Can we clarify--what is a "rescue cat"?

[ginnyinWI]

I see this term more and more. Is it any cat who is adopted from a shelter or similar situation--a cat needing a home--or is it something more, like a cat you personally rescued from the outdoors, or from "death row"? If you adopt from a no-kill shelter, is that still a rescue? Or is it a cat with special needs?

Conversely, then, what cats and kittens are NOT rescues? That would leave out purebred/pedigreed cats, cats deliberately bred, and cats sold (as opposed to adoptedd) from pet shops, I assume? (I don't even know of any pet shops that sell cats anymore--around here they allow shelters to showcase adoptable cats and kittens in their stores.)

[shenmue]

1. It is generally a cat from a shelter or rescue organization

[beam me up scottie]

2. One who saves its human.

Mine do it every day.

[TygrBright]

3. This, yep. n/t

[applegrove]

5. Sweet.

[mopinko]

4. why would anyone care?

wtf?

[get the red out]

10. I agree

My dog came from a shelter; but her littler was brought there as puppies and were highly sought after. We were lucky to get her, all eight were adopted within two days of being ready for their homes. Our girl has never missed a meal. But she did rescue us!

[meow2u3]

6. I include cats taken in as strays as rescues

If you take in a stray, you've rescued him or her from a slow, torturous death. That's how come I call my Ruby a rescue; I took her in when she was a kitten kicked out of the house she was born in and certainly would have suffered an early death.

[narnian60]

8. Absolutely.

[rox63]

7. I've got one I took in from the street and one from a shelter

And I consider both of them rescues.

[narnian60]

9. Absolutely again.

[ginnyinWI]

11. I may be biased--

--because I volunteer regularly at my local no-kill shelter, but I think it is unkind, to say the least, to breed cats deliberately when there are so many out there that need homes. Would the people who buy them not be adopting one from a shelter if there were no purebreeds? Ordinary cats are super, and I don't understand, except maybe for selfish reasons like vanity, prestige, etc., why anyone would "need" a purebred cat. But where there is money to be made, people will go for it.

[narnian60]

13. Completely agree.

Same thing goes for dogs.

[mopinko]

12. i have 2 terriers that i call full price rescues.

bought them from a backyard breeder in southern ohio. they were 7 months old,, and had never been in the house. if i hadnt bought them, they would have ended up popping puppies.
crazy girls.

[catbyte]

14. I call my 3 spoiled felines "rescues" because I literally rescued them from either the outside or

because they were on their way to the pound. Then, like others have said, they rescued me right back!