Q: My neighbor's Siamese cat just had kittens, and she's giving them away. Seems a lot easier and less expensive than getting one from the shelter. What do you think?
A: We don't deny that it can be hard to go to the shelter and choose from among many kittens. Getting one from your neighbor could work out, but there are several factors to consider before you make your decision. We call them the "ifs."
If you like the personality of your neighbor's cat. If your neighbor's Siamese is in good health and your neighbor can show records of regular veterinary care. If your neighbor is raising the kittens in the home and giving them lots of socialization. If you don't care that the kittens won't have registration papers. If those "ifs" are all OK with you, then this could be a convenient way for you to have a new BFF (best furry friend).
But wait! You should also consider all the benefits of adopting a kitten from the shelter, especially if your local shelter has a great foster program. The adoption fee may be $150 or more, but the kitten you take home will already be spayed or neutered and microchipped. That's a big chunk of change right there. And if the kitten has been in a foster home, he or she is used to being handled and already accustomed to life in a house, with all that entails: the sounds of blenders and vacuum cleaners, and maybe the presence of a dog, another cat or kids.
What we don't recommend is getting a kitten that is being given away or sold at a grocery store or flea market. You have no way of knowing how the kittens have been raised, whether they've been socialized, what veterinary care such as vaccinations or deworming they've received or what their parents' temperaments are like.
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