Adopting a purebred or almost purebred cat

As most of you know, I’m partial to tortoiseshell cats. People often think that torties are a breed, but they’re not. The name simply refers to their beautiful coloring, which is theresult of aninteraction between genetic and developmental factors. It should come as no surprise that I was drawn to torties when I was ready to adopt again after losing Buckley and then Amber.

In much the same way, some people are drawn to a specific breed of cat, and frequently, this notion steers them away from...