Thanks to everyone who made time to show me the animals they have for adoption. I am sorry that I did not take any of them home with me but I don
The short-haired, bony, and skittish Alicia, several weeks after rescuing her from being trapped inside a ventilation fan. She wasn’t what we were looking for.
And the same cat, several months later.
And again, with our dogs.
But many thanks for coming to check out our adoptees.
Hi Sirakwai,
You also have to keep in mind that the younger the kittens are, the easier they are to train, but the younger they are, the less likely you will see them because they’re still with their mothers hiding somewhere. Also kittens older than 3 months are not like dogs. They don’t come and sit and roll over. Cats are independent, they would rather come to you when they want to come to you, but of course, it takes training. But anything under six months should be simple.
As for the boniness, I find that with all the kittens I’ve fostered here, their spines are really visible. Same with the stray dogs. I have no idea why. Maybe they’re like Taiwanese people, just skinnier in general.
Good luck on your search! Considering there are so many stray kitties available, it’s hard to find one, eh!
You may want to try the shelter. They have purebreeds there, I recall.
[quote=“Sirakwai”]Thanks to everyone who made time to show me the animals they have for adoption. I am sorry that I did not take any of them home with me but I don
Hey Daryl,
No offense taken because I can understand what it was in my post that made you angry. You think that I am choosing a pet on the same basis that I would a teddy bear, and you take offense at that because an animal is not just a furry thing but a living creature with its own personality, character traits and whatnot, and that this should obviously be a more important consideration when choosing a pet than the way it looks. You also mentioned that I don
It will be your cat for the next dozen or more years, and IMVHO you can and should feel free to choose whichever one you want, and not choose the ones you do not want.
[quote]Thanks to everyone who made time to show me the animals they have for adoption. I am sorry that I did not take any of them home with me but I don
[quote=“Sirakwai”]Thanks to everyone who made time to show me the animals they have for adoption. I am sorry that I did not take any of them home with me but I don’t want to adopt an animal just out of pity. Essentially I want a cat that is soft and cuddly with a gentle nature, regardless of whether it is a desperate stray or not. The cats I have seen so far are short haired and bony, skittish and not exactly what I am looking for. I hope you don’t think I am superficial, but any cat I get now will be a part of my life for the next decade at least, so it has to feel absolutely right from the beginning.
Please let me know of any other young kittens that are looking for a home. There is one for me out there; it is just a matter of finding her.[/quote]
Good for you by not being pressured into this “pity kitty” stuff. Find a pet that YOU feel comfortable with. If it is a stray then that’s great but if it isn’t that’s fine also.
[[quote]quote=“Sirakwai”]Hey Daryl,
There is no difference whether I choose to take care of a needy stray cat or a cute and cuddly cat. [/quote]
Excuse me but there is a difference… When a large majority of people choose not to adopt but instead buy new pets, which in turn a percentage of become strays… then there is a definite difference…
I most certainly would not… If that’s a double standard then I think, somehow, I’ll manage to live with it…
The muddled up point that I was trying to make was that all animlas are created equal… or at least should be considered that way…
[quote]but then again, it is also a part of what moves other people to take care of an animal that is obviously suffering. The only difference is a difference of appearance. But as you said, that doesn
Daryl, even if all animals are created equally it is inevitable to choose one animal as a pet over another because it is impossible to choose them all. But if one is to choose an animal then there needs to be some criteria involved, be it the extenuating circumstances of the animal, its appearance, age, sex, size, appetite, character or whatever else that narrows down the choice.
In your case, the dire circumstances of so many animals that end up as strays is a mitigating factor in choosing a pet, but for another, like me there are other factors, such as the appearance of the animal. Since you argue that all animals are equal however, they should all be given a fair chance, not so? To hold that that there are enough stray and needy animals that need care and attention is to be prejudiced towards the animals in pet stores which, you say, should not be bought up as they will very likely end up as strays in turn. That is the flaw in your thinking.
The reason I am taking this argument seriously is because it applies to people as well. There is no need to favor or pity the weak and destitute. By that, I don
All dogs are not created equal. Some are faster, some are better swimmers, some are more protective, some are more independent. Cats are no different. Get what you want in an animal, and don’t be pressured into getting a stray cat or dog just because somebody else wants to see them off the streets. Heck, by that logic, we should all go out and adopt orphans from impoverished African nations. And there is nothing wrong with wanting a healthy cat or dog, any more than wanting to adopt a healthy child. Most people would not willingly take on the challenge of adopting a disabled child, yet most parents, when handed that responsibility through fate, rise to the occasion nicely.
As far as the purebred vs. mixed thing goes, be very, very careful. You don’t always get what you pay for in Taiwan, and even a “free” dog can be extremely costly in terms of medical expenses. There is a reason that Taiwan has no internationally recognized kennel clubs, and it ain’t due to politics. There are no standards imposed on breeders here - they breed puppies and kittens to sell, and that’s it. You might get lucky with a healthy purebred in Taiwan, but you’d be taking a much bigger risk than if you went through a registered breeder in the U.S., Australia, Canada, New Zealand, the UK, etc.
I have to disagree with you here. If you have the time, I will take you to a puppy mill we discovered and are trying to get closed down. I hope then you might reconsider supporting such abuse.
By purchasing a pet-store animal, you are supporting a very cruel practice. Forcing cats to have kittens to add to a severely saturated market simply does not make sense, unless you feel that profit is more important than animal welfare/rights. Every week, in Taipei Animal Shelter alone, three hundred stray animals are put to sleep - animals that would make excellent pets. Many of them are purebreeds. They are killed because many people, like yourself, believe it more ‘appropriate’ to purchase a pet from a pet store. If we were all ‘prejudice towards the animals in pet stores’, the breeding would stop, and so would the suffering. There would no longer be a market. That’s just simple common sense.
Animals are not, in my opinion, a commodity. They are sentient beings, just like us. The pet trade is cruel and unnecessary, and that is why I cannot support it. And, as I told you on the phone, I cannot assist you in your desire to have a kitten that is too young to be taken away from its mother just so you can have something cute and fluffy to play with for a few weeks. Furthermore, it is impossible to accurately assess the character of a cat from such young kittens. Their characters change over time. If you want to ensure having a cat with the qualities you want, get a cat.
I wholeheartedly support your choice to have whatever kind of cat/kitten you want, as long as it does not support animal abuse. I have plenty of experience with kittens, both stray and purebred. The kind of cat that you want could come from either origin. I just hope you can see the sense in my argument and, however you choose, you make an ethical choice. That is, of course, up to you.
Good luck with your search. Once again, I would strongly suggest checking out the purebreds at the animal shelter.
Sean
Now, that’s something I can agree with.
I can’t find anything online to support the argument that purebreds are less likely to have health problems, though. In fact, many purebreds are more prone to health problems. Remember that all purebreds were initially selectively bred from mixed breeds, anyway. The gene pool is much smaller in purebreds, and genetic problems far more likely therefore to arise.
Nor can you guarantee a temperament or character purely from the breed. It depends on the personality of the parents, not the breed. If you want to improve your chances of acquiring a pet with characteristics you desire, get an older animal, or the puppy of parents that you have seen for yourself.
Please get whichever cat you like best, only PLEASE don’t buy him or her from a petshop because if you do you will be party to supporting a brutal and evil practice. Those words are not being used as any kind of emotional cudgel. They’re describing the fact.
Good luck in your search.
And local street cats aren’t all skinny. I’m sick and tired of people asking when Kizzy’s kittens are due – he’s a 12-year-old neutered tom.
Stray Dog and Sandman, I do see the sense in your argument and you have convinced me not to get a kitten at a pet store. Thanks for everyone
Sirakwai,
It is rare for people (particularly in a public forum) to change their viewpoint even when presented with reasonable evidence to do so, so I applaud you in your decision to not support the pet trade. If the emoticons were working, I’d be inserting a ‘clap’ and an ‘I’m not worthy’ right here! 
And I agree with what you say about not adopting just because a stray is presented to you. One thing we certainly don’t want to see is one of our rescues later becoming another unwanted pet.
Good luck with the search. If we come across anything that fits your criteria, I’ll be sure to let you know.
Thanks again,
Sean
Dear Sirakwai,
Those scrawny, bony kitties will fill out as you feed them, and you’ll have the pleasure of seeing their appearance improve on a daily basis. Soon, you’ll have a beautiful pet. Just 10 days ago I adopted a somewhat thin young adult cat, and after daily coaxing to eat, high quality cat food, plus extra tuna and salmon, she’s filling out, and her coat is glossier. In another 2-3 weeks she’ll look very pretty.
I do hope you’ll reconsider –
Cheers!
I also had to choose between adopting a stray or adopting kittens from somebody whose own cats had had kittens. In the end I decided to go for kittens that I knew were healthy and strong. Before I went to pick them up I went to the lady’s house a few times to spend time with them and make sure that the two I chose from the litter were really MY kittens.
I know that, like Battery9, I would not be able to provide for a kitten with serious health problems. Also, these kittens are part-Persian, and it makes a huge difference in personality. It is not just the temperament of the parents. Persians are just different…they are less likely to roam, fight or go swinging from your curtains. They are fluffy and soft, and need a lot more care, but I am used to them and therefore am very glad that I chose to have at least one Persian.
You need to feel that the kitten you get is YOURS. The only thing I would suggest is maybe getting two…that way they can keep each other company while you’re out, and they stay more like cats, playing together for hours. Single cats are often bored and too dependent on people for company.
Good luck in finding a kitten that’s right for you.
Oh well… it looks like this thread is wrapping up nicely…
I would like to extend my warmest appologies to Sirakwai for somewhat provoking things… IT’s just that this is a subject that I feel very passionate about.
A big thanks to all the other guys, especilly Stray Dog, who had somewhat more reasonable arguments than my own.
I would also highly reccomend, as Stray Dog suggested, to pay a visit to a puppy mill or cattery to see first hand what the problem is all about. I know that’s what got me feeling so strongly about it.
Regards,
Daryl