enragedDon't you ever, ever insult my cats. Don't you ever, ever imply that I own them because they're "status symbols," or because I am in some way taking pleasure in the knowledge that other cats are being put to sleep right now. Lilly, Alice, and Thomas are my companions. They are my friends. They are the closest I intend to come to having children, and while I may be up for judgment, they are off limits. Leave my cats the fuck alone.
Why do I get my cats from reputable breeders, rather than from the local shelter? A whole bunch of reasons.
I do it for the health of the cat. When I visit a reputable breeder, I can not only meet the kitten I'm hoping to take home with me, I can meet their parents and grandparents. In the case of Alice and Thomas, I met their great-grandfather. I want to know that my cats have a good genetic shot at a long, happy life.
I do it for the temperament of the cat. I have had incredibly sweet, loving shelter cats in my life. I have also had bitter, terrified, xenophobic shelter cats who couldn't be integrated into a household, because they were too damn scared. I want a kitten that has been socialized and loved, and that has been bred to have a good personality to go with those good genes. I want a Lilly, an Alice, a Thomas, a Ripley, a Toby, an Alligator.
And yes, I do insist on kittens whenever possible. At best, I'm bringing home a new cat to an adult who isn't sure about the situation; at worst, I'm bringing home a new cat to two adults who already think there's no room at the inn. I am loud. I move quickly. I go away for long periods of time. I do things the way I do things, and a lot of adult cats can't adjust to me, no matter how hard we both try.
There are cats in shelters. There are cats in rescues. There are cats in need of homes. But I am not in the market for an adult rescue, and the kittens don't need me to be the one that saves them; kittens stand a much better chance than adults. Why do I know this? I know because I have volunteered at shelters and rescues and free clinics since I was twelve years old. Just like I know that I want as complete of a genetic profile as possible on my cats, because I buried so damn many of them when I was bringing them home from the pound.
My cats are not a zero-sum game. Bringing Thomas home from Betsy's didn't kill a kitten somewhere in the world that was waiting for my love; if it hadn't been Thomas, it would have been no new cat at all. Do I wish that there were no cats anywhere in the world waiting for their forever homes? Yes, I do. But that doesn't mean we shut down the breeders, abolish the breeds, and become a Domestic Shorthair and Domestic Longhair-only world. It means we breed responsibly. It means we support the shelters. It means we spay and neuter our pets.
And it means that my cats are not fucking status symbols. They are not somehow less worthy of love and comfort and a place to sleep than cats who have been abused or abandoned. They are exactly as worthy of all those things. And they are getting them from me, as will all the cats in my future.
If you can't be nice to my cats, you leave them the fuck alone.
May 12 2011, 23:18:57 UTC 6 years ago
Casey is 17, and one of the most family-oriented dogs I've met. She has few health issues: a delicate stomach, cataracts, and the possibility of going somewhat deaf. Unsurprising, given her size and age. But I didn't get her from a shelter.
My first cat, that I got two years ago, was a stray who had adopted my husband's parents' place as a good place to get food. When we moved in, she appeared again after several months, and became more and more eager to see us the more we offered her food and cuddles. One evening, she climbed up the carport and sat in front of our window, crying to be let in.
Sierra, who was over a year when we adopted her, is now at least three years old, and is the supreme Queen of all she surveys, especially spots next to laps where she can be petted. I didn't get her from a shelter, either.
My last pet I got as a small kitten. A coworker's Siamese had escaped and gotten knocked up by a local tom, and they had five kittens in the litter. Two were up for adoption, and the smallest chose me. I took the kitten home, and began the careful process of integrating him into a home with a cat who, beforehand, could be charitably described as neurotic. The entire reason I agreed to adopt a kitten was to soothe her neuroses and her abandonment issues, because she was so alone when my husband and I left for the weekend.
Simon is now fifteen months old, and a little half-Siamese love-monster. And I didn't get him from a shelter, either.
I understand entirely why you chose to get your cats from respectable breeders. When my pet didn't adopt me, my family got our pets from people we could trust, who had done everything they could to give us good pets. I did not get my pets from a shelter, nor did I get them from a breeder. Does this make me a bad pet owner? No.
I take care of my pets, feed them, and take them to the vet for check-ups and when they aren't feeding well. I do everything I can to keep them happy and content with the world. That's all any pet owner can do. And anyone who says otherwise, who claims that where you got your pet matters more than how you treat and love them, is a moron.
May 13 2011, 14:16:05 UTC 6 years ago