This professional-seeming breeder with good website credentials and cute cats really shocked me. I wanted a particular type of kitten: long-haired, male, Scottish Fold with folded ears. Naturally, she didn't know if any of such description would be born in her April litters. The lady (Sally) told me that I could send a deposit, even before they were born. Naturally, I wanted to know if I would get the deposit back if none of her upcoming letters would actually have the kitten of my description. It's one thing to put a deposit on a klitten that is born and you have seen pictures of. Then if you back out- it's your own fault. But if the kitten of my description may not even be born- losing money on a nonrefundable deposit sounds crazy.
Sally wrote back that such a stuation never happened before, but still didn't answer whether the deposit would be returned. I exoected her to say that if none of the thre litter have the type I want, she would refund the money. I would if I were in this business. She avoided the answer. i got concerned and emailed back with a more direct question, but polite. She wrote me back how insulted she was, what an honest person she was, and a string of very nasty sentences. She covered anything but one topic- how her security deposit works. I replied politely that I couldn't afford to just give a nonrefundable deposit for an unborn kitten thayt may not fit with what i am looking for. She just got even more insulting.

I think breeders need to limit themselves to the deposit system for already born kittens. If one is so honest that resents sending a picture, and wants the customer to trust their word, fine. i would've sent a non refundable deposit if she simply told me that my type of kitten was already born and healthy. But for unborn kittens- this attitude is very inappropriate. It is also a sad testament to the entire Scottish Fold breeding system that one of the better breeders can feel free to be insluted when asked about financial terms of her transaction.