What if it wasn't about breed?

[cyberkitten]

Most of my life, I have had rescues (esp from my grandmother's feral cat colony) and often, the decision was made by the cat and not us!! Except of course the kittens which we socialized and found omes for.

I have been in love with the Siamese breed forever though and if I was asked sight unseen, I would list such traits as friendly, smart, curious, a talker and loves to communicate with humans, short hair. That of course is the Siamese but also the Sphynx which I have at the moment too. I find the Sphynx to be very like Siamese in that social, talkitive has to be with humans way!

In the end tho, if offered a cat based on the characteristics, I would not care what breed or combo of breeds the kitty is.

Great qustion btw!!

 

[graykittenlove]

Originally Posted by GoldenKitty45

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.

Me too. Long haired cats are beautiful but the work that goes into keeping those coats up? Not for me. As far as color, both my boys are grey I asked for grey cats but I would have taken anything. It's just nice that I got grey ones.

 

[booktigger]

I have never been bothered about breed, I tend to ask people what colour the cat is rather than if it is a breed. Out of the 6 cats I have had, only 2 have come from rescues, the others tend to 'find' me. When I got the first shelter kitty, she was the only one up for adoption, so I didn't really get too much of a choice - she was a gorgeous tabby, but had only been there a couple of days, so they didn't know her temperament, and she was a very vicious cat. As for the second, I knew I had to have a laid back, placid elderly cat for Ginger, preferably female, and my friend actually picked the cat, I wanted a different one. She was perfect for Ginger, and I didn't even realise she was white until I got home (I said I was never going to have another white cat). As I only take on oldies, my choices are narrowed down slightly, and there are certain colours I would love to have, and may have, but I doubt I would pick a cat on colour alone (although am wondering if I will ever get a cat from a shelter, or whether because I do rescue work, they just appear!!). I love long haireds, but don't know if I could cope with one, both time wise and allergy wise, so have asked to foster one to see. I do like the fact that by fostering, I get to have kinds of cats I would never have otherwise.

 

[stampit3d]

Our 2 "boys" are about as different from one another as 2 cats can be...and we love them both just as they are.
If i could change anything about them it would be that they were a bit more of the "lap-cat-type"....or at least i think I would. Who knows, maybe if they were it would drive me nuts, since I don`t sit still for very long at a time. (Heck! Now that I think of it, maybe that`s why they are`nt more oriented to lap-sitting!)
Linda

 

[jcat]

All our cats have been rescues or strays, and it has always been a matter of which cat chose us, not vice-versa. Breed and color make no difference, and there are no particular personality traits I'd/we'd insist on, although I think I prefer active, curious cats to couch potatoes. I wouldn't take in a long-haired cat, simply due to allergies.

 

[willowbrook]

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??

absolutely not

...if the cat needed a home and I was in the postition to provide one then colour, breed etc would not matter...so long as the cats temperment was good and I could bond well with them. Although on the other hand although temperment is what I look for well and truly above breed colour or any other physical feature in a cat, I would certainly not be impartial to taking on a less domesticated stray or feral cat with whom a lot of patience and gentle love is needed to gain trust and form an attachment or bond of any kind.

 

[courtney_ou]

i didnt know what Chloe looked like when i agreed to take her. i was told she was either a black longhair or a shorthaired tabby. (i got her from an Israeli woman with a HEAVY accent lol) i was told, however, that she was extremely skittish and egregious. i agreed to take her, only to find out shes a longhair mackerel tabby--maine coon to be exact

the only look that mattered to me was the one that said "im so scared, take me"

 

[tuxedokitties]

All our cats are former strays, so they chose us rather than the other way 'round.

If I were to go out and choose a cat, personality would definitely matter more than anything - though with all other things being the same I would choose a shorthair over a longhair.

though I must admit having become partial to black & whites after being blessed with such a sweet batch of tuxies

 

[turtlecat]

In General I don't particularly care about breeds or colors, however I know that I've always wanted a Van because that's MY heritage. And Torties steal my heart. But, by that same token, I had originally wanted a white cat when we met Paige, and she was so feisty and precocious, I had to take her home, whereas the white cat, while beautiful, wasn't a personality that I liked. it was far too austere and looky-no-touchy.

However a couple months back, there was a young grey tortie that I wanted so bad (but wasn't allowed to get) but while I like her because she was tortie, and that's why I stopped, what got me was that she kept trying to get to me throught he glass.