What type of cat breed should I own?

Danielle - it is always difficult to lose a much loved pet. I am 60 years old and have had pets (mostly cats) for as long as I can remember. Over a period of 4 years I lost 4 cats and one dog. All very old. When my 3rd cat died 08/2011 I knew that my 22 year old baby would not live much longer. I started looking for a kitten. On Oct. 1st I visited my sister. A feral cat had a litter of 6 kittens in her flower bed. They were 7 to 10 days old. Their eyes were just open. I told Sis that I would take the 2 females when they were old enough. 4 days later Sis called me. The mom had abandoned a male and a female. I showed up the next morning to pick them up. The little male had not survived the night. I brought the baby girl home and named her Sallie Sue. She only weighed 3 1/2 ounces. She should have weighed 7 to 8 ounces. I bottle fed her every 4 hours 24/7 for 5 weeks. My old lady, Patches died in February 2012. Again I started looking for kitten. In April I adopted an adorable calico from a friend who had farm cats. He said she was 6 weeks old. As soon as I saw her I knew that she was no more than 4 weeks old, So bottle feeding for 2 weeks. Her name is Daisy Faye.

My adorable girls can never replace my other cats. All of my animals were raised from babies. Having said that I can't live without cats in my life. My 2 girls have very different personalities and keep us laughing.

Back to your question. In all of my years I have had only one breed animal. In the early 80's I gave my husband a black lab for his birthday. All of my other animals - all cats except for 1 dog were, strays, abandoned, shelter animals or kittens from farm cats. I have always wanted an Abyssinian but could never justify buying a breed cat when there are so many unwanted cats out there. They are just as beautiful and loving and have as much personality as any breed. They are also very hard to find homes for.

I am not being critical of folks who prefer breed cats. I still dream of having an aby. It will probably never happen because some one will show up with a non breed kitten needing a loving home and my soft heart will melt and I will add another stray to my menagerie.

Since your brother was the most impacted by the loss of Joy let him pick out a new kitten. Shop both ways. Show him breeds on line then take him to the animal shelter or Pet Smart/Pet Co on Saturdays when they have the rescue groups showing their adoptable animals. Let him fall in love with a kitten.

I avoid Pet Smart and Pet Co unless we are going out of town and I have to get dry food for our girls. I can not resist the rescue kittens and have to fight with myself not to turn into a crazy cat lady. Our friends are always surprised at what a sucker my husband is for our girls. He is a big man's man who hunts and fishes. They see him as a dog kind of guy. Our friends can not get over what a softy he is for our girls.

Sorry - I do tend to ramble. Follow you heart. Let your brother pick a kitten - breed or non breed does not matter. The older cats will torment the baby for a few days. Don't worry they will get over it. When Sallie Sue was old enough and healthy enough to roam she tormented my old lady Patches. Poor old girl just ignored her. When Daisy Faye joined our family Sallie Sue was not happy. She hissed and swatted at the baby for about 2 days then she realized that she had a new toy. In July I baby sat a 7 week old kitten. Both of my girls were initially offended. Sallie settled down after a day. Daisy tormented the baby for 3 days. After that they were inseparable. They played chase and hide and seek. After a week the baby went home. Daisy moped around looking for her for another week.

Oh well. No matter which way you go you will make the right decision.

Good luck

Try getting just a normal Domestic Short hair female cat . A female cat is most likely going to bond to a male person. i have found that pure bred cats have more health problems than the everyday mixed breed cat. As far as the fleas go i understand you do not have dogs but fleas can come in from outside on your clothes also and then be transferred to your cats i suggest using Frontline plus it is available at most veterinary clinics it usually runs around 15-20 dollars for one tube and lasts about a month but if all else fails you could always get them all flea collars.

I would get a Himmie, Persian or Selkirk...they always mix nicely with Ragdolls. Selkirks are probably my favorite, and are a newer breed. They look like a curly Himmie or Persian or can be shorthair too. They are an extremely laid back cat, very loyal, loving, social and just a joy to have. They are called a cat in sheeps clothing, and are EXTREMELy family oriented. I have all of these breeds, and love every one of them, but the Selkirk is probably the best when it comes to being well rounded :-)

I couldnt even think about loosing my cats ! They are my babies ! Im so sorry about your loss! I have a longhair bombay and a bangle x persian very different fron eachother but the completley love eachother p.s my bangle is over a yr only and my bombay is just 6 months old. When i introduced my mums ragdoll x with my bangle x my bangle was lovley and didnt want to fight where as the ragdoll did. So i think its just a terotoriy thing haha but honnestly it just all depends on how the other cats will react mine took on a father/mother role.. so i was lucky but yeah

good luck! :)

No one should judge you.... and if they do, thats their problem. If you wanted to adopt a new cat the day after, thats your right.

Have you thought about going to the shelter and just picking out a cat that your family fall in love with? I prefer domestic cats from the shelter. But I do like the british short hair cats, that never seem to come my way.

I would get something totally different - like a Maine Coon or a nice domestic shorthair. Or if you want a purebred shorthair with a personality to go with the Raggys, choose a British SH or Selkirk Rex for something more mellow.

I'm sorry about your loss :(

Usually all cat breeds mix well. I suggest looking in the classifieds in the newspaper and if it says what breed, google some pictures and see if they're cute. Before you look in the classifieds though, please look in shelters. I hope you find a nice kitty :)