Thanks, everybody,
I usually have adopted pound or shelter animals in the past. However, it's hard to find the kind of cat I like -- the good-looking, good-natured ones disappear fast from the local pound or shelter. This is not a case of buying from a pet shop or kitty mill; they're people who obviously love cats in general, and their breed(s) in particular. That said, I wouldn't buy a cat sight unseen, or without visiting the cattery.
Mistress wrote:
>>The female cat you have is older and I would advise against bringing in another female whether it be a kitten or older since female cats are notorious (as are human females) to not get along. She maybe fine by herself and if you want another cat make it a male cat younger in age so she can still be the "Alpha" cat. <<
Oh, I've wondered about that. However, my current one adjusted just fine to living with two other female cats during the Katrina evacuation; they stole her food and I had to feed her separately, that was the only problem. I do lean toward the altered male I mentioned; he's younger than she is, but a lot bigger.
>> If you want to buy from a breeder study the breeds carefully as long hair cats tend to have skin problems and will require lots of grooming to keep the hairball thing at bay. <<
Persians are a problem in that regard, which (along with the flat faces, which can lead to breathing troubles) is why I don't care for them. Maine Coons (
http://www.miawmainecoons.com/3.html) and Siberians (
http://members.aol.com/actrose/siberian1.html) have very fine, silky, almost kitten-like fur all their lives, and require very little grooming.
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