A message to people looking for pet cats...
Ever since I made the cat group in Maldives, I have noticed that most of the people who look for cats as pets have a particular preference. Most people want to buy expensive Persians rather than adopt a local cat. If your dream has always been to own a cat that looks like a living stuffed animal, then nothing will stop you from making a long-haired cat the first choice. While there is nothing wrong with that and as beautiful as they are I want to make an appeal to you give local cats a chance.
Why? Because the truth is long-hairs are in demand. Most of them are bound to find good homes and are worth money. But if you walk the streets of Male', Villigilli or Hulhumale' you're sure to come across beautiful cats and kittens that need good homes. I myself am a real cat lover. I love them all, yes even the hairless sphinx. I don't practice 'furism'. :p
What bugs me about some people is how they buy fancy cats just to show off to people like it's some sort of a home decoration. They don't realize that Persians are high maintenance and need to be brushed thoroughly at least 3 times a week in order to prevent hairballs or matted fur. Then they quickly get bored and find it's not worth the trouble and try to sell it again.
Persians are pretty lazy cats, they usually lay around looking pretty and giving capricious looks. Most of my life I had mostly short hairs and one mix. I can assure you that they are just as cute and cuddly as any Persian could ever be if not more. They loved to play with me providing entertainment and sought out my attention all the time. It made me feel loved and needed by them. :)
I also hate the concept of buying and selling of pets. The pets we love are priceless.The first priority should be who is going to provide the best care for the animals not who is going to pay the highest. Love and cuddliness should be free.
So while it's perfectly okay to have Persians too, please take a look around and rescue one of our own cats who need a home. There are plenty of healthy adorable kitties who need to be rescued. People who adopt instead of buying are whom I would consider to be the real cat lovers. ;)
Comments
Also you could keep an eye on this group on fb. Some pet owners from time to time give away the litters of their cats.
https://www.facebook.com/groups/maldiviancataholics/
Good Luck!
I am slave to a pure breed Bengal (anyone who thinks the cat is their pet is only deluding themselves!). Have kept a wide spectrum of cats as pets since childhood including 9 himalyans & numerous strays.
Yes, local cats tend to make the best pets. The fact that Bengal's are a shorthair breed means most peoples' reaction to Rex is "dhivehi bulhaleh dhoa?" which i find highly amusing. Unless the cat is a longhair, it must be a local stray.
I opted to go for a relatively expensive breed as I've always admired Bengals plus the challenge of caring for one (high-protein diet, extremely active, not fully domesticated etc). The trend of choosing longhairs in the Maldives is mind-boggling, for me. One of the main reason why persians (or ragdolls or other longhair breeds I've seen in local homes) lie around like rugs is the climate. The tropical humidity and heat is not exactly the most ideal condition for these breeds eh? I reckon if we were in their shoes (or thick coats of fur) we'd lie around the whole day doing nothing as well!
And the 'accessory' aspect is just cruel. Any pet, especially cats and even more so longhairs need a lot of care and grooming. Once people realise they are not a soft-toy to merely showoff to people...the cat gets given away and passed around like a relay-baton which ultimately leads to cross-breeding and other wider problems.
Okay I'm rambling on now. Great post, agreed! :)