Spotted Cat Designs

The web site of the American Association of Feline Practitioners is primarily for veterinarians. If you use their “find a practitioner” it will only show you member veterinarians, not all veterinarians that care for cats.

If you go to their Practice Guidelines page, you will find a few really large .pdf files detailing their suggestions to all veterinarians on many subjects including feline pain management, zoonoses and assisting aging cats. This group and the European Society of Feline Medicine which is linked with the Feline Advisory Bureau(UK), publish the bimonthly Journal of Feline Medicine and Surgery. While a large part of the site focuses on technical matters, the Feline Advisory Bureau web site also has practical information about catteries, boarding facilities, and useful information for those who are owned by their cats.

I’m not sure why some of us want purebreds. I think we are attracted by a certain “look”. As I look at our cats, they are all short haired, some more slender than others. We do have two Bengals; Charger was a rescue, while Aurum is a retired queen and great-granddaughter of our first Bengal, Glory. Our other cats are mixed tabbies, and semi-Siamese or possibly Burmese types.

While I love Maine Coons and Norwegian Forest cats, the daily brushing they require would be problematic for those of us with full-time jobs and other responsibilities.

At a nearby adoption center I have seen what appear to be purebreds (OK, they are not papered), Maine coons, Russian blues, and various Siamese mixes. There’s even an online resource center for people who want to adopt a cat of a specific breed.

My point is, if you want a certain “look” but don’t necessarily want the pedigree papers, and are not interested in showing your cat at highly competitive cat shows, consider going to your local shelters and finding your new friend there. You won’t regret it!