After losing a foster cat from a local rescue to a long battle with cancer, my husband and I felt that our home was just not balanced enough. Our other two cats seemed bored and our dog was looking for a friend.
Upon discussing available cats at shelters, my husband and I settled on making a visit to a rural animal rescue to visit an older, Persian kitty. We learned that our Tika had been abandoned in a field, left to fend for herself. She was found starving and matted, and was cared for by a kind man with terrible allergies until she was able to get into the shelter. She had been at the shelter for over a year, waiting for her new home, overlooked because she was not a kitten. According to the vet who spayed her, she had a 'well-used' uterus, meaning she was likely a kitty-mill breeding cat, caged most of her life and used to pump out "Persian-type" kittens to be sold at pet stores for profit.
Upon meeting Tika, we discovered she was sweet, calm and loving. We brought her home and she immediately took a liking to our dog, and our other two cats. In fact, shortly after her arrival, one of our other cats got terribly ill. Tika spent the first two days of our cat's return from the vet by her side, grooming her and comforting her.
Please consider adopting an older cat. In fact, if you are set on a particular breed, rescues in your state/province likely have pure-bred cats since they are treated like baby-factories for profit. When they are too old to breed, they are dumped like trash. These cats are wonderful additions to your home, and make great companions.
Calgary, Canada
