Lesley, unfortunately that is probably the case.

Buyers here, (myself included till recently), are not aware of the poor conditions of kitten mills/BYBs, from where animals in pet shops originate. I was under the impression that mill animals would be in a sorry state (dirty, sick) and therefore unfit to be sold, whereas pet shops with a good level of cleanliness (reflected in the state of their animals) would get their supply from conscientious 'breeders' (BYBs or otherwise) who treat their animals well. Or the pet shops themselves breed their animals, so you could assess whether they care for their cats or otherwise. I had absolutely no idea then that when the term 'breeder' is used, it is in reference to breeders of pedigreed cats (did I get this right?).

I got my kitten from a shop that was clean, and their animals seemed healthy and happy, and were fed premium food with filtered water. They had already dewormed my kitty, and reminded me when I should deworm it again. I was told it was a persian mix, with a long 'snout' (heheh). It was only later when I brought my kitty to the vet's for its vaccinations that some people there said it looked like it was part NFO.

All this is making me a bit confused though. Should it really matter whether our kitties are 'muggles' or pureblood, as long as they are given the care and attention they so rightly deserve? On one hand I can see why we should not support pet shops, seeing the rampant abuse of animals, misrepresentations of the animals real pedigree to potential buyers and the current lack of tough legislations on cruelty to animals.

On the other, I can see that perhaps at the moment our only way of guaranteeing our cat (and its sires/mums) had been treated well is to buy through legitimate breeders. Sigh.

I do wish I went to SPCA though. I wish there was one nearby.