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?

Mostly farm kittens or rescue. Only been to a breeder for our dog

I can understand people using breeders if they want a specific breed e.g. my DBro & DSil wanted Burmese so went to a respected registered breeder. One of the managers at work has the most adorable British Blue kitten, and the health checks both the parents and the kittens went through before being sold gave him reassurance that there was very little chance of his child being traumatised by the early loss of a pet.

But I wouldn't go to a back street "hobby" breeder.

I wanted indoor only cats and when I got my first pair had all kinds of problems finding a rescue that would let me have any - even the elderly or disabled cats, or FIV positive, they said must have a small outdoors area. The very few that were labelled a suitable as indoor cats were also marked as must be an only pet - no use to someone who works out of the house as the cat would be alone all day every day which wouldn't be fair.

Then I found a wonderful rescue that was a bit of a drive away, that even had a section on their web site about the indoor life. I explained what I wanted on the phone, then when I went there I was introduced to a number of cats who would be suited to that kind of life, some in pairs and some singles who would get on with others. They tend to go a fair bit on intuition whether they think you are a suitable home for a particular cat/cats, and spent a looong time talking to me and my DSis who came with me to ensure I was the right person.

I came home with a bonded pair who on paper weren't quite what I'd wanted but were actually perfect for me in the long run, so when I lost my beloved boy last year I went back for a companion for the girl. Again I was only introduced to suitable cats for them to interview me, and the boy I came home with is perfect for Girlcat which is the most important thing. OK so a year on he's still very wary of people & human contact (had been a stray most of his life) but he's getting there slowly. And I didn't select him for me, I selected him for her.

When my DSis decided it had been long enough since her last very special cat had passed away, she went straight there & came home with 2 who are everything she and the adult son who lives with her ever wanted. The rescue are happy for her to keep them as indoors or to let them out once they are settled. She has only ever had cats from rescues.

Sorry I rambled on a bit there (blame my ADHD), but basically there ARE rescues out there who will show common sense in re-homing cats, and will make sure you get the right match for you and your home.

Taken on by someone else from an unexpected litter. Kitten was a wild child and they felt they couldn’t cope so I had him. Love him and his character to bits. He’s nearly 8 now x

As a teen, ours came from my mum's friends' pet shop as a couple walking by a canal with their dog found an old safe dumped in the water. It had 3 kittens and the mother inside. The couple didn't know what to do so just took them to the nearest pet shop. One kitten had already died, we took the other 2 and the mother cat was rehomed elsewhere.

All my other cats have come from the local rescue. Not sure I'll do that again as the cat I have now was pretty much forced onto me. They guilt tripped me into taking her and she is hard work. She's a ragdoll and had been rehomed several times as no one could cope with her behaviour. They failed to tell me that info until they'd dropped her at my house and when I contacted them they dropped some feliway through my door and blocked my number.

As a child we had a cat from the distribution system
Followed by cat’s protection twice
Then the distribution system again

As an adult one of a friend’s cats kittens
Then we trapped a stray at my dads friends building yard
Then two more from cats protection.

First cat from shelter. Second cat just walked in one day and never left. Third/fourth cat I bought from a pet shop - moggies about £10 each or something. Next one from shelter. And the next. Then friends surprise litter joined. Last two from breeder as no rescue had kittens and I wanted kittens (four of the others were adults). Saw an ad and got two sibling Maine Coons! Saw both parents, family home yadda yadda.

First two were from a friend who no longer wanted them after divorce. Tbf she was going into a house share, so she would have struggled with them.

After one died we got two new kittens from a friend's relative whose cat got unexpectedly pregnant before her spaying date. We tried to go through a rescue centre but they all wanted house checks and that wasn't an option for us (ASD kids who don't deal well with strangers in the house). And then they told us we lived too close to a main road anyway.

@AnnaMagnani That's amazing! 😺 Did you have to pay for the transport from Dubai? How do they even do it, without stressing the cats?

Cats growing up were either from a shelter or rehome from people my mum knew. As an adult all mine have been from small local rehoming charities, 2 were kittens found abandoned and fostered before they came to us, 2 were slightly older but again found stray and fostered.

Cats protection. I was looking for older kittens or young cats both times as I work full time, and there were plenty available.

8 of mine were from Cat's Protection.

One, Zeppelin, was a neighbour's cat who ran away from home after the neighbour adopted dogs. The neighbour kept taking her back but Zeppelin just kept returning to us, so she said we should keep her.

My youngest two are farm cats from a local smallholding 😺

My current mob:

Bernard - from a local rescue when his mum was abandoned, pregnant, on the streets

Bonnie - same rescue same story

Ben - RSPCA - found straying with a broken leg aged about 1

Bandit - Found on the streets with a large abscess on his spine he was also about 1 and was/still is feral

Sampson - From a rescue - taken in after a cruelty case 18mth old

Wee-man Bob - teenager got him Christmas 2022 - for her sister! He was one of her friends cats kittens - I was not very happy but to be fair she pays his insurance etc.

I'm a total sucker for a sob story!

Cats protection. Would never go to a breeder.

A man at work whose cat got pregnant and he just wanted the kittens to go to decent homes. He kept one out of the five.

a couple walking by a canal with their dog found an old safe dumped in the water. It had 3 kittens and the mother inside.
Oh god how can people do that? (Obviously I mean the absolute bastard who tried to drown the cats!)

Cat 1 - cat distribution system. Stray moved in with me.
Cats 2 and 3. NDN's cat had kittens.
Cats 4, 5 and 6. Farm kittens from the mother of a work colleague.
Cats 7 and 8 (Basil and Sybil) - Battersea kittens
Cats 9 and 10 (Karl and Lenny) - Battersea kittens.

Rescues, always.

We've had six over the years.

Two were free from a friend of a friend who had a litter.
Three farm kittens (all from different farms)
One private rescue.

I got mine from the vet, someone drop feral cats to them and vet placed ad for kitten to give away

Cat 1: Bought for a tenner from a local whose cat had kittens.
Cats 2, 3 and 4: from a rescue
Cats 5 and 6: Surprise kittens from a neighbour's cat

We've got four cats. Two came from Cats protection, the other two came from a rescue where we used to live.

I've had a lot of cats over the years and never bought from a breeder. I don't think there is the same imperative as with dogs.

I'd love to get one through the cat distribution system, but no luck so far and I suspect if one tried, cat 2 would probably try and eat it.

We have two middle-aged mogs from Cats' Protection (mum and one of her kittens) and one from a breeder as he's a Maine Coon and I'd always wanted one of that breed since <harrumph> years ago.

I tried my best to rescue a MC kitten first; we had everything lined up and then the rescuer said no for the simple reason they didn't want him to go somewhere that was more than an hour's drive away. By then we'd got all the new stuff and ASD DS's hopes up (and mine), so I did my research and went for a reputable registered breeder instead.

Cat distribution system when growing up.

in my adulthood- 2 from a lady at work who’s young cat escaped the week before being spayed and ended up with an unexpected litter. Lovely cats. Lived to 17.

current 2- local, independent cat rescue with no silly restrictions about only having kids over 16 and having them as indoor cats (we live in the middle of fields so it’s a nice cat playground). Kitten season they get inundated so were glad to offload 2 at once. I left a nice big donation. It was better for us to get kittens as I have a dog.

As a child/teenager:

Cat 1 - kitten from friend of a friend.

Cat 2 - moved in after the neighbours got a new kitten.

Cat 3 - from a rescue centre.

As an adult:

Cats 4 and 5 - kittens from a neighbour’s relative.

Cats 6 and 7 - kittens from a rescue centre.

Cats 8 and 9 - moved in because they didn’t get on with the neighbours’ dog.

Cats 10 and 11 - kittens from a rescue centre.

They have all been moggies and the ones that decided to move in came with their owners’ blessings. The only ones I have ‘paid’ for have been the cats from rescue centres. I give a good bit more than the requested donation fees.

Out of the six I've had, three rescues, two from breeders, and one I found in a bush in a big park.