Originally Posted by Gus-Gus

Hi there. Besides SPCA, there is also PAWS as well as countless rescue organisations/ individuals with cats looking for loving homes. There are also reputable breeders who have kittens to let go to good homes as well as adult cats they want to rehome. Reputable breeders will provide you with help and information after you buy a kitten/ cat from them because they care about them.

Cats will only claw and bite if they feel threatened. Most cats will display signs of agitation before they attack.

Please, where ever you eventually get your cat, don't get it from a pet shop.

Here are some facts about the dangers and less savoury aspects of buying from pet shops. Pet shops sell pets for profit. They don't care about where the pets come from and how they are bred, about their health or anything that should concern genuine animal lovers.

1. Where the pets come from? Probably ppl who breed for profit - backyard breeders. This means that to them, every kitten born is seen strictly in $$$$$ terms. The mothers are kitten-producing machines.

The mother cats are kept in basic conditions - anything more is a waste of money. That usually means no toys, very little affection (just enough to make sure the cat doesn't reject human contact) and bare metal cages to make any cleaning as fast as possible. Very little time is wasted on grooming for long haired cats which are usually shaved to save money on airconditioning (little hair = cooler). The cats also have little exercise because cats loose may result in fights and injuries which would be another waste of time and money having to treat.

2. Every heat is seen as another opportunity to make money. The cats are bred every heat for as long as possible, without concern for the cat's health because a heat wasted is profit lost. Yes, stray cats breed every heat but this cat is not living stray. The cat is bred from without concern for the cat's health. In the event that cat has birthing difficulties, more concern is shown for the safe delivery of the kittens (ka-ching! with every live birth) than the survival of the mother cat.

3. Male and female cats are bred without regard to genetic health. As long as the genetic problem is not immediately visible (lack of limbs or other physical deformity), they don't care. A weak heart may not be detected until your much loved cat drops dead out of the blue within weeks of being with you.

4. The thousands that the unsuspecting buyer pays for a purebred cat is only as good as the word of the breeder. Would you trust the word of someone who looks at life in terms of profit? A so-called purebred cat - for which someone would pay a premium - may actually just be a lucky combination of genes that produces a non-purebred cat that LOOKS like a particular breed but in actual fact is not. (My sister has a domestic short hair cat, Fatboy, that she picked up as a stray kitten along with his sister, Bandit. Bandit is like any tuxedo black and white cat. Fatboy looks just like a Snowshoe.

5. Pets in pet shops have a "shelf life" - the duration of their sellability is the duration of their cuteness and appeal. The longer they stay cute and appealing, the better their chance of being bought. For the backyard breeder, the most "effective way" of keeping them small and kittenish is usually to underfeed them. For the pet shop to increase their shelf life is to put them "in the window" as young as possible. This usually means weaning them off their mothers to solid foods as soon as possible. Usually before they are physically and mentally ready to be separated from their mothers. It is also a means for the backyard breeder to make the kittens emotionally needy for affection. This can, however, have the opposite effect of a cat that is cold to affection.

I could go on considerably longer about the cruel practices of backyard breeders but I'm sure by now, you have a good idea of what goes on in the world of commercial pet breeding. These are just things off the top of my head - I'm sure there are countless other things beyond our imaginations that backyard breeders get up to in the name of profit.

Since this is a kitten/ cat website, I've talked in terms of kittens but the same indifferent treatment is meted out to dogs/ gerbils/ rabbits - any companion animal that equates profit to ppl who see animals as commodities, not living, breathing beings.

Good luck in your search for your cat. Maybe, your cat will find you instead.