Is Russia the new czar of kitten and puppy mills??
By Marva Marrow Editor-in Chief, AllPets.com Magazine
Val, a friend of mine, is a photographer’s representative for a celebrity
photographer. She was recently on a photo shoot, and while chatting to the actor
who was being photographed, he mentioned that he had an Oriental Shorthair cat,
“a very, very rare and extremely expensive cat from Russia.” Her surprised
comment was, “I have a close friend named Marva who has Oriental Shorthairs,
lives in Los Angeles, and shows her cats in cat shows almost every weekend!”
He was amazed that such an exotic and rare creature as he possessed could
be found in Los Angeles and he requested my phone number. Val mentioned this
incident to me in passing, and it just as quickly flew out of my mind.
About a week ago, early in the morning after a late night of work, my phone
rang. It was the actor with the Oriental Shorthair. He had just returned from
the Cannes Film Festival. While he was gone, he had left his kitten (I had thought
he owned an adult cat, but there were more surprises to come) with a friend,
and the kitten – only four months old – had died of a sudden illness
(liver failure), despite expert veterinary care to save it. The actor was heartbroken
over the loss and wanted some information. I began to query him on where he
got the kitten, etc.
Much to my amazement, he had purchased the kitten from a local Los Angeles
pet store which got all of their pedigreed kittens and puppies from Russia!
This actor had paid $1400 for the kitten, which is about three times the price
that he would have paid for the same kitten from a local responsible hobbyist
breeder – one who has a couple of litters a year and is involved with the
cat fancy (showing cats and improving the breed).
Municipal regulations in Los Angeles and other cities are making it more and
more difficult for hobbyist breeders to continue their hobby and exist while
pet shops are still demanding the pedigreed puppies and kittens the pet buyers
desire. The pet shops (most obvious choice for pet purchasers who are unaware
of the origins of the animals and the place where many impulse buys occur) are
mostly concerned with the bottom line and are eager to milk new sources of pedigreed
kittens and puppies. It seems that countries like Russia, with true economic
hardships and struggles, are becoming creative and turning to new markets, such
as live puppies and kittens.
Is Russia becoming the puppy mill and kitten mill czar of the future?
This is a scary situation. Since local US officials and concerned citizens
have been helping close down some of the horrendous and inhumane puppy and kitten
(mostly puppy) mills that are for the most part located in Midwestern and Southern
states, the pet buying market is hungry for these new outlets. To me, it is
really sad that these very young kittens and puppies now also have to endure
incredibly long plane trips that are bound to stress immature immune systems
and psyches terribly. Who can even imagine the conditions they have come from?
This is a country where there are fewer regulations or options for control than
here at home in the US and the time-consuming chore of obtaining the most basic
necessities for humans is at a premium.
Who knows how many of these young animals die in transit, terrified and alone?
Given the economic situation in Mother Russia, it is doubtful that the breeder
of the kitten I mentioned was paid more than $100 (still a true windfall for
that country) and with a markup to $1400, someone is making a bundle on this
transaction – if the poor little baby survives the trip!
The fact is, people want pedigreed puppies and kittens and they will continue
to purchase them. If they can not find them easily from a reliable source, they
will still want them and find them. The current restrictions, regulations and
legislation will not curb this desire or change the motivation. Instead, it
could contribute to even more sub-standard conditions, more tragic and unnecessary
deaths and trauma.
The animal rights organizations think they can will these underground or overseas
breeding mills out of existence through sheer determination and stubbornness.
They think they can force people to think as they do, and this may be the case
in some instances. However, our country was founded on the idea of individual
choice and viewpoint and that is something they cannot alter – much as
they would like to do just that.
For better or for worse, people need to have the option of obtaining a pedigreed
kitten or puppy from someone they can trust – a responsible breeder who
is involved with showing and improving his breed and cares about the health,
welfare and future of the baby animal he has lovingly nurtured. A pet buyer
should have the peace of mind of having a local person, who knows the animal
and the breed, knows the lines and the parents, and is available as a source
of help at any time in the pet’s life. Hopefully the pet buyer will also
choose a loving and needy rescue dog or cat or adopt a mixed breed pet as a
companion. This would be the best of both worlds and the humane thing to do.
I would really hate to see it get to the point when the only option for finding
a pedigreed pet is a puppy or kitten from Russia, but if some animal rights
groups have their way, the situation may (sadly) come to this.
I am still waiting to hear if the actor was able to recoup any costs of the
kitten as he had only had his little friend for two months. The kitten was sold
with only a three-day guarantee, so it is unlikely that he will get any results.
Reprinted with permission from the author.
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