You go to a shelter and pick one that wants your attention.
That's how I got my kitty! He climbed out of the kennel onto my shoulder and sat there like a parrot.
Any of the free cats in your local newspaper, marketplace, craigslist.. or just contact your local animal shelters - they will be overjoyed to give you a cat.
Genetically diverse, free-range, cats tend to be healthier than purebred cats anyway. So from a maintenance perspective, a free-range cat is much more cost effective.
Purebred breeds are just another way of saying inbred, which means lots of health complications
My least expensive option was the local cat shelter. They have a ton of cats and the small fee I paid was to cover sterilization, mainly. It was actually cheaper than it would have been to get a free cat off a marketplace and get it sterilized.
I had 3 purebreed Devon Rexes. One died of a sudden heart failure, due to undiagnosed HCM, one has kidney problems and will be on special diet for the rest of his life and third has intestine problems, so that food doesn't absorb properly. We feed him douple dose of best high meat content cat food we can find and he just barely keeps his minimum weight.
So yeah purebreeds have problems.
Adopt a cat. The are so, so many excellent cats (and kittens) out there with no home. Save a life instead of bringing another cat into the world.
Ours came straight from the streets. Bit of tlc later and she wants to hang with us 24/7.
My wife found one huddled in the middle of the road earlier this year, probably only five or six weeks old. Our attempts at fostering have failed spectacularly. She loves it here.
I always joke that I "rescued" my cat because I did get her at a shelter. Only paid adoption fees, and they took care of neutering and first round of vaccines/shots. Absolutely amazing shelter, btw. I had a great experience and I can tell they care so much about the animals.
Anyway! The reason this is a joke is because she is gorgeous and she was going to be adopted immediately no matter what, so really there was no "rescuing" needed.
Here are some pictures of her chosing me. She just sat on my lap and would cry if any other cat came near. Eventually she took a nap on my lap.
You want a domestic short haired cat. Easily found at any rescue or shelter. Comes in a variety of sizes and colors.
Adding my voice to the chorus here... adopt from a rescue!
That one cutie of undefined breed from your local animal rescue.
Two cuties*
Always get cats in pairs. They tire themselves out instead of constantly needing attention from you
My parents always get purebred cats and I always get shelter cats. Without fail, my cats have been smarter, healthier, and more active than theirs. You can’t beat nature's evolutionary hand.
Don’t get a pet if you aren’t able to handle it financially, including vet visits and an emergency fund
I don't know what the right term for a cat mutt is, but mutt animals that have a good diverse family tree tend to be pretty healthy. It is when the family tree starts looking like a telephone pole, there is a better chance of having health issues.
I'd just find a shelter baby that loves you. That is the best breed.
Also chiming in for the same reason...adopt a rescue, or better yet, adopt siblings from a rescued litter.
I have a pure bred Main Coon, and she came from a shelter. She has never been sick or had any health problems, she is 14 now. I agree with the folk here, adopt from a shelter or if you really like a particular breed, then there are specialised breed rescues. They rehome pure breeds ,but like many others already said they tend to have health problems though it differs from breed to breed just like in dogs. You really need to make your question more detailed. What are your living arrangements? Will it be an indoor cat or will it be able to go outside? Do you live in a city or are you rural? Do you want a very affectionate cat that is vocal, or prefer a more self-sufficient one? How many hours are you at home? Do you want a longhair or short hair? Do you have time to groom a long hair cat? Have you considered the cost of food, flea drops, wormer, vaccinations and holiday cover? Cats are wonderful and easy to live with.90% of the time you need to do nothing but the other 10% are important and if done well will make living with a cat a doddle.
Make sure you got some more money available in case the cat gets ill.
if are not sure if you will be able to afford a pet, you cannot afford a pet
!oneorangebraincell@lemmy.world of course!
