Where did you get your cat/s from?

[OutOfTheHouse]

I grew up with loads of cats (22 across my childhood to be exact) and they all came from rescues or someone whose cat had surprise kittens.

I’m seeing lots of people on here saying they have got cats from breeders. Am I unusual in always adopting?

I think Cats Protection must vary by area. Our Cats Protection cat came when we had a dog, lived in a city and had a 4 and 1 year old.

Cats protection turned me down when I phoned up based on the fact the person had once lived in my street and knew it was on a road. I told her we would keep the cat in and she said they don't rehome indoor cats.

Cat 1 came from my sister's colleague who was desperate to get rid of her 6 month kittens as mum had already had a second litter.

Cat 2 came from a friend whose cat had got out and got pregnant before she was spayed.

Cat 3 is a ragdoll and she came from a registered breeder in 2020.

They've all been from Cats Protection except for the latest one that was from a friend's barn (she's a little terrorist). Cats Protection must give them warnings about how to behave nicely.

I suppose it depends what breed you want, I have Maine coons so I get them from a registered breeder to know they are pedigree & have had all relevant checks etc.

The cat distribution system has granted me two cats, 9 years apart.

RSPCA

A local cat charity

One from a colleague who was moving to Spain and didn't want to take her cat. She was a bit of a strange character (the cat) and the owner didn't think she'd cope with the travelling and the new place they were moving to.

The other one from a small, independent rescue.

See I got a Maine Coon through the cat distribution system. Turned up in my doorstep as a stray. He was chipped but not registered. We think he was dumped by a breeder as he had a deformed foot.
We couldn’t keep him, by which I mean DH wouldn’t let me, so he went to a rescue and was adopted by a lovely lady who worships him.

Before and after shot.

4 from gumtree/preloved, I won't have kittens or pay for cats from there but have always started conversations with local people who are rehoming due to moving, circumstance change etc. We're not suitable to rehome outdoor cats from local cats Protection due to proximity to roads but we have considered indoor cats from there but didn't end up with those cats as we ended up with a kitten turning up on the doorstep one evening (cat distribution system)

Same as @BarrelOfOtters mine are huge too - mums Main Coon and they think dad is their next door neighbours British shorthair who must have got in through an open window as the mum is kept indoors!

1 was from an ex neighbour,£30,my mum was supposed to have him as after losing my previous cat I'd said no more,as soon as I saw him I fell in love,he's the fattest fluffier Victor Meldreth you'd find.
2 was a remote during covid £180 for her and all her paraphernalia, she was 5 months old and came from a house with toddleds,I believe she was pulled around a lot in her short months with them as absolutely hates being kicked up,touched,you have to let her come to you if sat quietly.
3 and 4 are number 2's Kittens,I didn't think it through that being pandemic I wouldn't be able to get her spayed,wasn't worried as had had my boy done,a year down the line,vets still weren't seeing non emergencies and she managed to get out,six weeks later I noticed she was a lot fatter.
She had 5 kittens 1st was breech and got stuck,I had to help,I believe was starved of oxygen as died 2 days later.
I refused to let them go to anyone I didn't know so I begged my friend to have one,my mum had one and another friend was supposed to but their partner died the weekend they were supposed to collect so instead of keeping one as planned we had 2.
Thankfully the vets took pity after an spayed all 3 girls in time.

As a child, we took in cats that were from unspayed adults (cats belonged to friends), and also took in a stray.
As an adult, our cats have been rescues.
Would never go to a breeder.

Do you want a cat? Mine woke me up at least 6 times over night, for no reason. Really cute to look at though. got him from a feckless friend because her boyfriend at the time didn’t like cats.

previous cat was cat protection, previous to that a stray who adopted me

Cat's Protection.
I wouldn't ever buy from a breeder, there are so many in rescue centres.

@AnnaMagnani But how did you literally get the cat? Did it get put through customs in a basket and fly over by itself, then you pick up up the other end?? How much did you have to pay?? Baffled by the practicalities 🐈‍⬛ ✈️ 🤦🏻‍♀️😂

Should add, current cat from cats protection, previous two were brothers off a farm who’s mum was the farm cat, but Dad was feral.

Local rescue about 6 weeks ago. No strict rules, over run with kittens and just happy they’ve got a good home.

All four from St Francis Persian rescue.

First cat, a friends' very young cats had unexpected kittens.

Second cat - The lady said her two BSH Queens had escaped in season, producing unexpected moggy litters. I then kept an eye on Pets4Homes for a while and those poor girls turned out kittens as breeding machines. Anyway, he was much loved until he died at 15.

Cats 3 and 4, a pair, from a rescue. They had been rescued initially in Greece and the Greek Rescue worked with the UK rescue. They had a very bad start but are now living the highlife. We were only checked out by photos.

My two were from a friend of a friend who still subscribed to letting female cats have just one litter. Friend wasn’t a close friend, online in fact, so not a situation where I could ‘reeducate’ the mother cat’s owner. It was her honest belief though, not an excuse or a scam, as the mother had indeed been spayed post-litter.

They’re nearly 15 now and racking up an array of elder cat ailments between them. I wonder sometimes if their three litter mates are still out there somewhere.

1/ just wandered into our house and stayed.

2/ from friends farm - kitten of a a semi feral farm cat.

3/ from local RSPCA - not red tape- y at all. Youngest DC was 4, they asked some questions about our home and life and let us take cat home there and then. No home check needed.

From a breeder. I wanted a specific breed. I don't think there's any problem with buying from responsible breeders personally. I have also rescued pets too though - guinea pigs, rats.

I’ve had one from a breeder, we wanted a Siamese and already had a dog and what were fairly young children then.

Getting a specific breed from rescue thats also going to be ok living with a dog and children just isn’t realistic.

So we found a breeder who was showing and health testing and got a kitten from her next litter.

A friend works in an animal hospital and they get boxes of kittens handed in all the time in kitten season. I mentioned I was thinking of getting a cat and she added me to their waiting list.