental, United and Northwest as a back-up.

Q. How much does it cost to ship a kitten?

A. This can vary a great deal, depending on the airline and the destination.  In my experience the cost for airfare has been between $175 and $325.  There is also a $150 fee for the shipping crate, health certificate, rabies vaccination, and transporting the kitten to the airport.  This breaks down to shipping crate $35, vet fees $65, transportation fee $50. The average total cost to ship one kitten is at least $325.  Two kittens can be shipped almost as cheapy as one.  You need to pay for an extra health certificate/exam and rabies vaccination but they can be shipped in the same carrier.  The minimum cost to ship two kittens is $400.  If the kittens are older though, it may be necessary to go the next size carrier, which will add from $50-$80 to the cost.

Q. What brand of food do you feed your cats?

A. We feed Life Abundance a totally organic and natural food with no biproducts, grains, or preservatives.  For canned food we feed Instinctive Choice, which is all natural as well with no bi products, grains or preservaties

Q. What type of kitty litter do you use?

A. We use Fresh Step plain clay litter.  I also use Fresh Step scoopable.  I don't like the clay scoopable however for kittens.  Kittens often times eat litter or it gets stuck to their feet and then they lick it off.  (For an excellent article on the dangers of cluping litter, please see this link on clumping litter.) *NOTE* There ARE safe alternatives of clumping litter, and the link will list those.