let's introduce FALCO!!!

[adamanteus]

Yeah, that's all I could come up with. Well, apart from "Burn in hell, Falco." May be a bit harsh, though.

Yeah, maybe a little harsh there, Stefan.

[Stefan-A]

Yeah, maybe a little harsh there, Stefan.

And a tiny bit inappropriate, since it's a cute little cat.

[Gijs & Sabine]

What a sweety
Iris looks very happy, I wonder why

[aSnakeLovinBabe]

awe hes so cute

[Lori P]

Welcome to the forum, Falco. :-) What a cutie pie!!

Sooo.... is there not such a cat overpopulation problem in Europe? Sounded like quite a road trip to get a kitten. Just curious as to the difference between here and there. (Here, where there are so many unwanted kittens you can't pay people to take them!!)

[anji1971]

HI FALCO!!!
What a sweetie, I just love his little white mitten feet!

[drache]

Welcome to the forum, Falco. :-) What a cutie pie!!

Sooo.... is there not such a cat overpopulation problem in Europe? Sounded like quite a road trip to get a kitten. Just curious as to the difference between here and there. (Here, where there are so many unwanted kittens you can't pay people to take them!!)

I think Falco is a special kitty (very)
and even in the US people will travel to pick up that that special cat or dog (or snake), even when there are a gazillion adoptable ones
I've done both, not with cats though

[KITKAT]

Welcome to the forum, Falco. :-) What a cutie pie!!

Sooo.... is there not such a cat overpopulation problem in Europe? Sounded like quite a road trip to get a kitten. Just curious as to the difference between here and there. (Here, where there are so many unwanted kittens you can't pay people to take them!!)

We don't have a cat overpopulation problem in the USA, IMHO. What we have is a pet committment problem in the USA... meaning that people in the USA are not KEEPING their pets, but are turning them in to the shelter every time there is some inconvenience.

Take a walk through your local animal shelter. Is it full of kittens, or full of adults?

If your answer is adults, then this is not overpopulation.

Pet Underpopulation: The Pet Shortage in the US by Loretta Baughan

The Numbers Guy - WSJ.com

So why are we still hearing about pet overpopulation from the animal rights groups???

Because it makes money for them!

Dog Owner's Guide: Animal charities solicit dollars from pet lovers

REMEMBER... HSUS and PETA are the main groups that OPPOSE the keeping of reptiles as pets. These groups like to seperate animal owners and pit them against each other... using rhetoric about pet overpopulation to attack dog and cat owners, and then turning on herp owners with scare tactics and coercive legislation. DON'T FALL FOR IT!

[mycolorfulheart]

In my area, there are a lot of kittens and puppies in the shelters. I just started volunteering at one that has a large clinic portion to the shelter. It was incredible just how many tiny little kittens were sick in the clinic, waiting to get better so they could be adopted. Fewer puppies, but those too.

I think it's wrong to group the HSUS and PETA together, since they have very different goals and a different outlook on animals.

I agree with you completely though that we have a pet commitment problem in the US. I stongly believe that when I take in an animal, it's mine for life. Maybe it's just the consumerism in our culture that makes people think animals are 'disposable.' But I blame pet stores and breeders for continuing that trend, not the shelters. A shelter will screen you, interview you, train you before letting you take an animal. At petco they make you sign a small contract that says "i know how to take care of this animal and I will." It's a joke because no one actually asks you if you do know how to care for the animal, and they don't give you the pamphlets that should be free and required with your purchase. Petsmart doesn't even pretend with a contract, they just don't care. Breeders of course will vary depending on who's doing the breeding, but when they're virtually no regulation of breeders, of course there will be many people mistreating animals to make some cash.

[GarterGuy]

Cute little kitty and very cool name by the way.