Indyls
3260
@strollen your cats, like @Editer’s are gorgeous. I’ve looked into main coon breeders in my area but they are insanely expensive. I too have pangs about spending so much money on a cat when there are so many in shelters. I’ve decided that I want 2 cats next time (mine won’t tolerate another) so can ease my conscience by getting one of each.
Editer
3261
Strollen, beautiful kitties!
My biggest issue on the breeder thing is just that there are so many kitties in shelters, rescues, etc that need homes, so it seems wrong to breed more. But since the shelters were either empty or had three-month-long waiting lists, I was able to get Simon guilt-free.
@Indyls, sounds like a good solution!
Mine were $1800 for the pair which appears to be a pretty average price for Maine Coon, and at the time there were only two breeders in the state. Vet bills for pets can easily exceed $1,000 and most everyone I know seems to spend that kinda of money for end of life treatment for their fur friends. So far they’ve had less medical issues that most of the 20 odds cat (including girlfriend and roommate cats) I’ve lived with over the years
The humane society near me, always has high demand for kittens. My understanding is that one of few good things about Covid is that it pretty much emptied shelters out across the country. Maybe more people will decide to keep pets, and if cat owners would get their pets spayed and neutered and keep them in doors it would really help with the shelter problem.
Indyls
3263
Im pretty sure I would pay near that for one at a reputable dealer here in Ontario. Ive had two purebreds before - a himalayan and my ragdoll and both very healthy. I think as long as you don’t chose extreme breeds (like Persians with overly smushed faces) you can rely on a healthy animal. I think purebred dogs as a whole have far more inbred problems.
Talking about brushing cats, Bailey loves to be brushed, to the point she is a pest when trying to groom oneself.
Bailey is a beauty. Ragdoll were my back up breed if I couldn’t get a Maine Coon.
Vesper
3265
We have a pair of ragdolls we totally lucked out on - got them from the humane society and somehow lucked into being the first ones. The wait list was extensive immediately. They’re awesome!
Vesper
3267
My ragdolls I’ve had for awhile but here you go:
And an actual new pet, Peetsy the African Gray parrot:
Peetsy is 27 years old and surrendered after his prior owner could no longer care for him due to Alzheimer’s. It’s really cool hearing him mimic his prior owner. He also is starting to mimic us!
Right. I don’t think anyone should feel guilty buying a pet from a reputable breeder. In my experience the main motivation good breeders have is loving the breed, and so ensuring good genetic health and breed standards that emphasise health and character. It’s not hard to cherry pick breeders that don’t have this goal in mind, just look at the nearest popular dog show lines. In some cases working and show lines within a breed are almost different breeds (and can end up as).
If you can give a good home to a rescue animal, that’s awesome, but if you put the work in to buy from a reputable breeder you’re not contributing to that problem. The big industrial breeders that supply pet stores, and backyard breeders who don’t care a whit what mates with what, however, that’s a different story.
Obligatory gratuitous pet shot!
Brian - I love you man. I’m so sorry for your loss, and am hopeful your new cutie becomes a wonderful companion.
We have two, both are eight. When we got them - one from RI, the other NH - they cost $500 and $250 respectively. I looked recently and in New England the prices are now >$1000. They’ve become very popular. While the male especially is a big pile of floof (not nearly as big as Maine coons) they don’t have undercoats - no matting! That and they enjoy getting brushed. However they both have their personality quirks - Percy hates closed doors, and computers. Thea wants to eat, all the time. She’s been that way since a kitten, no health issues just a hungry hungry girl. But neither got the Ragdoll manual - they despise being held. 😕
(Percy is sensitive to pollen and his left eye leaks. Poor guy, this summer has been especially bad for it.)
Thea, being passive aggressive (i.e. feeed meee)
Such a pretty kitties, especially Thea. I didn’t know Ragdolls didn’t have undercoats, that’s feature IMO. It is funny, there is a bit of propaganda among the breeders. I was told Maine Coon do require brushing a couple of times a week, but not nearly as much as Ragdolls. That’s a bummer they aren’t much of lapcat, cause the look super petable.
One thing is for sure this pandemic would have been far worse without our pets. To me the most important constitutional amendment that needs to be pass is require that President must be a pet owner. That would get rid of James Polk, and Donald Trump, while Teddy and Franklin Roosevelt had enough pets to qualify for extra terms.
I had always wanted a Ragdoll, and when I read “no undercoat” for some reason I interpreted that as “no shedding.” LOL. Boy do they shed, but their coats are silky smooth (and, weirdly, they smell really good. Seriously.)
Percy loves pets and rubs and will lie between/on my legs, but can’t quite make the lap. Thea is a little aloof, although she’s loosened up as she’s grown older. (That’s not the most flattering pic of Percy, the room is dark and I used the 'night sight" feature of the google phone. A photo doesn’t capture it but he has the best facial expressions I’ve ever seen in a cat. )
When you’re so tired you can no longer kitten…
I guess Mom was right. I really did go blind!
Totally agree. Rescue pets are awesome but there is nothing wrong with giving a home to a pet from a reputable breeder. Especially if you are breed loyal. I love Golden Retrievers. Over the past 35 years I have shared my home with one. All four came from reputable people who were well known and established Golden breeders. I have tried the rescue route but to be honest a Golden rescue is very difficult to find. My last Golden came from a breeder and had several championship dogs in his lineage, including his grandfather who placed at Westminster. I gave a good boy a home and I don’t regret it nor do I feel shame because I didn’t go to a rescue. Anyway here is a pic of my most recent buddy, Daltrey. Melting into the asphalt.
Gah sorry, dunno why it didn’t show up earlier.
LOL, yours looks quite a bit like my newest addition! Say hello to Dumplin’, a kitten that I adopted from a friend of mine. He found a pregnant stray under his porch, and after she had kittens he brought them all inside. After they turned 10 weeks old I asked him to give me the runt of the litter, and she turned 13 weeks old today.
She, too, gets exhausted after a long day of being adorable:
And yes, she’s an Auburn fan!
