Читать книгу Cats For Dummies - Gina Spadafori - Страница 52

You don’t need to put much effort into buying a pedigreed kitten at a pet store. Pet stores usually stock kittens of the most popular breeds by the handful — and maybe some mixes, too. If you go to a pet store, you don’t need to talk to breeders, do your homework, or wait, either. Pet stores may offer some health guarantees. And they take credit cards. What could be better or more convenient?

A retail pet store is generally not the best source for a kitten, especially if they’re selling kittens from commercial breeders that you can’t meet. Above all, know your source. Realize that obtaining a kitten or cat is best accomplished by being an informed consumer as well as a responsible one. You may get a kitten you adore, but you may also be funding very inhumane breeding operations. You just don’t know, and you’ll do better elsewhere.

The exception: A growing number of U.S. pet supply stores refuse to sell kittens (or puppies) because of concerns over commercial breeders and pet overpopulation. Instead, they offer space in their stores to local shelters or rescue groups to reach out to prospective adopters. If you see these groups in your pet-store, you can consider them and the cats/kittens they’re placing just as desirable as other pets looking for new homes.