Anonymous wrote:Money? Hah. Most show breeders do not even cover costs. And I don't want your random abused crap animal from the shelter that was neglected half its life and abused the other: I want my performance bred border collie pup that has been handled and taught from the day it was whelped. I'm not into futility.

Tell me the difference between a cute little marble tabby kitten that you find at a shelter for $100-120, and a bengal kitten from a breeder for $500-700. Really, if the shelter kitten was found with it's mother, and then taken in with mommy and played with once old enough with many volunteers until ready to go to a home at 8 weeks, how it is different than the bengal that was played with maybe by a few people? If you consider that the shelter kitten might have been bottle fed and fostered, that would mean the baby has developed a good bond with humans from a much earlier age, and in a loving home while growing, not in one with people raising animals to sell. So other than breed type and of course normal personality differences, HOW is there any difference, OTHER than $500-600?

Catteries are crap. They breed and breed the pets until they can't any longer or want new blood. Then they find some sucker that wants that breed but can't afford the normal "adoption fee" and charge less for it (but still way more than you would pay to normally adopt a shelter/rescue pet). Those people get used and abused animals, cats that are most likely grateful to finally get a good home that will love and take care of them. I don't see many catteries KEEPING the cats that they have used for breeding, once it is no longer breeding for them. Many places have lots of space, yet they can't be bothered to keep that mommy cat that gave them who knows how many litters of kittens that they went and sold for thousands of dollars.

Anonymous wrote:Hey, back off people. I was the proud owner of two rescue cats for almost 20 years, but purebred cats are NOT the problem. People refusing to spay and neuter are the problem.

Actually, purebreds (in the way people are mentioning them) are half the problem. People breeding and then selling them, is quite an issue. The other half of the problem is people not spaying/neutering their pets and then having them breed (on purpose or accident), or the pets becoming strays which then breed and cause ferals that need to be trapped/fixed/released. If the number of cats/dogs could be significantly reduced, then breeding by breeders wouldn't be as much of an issue (other than over charging for for an animals life), but we are nowhere near that point yet.

Anonymous wrote:I have a Siberian cat and feel like he is the best breed ever. So smart and playful. Everyone who meets him feels like he is 'part dog'. Not afraid of anything (including vacuum cleaner, which I have to move him out of the way or else he'd get sucked up). Want to know anyone has one to share cute Siberian stories.

Wow, wrong forum! try facebook -- many Siberain cat lovers there, signed cat breeder. Most people who have them LOVE them! and they seldom go to shelters --you were lucky.