Yeah, a lot of people have mentioned the "don't go purebred" thing, and here's my thought:
I should have said, "No more kittens from litters where I know nothing about the health history of the mother." I am convinced Bronte (and Kisa -- I'm certain she has this too, but that she's perhaps just a carrier) got this in utero. The people from whom we got the girls were, unfortunately, irresponsible pet owners (the mother cat was pregnant AGAIN by the time we picked up Bronte and Kisa -- and we picked them up early, to boot, which led to weaning-related problems).
The reason I said what I said about "purebred" animals has to do with my experience getting Darwin. His breeder keeps extensive history on all of her animals. When he was dealing with inexplicable itchiness, the breeder was able to tell me that both of D's parents were sensitive to corn, so that was likely acting as an allergen for him. I do realize that there are breeders who are as irresponsible as people who don't spay/neuter their cats and just let them roam free -- it's just a different type of irresponsibility.
I got my previous cat, Pandora, from an "oops" litter, but the circumstances were significantly different. We were pretty close to the family who owned the mother cat. It was just one of those things -- the cat got out, they were afraid it had run away, then it came back pregnant. Pandora was wonderful, and we had fifteen years together. She died of a hyperactive thyroid disorder, and it broke my heart watching her waste away. It's one thing when an animal has had a long life, and their illness is a result of old age. Bronte is only two. And because of some people who couldn't be arsed to do the damn responsible thing and vaccinate their outdoor cat against FeLV, she's going through this. (By this point, yes, I am assuming it is FeLV, simply because there isn't anything else it COULD be.)
Frankly, I always thought it was ridiculous to buy a cat when there are literally thousands of kittens in shelters and in rescue -- thousands euthanized daily. So no, in retrospect, I probably wouldn't go for a purebred (besides, I like the randomness of the basic domestic shorthair too much) -- but, dammit, I'm not getting a kitten from people I don't know. I cannot go through this again -- I cannot watch something I love, a wonderful, quirky, adorable animal, who used to jump in my lap and demand pets at the most inopportune time, who once climbed in the sink and was eyeing the faucet thoughtfully because I hadn't refilled the water dish, who used to cuddle and groom her sister... I cannot watch her lie there, listless and exhausted after getting a drink of water. Not when I know the cat she used to be.
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timeasmymeasure
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Date: 2006-10-25 10:47 pm (UTC)I should have said, "No more kittens from litters where I know nothing about the health history of the mother." I am convinced Bronte (and Kisa -- I'm certain she has this too, but that she's perhaps just a carrier) got this in utero. The people from whom we got the girls were, unfortunately, irresponsible pet owners (the mother cat was pregnant AGAIN by the time we picked up Bronte and Kisa -- and we picked them up early, to boot, which led to weaning-related problems).
The reason I said what I said about "purebred" animals has to do with my experience getting Darwin. His breeder keeps extensive history on all of her animals. When he was dealing with inexplicable itchiness, the breeder was able to tell me that both of D's parents were sensitive to corn, so that was likely acting as an allergen for him. I do realize that there are breeders who are as irresponsible as people who don't spay/neuter their cats and just let them roam free -- it's just a different type of irresponsibility.
I got my previous cat, Pandora, from an "oops" litter, but the circumstances were significantly different. We were pretty close to the family who owned the mother cat. It was just one of those things -- the cat got out, they were afraid it had run away, then it came back pregnant. Pandora was wonderful, and we had fifteen years together. She died of a hyperactive thyroid disorder, and it broke my heart watching her waste away. It's one thing when an animal has had a long life, and their illness is a result of old age. Bronte is only two. And because of some people who couldn't be arsed to do the damn responsible thing and vaccinate their outdoor cat against FeLV, she's going through this. (By this point, yes, I am assuming it is FeLV, simply because there isn't anything else it COULD be.)
Frankly, I always thought it was ridiculous to buy a cat when there are literally thousands of kittens in shelters and in rescue -- thousands euthanized daily. So no, in retrospect, I probably wouldn't go for a purebred (besides, I like the randomness of the basic domestic shorthair too much) -- but, dammit, I'm not getting a kitten from people I don't know. I cannot go through this again -- I cannot watch something I love, a wonderful, quirky, adorable animal, who used to jump in my lap and demand pets at the most inopportune time, who once climbed in the sink and was eyeing the faucet thoughtfully because I hadn't refilled the water dish, who used to cuddle and groom her sister... I cannot watch her lie there, listless and exhausted after getting a drink of water. Not when I know the cat she used to be.