if you think a Devon Rex would mesh with you better, buy a Devon Rex!
responsible breeders do not contribute to overpopulation & shelter deaths, which is why I really don’t care for the ‘adopt don’t shop’ movement (this post sums up my thoughts on that)
Temperaments vary more within a breed than between breeds, if anon wants a Devon Rex for a certain personality there’s no reason not to try and adopt a cat, as many domestic cats or even other breeds available for adoption are capable of exhibiting the same behaviour in a comfortable home environment. Breeding from closed gene pools will eventually lead to detrimental and irreversible health problems. I don’t doubt there are reasons to chose a breeder over a shelter dog, as dogs are bred to perform certain tasks and very more between breeds than within, but it cats they are much more similar between breeds. Buying a cat from a registered breeder contributes to the perpetuation of inbreeding, which while not obviously and always detrimental in cats (YET) can not ever be beneficial.
If anon wants a cat for looks then that’s a different kettle of fish, and there’s no argument against aesthetic except imo it’s a waste?show me a Turkish Angora with the neediness of an Oriental, or a Persian with the activity level of a Bengal. show me a Chartreux that screams like a Siamese. I’m not trying to be rude (for real) but if you don’t think cat breeds have RADICALLY different personalities, then you don’t have a good understanding of the topic.
Orientals (the breed I love the most!) have their gene pools managed quite well. their health & longevity is a result of breeders shipping in fresh blood from different continents & outcrossing to genetically different breeds when necessary (ex. Russian Blues). Orientals also constantly interbreed with Siamese, Javanese, Balinese, and Colourpoint shorthairs, and nobody really cares? the cat world’s more chill about these things.
as well, you have no guarantee a rescued animal will NOT be inbred. hoarding situations, feral colonies, and ‘whoops!’ babies can & will result in mother/son, father/daughter, brother/sister crossings.
if anon wants a Devon Rex for their personality, fantastic! I bought an Oriental because I needed a loud/loving/active cat to keep me from getting lost in my own head. if anon wants a Devon Rex for their looks – cool! living with a gorgeous animal is super fun?!
adopting is great. buying from responsible breeders is great. you do you, anon!
I love cats! Purebred, mixed breed, doesn’t matter. And I love that lots of people are very pro-adoption, because their love for cats is also very obvious to me, so please know that everything I say, I say with a lot of respect.
I’ve been in the cat fandom since I was born, basically, so, like, 40 years? 30 of being really avid. Here is something I have started really thinking about over the past 10 years or so.
People often think of mixed-breed cats who show strong visible influence from a pure breed and cats who are of that breed as the same thing. They are not!
A cat that came off the street but looks like a Himalayan, or a Maine Coon, or a Siamese, or a Russian Blue is not even remotely guaranteed to have those personality traits. It’s 50/50 at best, and even when it’s there, the personality often doesn’t seem to be as strong.
It does not help at all that people with mixed-breed adoptees who came from the streets or accidental litters or hoarders tend to say that their cat is Russian Blue because she is grey and thick-coated, or that their cat is a Siamese because he has a graceful build and blue eyes and colored points. They are not. They are regular mixed-breed cats. But I really think that saying that they are a certain breed creates this impression that there is more variability in a breed than there is. Simply put, if you have a mixed-breed cat, even one generation out with one purebred parent, you don’t have a purebred, and you can’t draw generalizations about purebreds from that.
It’s VERY EASY to make this mistake. I’ve made it. I see it a lot in the steady stream of “What breed is my cat?” posts on popular cat tumblrs I follow, and in posts that show a mixed-breed cat someone pulled off the street as a stray and say “He’s a Russian Blue!” or “She’s a Maine Coon!” It doesn’t work like that. Cat breeds are much more homogeneous than dog breeds, just from a physical standpoint, and traits fade out fast.
But purebred cats, truly purebred cats from reputable breeders, do have consistent traits, both physical and personality-wise, because personality is also something that is bred for, not just appearance. Not to the extent that it is with dogs, I think, but with older, established breeds such as Orientals or Persians, or Maine Coons, it’s pretty stable, and is part of the draw of the breed. There’s individual variation, they aren’t interchangeable, and they are still all very unique personalities, but they strongly cluster toward a particular set of baseline desirable traits.
People who want a purebred Siamese don’t just want a cat with points, they want that Siamese inquisitiveness, those grabby hands, and that raspy howl, too. People who want Persians don’t just want a thick-coated fluffy cat with a squished face, they want a calm, friendly cloud with an even temper and a soft tummy. People want Maine Coons because they want a gentle giant with an active mind and a loving temperament. If purebreeding could not consistently produce these personality traits, the demand truly wouldn’t be what it is!
I 100% understand the arguments for and against buying from a breeder. I was firmly against it for a long time, but after having actually spoken to many, many owners of purebred cats about their choices, I have moved to a totally neutral stance. In my experience the vast majority of people who buy purebred cats are doing it because they want something very specific, and wouldn’t be adopting otherwise. Rarely, it’s true, they are only doing it because they want an accessory, in which case they also wouldn’t be adopting. And, as long as they care for the animal, I don’t think that motivation is necessarily a bad thing. (Also, many people own purebreds and mixed breeds at the same time.)
IMO, it’s best to encourage and praise people for adopting, and to firmly discourage backyard breeders, mills, and the like with both laws and raising awareness, so that purebreds ARE only coming from decent folks who breed healthy cats.
To me personally, there is nothing better than a mixed-breed, but it is kind of a blind bag deal, where you could get anything. That’s part of the appeal to me, but for others it’s really not. And people with specific needs really would do well to buy a breed known to fill that need well, because if they try for a mixed breed that will be chill and calm and loving and good with other cats and won’t need tons of attention, but get a mixed breed that is rambunctious and plays rough and demands lots of attention, that might lead to a really unhappy situation for everyone. I’m negotiating something like that now, and it’s not fun. It’s heartbreaking. Adopting adult animals from good rescues solves some of this, but personality takes time to fully develop and people do want and always will want to experience a cat’s kitten years. As someone who constantly and forever aches to have kittens around, I cannot fault them for that.
So, basically, if people are on the fence, I’d encourage them to go to a rescue and talk to some foster parents because that creates more space in the foster system for needy cats. If they know they want a specific breed, though, it’s fine to do it that way, too!
All I would ask for people looking at purebred cats is to truly consider whether you are good with putting up with that breed’s behavior. I would love a Sphynx but I know 100% that I would not be able to handle one.
I want to buy a purebred (a Devon Rex to be exact), but everyone keeps telling me to adopt a cat instead. However, I feel like a Devon would fit me better. Do you think I should go through with buying a cat or just adopt one?
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