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I check the web stats for this site fairly often, just to see what countries visitors are coming from and which pages they like the most. But I also check out the search terms - what words and phrases visitors used in search engines to find WeLoveSiberians.com. Most of them are to be expected (like "siberian cats"). Every once in a while there's one that's humorous. And then on occasion there's one that's a bit worrisome. In this case, the search term was cheap siberian kittens, and that really bothered me.
For anybody who may actually be looking for "cheap siberian kittens," please think a bit before you actually go for a "cheap" one. When it comes to most things, cheap is not necessarily the right way to go.First, why not adopt a Siberian cat? There are Siberian cat rescue organizations that have good kitties who need good homes. Sure, most of them are adult or at least adolescent cats rather than kittens, but kittens - cute as they are - don't stay kittens for very long (unfortunate, but true!). So consider giving one of these kitties a chance to have a good home: yours! Second: good, healthy, well-bred Siberian kittens are generally expensive (I've seen prices ranging from around $650 to about $1400 or so) because they're still fairly rare here in the U.S. and in many other countries, as well. But what you're paying for here is also quality: good breeders are charging these kinds of prices because they go to a lot of extra effort to make sure your kitten is healthy, has good genetic lineage (to minimize congenital diseases and defects, for one thing), and the breeder spends a lot of time to make sure your kitty is comfortable around people. My parents raised Weimaraner dogs and Arabian horses: take it from me, raising animals - properly! - is a lot of work! On the flip side, what happens when you just shop for "cheap" kittens (Siberian or otherwise)? Like with anything else when price (rather than value) is the primary concern, you usually get crap. Among other things, this "cheap" mentality encourages unscrupulous breeders to set up kitten mills to breed cats with no other objective than profit: the animals live in terrible conditions, are poorly socialized, have terrible genetics (and thus lots of health and psycological probems that your vet will love you for), and so on - they're a mess! But these people want to cater to YOU, because YOU want a cheap kitten - and they're happy to gin one up for you. And then YOU will get what YOU paid for. And then - in all too many cases - you'll wind up getting rid of that poor kitty because you can't afford the vet bills or it won't show all the positive traits that you wanted a Siberian for in the first place. Well, duhhh! Anyway, my friend, if you're one of the folks who's looking for a "cheap siberian kitten," please-please-please don't go down that road. Check out a Siberian rescue organization, check with your local animal shelter, or just save up your pennies to buy a well-bred, healthy Siberian kitty (or, preferably, two!) from a conscientious breeder whose primary concern is the well-being of that little kitten as a happy new member of your family. You'll be glad you did! Discuss this article on the forums. (0 posts) |
