Kitten Mills - What are They and What Do They Do
I'm sure we've all been to a pet store and seen the kittens there. They look so cute, right? Well, there's a darker side to the cuteness of the kittens in a pet store - most of the cats there are from kitten mills.
A kitten mill is where, essentially, cats are bred over and over for their looks and traits to be passed down to their kittens. Cats are normally kept in terrible conditions that include feces and urine covered floors, overcrowded cages, and wire flooring. The main cause of the living conditions is often money, since the owners of a kitten mill want a larger profit and low maintenance. Kitten mills will often be severely understaffed, meaning the kittens there will have very little human interaction, lack exercise, and are poorly socialized. Kittens are often separated from their mothers at a very young age which causes them to be developmentally impaired which also contributes to their poor social skills.
In a kitten mill, adult cats (both male and female) are trapped in cages until they aren't able to reproduce, which is often for most or all of their life. Most responsible breeders "retire" their female cats used for breeding while they are still young, but kitten mills breed their cats that are ages 6-10 years or older.
There are no regulations for who can breed and sell kittens, which is why anyone can run a kitten mill. There could be a kitten mill down the street, and it would be hard to tell since most are in the space of one room. The sheer number of kitten mills is what also leads to homelessness and overpopulation of kittens, since many kittens are tossed onto the street if they're deemed unfit to be sold.
Below are some examples of the conditions in a kitten mill:
A kitten mill is where, essentially, cats are bred over and over for their looks and traits to be passed down to their kittens. Cats are normally kept in terrible conditions that include feces and urine covered floors, overcrowded cages, and wire flooring. The main cause of the living conditions is often money, since the owners of a kitten mill want a larger profit and low maintenance. Kitten mills will often be severely understaffed, meaning the kittens there will have very little human interaction, lack exercise, and are poorly socialized. Kittens are often separated from their mothers at a very young age which causes them to be developmentally impaired which also contributes to their poor social skills.
In a kitten mill, adult cats (both male and female) are trapped in cages until they aren't able to reproduce, which is often for most or all of their life. Most responsible breeders "retire" their female cats used for breeding while they are still young, but kitten mills breed their cats that are ages 6-10 years or older.
There are no regulations for who can breed and sell kittens, which is why anyone can run a kitten mill. There could be a kitten mill down the street, and it would be hard to tell since most are in the space of one room. The sheer number of kitten mills is what also leads to homelessness and overpopulation of kittens, since many kittens are tossed onto the street if they're deemed unfit to be sold.
Below are some examples of the conditions in a kitten mill:
Works Cited
"Are You Buying from a Puppy or Kitten Mill?" Zoe's Animal Rescue. N.p., 16 Feb. 2016. Web. 24 July 2017.
Arnold, Brooke. "Proposed Bill Would Ban the Sale of Non-Rescue Cats & Dogs Across Entire State of California." The Catington Post. N.p., 07 Apr. 2017. Web. 24 July 2017.
Bardroff, Jenna. "Heard About Puppy Mills? Now Learn the Shocking Truth About Kitten Mills." One Green Planet. N.p., 24 July 2014. Web. 24 July 2017.
"Cat Breeding Regulations - "Too Many Cats"." Animal Advocates Society. N.p., 2001. Web. 24 July 2017.
Lacoste, Kristine. "Kitten Mills Do Exist. Here's How We Can Stop Them." Petful. N.p., 04 Apr. 2013. Web. 24 July 2017.
Norwood, Christina. "10 Reasons To Save A Life By Adopting A Cat." Odyssey. N.p., 06 June 2016. Web. 24 July 2017.
I wasn't aware of this issue! Thanks for raising awareness about this horrible problem in our world!
ReplyDeleteAre those dead cat pancakes lying on the ground in the first picture? How cruel, truely disappointing, I've lost hope in humanity.
ReplyDeleteWe must raise awareness about dead cat pancakes. Please sign this petition at https://www.ipetitions.com/petition/deadcatpancakes
Delete...That is an actual website.... Why is that an actual website.
DeleteIt's truly horrifying to learn that such places exist. More people need to know about this.
ReplyDeleteWow, thank you for informing us about this topic, I've always known that places like this exists but I had never even heard of the term "kitten mill" until now. It's great that you went into so much detail about the background of this issue. Keep up the good work. :)
ReplyDelete