Internal Crisis...

The dogs I grew up with came from animal shelters; all three were *the* three best dogs in the whole, wide world.

When my hubby and I decided to get a cat, we wanted a baby and a laidback breed (on account of our two existing bird family members). We chose a Ragdoll, as we'd read/ heard so many great things about the breed.

I intend to get a female cat. My problem is that, on one hand, I want another Ragdoll. On the other hand, I'm feeling twinges of guilt about buying twice from a breeder, when there are so many kittens to choose from a shelter.

A friend got two kittens from a shelter and discovered that they had fleas and ringworm. (The shelter wouldn't cover the cost of medical issues they should have handled in the first place.) If I bring home a kitten from my cat's breeder, I'll have a wonderful, healthy cat; I'm scared that a shelter kitty might introduce a host of medical issues to my baby. What are the chances of something like that happening?

Thanks,

Jenk

Everything depends on the individual shelter, and the amount of care they can give. I'm sure the cat would be wormed and rid of fleas, at least, but worming takes more than one treatment, so you would need to know when it was done. The kitten will probably have received its first shots also. You should isolate the kitten until it is rid of worms. Whatever cat you get, the reason should be that you want that particular kitten, shelter or purebreed.

Any cat you bring into your home will be guaranteed love and good care, that is the most important issue. Whether it is a purebreed, a shelter cat or stray as long as you have it health certified and isolate it from other animals until it is, there should be no problem. Any cat is susceptible to anything if not cared for properly and every cat deserves a loving home. The problem is there are more cats than there are homes for. You might also consider a Ragdoll Rescue group. There are breed specific rescue groups out there- that way you get the cat your want and you rescue at the same time. Though, I can't imagine anyone turning a Ragdoll into a shelter- they seem like magnificent and mellow cats.

What a great idea to go to a ragdoll rescue group. That would be the perfect solution.

I've no problem with going to a Ragdoll rescue group, except for the fact that I'd probably need to bring home an older cat. I personally have no problem with that, but I feel that I owe it to my birds to have all feline family members *fairly* trained from an early age that, in our house, birds are not food. (Yes, I *always* keep a close eye on my Raggie when he's around my birds. But he now runs away if a feathered friend flutters to the floor; he knows that he'd be in deep doo-doo if he made a rash decision.)

So age (with respect to my birds' well-being) is the only drawback I can see regarding a Ragdoll rescue group. I'll keep my eyes out for one, though.

Thanks again,

Jenk