Quote:
Originally Posted by MissChievous
Yeah, the kittens you bought are fine, but most likely the condition of the parents were not. I mean, where do you think that pet store got that kitten from? Probably not from a cat that lived in a family's home and just happened to have a litter... Yeah, those kittens look cute at the pet store, but most people don't think about the place they came from and what conditions the parent animals have to live in. I'm sure if they knew the truth, they would re-think the idea of buying a pet at a pet store.
Check this video of puppy mills Very sad video.
View at own discretion.
This is also similar for cats and kittens...
I'm sorry, it just makes me so mad when people support these practices, usually unknowingly, by buying at pet stores. No animal deserves to be treated like this. Those people who run those pet mills should all go to jail.
I love animals.
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I agree with this 100%.
However I’d like to add that not all breeders have the cats wellbeing in mind (though its still the lesser of two evils compared to breeding farms).
I breed pedigree cats (Birmans, Persians and previously Bengals), and EVERY kitten born is a cherished member of the family, and all but one has been/will be reared in the house (that one was to a mother that was 2 generations from a wild Asian Leopard Cat, and therefore it was for the health and mental state of both mother and kitten to leave in a 24/7 heated indoor cattery room - the mother was allowed to run around a big outdoor run at least once a day. The mother would have killed the kitten if we brought them into the house – we brought him in when he was weaned from his mother).
I have spent countless nights nursing newborn kittens (feeding them every 3 hours for weeks…) and wouldn’t dream of not doing it – they are in this world because of us, and I have a responsibility to protect, nurture and care for their every need to the best of my ability – especially in circumstances where the mother cant feed/clean them and keep them warm etc. I know a Persian breeder that just lets nature take its course – she will let entire litters die instead of at least trying to nurse them. I can’t express how much that disgusts me.
Also you get breeders that mate their queens (females) 2 or 3 times a year, and have males constantly working for them and other people’s queens brought in for stud service (both circumstances greatly impairs the cats health, and means they will die years before they would have). It takes cats at least a good year to get healthy enough to be mated and have kittens again. These breeders will keep their cats in tiny catteries, only having human contact when they give them food etc (and even then, some don’t pet them), and just use them as money machines. We have had people come to our home and be shocked that they can view and handle the kittens, that the kittens are all born and raised in the house, and that they are so healthy and affectionate (or for some, little buggers!) We had someone tell us that they went to a cattery that had runs full of kittens in bad condition with running eyes and noses (most likely cat flu – they were reported to RSPCA), and another saying that a breeder had a room in the house where the kittens lived in, with a floor covered in faeces, food etc.
We have decided to not sell a kitten numerous times to people based on getting a bad feeling about them, the kitten not liking them and their circumstances not being appropriate (location and household circumstances usually). We have sold many kittens that are perfect show/breed quality for pets (i.e. much cheaper) because either it would be too cruel to have them spend their life in a cattery (kittens personality, size of cattery, the owners having full time/needy jobs etc), or someone was interested in them for pet and would give a lovely home to them (which ALWAYS comes before financial gain). I expect any breeder that we get a kitten from to have the same morals, or they don’t get a penny from us – that is how you stop the cruelty, not by ‘rescuing’ the kittens (though the RSPCA/Cats Protection League should be called so THEY can rescue them without the breeder gaining financially).
I am so horrified at the thought of ANY animal being bred in such conditions as a 'breeding farm', regardless of whether they are cats, snakes or rabbits. It is inhumane, and should be prohibited – just like battery farming and overcrowded animal transportation (but that’s a whole different topic!)
