Choices: Adopt a pet, Buy a pet, take in a stray

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Through my lifetime, I've heard this debate over and over again. And I know which pets have been the best for me personally and which I would never do again. Although I have to say that any of the choices could be risky because you just never know the true health of a pet. Time tells a lot of stories. My first kitten was given to me by a co-worker. He was a Siamese cat and he lived to be almost 17 years old. The cat I have currently was given to me by my sister in law. She drove the kitten up here from Texas to make a gift of her to me at a time when I wasn't sure I even wanted another cat in my life. But Ruby is 13 now and seems to be doing very well (so far, knock on wood, no further accidents in the bedroom). So while I'm not always crazy about being given a pet as a gift, the ones I've received have been great. I bought two Siamese kittens from a breeder. She had a lot of show cats and her kittens were quite expensive. I had planned on showing one of the cats but it turned out her temperament wasn't great for shows. I also found out that both of those kittens were not well. They had congenital diseases and both died young. Broke my heart. I'll never buy from a breeder again, although I know that there are some very reputable breeders out there and I would never trash all breeders just because. I've never gotten a pet from a shelter, but I would definitely go that route if I wanted another pet. Most shelters seem to know how healthy their animals are and while I would not trust just any shelter, after some research I know I could find a reputable one. And they are usually a safety net at least for a period of time should anything happen to the pet. As for strays, I, personally, would never take in a stray. My best friend, Liz, did that in her lifetime and it worked out well for her, thanks to her great vet. I was shocked that things worked out as well as they did for both Liz and the cat. I love the idea of caring for strays but I would really have to trust a vet to let me know that it was healthy and safe before bringing it into my home to live forever. What are your thoughts? How have things worked out for you? -Claudia- image from pixabay