A couple in their 30s were looking at the cats and lamenting that there weren’t any kittens. I couldn’t help myself, I turned to them and said “Yeah, kittens are great..I love they way they shred the curtains as they climb up slide down them and talk about mayhem..nothing beats a kitten.”

They looked at each other and then began to ask questions: Will a 1-2 year old cat be playful (oh yeah), will they bond with us (hey I have two cats (now 4 & 5 squabbling to get on my lap even as I type), how long do they live (up to 20 years, so you’ll have plenty of years of fun even if the cat is 2 or 3 or 6).

I left them discussing which of several two year olds they would like to adopt, LOL

By the way, have you noticed that the “exemptions” in the bill are pretty much only for dogs. I don’t know if that’s good or bad - but it’s interesting.

“animals that either got dumped by previous owners”

Usually adults who - for whatever reason - are no longer “desirable”.

“roaming unspayed female”

A problem that AB1634 will do NOTHING to correct.

“If the reason folks don’t want to adopt these cats is that they are not kittens, then I think that’s an education issue.”

And there you hit the nail on the head. Someone elsewhere mentioned “serial owner” - people who get the cute little puppy or kitten, and then - when it outgrows its “baby cuteness” - they dump it for another “cute baby”. Sure - AB1634 would make it a bit harder for these people because “cute babies” would become less available. But that would impact EVERYONE - not just serial owners.

The shelter statistics (for dogs, at least) show that the overwhelming majority of animals in shelters are adolescent rambunctious dogs that the owners turned in because they didn’t know how (or weren’t interested in) dealing with. If we can KEEP these dogs in their homes (education, education, education) then those dogs don’t fall under threat of death by euthanasia.

Solutions need to fit problems. And your post is a nice illustration of another reason why AB1634 does NOT fit.

There are 4 no kill cat only shelters in Chicago proper with numerous young sociable cats waiting for homes. These aren’t old or sick animals, or feral or pathologically shy, just animals that either got dumped by previous owners, were born to a roaming unspayed female - whatever.

My two adopted cats were both Chicago street rescues - the female was a very young when she was found but didn’t get adopted until she was almost a year old. A little shy, but nothing that hasn’t been overcome. My male was about a year and a half, friendly, loves people, a little rowdy like most young males. The no kill shelter I went to probably had close to 100 cats - eliminating the really difficult cases would have left me with about 70 cats to choose from. Fortunately, the male chose me, and the shelter director recommended the female as a good counterpoint. If the reason folks don’t want to adopt these cats is that they are not kittens, then I think that’s an education issue.

I can’t speak to the dog situation - I’m not involved with dog rescue. I suspect that your statement holds truer for dogs. The range of size alone is much more an issue than with a cat. And unless a cat is completely feral, most cats don’t represent a potential danger to others. And it seems that there are an over abundance of breeds - especially pit bulls that are difficult to place.

As you’ve said before, the problem varies from location to location.

how much rescue do you do?

Let me tell you about the first time I went to her house to meet her and her dogs. There were lots of lovely dogs running around, and a few puppies.

Then she introduced me to her newest “addition” - a senior girl rescued from a puppy mill (no money was spent for this girl) because she could no longer breed.

Oh - and the fact that she had been bred to exhaustion (depleting her calcium reserves) and had never received any kind of dental care in her life meant that she had virtually no teeth left and her jaw had broken in several places from sheer weakness.

My breeder had already spent hundreds to start wiring up this little girl’s jaw, and wasn’t done spending money on her yet. And as far as she was concerned, this little girl was “home”. She wasn’t going to be putting her through any more trauma.

That’s just one example, Jamie, of how Responsible Breeders pitch in to help the unfortunate dogs who have fallen through the cracks because the breeder who brought them into this world isn’t responsible enough to see that they are cared for their whole lives.

Now, tell me again about how Responsible Breeders *only* care for “their” dogs.

Every breed association I know of runs a rescue organization as well.

Apparently there is still a lot you don’t know about what purebred dog fanciers are involved in.