What affects us affects cats
I’ve picked out three pictures of blue British Shorthair cats which I consider to be bred to an extreme level (I added a fourth). I think it’s instructive to have a look at these pictures of cats. The first one you might describe as monstrous. It is definitely a cat but is nothing like …
The domestic cat, we have to admit, has an unexpressive face compared to that of humans. This allows us to project our thoughts onto our cat. The reason is because their ability to be social is only a few thousand years old. The domestic cat has evolved from a solitary animal to a social …
My belief is that the whole purpose of cat breeding is to selectively breed cats which have as near as possible a perfect appearance according to the breed standard and in order to achieve this the breeder has to ensure that the genes of a first-class cat are transferred to their offspring and so …
‘Punch face’ is an unfortunate term to describe the modern Persian cat. The term is based on violence which makes it innapropriate. This is a punch face cat: Below is an alternative image. The Persian cat in the image below is more a flat-faced Persian while the one above has some doll face characteristics: …
This is another extraordinary looking Maine Coon. I have described the cat’s muzzle as massive. It is very strong and lion-like. It would seem that the breeder is deliberately trying to create cats that look like lions. The Maine Coon’s face lends itself to this kind of breeding. Another ‘extreme’ Maine Coon breeder in …
This is a classic Helmi Flick studio photograph of SC Surreal’s Trick of Treat ‘Fruit Loops’. She was 8-months-of-age at the time of the photograph. She was bred by Leesa and Mike Altschul. Apparently she behaved well in the studio (‘Gold Star Kitty’) which is at the home of Helmi and Ken Flick. I …
Periodontitis appears to be more common in Siamese cats and the family of breeds associated with the Siamese e.g. the Oriental Shorthair. And increased susceptibility also occurs among cats who have repeated viral respiratory infections. Periodontitis progresses from gingivitis and is an infection of the teeth and gums. The supporting structures of the teeth …
The airline company Virgin Australia has banned flat-faced cats (and dogs) due to a spike in ‘issues across the industry’. Qantas suspended their animal service to flat-faced breeds in December 2019, as I understand it. They cite well known health issues with these cat and dogs breeds: breathing problems due to their distorted anatomy …
