They are lovely cats and I love them both.
One (who is now almost 11 years old) is from a no-kill shelter (that I donate money to) and the other one was at the local shelter where they kill them.
Said kitten from the shelter is now a 5 year old cat and she is perfect in every way; never makes any mistakes or gives you cause to correct her. She was so happy that I adopted her. To this day, she still sleeps on the little Boogie Mat I got her as a little 2 lb. kitten filled with worms. She remembers; all of it.
When I got her, she was very sick. Had I not adopted her that day, they would have figured out that she was very sick and they'd have put her down and she would not exist today. 
People that buy animals ... ugh ... won't comment further because I know where this is going in my mind from puppy mills to greedy breeders that enjoy inbreeding. 
You are very right, people need to get involved and stop buying animals just because they want a particular type. I'll keep my two cats (one is likely a purebred and the one one is your classic American Shorthair with very short legs to go with the short hair!).
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