Adopting a Cat Or Buying One? The Pros and Cons To Consider
When the time comes to welcome a cat into the family, the question of whether to purchase a cat from a breeder or pet store or to instead adopt a cat from another family or an animal shelter can come up.
If you’re looking for a purebred cat to take to cat shows then there is no question that you will probably wind up dealing with an expensive purchase, but if you don’t really care about the purebred status of a cat then your options are wide open.
Acquiring your cat from a reputable breeder, (again, a caution about buying a cat from a pet store, in the US at least, many of these cats come from kitten mills where the cats are raised in deplorable conditions) can have some benefits. Many breeders offer a guarantee, and you can research past generations for health issues as well.
Some cat owners swear by certain breeds with regards to a good temperament or healthy constitution, and the only way these folks can be guaranteed that they are getting exactly the breed of cat they want is by purchasing one that has accompanying documentation. For some people, this is the only way they would consider bringing a cat into their home.
Adopting a cat opens up the possibilities considerably, because there are usually a huge variety of cats of all breeds and ages awaiting adoption. Since a lot of these cats had previous owners, most of them are litter box trained and used to living with people.
Not only do cats at shelters come with a medical history, along with information about how they deal with young children or other pets or cats, adopting a cat, giving it a safe loving home is a particularly heartwarming thing to do, knowing that you just may have rescued this cat from death.
Not all adopted cats come from shelters. Some people have to give their cats away for whatever reason – allergies develop, moving to another city, financial problems – so if you peruse the pet ads within a local newspaper you’ll probably find an impressive selection of cats looking for new homes.
The advantage of adotping a cat from the shelter is that the cat will have had it’s health evaluated. Adopting a cat from a family mean you have no idea if there are underlying health problems.
If you are undecisive whether you should adopt a kitty, or purchase one from a breeder, do not worry. Cats have an uncanny way of coming into our lives in just the perfect way. You can start exploring both options, and before you know it your absolutely purrfect furbaby will find you.
