 Taking on a cat as a pet is a big commitment and should not be taken lightly. It will need attention, routine veterinary treatment, grooming and daily care.
A cat will require daily care for 10-15 years - too many cats are already waiting to be rehomed through no fault of their own. This may be due to changes in the previous owner's circumstances, a wearing off of the novelty of cat ownership, a lack of time for the cat or some other reason. Just as anyone would give careful consideration to their circumstances, lifestyle, commitment, time etc before starting a family, buying a cat should be considered in the same way.
Buying A Kitten From A Breeder
If buying a kitten the best place to buy is always directly from a reputable breeder. Cat breeders may be located through cat clubs or advertisements for cats for sale.
The advantages of buying directly from a breeder is that breeding has usually been carefully planned and thought through with regard to producing robust, healthy cats of good temperament. Many breeders will also offer some form of guarantee contracting to take the cat back if not suitable. Unfortunately the same cannot always be said for kittens sold in pet shops where the history of the kittens for sale is often unknown.
Many breeders of pedigree cats also show their cats and so breed towards producing a good healthy show cat with a view to keeping one or two themselves so quality and temperament is of vital importance when planning the breeding.
Although breeders of show cats specialise in breeding pedigree cats, there are also owners who have bred their pet cats and produce cross breed or pedigree kittens. These may be the result of a planned or unplanned pregnancy but the pups have usually been well cared for and brought up in a family environment and so most often make very suitable pets and will be less expensive to purchase than a pedigree show cat.
Buying a cat direct from the breeder means that there is the opportunity to see the parents and know the date of birth of the kitten that it is intended to purchase.
Unfortunately not all private breeders are reputable - there are small time breeders who, whilst not "commercial" take on cat breeding as a financial hobby and as such their main aim is financial gain and not their production of healthy and well mannered pups. These breeders specialise in popular pedigree cat breeds but do not show their cats and they or their cats are most often not registered with any breed club. If buying a pedigree cat from someone who regularly offers kittens for sale and yet is not registered with any breed club it is wise to ask for contact details of a previous purchaser or two with a view to contacting them about their purchase to ensure that the kitten purchased remained of good health and temperament. Unfortunately many such breeders may not keep records of previous purchasers and without this it is not easy to assess the quality of kittens they are producing for sale.
 Buying A Kitten Or Cat From A Rescue Home
Another option when seeking a cat as a pet is to obtain a cat from a rescue home. Many cats, both kittens and older cats, unfortunately become abandoned or homeless through no fault of their own every year.
Rescue homes usually assess the cat's behaviour on arrival and often carry out remedial training if needed before offering for rehoming. Therefore cats offered are usually very suitable and loving pets.
Rescue homes often have both pedigree and cross breed cats available but the cat's background or exact breeding details are often not know. However, unless the intention is to show or breed then rescue cats should be considered.
Depending on the rescue organisation they may require the completion of a series of forms, interviews or even a home visit to assess suitability as a potential cat owner. Their primary concern is to ensure the correct placement of the cats in their care with a suitable new owner.
Buying A Kitten From A Pet Shop
Sometimes kittens are available in pet shops. These kittens are unlikely to have come from a reputable show breeder and are most likely to have come from a pet owner with an unplanned pregnancy or from commercial kitten farms. There is some risk as to whether these kittens will be of good temperament or health as the parents cannot be seen and often little or no information can be given about their background or breeding.
It is no fun buying a unhealthy, weakly kitten and then dealing with the problems this presents afterwards - it can cause a lot of heartache so it is essential to find a good healthy kitten. Should any pet shop or the health of the kittens for sale cause concern they can be reported to an Animal Welfare organisation or local authority if the conditions warrant it. | 
