Where to get a cat in south-west Germany

[Billy 2]

Hi Peepes

 

My friend is looking for a cat and is willing to pay up to 500 Euro for a Main Coon, or a Norsk Skogkatt (Norwegian Forest Cat). He is allergic to short haired cats, but would like one of these, preferably tiny kitten.

 

Anybody know how to look for one of these, and how to go about looking for one? He is looking for one within 200km of Walldorf.

 

Any help appreciated! Cheers, Billy

[Owain Glyndwr 888]

try googling on google.de

[UrbanAngel 445]

Try Kurz und Fündig.

[Keydeck 9,248]

Yeah, Kurz & Fündig usually has loads of pets.

 

 

Actually, if it works, this link should show you Maine Coon cats within 200km of Waldorf.

[Nicky 4]

There's also a magazine 'Die Katze' available at most newspaper/magazine stores which has lists of breeders.

[Freiheit 7]

Although you won't find purebreds there, anyone know if there are shelters or rescues for cats around?

 

Even though you know what you want, you should at least have a look at a shelter first, if you can.

 

Ahh, here's a discussion of the topic of getting a cat in Munich. Post #25 on page two has some details on what I guess is an animal shelter.

 

Good luck.

[Billy 2]

Thanks for all your help! Will pass the info on to my friend. Keep the info coming!

Cheers, Billy

[Guest]

As some of you know I am completely mad about cats. The HB suffers from a very bad cat allergy. He agreed though that we could get a cat if we could find a cat which he is not allergic to. When we stayed with my best friend for a week, he had no allergy although she has 4 cats. She however stays in a huge house, so perhaps that had something to do with lessening his hypersensitivity. We however live in a small flat, not in a four-storey house. I heared that one can nowadays buy some special genetically modified cats in the US, but costing a couple of thousand Euros and then you must still have them flown over. Seems a bit radical to me. A female friend in Munich told me that she is also only allergic to some cats.

 

So my question to you is: Does anybody know of a particular cat breed which is the least like to induce an allergy? Before you guys get cute with me, I don't mean these.

[g24 89]

awww that's cute, I just want to wrap it in a little blanket and cuddle it!

[tigs 0]

You can buy something called Petal Cleanse that is a liquid you apply to your cat's coat and removes the allergens from it. A guy I used to work with was horribly allergic to cats but married a woman who bred and showed Persian cats - I recommended it to him and he had no problems almost straight away, despite it taking (apparently) three weeks to take full effect.

 

Norsk Skogkatts and Maine Coons are very popular in Germany. I know there's a good breeder of MCs near Frankfurt as two ladies who use the same vet as us have three from there and rate them very highly.

 

Our Norfie was an accident. I moved into a flat in the UK before I came over here and the woman who had the flat before me couldn't take her two cats with her to her new place. I thought Loki was just some sort of long-haired cat until I took him to the vet for his jabs and a check-up. Loki is the most sweet-natured, loving, soft bundle of fur I ever met. Unless you happen to be a mouse or other small furry critter...

 

If you are looking to rescue a cat, try your local Tierheim. Most good-sized towns will have one, particularly near military bases as unfortunately quite a lot of folk are unable to take their pets when they get posted elsewhere. (That is not meant to be a dig at the military - my partner works on Coleman and has been in Germany with the Air Force and now the Army since 1991 and as a well-known cat person and soft-hearted guy has been helping out the local Tierheim for many years. At one point he had 11 cats, we're now down to four but considering adding to the herd).

[Journeyman 18]

Hi,

I know that Maine Coons and Maine Coon Persian Mix usually not cause allergic reactions. I often had people here, interested in a baby cat, but one in the family was allergic. When they were here in my flat, they didn't have any problems. I think it's the difference in the spittle of the cats because that is what people are allergic for, not the cat itself. By the way: I have three kitten, male and female and I expect more babies in November. All are Maine Coons, so if you want to visit me and test if you have an allergic reaction with my cats!

CU, Ina-Maria (Sorry, I used the account of my friend)

[MS Diana 0]

I recommend the Katzenhilfe in Stuttgart. It's a rescue organization that doesn't have a shelter, so all of its cats are in foster homes (meaning they're used to living in a house/apartment). The website is frequently updated, and has pictures of available cats/kittens.

 

http://katzenhilfe-stuttgart.de/

[Journeyman 18]

All the things I've heard about the Katzenhilfe and how rotten they're to their helpers make me not to support them. (today the guy @ his own account)

[cj_one2000 6]

I've been trying to find a kitten -- but don't want to pay 500 euro for a pure bred kitten. Because of being an American, German pet shelters will not let us adopt an animal. My husband is allergic, but can tolerate the shorter haired cats. I've looked on Quoka, eBay, and even other classified ad types but it seems to be full of ads of breeders wanting from 150-700 euro for a kitten. Being from Alaska, you could always find free kittens that people were giving away! What is the deal here? Germans only want pure bred cats???

 

Help!

[MrNosey 5,328]

Because you're American nobody will trust you with pets? Hmmmm... There's something you're not telling us. Even Americans are allowed pets.

 

Anyway... Look on notice boards at local supermarkets - someone always seems to be giving kittens away (against a small donation).

[Bipa 5,814]

German animal shelters will often be reluctant to let Americans or other foreigners adopt their animals. They have had previous experience with some folks getting a pet, and then abandoning it when they leave after their limited time work contract is up and they return to their home country. So the poster's difficulty is not all that unusual.

 

I would suggest keeping an eye out on the classified ads in the local free newspapers along with those supermarket notices. Check not only the regular classifieds, but also the "To Give Away" section (zu verschenken). You can also try the private animal shelters which may be easier in terms of allowing non-permanent residents to adopt their animals.

[cj_one2000 6]

Most German shelters have stopped letting Americans adopt kittens as some military families have abandoned their pets (I think it's wrong) because they don't want to pay to ship their dogs or cats back to the U.S. Also, several bases have shut down their vet hospitals/shelters so the German shelters had to pick up the slack and were overfilled with abandoned pets. So, the Germans aren't happy with us. So sad when people like me genuinely want a pet and have plans to keep them and can afford to ship their pet(s) back to the U.S. when their time in Germany is up.