After losing one of our cats to old age earlier this year, we decided it was time to get a new kitten. You may have seen my earlier post asking about what gender to get. In the end, it didn’t seem to make much difference, so we decided to get a female. Many people suggested getting a kitten from a shelter, and we spoke to several people who had purebred cats. After much consideration, we decided to get a kitten from a breeder.
I know that there are many people who will be unhappy with this decision. In the future, I hope to get another kitten from the shelter, but right now this is what we wanted.
My boyfriend has always had an interest in cat breeds, although had only ever owned kittens who came from the shelter. We were impressed with friends who had purebred cats, and were really amazed by how devoted they were to their breed. This got us thinking, and we started researching the different breeds of cats. I had no idea there were so many!
In the end, we decided we were most interested in an Ocicat (named after the Ocelot, which they resemble). Ocicats have very pronounced spots and stripes. They are registered with the Cat Fanciers Association (CFA), and are a mixture of Siamese, Abyssinian, and American Shorthair. There is no “wild” cat in them.
We researched breeders, found one that was well-known and reputable, and began the process of getting a kitten. I was surprised to find that getting an Ocicat kitten was much like getting a purebred dog! Applications, forms, deposits, etc. I was impressed as well – we were unable to bring our kitten home until she was spayed. We intended on spaying her anyway, so it was fine. Don’t you wish more people did this?
Stay tuned for more stories about our new Ocicat kitten!