In This Chapter
- Looking into shelters and rescue groups
- Telling the good breeders from the not-so-good
- Recognizing the potential problems of pet-shop cats
- Adopting kittens from your neighbor
You know what you want: random-bred or pedigreed, longhaired
or short, kitten or cat, male or female. You’ve done your homework, and you’re
getting closer to sharing your home with a cat. (And if you haven’t narrowed
your choices down yet, you may want to take a look at Chapters A
New Appreciation of the Cat and Narrowing
the Choices.)
Where do you find that special cat or kitten?
One thing is certain: You find no shortage of cats. During
the warm months that mean “kitten season,” you can find people with kittens to
give away nearly everywhere — at your workplace, in front of your grocery store,
at flea markets, shelters, and pet stores. Adult cats are plentiful, too, yours
for the adopting. As for pedigreed cats, they’re a little harder to find, but
even then it’s possible to find one pretty easily.
Why should you make choosing your new pet more trouble than
you need to? Why not pick out that adorable little calico kitten from the
neighbor cat’s third litter? As for pedigreeds, does it really matter whether
you seek out a reputable breeder or buy from a pet store or someone who’s
breeding for fun and maybe a little profit? If the cat’s registered, aren’t the
sources for pedigreeds all the same?
Caution
Buyer beware! And we mean that most adamantly, even if you aren’t buying at all, but adopting a free cat or kitten. Stop, and do your homework.
All sources are not the same, which is why you should take
your time in getting your kitten or cat and not just fall in love with the
first fuzzy face you see.
Remember
You can get a good pet from any source, and many people out there can prove it. One friend of Gina’s, for example, has a wonderful cat she found as a half-dead kitten in a dumpster. But your chances of getting a healthy, well-socialized kitten are best if you work with reputable shelters and rescue groups or reputable breeders. Nothing is more heartbreaking than falling in love with a kitten only to have your veterinarian tell you that your new companion tested positive for feline leukemia, a topic we cover in Chapter Common Cat Health Problems.
Cat Tracks
What does a feather have to do with picking out a kitten? Check out Chapter Choosing Your Feline Companion for information on how to choose that one special companion from a litter of adorable babies or a shelter full of gorgeous homeless cats.
How much should you spend? |
|
Prices for cats and kittens vary widely: You can pay from
nothing at all to the (generally) less than $50 that shelters charge (which
may include start-up veterinary care and altering — such a deal), to $300 to
$1,000 for an “ordinary” but well-bred pedigreed cat from a reputable breeder
or a pet store, to more than a couple thousand dollars for a well-bred “show-quality”
kitten or one of a rare or red-hot breed. In general, however, a pedigreed
“pet-quality” kitten of a common breed from a reputable breeder costs between
$300 and $800. Even if you pay nothing for your cat or kitten, you need
to put some money into a few basics — a supply of food and cat-box filler,
dishes, cat box, scratching post or cat tree, and a couple toys. Figure on
spending from $100 to $200. If your pet isn’t already vaccinated, wormed, and
spayed or neutered, figure another $100, give or take, at the vet’s. The true cost of a cat is in the upkeep, but at least you
get to make payments on that. You can keep the cost of the most basic, proper
care — food, litter, basic gear, preventive veterinary care, boarding or
pet-sitting while you’re on vacation, and perhaps grooming for longhaired
cats — to a reasonable minimum of $300 a year or so. Add in occasional
veterinary emergencies and the strictly optional, but enjoyable, addition of
tempting feline merchandise — lavish toys, high-end, high-tech litter boxes,
books and magazines, and cat-themed goodies for you — and a cat can be a pretty
pricey pet. The important thing is not the cost but the health and
temperament of your new pal. Better you should get a friendly kitten glowing
with good health from your local shelter than a sickly or shy “bargain”
pedigreed from a poor-quality breeder. Pedigreed or random-bred, go to the
source that offers healthy, happy pets, and you’ll save money in the long
run. |
What You Need to Know about Shelters
A few years ago, Gina went to a conference for shelter
workers and sat in on a seminar on making cats comfortable and keeping them
healthy in the high-stress environment of a shelter. One of the presenters was
a woman who’d made great changes in how her facility handled cats, and she had
the pictures to prove it.
Previously, the cat facilities at her shelters had been a
converted dog run with a lid on it to prevent escapes. All the cats were thrown
into that run — and “thrown” is exactly how they got there. The only way a cat
left that run was for adoption or death, and either way, the escape was the
same: He was lassoed by a noose on the end of a pole and lifted out by the
neck, hissing in anger and crying in terror. Imagine what a horrible impression
a cat who’d been treated that way would make on a prospective adopter! (Not
that the impression mattered much, however, because nearly all the cats were
put to death at that horrid place.)
That shelter has changed so much today, and so have many
others (sadly, though, not all). Cats and kittens are treated with more respect
and caring, even at the end of their lives, and are housed in ways that make
them feel more comfortable and keep them healthier, even in the challenging environment
of a shelter. Many shelters today offer clean cages in a quiet area away from
dogs, or multicat “colony” housing, making the surroundings as pleasant as
possible for the cats. The shelter’s door opens only one way for too many
animals — the numbers of kittens and cats are greater than those of adoptive
homes — but the best groups do everything they can to find new homes for their
animals.
Creative outreach programs working in partnership with the
media and with businesses such as pet-supply superstores take pets where the
people are to increase the volume of adoptions. And shelters themselves are
changing — after years of listening to people talk about avoiding the gloomy surroundings,
progressive organizations are giving their buildings a face-lift to make them
light, bright, and inviting. The best shelters have well-trained, caring staffs
and a healthy core of volunteers to keep cats socialized and counsel potential
adopters about their responsibilities to their new companion.
The Cat’s Meow
Today’s shelter cats are more adoptable than ever before, thanks to programs that evaluate pets and perform basic health services — and some extraordinary ones — before animals are made available to the public. Forget your old ideas about shelters as nothing more than gloomy places for pets to die — bright, clean, airy, and upbeat are the words to describe many shelters today.
Tip
Making a decision about a shelter cat or kitten is difficult. You want to take them all, and the realization that some of these animals aren’t going to find a new home softens even the hardest heart. But you aren’t doing anyone any favors if you let your heart make all the decisions here. Take a friend to help keep you from settling — and make sure that your friend isn’t a bigger mush than you are, or you may both end up with the wrong pet! Play it cool.
Caution
Be aware of some potential problems with shelter pets. Shelter kittens and cats are stressed, which puts them at higher risk for contracting upper respiratory infections, which are generally treatable. They can also come into contact with sick animals and contract feline leukemia (FeLV), feline infectious peritonitis (FIP), and feline immunodeficiency virus (FIV), which aren’t curable. (For more information on these diseases, see Chapter Common Cat Health Problems.) To be fair, FIP can turn up in a cat from any source, and a kitten from any source that’s not testing can turn up positive for FIV or FeLV.
Cool Cat Facts
Although most shelter cats — like most cats in general — are shorthaired and of no particular breed, purebred cats do show up in shelters, although not with the frequency of purebred dogs. You may never see a rare breed of cat — such as the Devon Rex or Havana Brown — show up at your local shelter, but if you’re looking for a more common Persian or Siamese, keep shelters in mind. You could get the breed of your dreams at a very reasonable price. And because purebred cats get no special considerations in shelters, you’re saving a life to boot.
All shelters are not the same. Some are run by municipal animal-control
facilities, some by nonprofit humane organizations — and decent shelters exist
in both categories. Good kittens and cats are in any shelter, no matter how
run-down the facilities and demoralized the staff. After all, a cat can’t help
where he’s dumped. But just as you can improve your odds of buying a healthy,
happy kitten by choosing a reputable breeder, you can better the chance of a
successful adoption by choosing a progressive
shelter, one that visibly cares about the animals, the adopters, and its
staff.
Remember
You probably aren’t offered the choice of not spaying or neutering your shelter cat, because most shelters either do it for you or require that you do it as a condition of adoption. For more on spaying and neutering, see Chapter Littering: Should Your Cat Become a Parent?.
Animal-control shelters
Municipal animal-control facilities are perhaps the easiest
to figure out. Finding homes for pets was not the reason these facilities were
founded and is not their primary purpose to this day — although many of them do
a good job of it, nonetheless.
Animal-control departments were formed to protect people
from animal-borne menaces — primarily rabies. They remove dead animals and
enforce regulations, such as those regarding the licensing of animals — a
rabies-control measure even cats fall under in some areas — and the number and kind
of animals people can keep. They respond to calls about vicious animals, as
well as calls involving animals that disturb a neighborhood because of noise or
odor. These departments also serve as a “convenience” to people who no longer
want their pets, disposing of the animals through adoption, euthanasia, or, in
some locales, sales to biomedical research.
Animal-control shelters have never been well-funded
operations, and this situation hasn’t improved in recent years. With so much
required of them by law and so few resources, readying animals for adoption and
counseling prospective adopters can’t be at the top of the animal-control
director’s list of priorities. And yet, because of caring people in many of
these departments and in the communities they serve, volunteers fill the gap at
some shelters, offering adoption counseling and assisting with animal care.
Because of these programs, municipal animal-control shelters
can be good places to adopt. But many of the private nonprofit shelters have
the potential to be better, because their mandate has always put helping
animals at the top of their lists.
Private nonprofit shelters
Private, nonprofit shelters come in all varieties. Some are
squalid outfits that serve as little more than a fund-raising gimmick for the
people in charge. Others are organizations with well-funded endowments and programs
that not only help homeless animals but also work to improve conditions for all
animals — and animal lovers — in their communities.
Most shelters fall somewhere in the middle: Their buildings
could use some work, their budgets are always tight, and they do the best they
can with what they have to provide for the animals in their community. Many
good, loving pets are available at these shelters.
The Cat’s Meow
Don’t forget the locals! |
|
“Humane Society” and “Society for the Prevention of
Cruelty to Animals” (SPCA) are generic terms freely used in the United States
and Canada by animal organizations that have no connection to one another or to
national organizations such as the Humane Society of the United States (HSUS),
based in Washington, D.C., or the American Society for the Prevention of
Cruelty to Animals, in New York City. And yet, local shelters are often stymied
in their fund-raising efforts by people who have “given to the national
organization” and consider their charitable efforts complete — even though
money given to the HSUS and ASPCA is used to fund their own programs, not
those of the local shelters. Don’t forget your local animal shelter or rescue groups
when giving. These groups do the most for the animals in your community. Some national animal organizations do a great deal for
animals, but others seem to exist mostly to raise money. (The same can be said,
of course, of smaller, local groups.) The newspaper Animal People does a great job reporting on the operations of
animal groups large and small, publicizing good programs and wasteful ones
alike. Each year, the nonprofit newspaper prints an overview of how the
largest animal groups spend their money. For more information, contact Animal
People, P.O. Box 960, Clinton, WA 98236. Or visit its Web site, at www.animalpepl.org/. Animal People is
itself a nonprofit organization. To support the no-holds- barred reporting of
animal issues, consider a contribution to these hard-working folks as well. |
Tip
New buildings don’t necessarily a good shelter make, but you certainly want to work with a shelter that clearly cares enough for its charges to make sure they’re kept in areas that are clean and don’t facilitate the spread of disease.
Shelter work is difficult and stressful, and employees and
volunteers can suffer burnout quickly. A well-run shelter is as compassionate to
its staff as it is to the animals, because one has a lot to bear on the
treatment of the other. Look for a shelter where employees are helpful and
knowledgeable and clearly interested in helping the shelter’s animals find
responsible new homes.
The best shelters have a good handle on a cat’s history,
health, and temperament before putting her up for adoption. They’ve also done
what they can to enhance her chances of success in a new home through socialization
and screening for the right home. They not only provide preadoption counseling
but also offer behavioral advice after the adoption. Some even offer
reduced-cost veterinary services for former shelter animals.
The Cat’s Meow
Look for ways to help the shelters that don’t measure up. Usually, it’s a question of money and volunteers, and you can do a lot to contribute in these categories. Contact your local shelter to find out how.
 |
| Figure 3-1: Shelters offer plenty of adoptable animals to choose from — kittens and cats both. |
Volunteer Rescue-and-Placement Groups
Thousands of small groups do what they can for cats without
the benefit of a shelter building, and many of these organizations are
excellent sources for pets. Made up of dedicated volunteers, these groups
rescue and tame feral cats, hand-raise motherless kittens, find homes for cats
and kittens who need them, and raise money to help spay and neuter the pets of
people who can’t afford the cost themselves, such as seniors on fixed incomes.
These groups fill a vital need. Some specialize in
hard-to-place animals that a shelter may not even allow to be put up for
adoption. By fostering cats in their homes, these grass-roots volunteers give
hope to animals who are considered by some organizations to be too old, too
young, too wild, or too disabled to be adoptable. With love and patience, many
of these animals can turn around and become fine pets for people who understand
their special needs.
Cat Tracks
Many of these community-based groups are involved with helping out colonies of feral cats, maintaining the adults in place and taming the babies to find them new homes. Because of the sea change in how wild cats are handled, we’ve pulled together the latest information into a brand-new Chapter Ferals: Special Cats, Special Considerations.
The Cat’s Meow
Adopting a cat or kitten from a grass-roots community group is a wonderful way to reward these hard-working volunteers for selfless efforts on behalf of cats. It’s worth the effort to seek out one of these groups when it’s time to adopt a cat or kitten. Who knows? You may even decide to volunteer yourself!
The scoop on “no-kill” shelters |
|
Those organizations that call themselves “no-kill”
shelters are the subject of controversy in the animal-welfare community. Most
shelters have far more pets than they can place, which sets up a grim game of
“musical homes” that results in the death of millions of animals every year.
No-kill shelters often get their name by refusing to accept animals that
aren’t adoptable or by refusing all animals if they’re full. The turn-aways
often end up at another shelter, one where the staff often very much resents having
to be the bad guys that have to do the killing. Some no-kill shelters have a fairly broad definition of
“adoptable” that includes those animals who can be made adoptable through
medical care or behavioral modification. These outfits also realize that the
number of surplus animals will never fall unless the problem is resolved at
the source. For that reason, they’re aggressive about spaying and neutering, as
well as helping people who are considering giving up their pets work through
the problems. As the no-kill movement continues to develop, you’ll see a lot
more of these programs. And we think that’s wonderful. That said, we must say that as someone who’s looking to
adopt an animal, you shouldn’t get distracted by policy debates. Look for a
shelter offering healthy, well-socialized animals and adoption counseling to
help you pick out the right one for you. The type of shelter with a
well-trained staff and a solid volunteer corps is your best bet for a
successful adoption, no matter what its policy on euthanasia. |
Breeders: The Reputable, the Ill-Informed, and the Avoid-at-All-Costs
The Cat Fanciers’ Association (CFA) estimates that a very
small number of cats (less than 5 percent) are pedigreed — that is, registered with the CFA or another
organization, such as The International Cat Association (TICA). Although around
50 individual breeds of cat are recognized by various groups around the world,
most of these breeds are pretty rare. Many of the rarer breeds hardly show up
in “ordinary” pet homes at all, because their breeders are dedicated to
preserving and improving the lines and either keep most of their kittens or
place them with other dedicated breeders.
The more-popular breeds, such as the Persian and Siamese, have
many fanciers, including those folks who aren’t the least bit interested in
showing — they just want a good pet with a certain “look.” A breeding industry
has sprung up to service the market created by people who want “just a pet.” Although
this supply-and-demand plan may make sense, read on. Breeders who produce
animals just for the pet market aren’t usually your best choice.
A lot of people don’t seem to realize that a cat is not like
a piece of electronics. Finding a cat isn’t a matter of searching for the right
product like you were shopping for a multidisc CD player. Finding a cat isn’t a
matter of deciding on the right brand and then shopping aggressively for the best
price and most convenient location.
Remember
Registration means nothing concerning a cat, and the breeder’s knowledge and reputation mean everything. Think of a registry as being like the department of motor vehicles — you fill out the paperwork and send in the money, and the DMV sends back something that says, in effect, “Yep, it’s a car.” That slip of paper doesn’t say a thing about the reliability of that car or whether the vehicle has a manufacturer’s defect that can cause you trouble down the road. The department of motor vehicles didn’t manufacture the car, and it’s not guaranteeing quality.
The same is true of a feline registry, except most require
even less in the way of proof that what they’re registering even exists.
Everything is done on the honor system. We surely don’t need to tell you that
where the possibility of making money exists, some people aren’t very
honorable. Others are well-meaning but just not knowledgeable enough about
genetic problems and socialization to be breeding cats. You want to avoid both kinds
of people if you’re looking for a pedigreed cat.
Cat Tracks
Thinking of breeding your cat? In Chapter Littering: Should Your Cat Become a Parent?, we show you why breeding cats is both less profitable and more of an effort than you realize, how breeding puts your own pet at risk and makes him harder to live with, and how breeding contributes to the problems of surplus pets — even if you’re thinking of breeding purebreds.
If you still want to breed cats, that same chapter includes
a basic primer on matchmaking, kitten raising, and placement — the “good
breeder” way.
Finding the elusive “good breeder”
A reputable breeder can be very hard to find and may not
have a kitten available just when you want one — such as right now. Those facts
alone send many buyers to other, less-than-ideal sources.
If everything goes well, you’re going to have your cat for
as many as 20 years. Doesn’t taking a little time to find the right breeder
seem reasonable? To make a few phone calls, read a book or two, search the
Internet, and take a few field trips? To ask questions of a person who’s lived
for years with the breed you want so that you can get more answers than a book
provides?
So what to look for? In most cases, you want someone who
puts her best up against others in competition. A good breeder is almost
certainly showing her cats — because how can she know she’s creating excellent
examples of her breed if she doesn’t have them judged?
That’s just the beginning. You want expertise. A pet store with a selection of kittens often can’t
provide you with information on the breed you want, because the staff, no
matter how well-meaning, can usually offer only cursory information about the
breeds the store stocks. A backyard breeder with one “let the kids watch”
litter can tell you what living with her Siamese is like but hasn’t the
expertise to talk about the breed as a whole. And neither source, of course, is
offering cats bred expressly for the top-quality health and temperament you
should demand.
Remember
A serious, reputable breeder can tell you more than you could possibly imagine about the breed. The breeder’s commitment to the kitten you buy doesn’t end after the sale is final. You get a healthy, well-socialized kitten and technical support that would be the envy of any software company.
Shopping at the cat show
A cat show is the ultimate in window shopping for a cat
lover and prospective kitten buyer. You want to find good breeders? Go where
they turn up to show off their pride-and-joys. A cat show is the place.
Wander along the aisles with a smile on your face, and ask
all the questions you want. Unless they’re just getting ready to have their cat
judged, most exhibitors are happy to talk — you’re asking about one of their
favorite subjects, after all: their cats!
You probably can’t get all your questions answered, however,
and you’re likely to want to talk to the breeders later. So ask for business
cards or write down phone numbers — along with notes about the conversation you
had with each one so that you remember later what you discussed. Ask about
kitten availability and planned breedings, but don’t get too deep into it at
the show — the breeder is pretty busy. Enjoy the day and all the gorgeous cats
and plan your more serious discussions for later, by phone and in person.
Cat Tracks
We’ve put together a basic primer on how to find and enjoy a cat show in Chapter Narrowing the Choices.
Tip
Check out the free educational materials that may be available at the show site. You can often find flyers for upcoming shows, along with informational material on the breeds, cat care, and cat charities. The people staffing the table are happy to answer your questions and are usually quite knowledgeable.
What do you mean I can’t have a cat? |
|
Some people are absolutely astonished — and more than a
few are positively irate — if they’re turned down while trying to adopt a
cat, especially from a shelter or rescue group. After all, aren’t they doing
the shelter a favor by taking an animal off their hands? That may not be how a shelter or rescue group sees it. Reputable breeders of pedigreed cats have always put
conditions on the sale of their animals. They want to ensure animals that
aren’t of breeding quality don’t reproduce, and they want their kittens to go
to homes where they can receive the kind of care the breeder feels is
necessary. Reputable breeders can lay down the rules because they’re dealing
with only a litter at a time — and they’re prepared to keep all their cats
rather than place them in a home they may feel is unsuitable. For shelter cats, however, the alternative to adoption is
too often euthanasia. Isn’t any home better than that? “No,” say some shelters. Spay-neuter requirements are
common — and necessary, given the overpopulation of cats — but some groups
require far more. They may turn down people who work all day or who travel “too
much” or have young children in the home. They may require that the cat be
kept indoors and not be declawed. Written approval by a landlord may be
required before an animal is adopted out to someone who rents. Our feeling is that these restrictions, although
well-meaning, are sometimes too inflexible. And, in fact, many of these
regulations are created not for the benefit of the animals but to appease and
appeal to donors who fund the organizations. We feel that these are honorable
and good people and organizations, but we suggest to many of the larger
fund-raising organizations that it is time to reevaluate their policies and
to look at what has driven policies to be what they are today. These organizations need to be more flexible when it comes
to adoptions. Although some children can be dangerous to a tiny kitten, for
example, others are gentle and respectful. Some owners who travel take far
better care of their pets than do those who’re home all the time. Each person
should be evaluated on a case-by-case basis. What if you’re turned down? Take a little time to consider
again whether you’re really ready for a cat — these rules, after all, are
based on the shelter’s experiences with people who generally don’t make good
cat owners. If you’re still convinced that you’re qualified, ask to discuss
the matter with the shelter director — or go to another source. |
Some questions for the breeder |
|
Reputable breeders are not only happy to answer questions
but also welcome them as the sign of the caring buyer they want to share
their cats and kittens with. You can find out a lot about the breeder by
asking a few questions. Try these and listen carefully for the right answer:
A pet-quality cat is
in no way a lesser companion. Very few cats are born with the traits they
need to be truly competitive in the show world. Their markings may be wrong,
or their coats may not be lush enough. Their ears may not fold forward or
curl back as their show standards dictate, or their “expression” may not
match the ideal for their breed. These missing traits don’t mean those
kittens aren’t beautiful or loving. As long as their faults aren’t health- or
temperament-related, such cats are wonderful prospects for purchase or
adoption. |
Perusing publications
Attending a show is probably the most enjoyable way to start
tracking down a breeder, but you have other options, too.
Feline magazines offer breeder advertisements, as do a
couple notable annuals, Cats USA (put
out by the Cat Fancy folks) and the Dogs In Canada annual, which has a cats
section. The registries also put out publications that carry breeder
advertising, such as the Cat Fanciers’ Almanac,
the CFA Yearbook, the TICA Trend, or TICA Yearbook. Listings for these registries are in the Additional
Resources appendix of this book, or you can check them out via the Cat Fanciers
site at www.fanciers.com.
Caution
These publications do not screen breeders, however, so proceed with caution. If you can’t find anyone locally for the breed you want, call the nearest advertised breeder. If he’s a reputable breeder, he likely belongs to a national or regional breed club and can give you a referral to a breeder nearer to you — if one is around.
Spotting the less-than-ideal breeders
A very few breeders are downright evil and fail to provide
for even the basics of their animals’ needs. A few more are mentally ill,
living in filthy homes packed to the rafters with freely mating cats. These
people are fairly easy to spot and avoid — unless their kittens are cleaned up
and sold elsewhere.
The majority of “bad” breeders — “backyard breeders,” as
they’re commonly known — are not uncaring. They’re just uninformed. They don’t know
that many of the cats they produce can end up in shelters or spend their lives
in pain from a congenital illness. They just want a litter “so the kids can
see” or because “kittens are fun” or because they heard that breeding cats is
an easy way to make a little money. They aren’t bad people, but they’re still
not good breeders.
Following are a few things that should give you pause in
dealing with a breeder:
- Lack of knowledge about the breed: Someone who doesn’t know much about the breed, its history, or its standard isn’t someone who’s too concerned about producing kittens that are fine examples of the breed.
- Ignorance or denial of genetic defects: Many breeds have some problems, some of which can be avoided by careful breeding. A person who isn’t aware of congenital defects certainly isn’t planning her breedings to avoid them.
- No involvement showing cats: You improve the odds of getting a high-quality purebred if you buy from someone involved in showing or otherwise involving their cats in competition. Such involvement suggests a level of commitment that’s likely also to be present in the care of the cats.
- Not letting you observe the litter, meet the mother or other cats, or see where the kittens were raised: Healthy, well-mannered adults and a clean, well-run cattery are a breeder’s best testimonial. If a person doesn’t want you to see anything except the kitten she’s trying to sell, you ought to be wondering why.
- No documentation: If the kitten’s represented as “CFA registered,” the registration papers should be available. (The same goes for other registries, too.) So, too, should the papers backing up health claims. A sales contract spelling out the rights and responsibilities of both parties is highly desirable. Such a document provides you with recourse should the kitten not turn out as promised — if it has congenital health problems, for example, or isn’t suitable for showing, if that was part of your intent in buying him.
- Doesn’t seem to understand the importance of socialization: Kittens need to be nurtured, loved, and handled to make good pets. Someone who can’t explain what they’ve done in this area or who tries to sell a kitten less than 12 weeks old probably doesn’t understand enough to be breeding cats.
Remember
Such caution is all about increasing the odds of success. Can you find a pedigreed kitten who’s going to be a good pet from a backyard breeder advertising in your local newspaper? Without a doubt. But you’re more likely to find one if you take the time to find a reputable, knowledgeable breeder.
Pet Stores: What about Those Kittens in the Window?
You don’t need to put much effort into buying a pedigreed
kitten at a pet store. Pet stores usually stock kittens of the most popular
breeds by the handful — and maybe some mixes, too. If you go to a pet store,
you don’t need to talk to breeders, do your homework, or wait, either. Pet
stores may offer some health guarantees. And they take credit cards. What could
be better or more convenient?
The Cat’s Meow
A growing number of U.S. pet supply stores refuse to sell kittens (or puppies) because of concerns over commercial breeders and pet overpopulation. Instead, they offer space in their stores to local shelters or rescue groups to reach out to prospective adopters. Above all, know your source. Realize that obtaining a kitten or cat is best accomplished by being an informed consumer. Some people have ended up with a pet they truly love from a retail pet store.
Your Neighbor’s (Or Coworker’s) Kittens
So what about that litter of kittens a coworker or neighbor
is offering up for free? You have no real reason not to consider them if they
meet your requirements and they’re healthy and well socialized.
Those are pretty big “ifs,” however. Take a kitten from a
“free-to-a-good-home” source and you may end up with more problems than you
imagined. If the kitten turns up positive for feline leukemia or a treatable
health problem, do you have any recourse against the person from whom you got the
kitten? Hardly. The chances are high the mother was never tested for disease
and the father was unknown.
Consider such a litter if you want; many people have done
just fine by adopting from such a source. But make sure that your kitten is
healthy and socialized and try as best as you can to suggest that your pet and
her littermates be the very last that the mother cat produces.
Tip
Adult cats are a slightly different matter. They’re offered up for a lot of different reasons, some as frivolous as a change of decor, some as unavoidable as the death of an owner or the development of a child’s serious allergy to cats. Many of these displaced kitties are wonderful pets, and you have no reason not to adopt one, as long as you make sure that the cat is healthy and isn’t being placed for behavior problems, such as avoiding the litter box. If everything checks out, give one of these guys a chance!
by Gina Spadafori and Paul D. Pion
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