Probably because he is a "purebred" and thus "worth more."
I recently had to rehome a girl, and I didn't charge anything near that price. And yet we breeders are the greedy ones
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Purebreds in shelters?
- Thread starter ninacaliente
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I recently had to rehome a girl, and I didn't charge anything near that price. And yet we breeders are the greedy ones
The most common pedigrees we get asked to take in are Persians, and Bengal crosses although not sure we ever get the papers. A lot of the Bengal crosses look nothing like - in fact, the last two were ginger!! We had a Sphynx and Devon Rex in this year, i personally dont think they were good quality, it was hard to tell what colur the Sphynx was, unlike some of the websites I looked on. i picked up an unusual coloured stray last year who could have been a Manx, but the two vets who he saw didn't want to commit to it, so he was classed as tailless (it seems a lot of people who see a cat with no tail assume a Manx, even though it could have been an amputation), but when I got a pedigree rescue involved (who deals with more cats than we do!!), she confirmed he was a Manx, but his unusual colouring came from Burmese in his lines, not BSH as is the norm - and a breeder friend of hers had a good guess at his lineage from it. i have seen Persian/Bengal crosses that looked like neither of the parents.
Unfortunately, since the bengal breed is so popular now, everyone and their brother wants to claim their spotted/mackerel tabby cat is a bengal or bengal cross. There are even some TCS members thinking their cat is a bengal or a cross, when it's crystal clear that isn't the case.
I do find it interesting that so many people want to indentify their cat to a specific breed, while making the claim that it doesn't really matter.
Apparently it does matter, as cats associated with a "breed" are placed faster and often command a higher price at shelters than the moggies.
Petfinder is infamous for listing cats with completely ridiculous incorrect breed descriptions, for the sole purpose of quickly placing cats by duping the general public.
I agree with you Nial. I think its wrong, but on the other hand, it gets another kitty a home. Sad to say the "no breed" kitties are still there.
If I was looking to adopt from a shelter, I would not be looking for a breed - I look for what I feel has potential to show as a household pet. For me, I like a flashy red tabby (tabby/white) or honey brown tabby. Or something that would say "hey judge, look at me"
I've seen some so called "Ocicat" mixes that were so far from being the breed its not funny. Ocicat NEVER ever have white mixed in them (other then the white chin allowed in the aby breed)!
If I was looking to adopt from a shelter, I would not be looking for a breed - I look for what I feel has potential to show as a household pet. For me, I like a flashy red tabby (tabby/white) or honey brown tabby. Or something that would say "hey judge, look at me"
I've seen some so called "Ocicat" mixes that were so far from being the breed its not funny. Ocicat NEVER ever have white mixed in them (other then the white chin allowed in the aby breed)!
i hate people assuming cats have to have a breed in them, I dont see why they can't just accept that they have a lovely cat. I do the internet write ups, and the ones that came in as Bengal crosses had no reference to it on their write up, neither did the Manx - all 3 were waiting a while though, but I wasn't tempted to change it. I see soo many people thinking that if they have a tabby with a spotted belly that it is a Bengal, and I find it frustrating.
Originally Posted by GoldenKitty45
If I was looking to adopt from a shelter, I would not be looking for a breed - I look for what I feel has potential to show as a household pet. For me, I like a flashy red tabby (tabby/white) or honey brown tabby. Or something that would say "hey judge, look at me"
Kitty came from an 'adoption day' at a local pet store. They had her marked as a Manx because she had no tail at all. My fiance brought her home because she was the only kitten pressed up against the cage meowing as if to say 'get me out of here!'. It seems she is at least mostly Manx, but I agree too many tailess cats get labeled as Manx. I hope people don't chop off kittens tails just to call it a Manx?! Kitty definetly never had a tail, and we love her no matter what she is or isn't.
Also, I have seen ads for Ocicat kittens in SF for about 150-300$. I never went to see them, but it did motivate me to find a good breeder and not support a BYB.
Also, I have seen ads for Ocicat kittens in SF for about 150-300$. I never went to see them, but it did motivate me to find a good breeder and not support a BYB.
I have seens cats at the pound tey say are Russian Blues and i can tell they arent. They do it to get them adopted.
I just can't adopt a blue tabby/white. Mitten was my first cat, and in my heart there will never be another cat like him.
I think the only way you can "guarantee" a purebred from any sort of shelter (unless the cat was given up with papers) is from a purebreed rescue. And I think there's one for every breed in the US. The only pure breed rescue over here is either myself or my vet!
Even adopting from a breed rescue doesn't guarantee that you will be getting a cat of that specific breed ... for instance, I know of an organization that calls itself a Siamese rescue but will accept any cat that has blue eyes. Many of the cats in their shelter don't even look like Siamese.
I think it is safe to say that there ~are~ pedigreed cats who do show up in shelters. But I don't think the numbers are as large as is supposedly reported. Many shelters and rescues will "label" a cat as a particular breed because they feel it will ensure a faster adoption. Sad.
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So true. We picked up our colorpoint from a shelter as well and he was mislabeled as a siamese. I don't think it was intentional. They didn't know all that much about breeds.
Maybe when I retire I can work at a shelter and get the cats properly labeled (especially on colors!) - that's my pet peeve when people call Red Tabby cats - "orange"! or Blue cats "grey".
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is it sadder that it does?
Typical conversation:
"oohhhh... what kind of cat is that?"
Me: "oh, a domestic short hair"
"Oh. What kind of cat is that?" (pointing to differnt cat)?
Me: "uhhhh... main coon mix?
"OOHHHH! I'll take it!"
They also put Russian Blue for the blue cats when they are not Russian Blue at all.
What I said was that it is sad that shelters and rescues will ~intentionally~ lie to a prospective adopter - this is just plain wrong. If the cat is a DSH, then say so. If the one that looks like a Maine Coon is a DSH then say it is a DSH that LOOKS like a Maine Coon. Just be honest. That's the point I was trying to make.
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So you lie to get them to adopt a cat, they come on a forum like this wanting to confirm the "breed" and are then disappointed when the answers are domestic short/medium/long hair.
Domestics are gorgeous as they are, no need for fake labels or misleading people.
I hate telling people there might be something - we had 4 Bengal crosses last year, none really looked like it, so none were 'labelled' as such just to ensure a home. Neither was the Manx, as two vets wouldn't like to say for certain - I did get a pedigree rescue involved after 8 months who confirmed he was a Manx with Burmese background (due to his face shape, fur type and colour) - she rehomed him very quickly, so we are going to approach her with most of our peds now. She helped out 759 cats last year, and seems to regularly take in large groups - she has just finished helping one that was either 40 something or 50 something, and not the first group of that size she has told me about!! Some of these were very unusual breeds though, like Tiffanies, so they must have cost a lot of money.
I agree that if the shelters are more honest and call it a domestic shorthair or longhair AND add something like "He's a domestic longhair that may have some Maine Coon in the background" - you are not telling the person it IS a MC, but that it could have it.
Then when a person asks in here "what is my cat" - its verified that its a DLH with possible MC background.
I was in one shelter where they labeled the kittens as 1/2 Cornish Rex. I know a part Cornie will have straight fur, but it looked more Oriental. It "could" have been part CRX - but the problem is that the only CRX breeder in the area would have never dumped a litter of kittens that was a oops in the shelter and they sell their pets altered - I know the breeder personally!
Then when a person asks in here "what is my cat" - its verified that its a DLH with possible MC background.
I was in one shelter where they labeled the kittens as 1/2 Cornish Rex. I know a part Cornie will have straight fur, but it looked more Oriental. It "could" have been part CRX - but the problem is that the only CRX breeder in the area would have never dumped a litter of kittens that was a oops in the shelter and they sell their pets altered - I know the breeder personally!
