My first cat, Suzy, was found in a parking lot of the apartment building I lived in. My next cat, Mike, was from a pet store. Not a pure bred purchase but one of the programs similar to those Spencer has mentioned. Foster famillies or shelters bring the cats to a store and for a fee of 10-15$ you get the cat, and start off supplies such as litter box, litter, food, and a couple of toys, plus a discount certificate for spay or neutering. I visited a shelter for the first time when I adopted my dog, Dusty. It is so hard to enter a shelter, knowing that a lot of these animals will end of euthanised. I wanted to take them all home with me. Even after I chose Dusty I was still near tears at the thought of the ones that wouldn't find homes. I'm thinking about volunteering at our local shelter but I try to choose activities that my 11 yr old can particpate in. I'm not sure she will be able to handle knowing that some of the animals she has helped care for will be put to sleep. I think that with the horrible past that some of these animals have had to endure, I would be giving them at least a little happiness before they die. I'm just not sure my daughter will be able to handle it.