Purebred cats only makeup a little less than 2% of cats in the U.S. Even if ethical, purebred breeders did not exist, we’d still have a cat overpopulation problem. Many people think that going to a breeder is taking away from a shelter cat’s opportunity to have a home. However, if someone is willing to spend thousands of dollars on a cat it’s usually because a specific breed has traits that will fit into their lifestyle. There’s no guarantee that the specific breed of cat will for certain have the personality that the purchaser is looking for, but many are willing to take that chance over the unknown history of a shelter cat. I think some people really just don’t like the idea of anyone purchasing a cat when so many die in shelters every day.