First and foremost, a Purebred Rescue program is the safety net for cats of any recognizable breed that find themselves homeless and in shelters.

In some extreme situations, that same safety net can extend to cats that, because of emergency situations, are in danger, but have not yet been relinquished to a shelter. This can include such situations as owners who suffer serious illness or death. As a general rule, it is not wise for a rescue program to routinely accept all direct owner relinquishments of cats. In those emergency situations where a rescue does accept such cats, care must be taken to obtain written authorization by the owner, or if that person is incapacitated, by the family.

A rescue program ideally will involve removal of cats from high risk situations, with the rescue group assuming full responsibility for the vetting and adoption process. Alternatively, it might include other activities, such as coordinating transport and rescues, providing expertise in identifying purebred cats, designating donations to the shelter for care of specific purebred cats, providing help to shelter personnel in grooming cats in preparation for adoption, transporting and many other similar activities.

Rescue, in some cases, will mean "cleaning up" after the few less than scrupulous breeders - those who do not exercise proper care in choosing homes for their kittens, and who do not provide the education that new owners need to ensure that the animal will be in that home for life. As a result, the cats will usually be poor representatives of their breeds. Some, in fact, will require the rescuer to make a close judgment call at the shelter in order to determine whether, for instance, the cat in that cage really is or is not a particular breed (rarely are papers relinquished with the cat). Generally, any genuine doubt should be resolved in the cat's favor.

Purebred Rescue is a part of the puzzle that can help achieve the goal of no unnecessary shelter euthanasia. It is the part of the puzzle where the organized cat fancy offers unique expertise and actively participates.