The whole “purebred” thing always seems weird to me, “purebred” royal families aren’t pretty but full of genetic defects, why should it be an better with cats or dogs.
Nearly every cat I ever had was once a stray and I wouldn’t trade that for the world.
You don’t to have a pet cat
The cat chooses you as their pet
Honestly it’s always something magical when a cat decides ah yes you are my human. It’s like the dark souls version of getting a dog. And thusly cats in a way are the peak of loyalty because no one else can win a cats favor.
I was at cat lounge/rescue/adoption place in my area recently (not to adopt, just to pet the cats) and one of the cats, a maybe ~7mo female tabby with a slightly fucked up ear named Maggie, after spending most of the time I was there hiding in a corner, decided she liked me, came up to me, sat down on my lap, and refused to budge. One of the staff members came up to say “hey man you’re at your time limit, but I can see you’re in a situation here so just… whenever is chill”
I love this
This just reminded me of a good scene in the book The House in the Cerulean Sea. Minor spoiler, the character has a cat that chooses him.
Perchance these competitions should have a points deducted by the animals quality of life. Of the poor thing has a hard time breathing -10 points idk
The animal would get a medal for doing its best and the human would get a cone of shame so they know what it’s like.
Norway is doing something about it:
The court ruled that the breeding of brachycephalic (flat-faced) dogs is cruel and results in man-made health problems, and is in violation of Norway’s Animal Welfare Act.
aren’t pretty but full of genetic defects
Nature despises purity.
The concept of breed purity is completely artificial
Every one acts like every purebreed is a medical oddity when really it’s just an increased likelihood of defects for certain breeds. I can tell you right now any animal can hurt your pocket the second they decide your gold plated anal beads look like a tasty treat.
that is quite specific, what did they run you?
Not me, a friend.
Counterpoint: The pug.
Counterpoint The Russian Blue. A perfectly healthy breed of cat
Fair. My point was more that there are some breeds where it’s not just “more likely” to have poor health.
Which “pocket” are we talking about here? Also, get health insurance for your pets people.
That seems sort of cruel when some people can’t afford health insurance for their people.
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People dont have $50 a month. What ever what ever, no one should have a pet unless they can afford it and all the animals that can’t find homes should be put down.
You can get it as cheaply as $17 a month. And the person I was replying to said your pet would “hurt your pocket” when they eat something they’re not supposed to, implying that they would be paying for the expensive surgery. Most veterinary surgeries are $2K-$5k. Mid range health insurance is $50 per month or $600 per year, saving $1400- $4400 for a person who would be paying out of pocket otherwise.
Release a mouse, a bird, and a raccoon…
Hmm two possible reasons come to mind. First, purebred in terms of cats and dogs not necessarily meaning genetic defects. Second, having a defined breed gives the judges something to rate against.
I once was looking to get a cat and found the goofiest looking idiot on Craigslist. Turns out, it was a purebred Exotic Shorthair that was surrendered to a shelter because it didn’t look fucked-up enough (it could still kind of breathe through its nose). New owners wanted to recoup costs because they adopted another cat that was “more playful” and the exotic was getting eye-goop on their white carpets. A wonderful standard for purebreeds!
I changed his name from “Luigi” to “Waluigi”, and he was best best buddy for many many years.
Hopefully your giving him more love than Nintendo is giving their waluigi.
I did. He was my best buddy. (:
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Not necessarily? More like by default. Purebreds are a thing because of certain genetic traits and are bred to not only maintain them, but to enhance those traits. Because of all that inbreeding the propensity for certain diseases and cancers are vastly increased. A purebred dog or cat will with near certainty be riddled with cancer or disease by the time they start getting a bit older. I love both cats and dogs, but purebreds shouldn’t be a thing.
It’s the size of the population and the competence/goals of the breeders. Breeders chasing exaggerated traits at the expense of the animal’s health are the major problem.
There are “pure” breeds of every domestic animal that are healthy – provided it’s a line not perpetuated by selfish idiots. Domestic shorthair cats, various working breeds of dogs, horses, etc.
I like how you put “pure” in quotes because the way they keep those lines healthy is by occasionally mixing in other breeds.
No, it’s because I find the idea and the importance attached to it idiotic.
Having said that, I also believe it doesn’t automatically mean a breed is inbred and/or has health problems.
Random breeds are better than pedigree stuff.
They say pedigree i say inbred.
To introduce a little nuance, this is not always true in working dogs! What you want is to avoid in those cases are AKC (American Kennel Club) certified dogs; that’s where it gets in-breedy—seriously, look up some of the requirements a dog has to meet in its breed to qualify. It’s gross.
Anyhoo, in working dogs, a ‘pedigree’ is actually quite helpful because it shows that that dog comes from a long line of dogs who have been certified to do their job, and so your new farm pup is highly likely to be able to do it too. These breeds will usually have their own organization that oversees this; in border collies it’s the ABCA (American Border Collie Association). This organization judges the dogs not on the specific dimensions of their bodies like the AKC, but on their ability to do the job a farmer needs them for.
Sorry for the ramble, I have two border collies and I think working dogs are super neat.
Working dogs are great, but aren’t usually great pets. They need a job, an outlet, and usually a lot of structure.
They’re challenging for sure and I don’t recommend them to inexperienced/unprepared dog owners, but they can be amazing as pets! Very rewarding, especially once they get past the first year and a half or so. Then, if you’ve done well, you’ll almost have your own language with these dogs and they’ll understand almost everything you say to them. They’re incredible. I may honestly never have a different breed of dog.
The huge ‘BUT’ is definitely everything you just said. They need outlets for their energy (even if it’s just a hardcore game of fetch every day) and ways to engage their mind (Kong toys and smart balls do wonders for ours when it’s raining) or they can be very anxious, destructive, and generally neurotic.
Yep, grew up on a farm in Australia with kelpies. They’re great dogs and really lovely.
However, I’ve seen them appearing in the city a bit and that’s just a terrible idea all round. They need much more space and stimulation than they can get off a farm.
Wait, so I can take my cat somewhere and have them scratch someone else besides me?
Yes, but they may not get an A+ if they do.
Oh no, that’s S tier.
“Yup, definitely a cat.”
I see you have the M30W, nice nice. I prefer the M1A0 myself.
The NY44 is my weapon of choice.
What if my cat is an asshole?
“This cat is true to itself and for that it gets the greatest prize any cat would appreciate. Me admiring it from afar.”
Points for “character”.
A cat show without at least 3 human deaths is considered a dull affair
“son, do you have any godly idea how little that narrows it down?”
😸
Grand Prize
So, a regular cat?
They’re good cats, bront.
People know about cat breeds?
Orange and non-orange
the Garfield spectrum
Lovelable idiot and unruly bastard.
Wait I thought cats just appeared in your home one day?
I’ve yet to see anything proving otherwise
Orange, Void, Snowball, Standard Issue, Grim Reaper’s, The ones that look like Ron Perlman, The ones that look like Adam Driver, Massive, Smol
I think I covered all the breeds.
The ones that look like Ron Perlman, The ones that look like Adam Driver
Maine Coons and Oriental Shorthairs/Longhairs if anyone is wondering.
Garfield is different from Orange.
Who doesn’t know about Siamese?
And most people I know Have heard of Ragdolls, and Sphinxes at least.
Bombay is best bai.
Which is particularly ironic as the breed is known for its silky black coat, and bai can also mean “yellow mist”.
Bombay’s are great, but I’m partial to British shorthairs myself.
I learned a lot about siberians when I took to the internet to figure out why my stray kitten was so weird. Fun fact- they don’t reach maturity until 6 years old. Mine is 9 and still hasn’t gotten there.
They do make good pets for people who prefer dogs but want more chaos in the house.
We could just have that. A contest where you bring your cat, they get to play around for an afternoon, and the only outcome from the judge is “yep, that’s a cat”.
