I realise that I am hammering away at the same old problem but we have to because change is needed and it’s not happening. I feel sorry for the cat of course. The coat is far too long for the cat to maintain. It requires human intervention regularly. The coat on this particular modern Persian is exceptionally long. It’ll be a nightmare to maintain and to avoid matting.
The face is abnormally flat causing tear duct overflow and breathing issues. I remember one Persian cat owner saying that her cat couldn’t eat properly because he inhaled the food while he ate. It was really distressing for her. When I see this cat I don’t see beauty, I see abject failure; failure in people to regulate their relationship with the domestic cat properly. A failure to focus on health over appearance.
https://twitter.com/i/status/1081401674818715648
And 35% of all modern Persians suffer from PKD – polycystic kidney disease. Unbelievable but true apparently. A total failure in cat breeding in my view and common sense tells us that this cat should never have been allowed by the cat associations. It is an exercise in self-indulgence. It is cat cruelty basically.
There’ll be people who say this cat is beautiful etc.. I have to accept that beauty is in the eye of the beholder but where there is a lack of functionality and inbuilt ill-health there cannot be beauty. Nature creates beauty. The domestic cat is beautiful as nature created her. Human intervention does not improve nature and often, as is evident here, makes things a lot worse.
To be brutally honest, there is no place for cat breeding in the modern world as there are too many unwanted cats. You can’t justify it. I’d like to hear someone try. I like pedigree cats as much as anyone else. Some breeds are beautiful such as the Maine Coon but even this most popular breed has inbuilt health issues which is not the case with random bred cats. What I mean is that breeders of Maine Coons have increased the prevalence of certain diseases over the norm.
Let’s deal with the unwanted cat problem before we allow ourselves the self-indulgence of playing God with the domestic cat through selective breeding. For me the domestic cat world is too sloppy. There is not enough rigour in it through a greater concern for their health and welfare. People too casually accept the suffering of animals.
Perhaps I set too high a standard but I don’t think so. Perhaps I am too ready to see failure and ignore the successes. I don’t think so because there are thousands of pages celebrating the domestic cat in this site. Despite countless thousands of great cat guardians doing a great job, the overall standard of cat ‘ownership’ remains too low.
The flat-faced Persian is an example of that failure. P.S. This cat appears to be irritated by something on his/her lips but is unable to alleviate it. What is it I wonder?
Of course I agree with you Michael. I’ve also seen the video of the guy yelling at this poor thing for being a monster, which is very, very disturbing and sad.
People who know me well know I bloody hate cat and dog breeders,when I hear a friend has bought a pure bred I want to shake them until their heads lop off their shoulder,it is cruel and egregious.
Many breeds of cats, dogs and horses are not jam packed with genetic deformities that are or were viewed as acceptable to the judges in their respective show circuits.
I don’t like calling that cat a monstrosity. It is a victim of abuse.
I agree with all you say, Michael, as probably most of your loyal readers do. It seems that humanity is now at it’s lowest level as far as relationship to other humans or living beings. It seems at times that we’re revisiting the Dark Ages.
I wish I was younger and had more energy to be an activist in the field, but those days are gone. Now my words are my only defense for those who suffer cruelty at the hands of the ignorant and egocentric.
Well said. I don’t have the energy needed anymore either. It’s exhausting just thinking how cruel and pervasive it all is.
Probably irritated/in pain due to an horrendous train wreck of teeth growing at all the wrong angles.
When morons breed flat faced cats or dogs, the teeth stay at the same number but have no space to grow straight. These beings live in a world of constant pain.
Behind the grotesque exterior of all of the flat faced breed faces you will find massive dysfunctional, skeletal/soft tissue, deformity, causing terrible breathing/eating/swallowing/grooming problems which are not able to be solved by surgery.
Sometimes the skulls have deformity that puts pressure on the brain and/or brain development, so you have an animal that may have significant problems with cognition and motor control
The skulls of these poor beings are fucked.
Fucked by greedy idiot, deluded fools who believe they can do a better job than nature.
Build a big bonfire, put all unethical breeders, show judges and the fuckwits who buy/admire these poor beings on the top. Throw a lit match, stand back, enjoy the flames. Ignore the screams.
Then, adopt, don’t shop.
Poor, poor cat.
Brutal solution but deserved and I’d bring marshmallows.