Kot (pronounced “coat”) is the Russian word for cat. Since the Siberian breed originated in the snowy taiga of Russia and wears their heavy Winter coat all year round, we chose the name Winter Kot for our Siberian cattery. The Siberian loves everything about Winter and is truly a Winter cat!
Winter Kot Siberians is located in Western New York, USA.
We only have a waiting list once per year, in the Spring, for a short time. We allow a very small number of people to place unborn kitten holds on the kittens that will be born in the upcoming litter. There is a fee to join the waiting list (place a hold on a kitten) and potential kitten families will need to complete the entire kitten approval process beforehand. Joining our waiting list means that you have been approved for a kitten and that you have decided to welcome a Winter Kot Siberians kitten into your home.
Our young kittens cost $2000 USD. Our older kittens cost $1500-$2000 USD. Our retired adults cost $1000-$1500 USD. These are normal prices for a purebred, pedigreed Siberian kitten or cat. All Winter Kot kittens and cats will be registered with the Cat Fancier’s Association (CFA), spayed or neutered, microchipped, and vaccinated before leaving our cattery.
Here is a list of items, associated with being a cat breeder, that cost money. Most of these are recurring cost categories and are too numerous to mention individual items in the list. We are certainly not expecting the kitten clients to pay for some of these items, but they are on the list to help people understand that we are not out to make money on our kittens. We are simply trying to break even. We are trying very hard to stay in the black. We simply want to share our love of the Siberian breed with others and allow them to experience the happiness and wonder of having a Siberian in their lives. Our cost is the lowest that we can go without sacrificing our high standards of safety and care for Queen Enya and all of her kittens.
We know that our kittens are expensive. Here’s why:
Cattery Costs:
- Cattery registration (CFA)
- Website domain name and hosting
- CFA registration for all cats, additional TICA registration for some cats
- Certified pedigrees for all cats
- Genetic testing for all breeding cats, specific genetic tests for some other cats
- CFA cat show fees, supplies, hotel, and travel costs
Physical Cattery Space Costs:
- Preparing a safe and welcoming room for pregnancy, labor, delivery, and raising kittens
- Cat/kitten gear and toys for various stages of pregnancy and kitten development
- Labor and delivery supplies
- Newborn kitten house and supplies
- Webcam to monitor kittens and queen
- Cleaning and safety supplies
Queen Enya’s Costs:
- Physical examination, blood tests, and vaccinations
- HCM ultrasound scan, evaluated by a board certified Veterinary Cardiologist
- High-quality moist kitten food, dry kitten food, and kitten formula for during pregnancy and while nursing kittens
- High-quality ground turkey breast and ground chicken breast
- Breeding (stud) fee
- Room and board/supplies while visiting boyfriend (stud)
- Travel costs to visit boyfriend (stud)
- Ultrasound to confirm pregnancy, another physical examination
- X-rays to determine litter size
- CFA litter registration
- Bottled water
Kitten Costs:
- High-quality kitten formula (just in case)
- High-quality moist kitten food (up to 30 cans per day)
- High-quality dry kitten food (as much as they want to eat)
- High-quality ground turkey breast and ground chicken breast
- Bottled water
- One or two physical examinations
- One or two complete sets of vaccinations
- Microchip
- One year of microchip monitoring service
- Spay or neuter surgery
- One or two doses of preventative flea protection
- Testing for worms
- CFA individual registration
Some other things that don’t cost money but are still very important:
- Making sure that Queen Enya stays healthy and is caring for the kittens
- Helping Queen Enya care for the kittens, if needed
- Making sure that the kittens stay healthy
- Spending lots of time with the kittens, cuddling them, and playing with them
- Meeting prospective kitten families on Zoom, on the phone, and via e-mail
- Taking and sending photos/videos of the kittens to their new families
- Sharing photos and videos on Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube for the new kitten families
- Communicating with the new kitten families
- Updating our website weekly when we have kittens
- Kitten contracts, physical forms, and other documents
Our kittens are guaranteed until their first birthday for proven genetic conditions only. Since we do a lot of pre-breeding genetic & DNA testing (all completely negative), blood testing (all completely negative), physical examinations (all normal), and booster vaccinations, this health guarantee will not be extended past the kitten’s first birthday.
July 2022 Update: Queen Enya Thea has been spayed and retired. All of her kittens have gone to their forever homes. Winter Kot Siberians will not have any new kittens. Queen Enya Thea will be staying with us.
If you are interested in one of Winter Kot Siberians’ kittens, please read all of these Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) and, if you agree with everything, fill out our kitten application form. We will get back to you after we have received your kitten application.
No, we do not sell breeding cats. All of our kittens are sold as pet only and do not come with breeding rights. All Winter Kot kittens will be spayed or neutered before leaving our cattery. There are no exceptions.
No, we do not sell kittens to people with cat allergies or to households that include a person who has cat allergies. Even though the Siberian breed is generally more hypoallergenic than other cat breeds, there is no guarantee that all Siberians are hypoallergenic. Winter Kot Siberians will not take that chance with our precious kittens. There are no exceptions.
All of our kittens will be ready to go to their forever homes between 12 and 16 weeks of age. In addition to being spayed or neutered, they will be microchipped and registered with CFA. Based on their age, they will have also had one or two sets of vaccinations, one or two doses of preventative flea protection, and one or two physical examinations by our Veterinarian before they go to their forever homes.
No, we do not ship cats. There are no exceptions. We will, however, work with families to see if there is an acceptable place to meet along the way to hand deliver a kitten.
Siberians want to be near their family and enjoy the company of other cats, dogs, children, and other animals. They love to play games, play with toys, and play fetch. Playing in water, drinking from running water, and playing in the snow are their most enjoyable activities. Siberian cats are fearless, easygoing, sweet, loving, and supportive. They enjoy climbing, jumping, and being up as high as possible. Siberians remain playful even when they are fully grown. They will occasionally meow, but they communicate most often with sweet trills, purrs, and chirps. Siberians always know when someone is upset or sad and they do their best to cheer up that person with a big hug around the neck or a gentle headbutt to show that they care. All of this makes the Siberian cat a wonderful family pet and a loving companion.
Our cattery is our home and our home is our cattery. We live in a large house in the country where all of our cats and kittens have plenty of room to run, play, relax, and have fun. We have 2 separate rooms devoted completely to our cats, but they also have many beds, towers, toys, etc. throughout of the rest of our house.