For Cat Owners?

Question

How did u get ur cat? a shelter a breeder a pet store? i would like to know and if they r alot of money or less. i am planning to get a cat. and wat type of cat that u think is best.

Answer 1

I adopted my cat from a no-kill shelter. I found it on petfinder.com.
I think that's the best way to find an animal. You'll have plenty to choose from, and you'll be giving an animal a home of it's own that it may have never gotten. My cat lived there the whole three years of her life, and never even had the opportunity to look outside of a window. Now she spends most of her time perched up in her window bed. I paid $60 to the shelter, this included the fact that she was already spayed, all shots were up to date, and they sent me home with a few toys and a little bit of food. Most of the shelters are not for profit, so the money just goes back into the shelter's cost of caring for the animals. A breeder or pet store will cost alot more, in my opinion it's just not necessary to go to one of them, unless you just have to have a certain breed of cat, there are so many good animals at the shelters just waiting for a good home.

Answer 2

I think your best bet is to go through a shelter or rescue. I got 2 kittens this year from different places.

Chester, I got from the pet store. He was the biggest kitten in the cage with all the small "cute" ones, so we took him in. He is so lovable and energetic and just a goofball. Since he was from the pet store, he hadn't had any shots, so the first vet visit was almost $200 plus remaining vet visits to get him UTD with his vaccinations. However, you can always locate a somewhere that can do your vaccinations for less. (We just chose the vet that we had used with our last cat.) Now, we are getting him neutered this week, so that's yet another expense for us (which again, you can find a low cost program to handle that).

Our other kitten, Daphne, was rescued from a foster family where she had almost all her vaccinations & when we took her home, she had been fixed already. We spent a lot less money on her to bring her UTD.

I had been looking at rescues and shelters but I had wanted my kittens without having to go through a long process where the rescue group had the chance of saying "no" to my requested kittens. But you get a lot more "bang for your buck" when adopting through shelters because they take care of so much medically, but you pay so little. If $75 is too much for you to adopt from a shelter, then I would definitely recommend not getting a "free" kitten or one from a pet store as examinations by vets could cost you even more.

If you're purchasing from a breeder, you'd better have a lot of money saved up! I think the shleter is the best deal because these are cats in need of homes or else they are put to sleep. If you're interested in getting a cat, but don't have a specific breed in mind, I would recommend just getting a regular domestic cat.

Please help a kitty find a forever home and adopt from a shelter or rescue! And if you can, get a 2nd one. Two will keep each other company while you're not home and they're double the love and entertainment!

Good luck!

Answer 3

Well I have three cats at the present time, one 17 year old boy, the sweetest one, I adopted when he was 13 from someone who could no longer keep him and wanted to take him to the shelter because he needed an expensive surgery. My other cat who is 8 years old, was adopted from my local shelter when he was 8 weeks old (most beautiful one), my 7 year old cat, was brought to me when she was a day or two old, she was found laying on a sidewalk, she is the oddest cat in the house.

What kind of cat do I think is best? A just plain friendly cat, doesn't matter the color, male or female, just plain friendly is what I prefer in a cat. The best place to find a cat is in your local shelter. Good Luck to you.

Answer 4

Shelter cats are the best in my mind. Not only do you get a great companion, you are saving a life. Also, most shelters will neuter the cat before you get it.
If you have a specific breed of cat in mind, shelters very often will notify you when one comes in. You wouldn't think that they would get pure bred cats, but sometimes they do. I've seen Siamese and Russian Blues, and Tonkinese at our shelter.
Don't go through a breeder, they are SO cruel to their cats. Most of them consider the cats property - keep them in small, often unclean cages and breed them over and over and over. These cats never are allowed to socialize with other cats and never played with.
So, again, shelter cats are the best - I should know, over the years I've gotten at least 10 cats from shelters (no, not all aat one time!) and they are awesome, loving little things.

Answer 5

We have four cats.
Two of them are Sisters, my friend had rescued their Mother off the of the street four days before the kittens were born.
The third cat and fourth cat were also strays that I rescued off the street myself.

The closest shelter is 40 miles from where I live or I would have gone to a shelter, plus there are so many strays within just a block of my home it made me feel good to rescue my babies from that kind of life.
They are the sweetest cats.

I just feel that with so many strays and so many cats in shelters who will be put to sleep if someone doens't adopt them that I would never ever go to a breeder, I will not PAY someone who breeds cats just to make money.

Answer 6

I got one of each. One from a breeder and one from a rescue agency. The cost from the rescue agency is usually minimal - and includes the costs of the up to date vaccinations and neutering.

The breeder vary, according to the breed, and the level of excellence within the breed. Usually breeders sell at 3 levels: Pet Quality, Breeder Quality and Show Quality.

Our breeder sold us a Breeder Quality cat for the cost of Pet Quality because she really wanted him to go to the best home. A good breeder interviews clients, and won't sell their cats to just anyone, and will go out of their way to make sure that the cat's get the best possible home.

We have a Bengal - which was quite exotic, and for the Breeder quality it would have cost us $950 but we ended up getting him for $500

The only difference between Breeder cats, and good ole moggies is the look of the cat. If you are looking for a specific look to your cat you usually have to go to a breeder But usually the healthiest cats are the sweet little mutts that come from rescue agencies. And they get some real beauties at the rescue agencies.

Answer 7

My kids and myself have had multiple cats from dumpsters. Through the years we have had wonderful cat friends..The younger the better. Pay an inordinate amount of attention to them and they will, as they get older, be a fantastic friend..Give them a good diet with some variation. You don't eat the same thing all of the time...I can't say enough good things about pussy cats, I think they are great ..Fortunately my cats had their own door, one into the cellar and one into the house. That gave them protection from predators and the weather. They could come and go any time they felt like it. No box to clean. Some cats are not so fortunate. If you get a cat and it can't go out, keep it's box very clean..Good luck finding a nice cat.!!Oh, a dumpster cat is in essence is a baby stray from a dumpster..Hard to catch but worth the trouble.....Happy hunting

Answer 8

definitely go to a shelter. there are so many cats and dogs that need a good home! and many shelters will pay for first check up, shots and to get the animal fixed. as for what type of cat, it depends on whether you want to deal with the shedding or not, and whether you have allergies. my son has allergies, so we have short haired cats, this also keeps shedding down. also remember the cost and time that will go into keeping a litter box for your new cat!

Answer 9

We got both of our cats at a shelter. One in MI and the other in NC. We call them our North/South Cats. When we adopted our cat in MI we had to pay $75 for the adoption fee and this included all of the care and shots they had received so far. In NC we had to pay $110 for the adoption fee.

If your planning on adopting from a shelter or pet rescue they will require you to get your cat spayed or neutered. They have you sign an agreement and give you until they are 6 months old to get it done.

Be careful that you don't forget to get them fixed. Our kitten from NC got hurt and was in a cast for 10 weeks and was unable to meet her deadline for her hysterectomy and the animal rescue officer came to my home demanding my cat back for neglect. It was only after I called my vet and they talked to the rescue officer I was given a 4 week extension. They required me to fax proof from the vet that it was done.

Answer 10

You should definitely adopt from a shelter. Shelter cats can be so sweet and loving. They are also more affordable. If you get a grown cat, you will be able to tell exactly what you're getting and you can pick your perfect companion!