Thursday, December 07, 2006

Of Colour and Breed

From the desk of Mama Piggy:

Self-proclaimed cat minion Calsifer, chieftain of the Tipped Ear Clan, has written a wonderful summary on cat breeds, patterns and colours.


Aren't we all the same, under all that coloured fuzz?

For those of us who can’t quite tell the difference between a Tortoiseshell and a Calico, please spend sometime reading it, there are pictures too.

So, coming straight to my point – are “breeds” important when it comes to owning/adopting a cat?

You bet, which is why some people prefer to buy pedigrees from pet shops. I guess a Norwegian Forest or two looks good in the house, and it sure feels great to have a Ragdoll that’s putty in your arms. If you have the resources and prefer “branded” cats to moggies, sure, by all means, go get your pedigrees.

Now, before you start dissing me for insinuating that those who buy pedigrees are pretentious snobs, let me tell you this - I used to go gaga over pedigrees too. In fact, my sister and I were so besotted with long-hair cats that we got a Chocolate-point Persian (think long-hair Siamese cat). We called him Cubie, and he was a really pretty cat with a mild temperament. Now a geriatric at 17 years old, Cubie is in relatively good health and is staying with my sister and her three other rescue cats.

When I decided to get a cat after I got my own place, it didn’t cross my mind to get another pedigree. Why buy one when you can adopt? There are countless community cats out there who need a home! Plus, our local “breeds” are equally beautiful and hardy!



The tigers have taken possession of the coffee-table.

So I got Kootoo from the SPCA, and some friends asked why I adopted such a “common” cat. Tsk tsk. Sure, Kootoo is a “common” striped-cat (or from what I have learnt, a Mackerel tabby). He is what most people would label a “longkang” cat (alley cat). But does that matter? I don’t care if he is a Domestic Short Hair, or simply a Tabby, or whatever. He may be “common” to most people, but he is special to me. I could have gotten the most gorgeous looking purebred but what’s the point if we don’t learn to accept each other for who we are, and learn to accommodate each other’s habits and whims?

Our three lovely cats have given us a lot of joy (we’ll talk about the mess they’ve created another time, eh? :D). Every time I look into their eyes, I know I have changed their lives, and that makes me happy.

10 comments:

Anonymous said...

but they havent made me happy leh... esp after all the bites, scratches and destroyed furniture/house etc etc etc

would anybody like to adopt 3 purrrty kitties?

cat_aunty said...

Oh. So Milo has mellowed after the ops? Sweet Brother Kootoo

KXBC said...

I'll take Kootoo, papa porky. Hehehehe.......

Moggies are the best. Many varieties to choose from. Forever changing character. Super healthy. And the list goes on......but like Mama Piggy, I still have the hots for the silver BSH, even now. :)

calsifer said...

*raises hand*
Paps Purrrky,
We'll take the lot, plus destroyed furniture/house and the etc etc etc.

No need to thank me, the tipped ears would appreciate a branch office, and they're into the lived-in ambience.

Cat said...

A cat is a cat. Persian, Siamese, Ragdolls are just branding. End of day, whether it is longkang cat or a branded cat, it still gives us same kind of loving.

Can we do the same?

Anonymous said...

they're adorable.. hehe!

Longkang cats ruleezzz!!

cat_aunty said...

Yes, it doesn't matter what breeds of cats you have, as long as you take care of them and love them for life. For me, each cat has an identity of his/her own. Spencer is Spencer, not a DSH, Max is Max, not a Persian.

Singapore Community Cat said...

I am known as the cat-man amongst my colleagues. They know what they are referring to when they ask how are my kids.
This morning, a collague and I chatted about cats and dogs..and as usual...she was a dog person. I said so was I...until I got my first "longkang" cat or void deck cat as he was found rooted on one spot of the void deck. I think the cats really have magic..coz I am hopelessly caught in their spell :)

Kootoo | Muffin | Milo | Mama said...

For a good reason too, Vegancat! :)

Anonymous said...

" Every time I look into their eyes, I know I have changed their lives, and that makes me happy. "

And for sure, u have also made the one that reflected in their eyes happier too!

Take away our coatings and all are same, they and us, no difference, we all want to be happy and we can make others happy... and some mess at times though. ;-#