From: kkv@inel.gov (Jamie J Ferguson)
Subject: Re: Timing
Organization: Idaho National Engineering Laboratory, Idaho Falls, Idaho
Date: Mon, 11 Jan 93 19:36:53 GMT

In article <1ils57INNo9h@umbc8.umbc.edu> ac999257@umbc3.umbc.edu (ac999257) writes:
>The second is my current Siamese, Carmen. When I bought her, I
>intended to breed her, once again hoping for kittens. Carmen
>is very small. I did not want to breed her until full grown,
>but she only weighed 5.5 lbs at 18 months. I also was hoping
>to buy a house before breeding her. I was afraid of breeding
>her with a male that would produce too many, or too large kittens
>for her small size. Since she never grew like I expected (her
>parents were both reasonbly sized cats), and since I realized
>that I really didn't know very much about breeding and was
>afraid of doing more harm to her than good, I had her spayed
>at age two. She now weighs 6 lbs.
>
>Many people, one of whom is me, believe that cats should
>not be irresponsibly bred. There are far to many beautiful
>kittens and cats in shelters to breed non-purebred cats.
>We have enough of those. But Siamese cats are not commonly
>available in shelters. I was confident I could find good
>homes for Carmen's kittens, or I would keep them myself.
>She may not be a registered Siamese, but she is a pure
>Siamese -- all the correct markings and temperament. There
>are many people, one of whom is me, who want Siamese cats.
>I will always have at least one Siamese cat in my life.
>

I too have Siamese, and will probably always have at least
one.  However, I do NOT agree with breeding ANY unregistered
cat.  My mother breeds Siamese, so I can always find one if
I really want, and I realize that not everyone can find one
all of the time.  However, my mom has had problems from time
to time finding good homes for her kittens, even when she
lived in big cities.  If you ever want another Siamese
PLEASE don't just have kittens!  There are already too many!
One idea is to check with registered breeders -- often they
have older kittens/young cats that aren't show-quality
or that have been bred and now need new homes where they
will be just pets.  My mother currently has a cat who she 
intended to breed but the cat wasn't fertile, and she is
looking for a good home for it now.  All 3 of my Siamese
weren't quite good enough for show, and they have all been
spayed/neutered.

I understand how you feel, and you do seem to be very
concerned with the welfare of your cat(s).  However, I
do not agree with breeding just to get another Siamese
because there are plenty purebred registered Siamese
that are available if you look hard enough.  We have
had 2 Siamese cats at our local Humane Society Pet
Center in the past month, so they do turn up on occasion.
Even if you can find homes for the kittens, some of those
people might have taken a kitten from an animal shelter
and the kittens who otherwise would have been adopted from
the shelter have to be put to sleep.   


Jamie



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