Getting ready for a new aby kitten in Chicago-advice on vets and preparations needed

Arjun Ray lid wrote:

There are two basic opinions on breeding cats.

1. "What are you doing? The cat overpopulation problem is out of
control."
2. "Cat overpopulation? Hey, don't look at me, it isn't *my*
problem!"

No, there are actually three opinions, and you left out the third: "The
responsible breeding of cats has a negligible impact on cat overpopulation."
That is the opinion of the cat fancies, btw.

Arjun Ray lid wrote:

It's very simple. Any breeder who adopts cats out is displacing other
cats. That happens to be the essence of the overpopulation *problem*.

It cannot possibly be the "essence" of the overpopulation problem, because so
few owned cats in the U.S. are purebred (less than three percent). The true
essence of the overpopulation problem is, to quote the CFA: "the uncontrolled
matings of feral cats and the unplanned reproduction of free roaming pet cats."

It's estimated that at least 40 percent of the cat population in the U.S. are
unowned cats (strays or ferals). Blaming breeders for the problem of cat
overpopulation is just ludicrous, and does nothing to address the real problem.

Arjun Ray lid wrote:

It's very simple. Any breeder who adopts cats out is displacing other
cats. That happens to be the essence of the overpopulation *problem*.

It cannot possibly be the "essence" of the overpopulation problem, because so
few owned cats in the U.S. are purebred (less than three percent). The true
essence of the overpopulation problem is, to quote the CFA: "the uncontrolled
matings of feral cats and the unplanned reproduction of free roaming pet cats."

It's estimated that at least 40 percent of the cat population in the U.S. are
unowned cats (strays or ferals). Blaming breeders for the problem of cat
overpopulation is just ludicrous, and does nothing to address the real problem.

In , ospam
(Yngver) wrote:

| Arjun Ray lid wrote:
|
| It's very simple. Any breeder who adopts cats out is displacing other
| cats. That happens to be the essence of the overpopulation *problem*.
|
| It cannot possibly be the "essence" of the overpopulation problem,

Your "it" is not my "that", which was "displacing other cats".

There is also a difference between overpopulation per se, and
overpopulation as a problem. Displacement is the essence of the
problem. You have only to think of the childhood game of musical chairs
to see the issue involved.

Breeders who add to the pool of adoptables are not doing the species any
favors.

In , ospam
(Yngver) wrote:

| Arjun Ray lid wrote:
|
| It's very simple. Any breeder who adopts cats out is displacing other
| cats. That happens to be the essence of the overpopulation *problem*.
|
| It cannot possibly be the "essence" of the overpopulation problem,

Your "it" is not my "that", which was "displacing other cats".

There is also a difference between overpopulation per se, and
overpopulation as a problem. Displacement is the essence of the
problem. You have only to think of the childhood game of musical chairs
to see the issue involved.

Breeders who add to the pool of adoptables are not doing the species any
favors.

In , ospam
(Yngver) wrote:
| Arjun Ray lid wrote:
|
| There are two basic opinions on breeding cats.
|
| 1. "What are you doing? The cat overpopulation problem is out of
| control."
| 2. "Cat overpopulation? Hey, don't look at me, it isn't *my*
| problem!"
|
| No, there are actually three opinions, and you left out the third: "The
| responsible breeding of cats has a negligible impact on cat overpopulation."
| That is the opinion of the cat fancies, btw.

It was glorious day, so you decided to have lunch in the park. You
grabbed a sandwich from the deli and found yourself a bench for a
pleasant hour. When it was time to get to back to work, you crumpled
the brown paper bag and tossed it over your shoulder.

A "negligible impact" on littering, surely.

In , ospam
(Yngver) wrote:
| Arjun Ray lid wrote:
|
| There are two basic opinions on breeding cats.
|
| 1. "What are you doing? The cat overpopulation problem is out of
| control."
| 2. "Cat overpopulation? Hey, don't look at me, it isn't *my*
| problem!"
|
| No, there are actually three opinions, and you left out the third: "The
| responsible breeding of cats has a negligible impact on cat overpopulation."
| That is the opinion of the cat fancies, btw.

It was glorious day, so you decided to have lunch in the park. You
grabbed a sandwich from the deli and found yourself a bench for a
pleasant hour. When it was time to get to back to work, you crumpled
the brown paper bag and tossed it over your shoulder.

A "negligible impact" on littering, surely.

No, there are actually three opinions, and you left out the third: "The
responsible breeding of cats has a negligible impact on cat overpopulation."
That is the opinion of the cat fancies, btw.

Cant the two work together? My last purebred cat was my Siamese. After
I got the Siamese cat I adopted a cat from a shelter to have two cats.
I adopted a nasty female that no one wanted. She stayed under my bed
for two months until she finally came out and became the sweetest
kitty (not my other cat, though)
I think breeders do serve an important purpose. If there were no
breeders concerned about keeping the breed standards up, then there
would be no lovely Siamese, no Abys or any of those other specific
temperaments (I do believe these temperaments are very distinct). Had
there been none of these breeds I would not have fallen in love with
cats.
Had I not gotten my Siamese I never would have gotten the adopted
cat.
I intend to do the sazme this time with either a dog or a cat, after
I get the abysinnian.
The reason for overpopulation is because irresponisble pet owners
abandond pets, dont spay and neuter them, etc.
I understand the point about the breeders being a problem, but I
think breeders and adoptions can have a sembiotic relationship

No, there are actually three opinions, and you left out the third: "The
responsible breeding of cats has a negligible impact on cat overpopulation."
That is the opinion of the cat fancies, btw.

Cant the two work together? My last purebred cat was my Siamese. After
I got the Siamese cat I adopted a cat from a shelter to have two cats.
I adopted a nasty female that no one wanted. She stayed under my bed
for two months until she finally came out and became the sweetest
kitty (not my other cat, though)
I think breeders do serve an important purpose. If there were no
breeders concerned about keeping the breed standards up, then there
would be no lovely Siamese, no Abys or any of those other specific
temperaments (I do believe these temperaments are very distinct). Had
there been none of these breeds I would not have fallen in love with
cats.
Had I not gotten my Siamese I never would have gotten the adopted
cat.
I intend to do the sazme this time with either a dog or a cat, after
I get the abysinnian.
The reason for overpopulation is because irresponisble pet owners
abandond pets, dont spay and neuter them, etc.
I understand the point about the breeders being a problem, but I
think breeders and adoptions can have a sembiotic relationship

"Yngver" wrote in message
...
"MaryL" wrote:

some because they think cats from breeders will be
healthier (ironically, this is not true),

Do you have evidence to support this statement?

One problem that can be found among some purebreds comes from genetic
defects that result from intensive breeding for specific characteristics. A
number of congenital defects are linked to particular breeds of both cats
and dogs. For example, some manx cats have developed a peculiar hopping
motion; in some cases, the abnormality can be crippling. Persians and
himalayans have a high incidence of PKD (polycystic kidney disease),
persians often have breathing problems, hip dysplasia is often seen in Maine
coons, HCM (hypertrophic cardiomyopathy) is linked to some breeds, etc. This
certainly does not mean that all purebreds have abnormalities and obviously
does not mean that all shelter cats are healthy. I was commenting on the
perception that many people have that a purebred will somehow be a healthier
cat, when the opposite is sometimes true.

As an aside: if people do want the characteristics found in purebreds, I
would encourage them to look for these cats in shelters or to contact rescue
groups for specific breeds. Cats of many breeds have been abandoned and need
to be placed in a good home.

MaryL