I’ll tell you what is wrong with Grumpy Cat – people; that is what is wrong. People exploiting a cat with bone deformities that appear to be throughout her body including her jaw, which gives her the grumpy appearance. I know I am being grumpy myself but I don’t get all this hype and nonsense about this cat who appears to be ill to me. She appears to be in discomfort. No one has discussed that point. People are assuming she is fine.
Putting aside for a minute the bone deformities and the strange grumpy expression, she seems unhappy. In one video the cat’s owner is playing with her and she lacks interest. In another we see her walking on the carpet. Her gait is uncomfortable and her legs look deformed. She heads straight for a little hiding place. This video has 1 million views. What is so fascinating about seeing a small, ill cat struggling to walk and then hiding? She is probably getting away from the ruddy video camera that is hounding her day and night.
Grumpy cat whose name is Tardar Sauce has been on television and a YouTube channel is dedicated to her.
Look, I am just pointing out an alternative viewpoint. I don’t think it is right to do all this videoing for the delectation of the masses without checking her medical condition. Has anyone provided a full report on her medical condition? If not her caretaker should have.
You can’t make money out of your cat if she is ill. It appears she is a dwarf cat, possibly a Munchkin. She also seems to be Snowshoe cat but might not be purebred. She may be a purebred Munchkin with a Snowshoe coat which is pointed (dark extremities) with white fur on the points due to the piebald gene. Update: there is a page on this site about Grumpy’s parents. We are told that she is random bred. Mother: calico. Father: mackerel tabby. Both are normal looking cats. It is hard to believe they created Grumpy.
The medical condition that dwarf cats suffer from is called achondroplasia. It is caused by a genetic mutation. As can be seen in the video it causes shorted limbs. The body is normal sized. The big issue is whether this condition affects other parts of the body. And the answer is yes, it does.
There are numerous other medical issues, at least potentially. As I mentioned the jaw appears to have become deformed resulting in a downward curvature of the mouth. Some other health problems associated with achondroplasia are inward curvature of the spine (lordosis) and a distorted chest cavity (pectus).
There are other possible severe medical conditions that can afflict a dwarf cat. Click on this link for a full discussion on dwarf cat health issues.
I am not saying that Grumpy Cat suffers from these health problems. I don’t know. However, she seems ill and unhappy. Under these circumstances it is wrong to exploit her for money. Making a large number of videos of her and incorporating adverts into the videos can make a decent amount of money if there are lots of views.
One last point. This cat was probably bred deliberately knowing the cat would be a dwarf cat. That appears to compound the dubious ethical standards associated with the whole human circus surrounding this vulnerable and cute cat.
I’m a grumpy old man. I understand grumpy cats.
Update: Since writing this the exploitation has escalated dramatically, with photo-shoots and a movie in the pipe line. Statements by the owners about giving some money to charity are meaningless. A lot of money is being made and this cat is being hawked around the place like a commodity.
I have two cats and even my 17-year old cat who is grumpy and old would never let a stranger pick him up like that without clawing for his life. That cat is sick or has been tranquilized.
I own a dog with bone deformities in both front legs and shes absolutly as happy as can be, just because the cat has a deformitie doesnt mean its in pain, if you’ve ever owned cats you know that at times their a bit grumpy 😛 or you could get one that just doesnt like to play, it’s how cats are, so calm down and enjoy the beauty the is Tard the Grumpy cat, because it’s aboarble, and I’m sure she makes a lot of people happy and brings a lot of joy, laughs, and smiles
Tard looks grumpy because of bone deformities not because she is grumpy. We don’t know if she is in discomfort. She looks it. And finally, I am very calm indeed. Thanks for visiting and commenting.
The facts are…they love their cat and there are several videos of her playing and cuddling. While her nickname isn’t very PC, she is a cat…she doesn’t know that “Tard” is a rude name, and since that’s what her previous owners named her…making her respond to a new name would confuse her. Finally, they donate a large % of what they make to animal charities and shelters. Their cat was born different…they aren’t exploiting it, they’re giving her a following of loving supporters and using her differences to raise money for other animals who might not be adopted because they look different.
James, you put up a good argument. Well done. But (a) I’ll need some evidence that what you say is true (I am not saying you are not saying the truth I just need more that words in a comment) and (b) it is still morally wrong to do this and that applies to all cat videos of a similar kind and there are lots. I still object to it and the cat’s owner are still making money from their cat and it could be quite a lot now as film companies are involved.
Also they made the videos with the intention of making money not to help cats in general. This is exploitation of a disabled cat no matter how you dice the arguments and try and justify the whole thing.
There is no “previous owner”. Tardar Sauce is a result of their neighbor’s cat wandering by and mating with their unspayed female.
Was the unspayed female purebred? The markings on Tardar are very unusual for a moggie and Tardar is a dwarf cat too. That is also rare.
you people need to find something worth worrying about
I am not worried about Tard. I gave up doing that sort of thing years ago. I am just concerned about the lack of decency across YouTube in exploiting domestic cats. I have to right to express that concern. Also I think it is an important point. Something you have missed. It goes to the heart of our relationship with the cat. The Grumpy Cat video and other similar videos shows our general disrespect for the domestic cat.
how do you feel about the current “dog shaming” trend? I’m seeing more and more videos of cat shaming popping up.
Never heard of it until you mentioned it. It seems to be an extension of the cheeseburger concept. For me it is generally harmless but stupid. What happens is that webmasters want to find a new concept to make bucks and then jump on new ideas. Web surfers are bored and want to visit new fun sites. It is bored humans chasing a bit of fun and webmasters making a few bucks from that idle amusement.
It is generally not immoral because the dogs are healthy and the captions are just fun but it is a form of mild exploitation nonetheless.
Cats ARE worth worrying about Jane!
I agree,I hope that Tard is being taken care of properly,and hope that he is not in pain,with all the money being made from the way he looks I hope so.I think he should be given a break from the constant camera in his face and get some real play time.
Thank you Susan for your support. Thanks too for visiting.
That poor cat Grumpy looks very unhappy & obviously she’s very ill & in chronic pain; Ms Kim Kardashian was given a pure white kitten her name was Mercy but every picture taken of her she looked very depressed, angry or ill. Ms Kardashian gave Mercy to a lady, sadly few weeks later she died of inoperable cancer. Not an overnight problem at all.
Anytime a young kitten/puppy is adopted it’s very important to have a vet checked them out. There’s no excuse nor reason not to, just imagine the horrible pain/discomfort Mercy was in, what makes it even worse money was not the issue but neglicence seemingly was.
Southeast Arizona (USA)