People with Ped cats, what made your choice for you?

[Baby British]

I discovered the BSH breed purely by chance. I'd wanted to adopt a kitten but the rescue local to me wouldn't allow me to take on a kitten as I had young children (aged 3 and 5 at the time) I'd grown up with kittens and cats from a young age and wanted the same for my boys. I decided to look into purchasing a  pedigree and came across a local BSH breeder. I researched the breed and was won over by their documented easy going nature and suitability to an indoor life (I have lost cats on roads before - not nice.) Needless to say along came Marley and he didn't disappoint. He was (and still is!) such a placid boy and fantastic with my children. This was the beginning of my love affair with the British. Just before christmas we bought another BSH; a girl this time called Layla. She is exactly as Marley is in nature although with a tendency to be evem more affectionate. These days I just can't imagine life without a BSH in it and I'd never be without one again 

[Canterbury_cats (Sharon)]

Simple really. I have always had Siamese... never two the like. Always different characters, but always loyal, funny, social with not too many hangups in life, vocal (some more then others) very affectionate, agile and full of character... Have had a Havanna in the past wh was a supreme hunter and moggies adopted by us.

Always taken on siblings and usually male and female (in fact just has a thought) always been male and female... I have never had a difficult Siamese and they have all lived to a varying degree of ripe old age... Being involved in rescue and personally there are some pedigree cats that i would probably avoid due to their character and requrements. But then the world would be boring if we all liked the same thing.

My brother has a Burmese who is a total nightmare, you can double the characters of a Siamese to what you find in a Burmese. He is totally devoted to the family, but is completely utterly mad and very hard work when they go away on holiday! He is also abit of a bully... But a beautiful cat nevertheless.. He was a rescue cat and i think his previous owners treated him like their child as he gets away with murder.

[karenbi]

But when I visited the Supreme a couple years ago, Pav and I did our rounds and we landed up at the Snowshoe section and I knew that if I were ever to get a ped it would be one, two or three of these  . Temperament, the mesmerising Siamese eyes. Just lush. But the little white socks just killed me.

I fell in love with Snowshoes when I stumbled accidently upon them whilst on a Bengal site. I got my lovely girl, Gretel soon after. I now have Gretel, her naughty, adorable daughter, Peanut and my wonderful rescue moggies, Homebre and Teacup. There is something to be said about owning an unusual cat like a Snowshoe but love them all equally, of course and wouldn't swop my moggies for anything...

xxx

[Gill (sneakiefeline)]

Most cats make my heart go boom 

I fell in love with birmans after reading about them and then seeing them at a cat show in London and speaking to their breeders.

I was going to get a biman kitten to keep Kocka compnay but my vet said bad idea and he was right.

Got my two big moggies and was looking for a second pair of cats and birmans came available for rescue and they have been here for nearly 4 years and they are people cats and Franta is a complete lap cat and they are both soooooooo cute and their big blue eues and white feet are just 

Ducha is a pillow thief and has to lie against my head and just at moment am fed up with being in a birman sandwich all night 

[Kucinta]

I've also fallen in love with Birmans and Snowshoes and adore my sister's three British Blues. I'm also attracted to small black shorthaired cats if I were to go on looks alone.

  so pretty much all cats then! 

OK, so a weakness for blue eyed cats! (though my boys have lovely huge green eyes complete with eyeliner).

But favouring only  four breeds and one colour preference for moggies is pretty limited when you think how many varieties there are of pedigrees, let alone the infinite range of moggies.

But yes, more or less any cat could probably steal my heart.

[Sam (Fussy_Furball)]

I've also fallen in love with Birmans and Snowshoes and adore my sister's three British Blues. I'm also attracted to small black shorthaired cats if I were to go on looks alone.

  so pretty much all cats then! 

[angel-77]

British Shorthairs do it for me!!!

I love how chunky they are and their huge eyes!!
Like big teddy bears

I keep my cats indoor only and this breed seem particulary suited.

Compared to my totally mad BSH cross female who races round like a loon and is forever falling asleep in silly places then falling off,  my pure BSH boy is so laid back and seems to look before he leaps (not that he leaps much as he is so big!)

He craves human company and is always at my side 

[Kucinta]

I came across Singapuras when I was researching indoor cats. They seemed ideal for what I wanted, being small cats who were suited to apartment life, were people oriented and affectionate to their humans, were lapcats,  reasonably intellligent and remained 'kittenish in behaviour all their lives. They are also not greedy cats, so I can keep dry food down for them all the time and they don't overeat. Being small, they are also very easy to scoop up when it's time to go to the vets for checkups etc, but they do have a parrot complex, and think life is best viewed from a sitting position on your shoulder, or on top of a door.

Having fallen in love with the description of their temperament, I then fell in love with their tiny little faces with the beautiful big eyes. My two are adoring and affectionate, and I love being curled up with them on the sofa, or playing games with them, or watching them play with each other  and curling up together in the 'pretzel' postion, or washing and grooming each other. When I'm on the laptop, they've learnt to recognise the sound of Windows closing down, and come bounding over as if to say 'our time now'. Of course, if I'm online too long, I'll suddenly find a cat pacing up and down between me and the keyboard...,

I've also fallen in love with Birmans and Snowshoes and adore my sister's three British Blues. I'm also attracted to small black shorthaired cats if I were to go on looks alone.

[Kittybabe (Ruth)]

I've never thought about having a ped, but when I met my first bengal, I lost my mind completely. I had already fallen for Lenny at Linda's and he was just lush. But when I visited the Supreme a couple years ago, Pav and I did our rounds and we landed up at the Snowshoe section and I knew that if I were ever to get a ped it would be one, two or three of these  . Temperament, the mesmerising Siamese eyes. Just lush. But the little white socks just killed me.


However, that being said, my door is always open to a moggie first. I can't imagine my life without my Lexy 

[Gillian Harvey]

Strangely enough, I didnt actually 'choose' persians as a breed to have - I was going through a bad time losing so many of lovely moggies on the road and was looking into getting a cat run for the remaining cats, so I contacted a local persian breeder to see if she had a cat run for her cats because I wanted to see what a run would look like and things you could do to make it entertaining for the cats. By chance, she did have a cat run and invited me over to see it. I met all her persians (over 30 of them back then) and thought they were lovely cats, but didnt really think about having one.

Well, I must have talked about this visit a lot to mum LOL! because that Christmas mum gave me an envelope and in it was a piece of paper which had a picture of a persian on it and at the top it said - a gift for you, a Persian of your choice! Mum had gone and visited this breeder, and booked a kitten for me for when there was a litter for me to choose from!  Well the rest is history - I went over to Audrey's (the breeder) and chose my Joe - and thats what started my love affair with persians - as soon as I had Joe, that was it! and 13 years on, I can't imagine not having persians 

[Lottie (Team Svartalfheim's)]

I'll keep this very short as I could witter about my love of NFCs for hours 

I first came across NFCs when I was 12 and fell head over heels in love. I love the look of them, I love their very specific coats that allow them to survive the harsh Norwegian winters without getting cold or wet, I love the fact that in the summer and the winter they look totally different as their coat adapts to the temperatures they are in, I love their intelligence, their very laid back temper and most of all I love the fact that they are a natural breed who were close to becoming extinct hence why the breeding programme for them started. They are not a breed created by man but a breed created by the cold, the snow and the rain.
I take my breeding of this amazing breed very seriously as it is a great responsibility and I aim to breed tradional type NFCs (sadly the breed standard has changed slightly over the years from the original one) with correct coats, type, boning, size and the wonderful nature that they are known for.

I can put my hand on my heart and say there is no other breed of pedigree cat that I would want to own or breed. My heart 100% belongs in the forest  I feel so privileged to be owned by such a wonderful breed 

[sheryl]

We have been owned by an absolutely adorable Coonie called Roxy, she was a rescue cat, 2 Persian girls who were the cutest and most loveable little girls ever - one was a rescue the other we bought from a Pet shop in Switzerland, we walked past and she and her brother were running around causing havoc (the shop was closed at the time) when we stopped and looked in the window she came running over and chatted to us for ages - OH was outside the Pet shop when it opened the next morning wanting to buy them both but the little boy was already sold.

I met my first Bengal at a show and fell totally in love and spent a lot of time with the Breeder before we finally decided to buy one - we are now owned by 4 Bengals and I really couldnt imagine life without Bengals - they are naughty, chatty, cheeky and loveable.  They are not for everyone because their energy levels are amazing and they Demand attention, they are very intelligent and need a lot of stimulation and challenges.  They are so stunning and beautiful to look and my Snow Boy has got great big blue eyes that I never tire of looking at.

That is not to say that I love my 2 gorgeous tabby moggies any less 

[Liz]

Our Ragdoll came in a box with the words if you don't take her we will kill her!

Oh she had so many issues and nearly caused a divorce till our previous vets advised me to let her out - she had never beent aught to use a litter tray and in the multi house we had caused a lot of spraying issues - she is now nearly there after 5 years and loves to be brushed is the blonde of the family and I love her to death - she uses the bidet or the shower tray now and is a happy soul

She has however after time picked up a trait from the ferals - she runs from strangers and us sometimes outside and I am the only one who can pick her up outside - she shreaded her daddy when he tried!

On the other side of the coin I would love a Nowegian Forest having met Boopy and the late Bilbo at Lotties they are just  and a bengal would be nice to but at the momemt the Clan Moggies ae our lives and we have Minmin so that is our lot currently!

[Sam (Fussy_Furball)]

My love of peds started VERY young.  My parents have always had peds (Siamese / Burmese / Tonkinese) so I was brought up with foreign, noisy cats ... I love a chatty cat   

But my love of Abysinnians came in 1978 when I was 10 years old following a trip to the cinema to see the latest Disney film "The Cat from Outer Space".  The star of the film was a gorgeous Aby called Jake    and I fell in love.  It took another 24 years before I was in a position to be able to afford a ped of my own but I had never forgotten "Jake" and vowed an Aby would be joining my home.  After many years of admiring the breed, their friendliness, spirit, intelligence and gorgeous coats I set about finding a breeder.  Once I found a breeder I liked I put my name down to have a little boy .... of course things never work out as you intend and I ended up with not only a little boy but I also had his ½ sister as well 

So that's how Foxy and Zephyr came to live with me ... and I'm pleased to say that I love Abys even more now I am owned by my own two special little "Cats from Outer Sapce" 

[Kirst]

I was after a homeloving , non wandering , lap loving cat and was recommended to try Birmans - and that is exactly what we got.

[bunglycat]

I have had moggies and persians (all rescues) and i love all cats
 I just have a thing for the persians with their laid back attitude (most of the time) , very loving and talkative , and they just have the most wonderful kissable faces -although i totally disagree with the way the ultra is being bred , its so cruel    I also love the exotic persians too as its a lot less grooming which can be hard work if they don''t like it and haven''t been used to it.

[dizziblonde]

I would love a slightly chunky (like me!) Siamese... mainly because I loved the dippy ones in the Aristocats when I was a kid and think they've got such a charm about them (plus I like their demanding, slightly doggy personalities). Can never have a long-hair since I'm actually midly allergic to cats and just suffer for the love of it.

Never owned a pedigree though... just wonky moggies.

[blackcat]

I have owned siamese, burmese, abyssinians, orientals. The siamese I chose because, as a child, I used to visit a nature reserve owned by a couple who had one. Their cat would walk proudly down the path in front of them, tail in air, and had such amazing blue eyes. I was also raised on 'the incredible journey' in which the feline character was a siamese, and one of the dogs a labrador (and we had labs when I was a child). the third character, Bodger, has also impressed on me the desire to own a british bull terrier at some stage, but so far that has not happened.

Once i finally got my siamese, my mother appropriated her and so I began a search for another. This led me to go to several shows where I met a Burmese breeder who I instantly liked, and I liked her cats too. So I came home with a kitten and later acquired several more.

Then I spotted a havanna brown and he was gorgeous so I had to have him. Reynard was a real character cat and wove his way into my heart in no time flat. Sadly I hit him with the car one night when coming home and wept for three days.

I went on to breed orientals and siamese but after two litters found i had 8 cats at home as I could not bear to part with the kittens that were the best of the litters. So I stopped breeding and kept them into their old age.

The first aby was a gift from a breeder - she had been returned to the breeder by one of her clients, and she was a lovely (if seriously weird) cat. And I have now had two aby crosses - Claudius and Smidgen. Both of these have been major character cats and, given the chance, I would have more of the same.

But all through this I have also had mongrel cats from various backgrounds. So yes, I would choose a 'breed' if I had the chance (I scored a lovely blue burmese through the RSPCA), but have no special preference if the cat itself weaves its way into my heart - as they so easily do at times. ...

[Susanne (urbantigers)]

Well there are so many breeds of cats I really love, but Somalis are my favourite (obviously!).   It's down to a combination of looks and temperament.  I like cats that long and thin as opposed to short and stocky.  I like cats that are lively and cheeky as opposed to chilled out.  That doesn't mean that I dislike cats that are stockily built and have a reputation for being laid back.  Neither does it mean I wouldn't adopt one like that.  If I did own become a slave to a cat like that, I know I would love him or her to bits.  But I have a fondness for foreign type cats and I love the cheeky personality of siamese etc.   I have wanted an Abyssinian for a long time, but when Magpie died I really fancied getting a semi longhaired cat as Magpie was semi longhaired and I liked the idea of having one short hair and one semi long hair.  I'm not over keen on really long hair (or the grooming required!).   That led me to Somalis, although before I decided for certain, I did look into lots of semi longhaired breeds.   What sold me on Somalis is their temperamant.  They are lively and cheeky but not quite as manic as some of the short haired cats like siamese (trust me to get the exception to the rule  ) which was necessary given that I live in a flat (thin walls and lots of neighbours) and am out at work all day.   I love the fact that Somalis are very moderate in appearance - nothing too extreme - they are healthy and robust in general and they are lively but very affectionate and easy going.  They also tend to get on well with other cats (obv individuals will vary).  Once I met Somalis, I fell totally in love with them.  I love the way their jaw is set into a permanent smile    And they have the softest, silkiest fur 

[Sabrina (Auferstehen)]

We've got a burmese, and though I didn't choose a ped cat I just wanted a cat (rescue wouldn't let us adopt) but I adore Lirael, and have been told that she is a normal burmese (minus the bullying).

She's completely nuts and we love her to bits, but I'm not sure my husband will ever let me have another burmese or any other ped cat. He's against paying that much, however we did pay £1,000 + for Penguin to come across from the US

[Janeyk]

I don't have any peds but I'd be interested to hear too,

I love any cat, all of them! but of pedigrees I do particularly like quite a few, Birmans, Persians, Scottish Folds, Brit. SH, Chartreaux and Japanese Bobtails

but I think my favs are Bombays and they are my fav coloured cat too - Black 

[JackSpratt]

I love Savannahs and Egyptian Maus. I also like Orientals a lot, but don't have any pedigree cats so I'd be interested in the responses from pedigree cat carers too.

[CC & The Pussycat Guys & Dolls]

Hello 

Right Im wondering, which I do a lot    about the ped cats there are sooo many of them, if you are an owner slave to one, what helped you decide on the breed that you chose, and how did  that particular breed win your heart?

What makes your heart go BOOM about a certain breed of cat?

To be honest there are so many breed cats out there and if I did have a choice of one, I really wouldn't know where to start, I like the looks of so many breed cats I simply wouldn't be able to choose 

Nice discussion please