Feeling guilty about wanting a pedigree cat. Any advice?

[FuckNugget]

I have wanted to get a kitten/cat as a family pet for a long time but only recently been able to do so.

I decided I would get a litter pair from a rescue shelter. I've been looking at a few locally and reading their adoption rules. This has ruled out some places but I have been keeping my eye on the kittens/cats they have available.

However, I have also been googling a lot on cars and kittens and came across an advert for the most beautiful BSH kitten not too far from us. I've areanged to go and see it soon. I know I will fall in love with it and probably buy it.

I feel so guilty for this . There are hundreds of cats languishing in shelters across the country and I could have provided a good home to two but instead I'm buying a kitten from a breeder.

Should I cancel going to see the kitten and go ahead with my plan to adopt? Or is it ok to want a pedigree? I won't be breeding from it either, will have the cat neutered as soon as it's old enough.

Many of us love the particular characteristics of a certain breed so I wouldn't feel guilty - but if you had already thought about getting a kitten or (presumably) an older cat, why not go for a pedigree rescue? There are plenty of pedigree cats looking for re-homes (owners might have died, emigrated or so on and, sadly like all cats, sometimes there are cruelty cases.)

I just had a quick look see and there seem to be a load of BSH cats (mostly young-mature adults) looking for re-homes at the moment.

Personally I feel it's something you should feel guilty about. There are so many cats and kittens that need homes, and thousands are put to sleep every year because there are not enough homes to go round, that I think it's very wrong to pay someone to encourage them to bring yet more in the world, when you have a home to offer and could play a small part in making things better.

I know there will be a lot of people along who will disagree with me, but that's my opinion. And if you spent some time in any cat rescue centre I know you would feel the same.

cozie, I have looked but there don't seem to be any close to me from a shelter that would approve us (they all have such different rules).

thecat, that is exactly why I feel what I'm doing is wrong . I've posted in chat also and someone suggested adopting one rescue kitten alongside the pedigree. Would that work? Ideally I would have liked two anyway to grow up together.

thecatneuterer and I disagree slightly on this particular point.

Why do you want one so quickly, OP, after being without a cat for so long? If I was going for a breed rescue, I'd be prepared to wait a little until one became available - which they sadly and inevitably will. And proximity isn't a determining factor these days. I don't know what BSH kittens cost but the charge that a breed rescue will make for one of their cats (to help defray their costs - they don't make profits) is going to be so significantly less that the difference would easily cover transport I would have thought.

If a shelter doesn't approve you then that is something you should take seriously. They generally know what they're talking about, so if they don't think your home is suitable for their kittens then the chances are it's not suitable for any kittens. What reasons are they giving for saying you're not suitable?

Do they think older cats would be better for your situation? In which case I would listen to them.

And I can't see how adopting a rescue kitten as well negates the moral problem of buying a kitten. Why not just get two rescue ones? I can guarantee that you'll love them just as much as any pedigree once you've got them. Plus you'll have the added satisfaction of knowing you've 'saved' them.

I know you will find plenty of people who will say it's fine to buy a pedigree (and I'm sure some will be along on here in a minute), but I bet none of those who do work in a rescue centre. It does rather tend to colour your view ...

cozie, I'm not in a rush I guess. I happened upon this advert and fell in love with that kitten. I wasn't even considering a pedigree at all until this. But I've read up on the breed and it does seem ideal for our family. I think if I were to cancel this appointment, I would just go ahead with my original plan of adopting non-pedigree cats. I would take the DC with us to choose so could end up with a cat or a kitten (or two).

thecat, just reading their rules (I've not contacted any), there are several that say you must not have preschool aged children. I have a two year old but she is very gentle with cats. My mum has kittens at the moment and she adores them . I think our house would be approved though, depending on whether they consider the very quiet road near us as a cut through.

i'm surprised that some rescues have such blanket rules. We (Celia Hammond's) generally say it's fine to home to families with young children, although it will depend on the individual children. In fact I'm pasting below what we say on the subject:

We believe that it is beneficial for children to grow up with pets whom they learn to treat with kindness and respect. It is up to parents to ensure that their children do treat pets kindly, babies and toddlers must be supervised at all times when near cats, it is not fair on your cats if they are handled roughly and any cat that has it's tail pulled or is manhandled by a toddler or young child can bite or scratch.

If you are worried about being able to keep a watchful eye on your young children's interactions with a cat then it would be advisable to wait until they are a little older (5 years or more) so that you can discuss and explain to them how to treat a cat well.

We do frequently receive offers of homes from families whose elderly cat has recently died and are keen for another quickly, as the children in such a home are used to cats introducing friendly new cats should be straightforward even with young children.

There should be areas within a home where cats can get away from young children, stair gates are a useful aid in achieving this as well as a method of keeping the location of a cat litter tray separate from very young children, even a shelf for a cat to sit on out of reach allows the cat it's own safe space within your home. A cat flap also provides a cat with the freedom to come and go as he or she chooses.

Families living in a home without a garden where the cat will be totally kept indoors only should seriously consider waiting until children are older as unless the flat is particularly spacious there are usually limited places where a cat can find peace and quiet.

Being rescued many of our cats are not suitable for homes with young children, many are too shy, some have even had previous bad experiences with children in homes where they were mistreated. However we do also rescue normal, friendly cats and kittens, that would enjoy all the extra love and attention that children will give them.

I am sure there will be some rescues who would happily home to you and others which would maybe be happy for you to have adult cats, but not very young and vulnerable kittens. I would speak to some rescues before writing off the idea. And, as cozie said, if you particularly want a BSH then there are always specialist rescues.

Thank you the cat. I don't think there is a celia Hammond near us. I know this is really wrong of be, but I really want a cream or grey kitten, I think because that's what we had when growing up. I found the most beautiful cream kitten I a shelter close by but their rules stipulated that you couldn't live within 200 yards of a road and no DC. These were their adoption rules for all their cats, not just the kittens.

I have been looking on cat chat mostly, which has links to a fair few rescue places locally. I haven't found any that currently have pedigree cats that are younger than 10 (there was just one). Another place, but too far to travel, had 4 pedigree cats, all beautiful, but they wanted £150 for each.

I hope you will consider other cats/kittens. Cream and grey are quite rare and would be quickly snapped up. Black and black and white cats are languishing in rescues for months or even years as people see them as 'boring'. I guarantee, whatever cat or kitten you end up with you will love just as much as a pretty coloured or pedigree one. Please do consider trying the rescues, and do so with an open mind as to the age/colour/breed.

i work for yorkshire cat rescue and being independent our rules are tailored to suit a family wanting to adopt, ie we match a suitable cat or kitten to a family not set the rules that a family has to follow hence either being turned away or adopting an unsuitable cat,

i cant understand not living 200 yds from a road do they only adopt out to people who have to walk up a dirt track to thier house, i live in a cul de sac but theres a road to get to my house ?

i had a BSH who funnily enough came into the rescue at 4.5 yrs, i loved him to bits but he wasnt the brightest cat in the world and had no road sense but was an outdoor indoor cat and too old to change, 18 months later i lost him to the road not outside my house but he had gone further to the main rd, broke my heart

but my ordinary mogs who came from rescue have never gone near the roads they are too savvy

and my two black and white tuxedos are the sweetest cats with the most personality i have ever owned ,the ginger and white one is an asbo cat and the pretty stripey half siamese is a thug

I know, I know, and I feel awful for admitting it .

I wouldn't mind waiting until a grey or cream kitten came in, as it is I can't get a kitten until September as I am moving. However, that brings other problems as other shelters won't adopt to people in rented accommodation. My circumstances are a bit different though as my dad will be my landlord so no danger of being evicted.

I just don't think I could bring myself to call a rescue and say 'oh, I really would live a kitten but only a particular colour one' . In truth, if probably go along and let the DC choose although I know they'll want ginger as that is what my mum has .

I would always go with rescue.

Bit about the 200 yards from a road thing. Does that mean they only rehome to country mansions?

That £150 will just go as help to costs. Many if not most pedigree rescues are no-kill centres so any cats that are just too mentally or physically traumatized to be re-homed are often cared for by breed enthusiasts until they die. Also, and even with sympathetic vets who might offer their own services free or at low cost, there will often be vet costs - and simply the food and watering costs of keeping even the healthier cats until someone homes them.

These centres don't make money out of their animals - indeed most are desperate for funds most of the time - and that £150 will pale in comparison with the cost of a new kitten.

issey, I did read that BSH are a bit dim . Some breeders specify they be indoor cats only .

I will be living in a cul de sac actually but there is a road at the bottom, not a main road though.

I'm in yorkshire, I have looked at your site. Any cream or grey kittens/cats at the moment? .

you wouldnt be the first person to have a preference, we have people who wait for gingers or they lost a ginger cat and want a black cat this time as different to last cat, but grey or cream err one lady waited 9 months for a grey to come in and then it was the wrong sex!!, and in 6 years of working there i have probably seen maybe 4 or 5 cream kittens as moggies tend to be , black, black and white, ginger, tabby or tortie as mommies are not fussy who de daddy is and gentics produces these colours first, my stripey one his mom was a feral tabby and dad a posh siamese from the nearby caravan site so he looks like a siamese with a striped coat

bonzo, I can't remember the exact distance as there were a few rescues that specified the distance. I'll see if I can find the rules from the one with the cream kitten.

cozie, in truth, if these cats were closed, if have happily paid £150 but they are too far . The kitten I am seeing is £200 but obviously will need neutering, chipping etc on top.

*closer, I'd

the best thing to do is look us up on facebook as the foster moms put pics on of kittens while they are in foster gets publicity, ring them they will know whos got who and believe me there is no shortage of kittens, i think they have about 50 in foster at the moment, theres one litter born this week thats two tabbies one ginger, one black and one grey tabby, so they will be around ten weeks from now before they come back to the center, at our rescue all kittens are neutered, chipped and the fee is £60 per kitten

We have re-homed from a pedigree cat club twice (4 cats in all) but there is a tradition in our family of having that breed and I was quite keen. You could try talking to the breed club and let them know you would be interested if anything comes up within reasonable travelling distance. I have a bit of a dilemma now myself as the latest fossilcat is getting elderly and I would like kittens or very young cats next, but am hooked on Burmese.

We do not rehome to properties without direct access to a garden. It is shelter policy not to rehome kittens if you live within 120 metres of a railway line or busy road. These include main roads, bus routes, school runs or roads used as short-cuts. For adult cats, individual circumstances will be taken into account depending on age or gender of cat. We do not rehome to rented properties. We will not rehome single kittens to households where no-one is at home during the day or any kittens with children under 5 years. No cat will be considered for rehoming where a child is under 3 years. A cat flap must be fitted if you are in full-time employment. All homes will be subject to a home visit.

These are the rules from one rescue with a beautiful cream kitten which I'd snap up but we fall foul of these rules .

I shall look at the fb page, thank you issey.

'don't rehome to rented properties' - that's bonkers! Whatever are they thinking?

Crazy, eh? I mean as a blanket rule.

your welcome believe it or not we had two grey brothers (kittens ) last week who were rehomed together and the lady wanted a ginger one originally lol

I really believe in getting cats from rescue centres. My boy cat is from the RSPCA and he is such an amazing character, and I feel it makes it a bit more special that I 'rescued' him (even though he would probably have been snapped up because he is handsome and friendly). But blimey, they don't make it easy for people to adopt cats, do they? All these restrictions about roads etc. I think it's very unrealistic. Any cat can get run over or have an accident. As long as it's adopted into a loving and caring home, what's the difference?

I suspect that if you went to a rescue centre (if you could find one that would actually let you adopt ) you would fall in love with a cat as soon as you met it. That's what happened to us.