Domestic cats are struggling to keep up with our expectations in 2022

There will have to be far more controlled, selective breeding of domestic cats to create a companion animal which is more able to keep up with our expectations than is currently the case. Dr. Bradshaw in his book Cat Sense states that up until about 30 years ago the domestic cat kept up with the demands of humans. But nowadays they struggle to do so.

Selectively bred cat to meet human expectations
Selectively bred cat to meet human expectations. Image: MikeB.
Two useful tags. Click either to see the articles: Toxic to cats | Dangers to cats

What he is talking about is this: there is far more concern nowadays about domestic cat predation on wildlife because there is more concern about wildlife conservation. This has been brought about, I argue, by the destruction of the planet by humans and as humans are unable to change their ways, they are forcing a change upon the domestic cat instead.

And there is a trend to keep cats indoors full-time. People don’t want their cats to roam away from the home. But back in the day people didn’t mind. These topics were not on the agenda.

But there are far more non-purebred cats than purebred cats. This applies to any country. Non-purebred cats i.e. moggies, are not selectively bred. Their creation is through natural selection (Darwinian science). Moggies are not created to behave in a certain way, to have a certain character and a certain appearance which suits humans.

But humans need to create cats which have a certain character, a character which is less desirous of roaming and hunting which can be achieved through selective breeding. You can create cats which are less interested in hunting and more suited to a full-time indoor life. And in creating such a cat they will meet the expectations of their human caregiver. There will be greater harmony between cat and human in the modern stressed-up world.

The cat is perhaps unique in this sense. Dogs have been selectively bred for far longer than cats. There are far more dog breeds than cat breeds. This means that dogs have been created to fit in better with human family life. The cat is still regarded as being independent and “aloof”. Some argue that they are barely domesticated. When they go outside to roam, they revert to their wild nature.

In the foreseeable future, natural evolution is not going to produce a cat that has no desire to hunt and that is “as socially tolerant as a dog” in the words of Dr. Bradshaw. There is an urgency about the need to create cats which benefit the current expectations of humankind and to help eliminate the criticisms by conservationists, ornithologists and bird lovers.

This is a topic which has only been discussed, it seems to me, by Dr. Bradshaw in his book. It’s a bit disturbing because it means that there should be more cat breeders which I don’t particularly like the idea of because there are too many rescue cats that need homes and to create more cats through deliberate breeding undermines overall cat welfare. There will need to be a coordinated response.

Perhaps in a more authoritarian world, a government would issue an order that henceforth all domestic cats are going to be selectively bred to have a character which takes away the desire to hunt and which makes them fluffy and passive but entertaining companions who love being inside the family home. That’s a fiction but it might become fact one day.

Trying to select the right cat breed.

Person asks, “I want a beautiful cat that is affectionate and loving. What breed makes the best cat?”

I'm going to answer the questions in the title which are on the quora.com website. I like to do that ...
Four desirable Bengal kittens looking healthy

Do Bengal cats have breathing problems?

Four desirable Bengal kittens looking healthy. Picture in the public domain as assessed. Yes, a Bengal kitten might have breathing ...
Siberian (Nevsky Masquerade) boy: 'Feofan Nevskiy Modern'

Siberian cat is the most genetically diverse among the breeds while the Burmese and Singapura are the most inbred

Siberian (Nevsky Masquerade) boy: 'Feofan Nevskiy Modern'. Photo as per the photograph. I'm going to refer to a study of ...
Our desired cat

All domestic cats should be selectively breed. Discuss.

You can categorise domestic cats two ways: purebred and random bred. The default category is random bred. There are far ...
Difference between random bred tabby cat and Bengal cat in appearance

Is a Bengal cat a tabby cat?

Yes, all Bengal cats are tabby cats. I'll explain. 'Bengal cats' are a cat breed. 'Tabby cats' are domestic, stray ...

Please search using the search box at the top of the site. You are bound to find what you are looking for.

Useful tag. Click to see the articles: Cat behavior
follow it link and logo

Note: sources for news articles are carefully selected but the news is often not independently verified.

I welcome and value comments. Please share your thoughts. All comments are currently unmoderated.

This blog is seen in 199 of the world's country's according to Google Analytics which is pretty much the entire world.

Scroll to Top