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.
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!
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 pedigrees — that is, registered with the CFA or another organization. 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 have many fans, including those folks who aren’t the least bit interested in showing — they just want a good pet with a certain “look.” But 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 the latest smartphone. Nor is it a matter of deciding on the right brand and then shopping aggressively for the best price and most convenient location.
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.
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 15 to 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? 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.
Shopping at the cat show
A cat show is the ultimate in window shopping for a cat lover and prospective buyer of a pedigreed kitten, and this venue can be a place to connect with reputable breeders.
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 get phone numbers, social media handles and e-mail/web addresses — 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.
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 — and screening homes for the best possible match is pretty standard for most shelters. Written approval by a landlord may also be required before an animal is adopted out to someone who rents, which also makes sense. Other organizations may refuse adoption to people who won’t promise to keep cats completely inside, or who suggest an interest in, say, declawing.
Some organizations go way too far for some people, but it’s important to understand that they’re trying to do what’s best for