Help with kitty adoption information

[opus]

Hiiiii !

I know there are alot of you cat lovers on this site,
and I really do need your help!

I have been looking into adopting a cat for a long time now.
I know that I want t adopt an adult kitty,
and that I want a Persian or Himalayan.

What I need from all you lovely people is help deciding if I should adopt from a shelter or adopt a retired breeder cat from a breeder.

Yes, I know that the answer to that question should be an easy one.
Adopt from a shelter. Now that was what I had always planed to do.
And that is what we have done in the past.

But at the same time, I know that a cat from a breeder is going to have all its medical records and be 100% tested negative for PKD.

Does anyone have an opinion on adopting retired breeder cats?
What do you think?

Thanks in advance everyone !

[KK7]

To be honest with you as you said the medical is all checked ect with the breeder I think that would be a great way to go. As much as there is alot of postive adopting from a shelter we lost our poor Bella at only age 3 it was very heartbreaking she had alot of medical probelms and we received her from SPCA. This is only my opinion! Oh and I want pics when you do get her/him lol

[abbasgirl]

For a purebred cat, I would go with a breeder. I don't know how many Persians or Himalayans end up at a shelter, but I would be concerned about why they were there in the first place. I guess I'm just thinking of a friend of mine who had to bring his Persian into the SPCA because it had behavioural issues that were effecting his family. You don't see too many purebred strays, so I think the chances of there being problems with the cat may be higher.

[Sally888]

They had a baby himilayan at the pet smart in kitchener wwith the human society not long agao. Apparently they got it and the dog didn't like it.

Anyways, theres lots of kittens that aren't purebred that would love a great home. We had a "sale" on ours from the Humane Society, 50$ with 2 sets of shots and neuter, huge bag of food too.

[FallenPixels]

Many breeders who test don't really and the tests are not accurate. I would say go with the one who tugs at your heart if you are getting an adult, some breeders cats can have issues from overbreeding etc that are not testable

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its difficult because im so scared to get a cat and it become a part of the family,
and then it gets sick.
If i get it from a breeder,
then i know it has to be in good health because it was a breeder cat.
if that makes any sense. because a good breeder would only breed the best cats.
now im confusing myself. haha.

I guess i cant really post a link to the cattery that ive been looking at can i?
Ive even talked with her over email, but dont want to call till im sure I want a cat from a breeder.

I guess it can just be removed if its not allowed.
dreamhimicattery.com

thanks everyone for all your opinions!

[Sally888]

It's hard to find a good breeder though,some will imbreed, lie through their teeth etc. Make sure you see the enviroment they are in, the parents etc if thats the route you go.

You can get a kitten from the spca then get all its tests done.

Any cat can get sick, purebred or mixed breed. There is no way of telling how they will be later in life. I've had cats live almost 20 years and some only 5.

My brother in law has a himilayan and it has bladder issues and tinkles all over the floor all the time. His house smells horrible. Theres nothing they can really do for it. It was from a breeder, but who knows what caused that.

[Sally888]

Check out Kijiji too, some people have housecats with gorgeous kittens. Heres our little kitty (not our spca one)

She is really small, her parents were quite tiny too, shes almost a year old and the size of a 5 month old kitten. The vet and us call her a perma kitten.(this was when she was teeny)

[opus]

I guess your right about not really knowing if it will be healthy or not.
My BF is pretty set on getting a persian, Himalayan, or exotic shorthair.
He also doesnt want a kitten.
Plus both of us have sort of decided that its better to get an adult cat. (1 to 5 years old)
Its just difficult with Persian cats because they can have PKD and if I get a cat from the shelter and find out that they have PKD after ive adopted them, then I will know that my kitty will not have a long life.
I guess i could just watch out for kitties up for adoption that have been tested negative for it. (which doesnt happen very often. )
thank you though sally, for all your insights.
Are you apart of your local humane society?

[addismom]

They test all the cats in shelters and rescues so that when they are up for adoption,they will of had their vet check,shots,and bloodwork to check for this. You may think because its from a breeder it will be healthy! NOT AT ALL!! I had a purebred,top show dog lines,akc everything and she was sick. She died at 2.5 of a genetic type of cancer.. I do work in animal rescue,and there is good and bad in everything. I would avoid a pet store,100 perc,these are from mills..Many breeders or the ones who will refer to themself as a breeder,but all they really are is a back yard breeder or like a puppy mill. Many do not give the best care and tell you the truth. Of course there are many exceptional animal breeders,but sadly many of them do this to make a quick buck..Quantity not Quality.. As for the person who said that you should really wonder why these animals are in a shelter as there is likely a problem with the animal. I can tell you from my many years of experience,majority of the time it is not the fault or somethg wrong with the animal. It was the owners.. Why animals get placed in shelters and rescues typically, wife gets pregnant,dont want the dog now,has a baby and cant deal with the pet now,the pet has grown to full size and not a cute small kitten or dog,the new boyfr or girlfr doesnt like the animal or animals at all. The animal has a health prob and needs vet care,but they dont want to bother with that so dump it.. Sadly many shelters dont help the sick,they kill them.. There aree some amazing shelters that do and that will post to rescvue groups to help and take the pet into their care. Sometimes ppl are moving,I have even heard that the color of carpet in the new house would clash with the cat hair(wrong color).. Then the ones that the ppl can genuinly care but have no choice,lost their home,job,no maoney to care for animal and want pet cared for. Divorce,sometimes neither can take due to their living arrangements,moved out of country,although I see many ppl take the pets with them. DEATH is a huge one,or very very serious health prob for the owner and they cant look after animal bec they are seriosly sick. Or didnt pick them up from the kennel after their holiday..The list can just go on and on.. I have bought my boxers from a breeder(reputible),my first one was a back yard type breeder,I knew nthg at the time about all this..Then my last two boxer boys were from boxer rescue.. One was dying because of neglect and abuse from an idiot owner,but I took him as a foster and I choose for him to be with me till the end. Max who I have now,is a resue,and was a puppy mill rescue we did and later found out one dog was preg. So my boy is in fact a puppy mill type dog,but completly a rescue. Hes amazing .. If you want to go the rescue route,and need some help guiding you to reputible rescue or shelter for the breed your looking for,I can do some asking around to get some names for you..Of course if you wanted too.. Also to me through a great rescue group,and most if not all breeds have their own specific breed rescue,you can go to the people who know this breed best. In most rescues the animlas live as a foster in a families home. That way before they adopt an animal they will know the likes,dislikes of this animal,will of had a vet check,spayed or neutered first,microchipped,shots etc..These groups have follow up with you after incase you have any questions,concerns etc... The fee that you pay for an adoption of a pet,esp when your getting into breed specific and purebreed,and it includes all the vetting I posted before is far far less than you just taking the cat in for those medical expenses to get done. Rescues and shelters fundraise like crazy bec the adoption fee typically doesnt cover the cost of the vet care that was put into the animal. So its not a money making thing ever,its a group of dedicated ppl that love the breed or animals who voluntter their time,home,etc and do lots to raise money so thaht they never have to turn an animal in need away..Good luck with your decision..Im sorry for my long reply,i just wanted you to know all the facts and truth about shelters,breeders,rescues..Then make a decision..


Until their are none,Rescue One!

[nadiabreckon]

IMHO, go with what your heart tells you! Visit shelters and perhaps you will find the perfect little kitty for your family...if not, do your research on breeders in your area before commiting. Perhaps even asking if you can contact previous buyers for their comments or concerns, then you can really decide if you want to go that way.

We got our kitten off kijiji for free, and he's the devil! No, seriously he can be really sweet, and then he'll just turn on ya (I guess that's a cat for you, lol). He definitely isn't a pure-bred kitty though, just some random mixed breed house-cat, or whatever they're called...

We have also been looking around for a pug puppy to add to our family, and a good breeder is hard to come by. We don't want to adopt from a back yard breeder (this lady tried to offer her 1 1/2 yr old, female in heat for $650!!! Seriously!? I can get a puppy from a breeder for that price...*shrug*)

[FallenPixels]

Most shelters do not test for this genetic disorder addismom (and not all shelters test for anything, trust me, I have been involved in rescue for years)

If its a good breeder, then its not so bad, but many are not reputable. I can't tell you how many times animal control goes in and removes cats that are kept in cages to encourage breeding, badly treated, etc

Spaying at a young age before first heat drastically reduces the chance of cancer in cats so while this breeder may test for himi diseases, you are increasing the chances of regular diseases by getting a cat who has not been spayed (the same is true for the strays from the shelter, but you don't know how many litters they had, they could have been an indoor unspayed or outdoors having lots of kittens)

Personally, I prefer medium haired orange cats, I am not that hard to please BUT the connection with a cat is a huge thing. I would never choose one just because that was the type of cat I wanted. I was lucky with Quincy, I volunteered at the shelter at the time, and the vet was in love with him and took him home while he was being boarded there as the shelter was full and he needed to be neutered still. I was looking for a cat, and an orange neutered older kitten was my dream cat. Like Nadia, he is the devil, he can be the sweetest or the most insane but I love him to pieces. In my time in the shelter there were always cats I loved, maybe one every few months that if we had space/money/didn't have a sick cat at home I would have brought home. Autumn was one of those and as much as I love Quincy, I adore her, she didn't trust anyone but me at the shelter and we have a real connection. If you can find that in your pet, its so much more than the 'oh its the kind of cat I want'

Looking at the website, it does at least look like a reputable breeder, they are registered and mention their vet (but I worry about a breeder only vet, he could be paid the big bucks to say what breeders want etc as he isn't used to people coming in crying when their cat does have some disease they were told was tested for)

If you are going to go with the breeder find out
- how many litters she had / how long before speuter (reputable breeders rarely breed past 4-5 years old at 2 max litters per year)
- vet references
- reference from people who adopted another ADULT cat from them to check for temperament (some breeding cats get little human interaction so are not the friendliest)
- how they sell their cats, around here a red is a legit breeder selling on craigslist/kijiji etc

[FallenPixels]

On the age part of the cats for sale it says:

Blue Cream point female for sale as pet: No other cats, dogs, or small children

Things like this are a huge red fl@g that they have little socialisation so be careful when picking one if you go that route