Okay, so here is a funny thing. Did you know that here in Sierra Leone, if you want to get a kitten, they will NOT sell it to you. Sierra Leonean cats are NOT for sale. So, how does one go about getting a kitten...you have to MARRY it...yes, it is true. Marriages here are arranged. A young man will see a lady that he likes, then he has to go to her family and arrange to marry her. In order to make these arrangements, he has to "pull kola" or take a gift to the family. This is usually money, chickens, sheep, goats, rice...anything of value. The family will then negotiate for the dowry, which is paid out over time... after the first child is weaned (if he is still pleased with her)... when her father dies... etc. A cat, fortunately, is not spread out over time...perhaps because their lifespan is not that long. However, one has to visit the cat several times, showing how interested you are in caring for the cat...and THEN you negotiate with the family how much of a "kola" you are willing to pay for the cat. Once you pay the agreed price, you go home with the cat and you have formed a relationship now with the cat's first home... or mother and father. Interesting isn't it... how hard it is to catch mice around here. :)