Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
As soon as they started talking about price, Tang Yuyun’s attention left the adorable kittens. She knew pedigree cats were expensive, if they came with a studbook, they cost at least 10,000 RMB. Plus, she heard that this shop could teach kittens to dance, so it’d cost even more than other shops.
She had money, but she wasn’t rich. She didn’t want to spend more money than she had to. She had an acceptable price in mind, but waited for Zhang Zian to start.
Zhang Zian said, “The kitten costs 30,000 RMB. That includes studbook, immunization records, DNA screening documents, etc. Is that acceptable?”
“30,000 RMB?” Tang Yuyun put on her jacket and froze. “That’s a bit expensive. You can get a Ragdoll at that price, a nice one.”
His price exceeded her expectations. Her maximum budget was 25,000 RMB.
“If you want a Ragdoll, we have them at our shop. Abyssinian cats are completely different than Ragdolls. They have very different temperaments. In my opinion, the two breeds of cats aren’t comparable at all.”
It wasn’t surprising that she thought it was too expensive, but Zhang Zian tried to explain that it was worth the money.
An average Abyssinian cat was indeed less than 30,000 RMB. With all the certificates, it usually cost between 15,000 to 20,000 RMB. However, if the kitten grew up to be a show cat, and a rare chocolate-colored one, it cost more than 30,000 RMB. He would’ve lost too much if he sold it too cheap.
He explained the risks and benefits to her. If she was just planned to keep it at home, she didn’t need a show-grade cat, an average one would be enough.
“What’s DNA screening? It sounds very classy.” Tang Yuyun didn’t want to rush a decision. She had been to few pet shops, but none of them mentioned this.
“It’s impossible to explain with justs words. Come with me. Seeing is believing, right?” Zhang Zian guided her into the pet shop.
Tang Yuyun glanced around the shop and saw the few Ragdoll kittens near the reclining chair. They were playing with each other. Ragdolls were strikingly pretty, especially to girls. She had already made up her mind, but she hesitated slightly.
She heard a strange sound, and followed it. A few Abyssinian cats stood on the cat tree, staring at her with big green eyes. After a while, they lost interest and started chasing each other. They were so swift and vigorous. Their bulging muscles were half visible under their brown fur. They played tirelessly, with limitless strength in their bodies.
The difference between Ragdolls and Abyssinian cats was obvious. The former was more of a domestic cat, but the latter was a wild beauty. They weren’t comparable. You couldn’t say which one was prettier, it depended entirely on your taste.
“This is the father of the kittens you saw.” Zhang Zian pointed at one of the cats.
It was a very handsome male cat. It didn’t join the chasing game, it just sat alone on another cat tree.
Based on the male cat, Tang Yuyun saw how the kitten would look once it grew up. She took out her phone to take a picture, but the male cat suddenly joined the other cats. It was as swift as lightning, that the lens of her phone couldn’t follow it, and the photos were all blurry.
After a few attempts, she put down her phone.
Lu Yiyun brought the materials over, and asked her to go through them.
“That’s in English?” Tang Yuyun flipped through the documents in her hands and frowned slightly. She could read English fluently, but there was terminology she didn’t understand.
Zhang Zian explained it all to her. “Cats are divided into two categories. There’s the ancient breeds, like the Egyptian cats and Abyssinian cats, which have been here for thousands of years. Then there’s the modern breeds, like the Ragdolls, Scottish Fold, etc.”
She nodded to indicate that she understood.
“Have you heard of the genetic disorder of Scottish Fold?” He asked.
“I’ve heard about it. Is it true that Scottish Fold are prone to osteochondrosis?” She answered, uncertain.
“More or less,” Zhang Zian continued. “The more ancient the breed, the healthier they are, and the less prone they become to genetic disorders. Modern breeds are more likely to carry defective genes because people resorted to inbreeding, in order to stabilize certain characteristics.
“Abyssinian cats are generally healthy, but may suffer from pyruvate kinase deficiency, which causes intermittent anemia. This is a genetic illness, and can be detected through genetic screening. All 11 kittens have been screened, we collected swab samples and sent them to a professional screening agency overseas. The testing fee of each cat is around 100 US dollars, plus the international shipping fee.”
Tang Yuyun understood. The kittens were expensive for a reason, Zhang Zian wasn’t asking for a ridiculous amount of money.
“Are the test results available yet?” She was concerned about her kitten.
“Not yet, we sent out the samples not too long ago.” Zhang Zian showed her the receipt of international courier. “I’ll let you know as soon as I receive the results. If the kitten has health issues, I’ll give you a full refund. If you insist on having it, I can give you a discount. I won’t try to hide anything from you.”
Tang Yuyun appreciated his candor. For a pet about to spend its life with her, she’d rather spend more money for her peace of mind. Plus, it wasn’t easy finding a pet that wasn’t a leftover. If she missed this opportunity, she didn’t know how much longer she’d have to wait before the next one came.
As soon as she made up her mind, she’d be free of the anxiety and could focus her time and energy working on herself. If she made some extra money, she’d be able to pay the higher price.
After careful consideration, she said, “Okay, I’ll get it. Let’s proceed with the paperwork. Don’t sell that kitten to anybody else.”
“No problem. Yiyun, take her to do the pre-sale paperwork.”
Zhang Zian was very pleased. He glanced at the photo of the late Kathy, in which she was gazing at the Abyssinian cats in the shop with a bright smile. He always reminded himself that the cats and the money he made selling the cats didn’t belong to him, they belonged to Kathy.
The money he made selling the cats should be used for a more appropriate purpose.