Question of the Day, Wednesday, September 28, 2016

Here's the thing...I know most of us love our moggies, and that most of us are of the "adopt, don't shop" persuasion, but this is the question,

If you ​were ​going to get a pedigreed cat, is there a particular breed that you have a secret yearning for, and why?

I have to admit, I'm torn between the Maine Coon Cat and the Ragdoll.  I love the size and coat of the Maine Coon, and I love the fact that I could possibly find a tortie in that breed, but I love the snuggliciousness of the Ragdoll.  After two decades of tortitude, a little lapcattishness might be nice.  That said, I'll stick with my rescues.

Whilst the majority of our cats have been rescues (or, more accurately, strays/semi-ferals who turned up on the doorstep demanding food and a home), we have bought two pairs of BSH brothers - the first when I was 6, and the second just before I left for uni. I don't think my parents would be happy without a BSH or two around - there's just something about that breed that is irresistible. For myself, though, I think I'd go for a Russian Blue, or maybe one of the Oriental breeds.

I'd far rather adopt/rescue though....and if I were truly desperate for a certain breed, I'd look into breed-specific rescues. For me, though, purrsonality is what counts :catguy:

A Thai a.k.a. Applehead/old-style Siamese. I grew up with one (literally, as he lived into his twenties).

A  Black Devon Rex .....https://www.google.ca/search?q=blac...LStAhM:;xpocsjqHAvjjVM:&imgrc=FXnXoq51LStAhM:

gorgeous!

Before I answer, I have a mini rant: I've only ever owned rescue cats, but I really hate the "adopt, don't shop" mentality. I think responsible breeding is part of the solution, not part of the problem. In an ideal world, all cats would be purposefully-bred, so why would I have anything against breeders? 

That aside, I think I'd own a longhair Japanese bobtail. They are just so charming and cute while also being robust and natural. I also own Japanese dogs, so I guess there's something about Japan that produces breeds I like, haha. As a bonus, I like the stories about the maneki neko and I like the idea of having my own little beckoning luck charm to greet me every day. 

A traditional Siamese.  I love their personality and yes that very distinctive voice.

I already have an Aby. If I were to even consider another purebred, I might go with one of the hairless breeds

We have decided that there will be no more pets in the house once our furkids are gone. Our sister has agreed to take any cats that we might have when we pass away, but she has a houseful of cats herself and we don't want to burden her further. So as our furkids pass on, we will not be getting other cats.

But if I had the choice for a purebred, we would have two Maine Coons. I have always wanted a Maine Coon. In fact, after Banshee passed away, I eventually started looking on adoption sites for MC kittens. I checked on a couple of them, but they always fell through. And then we went to vet and I found Mollipop and realized she was why the plans for the MCs didn't work out. She was meant for me. And that ended the hunt for a MC kitten. 

Both Tom and I are seriously eyeing Maine Coons for way down the road. We're entirely smitten.

We'd be happy adopting an older one that is a retired breeder as opposed to a kitten. Not so sure that we'd be very kitten-able; we're getting older and I'm assuming we won't be up to their energy.

The purebreds I've met have never lived up to the hype :dk:. It seems like breed trait personality isn't very well set in most cats, unlike purebred dogs who are pretty predictable. Although Siamese are usually very Siamese-ish, lol. Maybe because they're one of the older breeds.

For looks, I think Balinese are gorgeous! Also, um, I forget the name, Highland Lynx? Not a registered breed yet. Longhaired, bobtailed, tufted ears.

I would get a snowshoe in a heartbeat.  We took in an orphan snowshoe once (not pedigreed).  He was the most beautiful, loving, intelligent cat.  We only had him a couple of years but I sure loved that boy. 

socksy said:

 
Before I answer, I have a mini rant: I've only ever owned rescue cats, but I really hate the "adopt, don't shop" mentality. I think responsible breeding is part of the solution, not part of the problem. In an ideal world, all cats would be purposefully-bred, so why would I have anything against breeders? 

That aside, I think I'd own a longhair Japanese bobtail. They are just so charming and cute while also being robust and natural. I also own Japanese dogs, so I guess there's something about Japan that produces breeds I like, haha. As a bonus, I like the stories about the maneki neko and I like the idea of having my own little beckoning luck charm to greet me every day. 

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Most of the "adopt, don't shop" mentality is about pet shops, which promote mill breeding.  But perhaps a better slogan, which embraces responsible breeding, would be better.  Got any ideas?  If you do, I'll gladly use it all over the internet!

Winchester said:

 
We have decided that there will be no more pets in the house once our furkids are gone. Our sister has agreed to take any cats that we might have when we pass away, but she has a houseful of cats herself and we don't want to burden her further. So as our furkids pass on, we will not be getting other cats.

But if I had the choice for a purebred, we would have two Maine Coons. I have always wanted a Maine Coon. In fact, after Banshee passed away, I eventually started looking on adoption sites for MC kittens. I checked on a couple of them, but they always fell through. And then we went to vet and I found Mollipop and realized she was why the plans for the MCs didn't work out. She was meant for me. And that ended the hunt for a MC kitten. 

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I'm getting older, and I have arrangements for Hekitty if I go before she does.  I really NEED a cat in my home, since I live alone, but after Hek, I'm going to look into doing permanent fostering of geriatric cats, so that should something happen, they have a place to go automatically.  I don't mind having to say goodbye a lot, if it means a cat can live out its life in a loving home.

Winchester said:

 
We have decided that there will be no more pets in the house once our furkids are gone. Our sister has agreed to take any cats that we might have when we pass away, but she has a houseful of cats herself and we don't want to burden her further. So as our furkids pass on, we will not be getting other cats.

But if I had the choice for a purebred, we would have two Maine Coons. I have always wanted a Maine Coon. In fact, after Banshee passed away, I eventually started looking on adoption sites for MC kittens. I checked on a couple of them, but they always fell through. And then we went to vet and I found Mollipop and realized she was why the plans for the MCs didn't work out. She was meant for me. And that ended the hunt for a MC kitten. 

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My DD says that Mollipop has the greatest cat name of all time. She was reading over my shoulder one day and spotted it in a post. 

Hmm. That is a really tough one. Can I have more than one since this is hypothetical? Since it is, I'd want (in no particular order after the first one )

British Shorthair - the teddy bear of the cat world. 

Oriental Shorthair - Gorgeous and regal  

Sphynx- Their beauty is almost hypnotic    

socksy said:

. Before I answer, I have a mini rant: I've only ever owned rescue cats, but I really hate the "adopt, don't shop" mentality. I think responsible breeding is part of the solution, not part of the problem. In an ideal world, all cats would be purposefully-bred, so why would I have anything against breeders? 

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I have nothing against breeders per se, but why buy a cat or a dog when almost 11,000 of them are being euthanized every day in America?

i'd have to say Siamese, closely followed by Burmese.

A Maine Coon, although I've had the honor of owning 1 purebred (a shelter cat) and 3 mixed, stray ones. They're my favorite breed.

That being said, a Bengal would be interesting!

I have 3 purebred Ragdolls and a Persian with no papers. I want a Snowshoe one day and a Maine Coon. Also a Bengal.

Primula said:

I have nothing against breeders per se, but why buy a cat or a dog when almost 11,000 of them are being euthanized every day in America?

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Bearing in mind I've only ever owned rescue cats...

1) Because that's the cat they want. If people are going to make a 15 year commitment, there's absolutely nothing wrong with getting the particular cat they want. 

2) Because people have an interest in preserving particular cat breeds, for cultural significance, so that unique traits aren't lost, and because they love that breed

3) Because the stigma against buying a cat or dog instead of rescuing one is getting in the way of promoting responsible breeding. I don't want to live in a world where kittens are only being born to people who don't care about their animals. 

4) Because it offers competition for the irresponsible people who let their cats breed just for the hell of it without taking due care. In my area, you can sell random-bred kittens for about $50/each, and you better believe there are people out there who are now letting their cat have a few litters because it's making money for them. Rather than convince people that it's wrong to buy cats, I want to convince people that it's wrong to encourage irresponsible breeding by giving money to the wrong people. People get cats because they want them and if the only way to get the cat they want is to give money to an irresponsible person, then you bet your bottom dollar, irresponsible people will rise to meet that demand. I know this varies from region to region, but I recently set out to adopt a new kitten (I wanted a particular colour, pattern, personality, and sex) and I had a genuinely difficult time finding kittens available that weren't accidental/careless breedings where people were charging money, and I absolutely refuse to reward their irresponsibility by paying them. I ended up finding a farm out of town where there was an orphaned litter. If I hadn't been able to find a cat meeting my criteria through a rescue situation, I would have had to buy one, at which point, I would have gone to a responsible breeder of pedigreed cats. 

socksy said:

1) Because that's the cat they want. If people are going to make a 15 year commitment, there's absolutely nothing wrong with getting the particular cat they want. 

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I've heard that old saw a million times. As though one couldn't find one's desirable breed among 11,000 animals!