Adopting vs. Shopping
I wanted to write about a comment that I get a lot on social media and in person that I think needs a bit of light shed on it. ADOPT DON’T SHOP!!!
First, lets talk about the origins of this phrase. This phrase was created by an awareness campaign by Los Angeles-based Last Chance for Animals (LCA). They coined this term because their goal was to spread awareness about puppy mills and that the best thing we can do to prevent puppy mills is to stop buying their puppies.
If you don’t know what a puppy mill is, its a large scale breeding operation where the focus is on minimizing costs and maximizing output. They have such high quantities of puppies and kittens that they cannot take care of them properly and they will do just about anything to minimize their costs, even at the expense of the animals. There are so many great resources where you can learn more about puppy mills and the terrible conditions that they are kept in.
For example, tuxedo cats are a really good example of kitten mills. We’ve all seen those cute tuxedo cats with the little mustaches, but there’s actually nothing to guarantee their markings will come out like that. Because most people are only willing to pay extra for the correct markings, the ones that come out differently often get dumped. This is the sad story of my three year old rescue, Halo. They found her and her 3 siblings abandoned outside a warehouse in the middle of winter. Thank goodness they were ok, but Halo is the sweetest cat I have ever had and it breaks my heart to think she may never have gotten the chance at this life. She also has lasting damage from this in the form of a tail deformity that could have happened when she was abandoned or simply due to poor breeding standards.
Pictured (left to right): Razi, Halo, Eri
Anyway, organizations like LCA coined this specifically for puppy mills and kitten mills, and the phrase caught like wildfire. Unfortunately, not many people understand the distinction of what they meant by ‘shop’. As a result, many breeders I have talked to are constantly dodging hate for what they do even when they treat their cats like royalty, which saddens me to see.
However, I want to be very clear when I say there is nothing wrong with shopping. Responsibly. I think adopting is great, and about 10 years ago I adopted Angel, a short hair gray tabby. She was my best friend in the entire world. Sadly, she passed away in August of 2023 due to cancer that grabbed her very quickly. I will never forget her and she will always be in my heart. She had health issues her entire life but nothing too serious until the end and was a very well-behaved girl, with people at least!
Angel
Another great example is Charlie, my childhood cat. He was a Manx, but not a purebred. We adopted him and when he was at the end of his life we found out he had heart issues. Hereditary heart issues. That could mean a lot of things but the gist is he was not responsibly bred and it led him to have a very painful life, according to the doctor. But he was still my boy and I gave him as much love as I could and I know he lived a happy, albeit short, life.
As I have stated before on social media, I would edit this phrase to be ADOPT AND SHOP RESPONSIBLY!! And I want to talk a little bit about how you can shop responsibly.
Do your research. I mentioned this in another blog post but all breeders should be registered with some organization whether it be TICA and CFA for cats or AKC for dogs. These organizations help to educate their breeders and are even authorized to do impromptu visits to any registered cattery if they have any reason to believe they may have bad habits. You can also report a cattery to TICA if you find unsavory information and they’ll investigate for you! Most breeders should specify on their website whether they are registered, and if they don’t they should be willing to tell you. They can provide registration numbers or you can find them on TICA’s website if they are registered through there!
Ask questions. No breeder will ever tell you no if you ask for any information on your kitten. They can provide the pedigree of their parents, and health results of their parents, and if they refuse to give you this information it may be a good indication that they are not to be trusted. There should be no secrets when it comes to your new best friend. And while it is standard to make contracts with every kitten, make sure you read through the contract carefully and understand what it means, and ask questions if you don’t!!
Simply observe! A lot of the time breeders will have pictures, videos, or other information on their website. If you are looking through someone’s website and you see something that you really don’t like, ask them! A good breeder should be willing to answer any questions and have nothing to hide!
There are a lot of wonderful breeders who breed very responsibly and turn out amazing, fun, healthy kittens! And as long as you do your due diligence it is super easy to tell them apart from kitten mills. But, why is breeding important?
First of all, despite what it may seem like most kittens born out in the wild do not survive. In fact, most kittens in shelters were dumped by mills and other people. It is rare that kittens are born on the streets and go on to live a long healthy life. In addition, purebreds that breed with mixed cats more often than not have huge health concerns because it requires a lot of time, knowledge, and attention, to cross breeds in the most healthy way.
Then, you have to think about the fact that Maine Coons, Siberians, Munchkins, and all your favorite breeds simply wouldn’t exist without breeding. They both originated from and are maintained by responsible breeding. Maine Coons are the greatest breed I personally have ever had the opportunity to be around, and they deserve to be maintained and honored. Responsible breeders work every day to breed a healthier generation for tomorrow!
So, the takeaway I hope you get from this is that every kitten deserves a home, whether it is adopted or shopped! However, not every breeding organization or individual should operate. Shop responsibly and remember you have resources and you can do something about it! If you ever have any questions about shopping responsibly, you can contact me via my form or text or call me and I would be happy to answer any questions!
