What if it wasn't about breed?

What if the only information you were given on a cat was it's temperment and behavior without any reference to color or breed...would that influence your decision to adopt a cat??

What if there was a similiar program for cats as the one listed below for dogs:

http://www.monmouthcountyspca.org/MYM.htm

Katie

Originally Posted by TNR1

What if the only information you were given on a cat was it's temperment and behavior without any reference to color or breed...would that influence your decision to adopt a cat??

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*grin* This is such a great question Katie ...

For my husband and myself, the perfect companions to share our home were athletic, active, curious cats who bonded closely with us and who were protective of their people and their environment. The Siamese breed immediately came to mind - however, if a cat that was NOT Siamese possessed those traits, I would indeed consider adopting such a cat.

~gf~

I think this is a great idea...and a great question....

After all it is not the color of the cat or the ancestery you fall in love with, you fall in love with the cat themselves, their personality, their temperment, their little quicks and idiosyncracies(sp)......And these are things not learned by the color of their skin..err i mean fur....

That is a good question...I agree.

Having owned different breeds and moggies as well.........

I would look for a cat that was described to have the following qualities:

1. Very owner oriented. Looks for and wants attention and lots of it.

2. Vocal, interactive and expressive.

3. Athletic, energetic, active and extremely playful.

Oh, definitely. First I would probably be looking for color, just something "pretty," unusual or eyecatching, then would want more info on the kitty's personality, and then would want to interact. I would not want a kitty that is going to hide under the bed all the time and have special needs, I'm not set up for it and simply don't have the patience for it (kudos to those who do.)

Color draws the eye, personality seals the contract as it were .

EDIT: Oh, just wanted to add that the above is in reference to looking at kitties online. In a room full of kittens, all bets are off .

I'm a sucker who falls for all cats, even the ridiculous boys I've got freeloading right now.

BUT, if I were looking for something.

Easy going kitties, not too active, mostly enjoys laying around cuddling, with an occasional play here and there. I enjoy distinctive and demanding personalities as well, but as I already have one Sylvester I probably couldn't take another.

Definitely. In fact, when I was chosen by Leo and Lola, I didn't really take their looks into account. Of course I think tabbies with white and blue kitties are beautiful...but I think that all kitties are beautiful.

I always look for personality first in a cat. It's a shame when I see folks walk into a humane society and pick out a cat simply because it is cute, the right sex, the right color, etc. Some don't even care about taking the cat out to spend time with it to learn about it's personality. It's a family member after all - you need to make sure that their personalities blend with yours and yours blend with its.

I breed cats, so it's the colour or breed (Persian OR Exotic) that I've got to fall in love with first - but of course there are some little un typey babies that you've gotta fall in love with too!

Growing up, we had the best cat ever, he was this huge long haired black male who was just a love of a kitty. When I went to adopt, I specifically was looking for a black kitty. Now I have three of them

I love all my fosters too and their quirky personalities, and some are downright gorgeous, but I'll always have black kitties. I think they're the best!!!

I've only ever had one purebred cat and that is Sashka - and I fell in love with her the minute I saw her, and then researched the breed. My others have all been shelter kitties and all chosen for one reason or another.

I think that's a great question and I would definitely adopt a cat on what I was told about it's temperament without even thinking about it's breed or colouring.

But then again, I have a habit for adopting the `difficult', hard-to-home cats so maybe that's not such a good thing!

I'm getting a new foster momma. When I told my friends at work, they want to know color, etc. I don't know yet! All I know is she is preggers, and friendly. Thats enough for me! (Honestly, I think I could handle a semi feral preggers, but since I have little kids the agency gives me the nice ones!)

Color is important, just because cats are almost like jewels, each so beautiful in their own way. But it is sad that kitties are often chosen by looks only. That is one thing nice about foster homes, the person who is fostering can give lots of feedback about personality and behavior. Also about special needs of the cats. (Like Sugartoes, my current foster, needs someone who feeds her table scraps. She just really craves people food!)

I'd tend to let the cat choose, as I dont much care what they look like. I like the more independent ones that don't demand attention 24/7. Level of activity is not an issue. I just make adjustments around the house for whatever anyway. In my opinion, temperament and behavior are the two most important things to look at when adopting. If you just picked out "cutie of the month" with no other info, you would have no one but yourself to blame for the frustration of having an excessively needy cat (attentionwise) when you wanted a more laid-back one.

A week or so ago on a terribly cold night, I found a tiny kitten that was pretty much on it's way out due to starvation. His ribs were very easy to feel, his belly was bloated and hard, and if it werent for the full moon, I would never have seen him. I had no idea what he was until he slowly stuck his tiny paw out. I picked him up and ran him inside. He didn't look a day over 4 or 5 weeks old and purred the second I picked him up. I set up an appointment with the vet, and fed him. Within 3 days of nothing but feeding, the belly was totally gone, and he's now a tiny ball of hyper-kitten energy. Never did breed cross my mind. I just saw a little creature who had a questionable future (if any at all) if I did not step in and help it. That is the same way I feel about shelter cats.


At some point, I'd like to have a longhaired black cat and a calico. There's no shelter for many miles, and my cats are rescued strays. There is a fair bit of ignorance about spay/neuter here, so people's cats & dogs have the maximum number of litters per year, most of which are seen as highly expendable. Most girls are dumped as soon as sex is determinable, and many kittens are given away free as soon as they start eating dry food. I'm sure if I asked around I could have one of each of these pretty soon, but I will not. I'm pretty sure that one spring will bring some to my yard.

My three are all rescues, so I guess you could say they chose me. LOL

The first one is a black and white Manx and the other two are black shorthairs, I think the youngest (and most recently acquired) might have some Siamese in her as she is extremely vocal and has that lean build (even though I've fattened her up from her previously starved state).

I didn't have any feelings one way or another about black cats before, but now I think they're sort of cool. I certainly love it when they cross my path!

When I was looking for a new cat about this ime last yr I was very serious on adopting an older female cat. What did I end up with a scrawny male kitten!!!! He just wouldn't stop crawling up my leg!! I wasn't interested in a specific color or breed-the personality did it for me.

I adopted my 2 girls sight unseen. (The lady was to busy to e-mail me a photo) I wanted 2 cats male or female didn't matter. I got my 2 girls @ 7 years old and I have no regrets!
We just celbrated our 3 years of togetherness on 10/10!

Yes and no. I do not like longhair cats - they are pretty to look at but the cats I'd adopt would have to be shorthair to start with. If that's part of the "profile" then it wouldn't matter on color/breed.

I am also one who falls for personality first and foremost.

I've kept more of my foster cats than I should have, and it's always the personalities that do it for me. I like unique and/or beautiful markings, but they're not going to make it or break it for me.

Usually, I don't choose the cat. The cat chooses me. The bond that forms becomes personal and then it's done - I have a new cat. I work very hard now to keep this from happening any more, because I really can't have any more of my own!

One trait that I definitely do not prefer is the pure lap cat/cuddler type. I don't feel too guilty about this since a lot of people prefer lap cats.

Personally, I like the smart, curious types. The ones who make me laugh are always my favorites. I may get annoyed when they figure out ways to get in something I thought I'd done a good job of cat-proofing, but any cat who can pull off a trick like that has a home with me.

Of course, the problem is that I now have so many smart, curious cats that they can collectively outsmart me any time they want. I fear that the only thing that keeps me in my position as "Alpha" of the household is my opposable thumbs. The day they figure out how to open cans, I fear they will take over control of the house and toss me out on the curb!

Out of my 4 cats I've only picked one based on apperance & that was my Isaac. I love him & he is special to me, but took a long time for us to bond to each other. I have learned to love all his special qualities, but took longer than it did with the others. Now I can't imagine life with out him, but personality is so much more important than apperance. I would bond to any animal in my care, but having a personality that fits with my life will make the bonding process quicker.

To be honest, when my partner and I decided we wanted to be cat-owners, it didn't even occur to us to look into getting a certain breed. On a purely selfish level, we didn't want to fork out the big bucks for a purebreed, but more importantly to both of us, we wanted to get our cats from a shelter. We just wanted cats and didn't really care about what kind of cat we got (although we wanted short-haired kitties). In the end, our two cats just chose us--heck, we had planned on getting a boy and a girl (littermates, preferably, who we could in our geekiness name Spike and Drucilla), and ended up with two boys: one orange tabby (who may or may not have some Abyssinian in him, but there's no way to know for sure) and one brown-grey tabby. My cats have about as much "good breeding" as their human parents do!

What's strange is that I don't think I know anyone who owns a purebred cat: pretty much every single one of us got our kitties as rescues and fosters! We all chose for personality, or had our cats choose us. (As my boyfriend likes to say, we all clearly have "sucker" written on our foreheads in cat-speak. )