What affects us affects cats
“Inbreeding depression” is a euphemism for a general lack of health in an individual purebred cat which has been selectively bred (using artificial selection) for appearance, which automatically incorporates inbreeding. Cat breeders often have to inbreed their purebred cats in order to fix their appearance. This is because the appearance is held on a …
For some time, now, those who are in the know understand that some dog and cat breeds have been selectively bred to extreme to emphasise their facial features which are dictated by the breed standards. However, breeders tend to overemphasise these guidelines in order to gain an advantage and in doing so you get …
We know that most domestic cats are “moggies” i.e., non-purebred cats. They been created through natural selection whereas purebred cats are created through artificial selection a.k.a. selective breeding. We also know that domestic cats are wonderful predators. It is their raison d’être. They are built to hunt and kill. It is a problem for …
There is a policy called the Five Freedoms which applies to farm livestock, and which has been mentioned in a study about the adaptation of domestic cats to confinement. It is something that I had not considered before. There are challenges in keeping a domestic cat confined to the home particularly when it’s a …
On my travels through the Internet today I have bumped into what appears to be a huge problem with Sphynx cats: smelly, loose stools in nightmarish quantities. There really are some horror stories on the Internet. One Sphynx owner says that she changes the entire litter tray every time her cat goes to the …
This is a focused, single question which must result in a response along the same lines. Your typical F5 Bengal cat, which is the default standard Bengal cat in people’s homes will be the same size as an average domestic cat. The breed standards for this breed should guide us as to what the …
The cat skeleton is both strong and light having evolved for speed and agility, which is demonstrated in the cat’s wonderfully graceful movements including its jumping and climbing skills. The back is highly flexible, which is geared for speed. And the shoulder blade (scapula) is unattached to the main skeleton providing more flexibility. The …
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 …
