Hi Bettina
Yes it would be useful to see the paperwork. They get their microchips tomorrow, at 10 weeks, and their passports (+ vaccinations inc. rabies) two weeks later. I will discuss putting the buyers’ addresses in the passports with the vets.
I had an old boy die at 19 not long before I left. Always sad to lose them.
Vivien
Talked to the vet’s. Can’t help thinking that the problem was the certificate de bonne sante. But this has to be done with 48 hours before the pet goes to the new owner. The vets didn’t know anything you had to do within 48 hours of arriving in France. I always hope the law is out to get the baddies, not those of us making mistakes, so I hope it gets sorted out soon. Best wishes, Vivien
To a point they did let me off lightly for my mistake. The options were to send the cat back to Germany, euthanize Mickey or put him into Quarantine kennels.
Home quarantine under vet supervision is the easy out…
Wow! Read all that and it’s pretty frightening, and as you say keeping him in and separate is a lot easier (and cheaper) than it could have been. Sounds like they didn’t think he had any of the right paperwork, rabies, health certificate or registration. I am not surprised you were confused though. It has taken me days to sort out the contract for my sale to French buyers. If I had more than one litter per year or didn’t register with LOOF then I would have to register as a professional breeder, do training and pass a test. Vets asked me if I was a particuliere or professionale yesterday when doing the kittens’ microchips. It does indicate, though, that they treated it as ignorance, not criminal intent. I am very unhappy about the illegal import of puppies and cats to the UK, and guess it goes on here too, so do support tougher legislation.
Hope it all goes well for you
Vivien
I thought I had done what any ‘good’ buyer of a pedigree cat is supposed to do. Researched the breeder, followed the kitten growing up over several months, got all the vaccinations (Rabies, Feline Flu, HIV)& an EU pet passport. Only difference was due to covid I could not fly to Germany to see in person how the breeder handled the kittens or pick Mickey/have him pick me.
In German we would say “I bought a cat in a sack” - i.e. unseen. Huge amount of trust involved. So you can understand my surprise when I got this letter from the Prefecture…
Next cat will be a rescue 
Same problem here. I haven’t advertised the kittens - first I’ve bred in France. Two are going to England, at half the price they sell for here. One to someone I have sold a kitten to before, so I know her, one to a buyer recommended by another breeder, who ticks all the boxes when I talked to her. The French one is going to buyers passed on the me by the stud owner, and they have Maine Coons and answered the questions I asked them sensibly, but conversation with them was more difficult because my French is kind of medium.
I don’t really understand why you thought he had been vaccinated but they didn’t. And how did they find out? Was it the vet’s duty to inform them? The risk of rabies is real so I would understand them doing it. I have a Parisian friend here whose house came with 5 sheep. Now there are 9, and they aren’t registered. (5 is the limit) It means the vets aren’t legally allowed to treat them and if one was ill no-one could legally slaughter it or dispose of it. Sentimentally she doesn’t want them to have ear tags. Me and some other people are nagging her…
I was assured by the breeder that all vaccinations were done, I missed picking him up before the first confinement because the wait period was longer by a week and she would not let him go early. So had to wait until end of June when the borders re opened to go and pick him up. The passport looked ok, all vaccinations were correctly entered and sealed. So how was I to know that something was not right? The vet must have duty to report suspicious entries - all I wanted was the micro chip recorded by ICAD and register the cat with the surgery.
The only reason I did not buy from a French breeder is their reluctance to sell to someone like me who thinks a cat has the right to roam.
We are in the middle of a very small hamlet with minimal traffic and it is quite safe - there are quite a few roaming cats of neighbors already.
All my cats (with the exception of when I lived on 1st Avenue in NYC) had the freedom to explore, climb trees and catch mice. Vaccinated and locked up after dark - and over here wearing a reflective collar.
