Breeding Cats

The desire for the human race to have an animal as a friend and companion will likely never go away. While some people don't see the appeal of having a pet in the home, others could not imagine life without one.

I'm one of those who can't imagine life without (at least) one.

Legal

In Canada, Judges have no obligation to consider the best interest of animals during pet custody disputes, they settle custody issues as property disputes.

Obligation

People need to understand - when they bring home a pet, it is a lifelong commitment to the animal.

We have a moral imperative to take care of them when we choose to bring them in to our homes.

Sentient Beings

Animals are sentient beings. This means they have the capacity to experience positive and negative feelings such as pleasure, joy, pain and distress .

They form attachments to each other and they form attachments to us and other animals in the household.

Disposable World

There is a growing desire for instant gratification and we live in a disposable world. But - it's not too late to raise the next generation to be responsible stewards of tour companion animals and our ecosystem!.

Millions of animals around the world genuinely need intervention and rescue, and that's why rescue was started in the first place—to help animals in need.

Animal cruelty was first recognized as an issue in Britain in the 1820s. In response, the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA) was founded in 1824. This animal welfare group focused on shifting perceptions of how dogs were treated.

The SPCA came to the United States in 1866. It was started by a man named Henry Burgh, who was mocked and ridiculed by many because most were indifferent to the plight of dogs. But the concept didn’t end there, and we saw the SPCA continue to grow.

Just three short years later, in 1869, the first animal shelter was set up by the Women’s SPCA of Pennsylvania. Over 150 years later, the center is still operational, serving as Bucks County, PA’s only open-intake shelter, and offers adoption, training, and veterinary services.

Not long after it was founded, Women’s Animal Center established one of the first humane education programs in America. Generations later, the focus is still on working with youth to build a more compassionate future for animals.

While the early shelters started as a place for horses to go, they have expanded over the years to include dogs, cats, and other small animals.

Reference: https://blog.myollie.com/the-history-of-animal-shelters/

The Problem

The problem is not that there are too many wonderful, loving cats, dogs, rabbits, and guinea pigs on the planet—the problem is that there are too many animals with physical and psychological challenges and too many people who do not want to be responsible. The general population does not want these animals for many different reasons and they are discarded, leaving the rescue sector to take over the responsibility and pick up the tab.

Another Part of the Problem

Another part of the problem is that while some people genuinely care about breeding and raising healthy, happy companion animals, there is a group that vilifies and bullies them, and I've personally experienced this many times. This attitude and behaviour is responsible for people going underground, so to speak.

"Purebreds"

We are given dire warnings not to intentionally breed animals who are not "purebred".

Purebred animals have a pedigree (a record of when/where the parents, grandparents, and great-grandparents came from), and the offspring are registered with a breed club or organization.

Dogs were initially bred to serve a purpose. They had a job to do, and the ones who were good at their jobs were intentionally bred so more dogs could do the jobs that needed to be done. But, there is no room on a farm or ranch for bonehead animals, especially ones who disrupt the animals or crops being raised for income.

Cats, however, started living with us because we provided a source of food for them.

When the human race started settling down and growing crops to feed themselves, those grain-producing plants attracted rodents as an easy source of food. In turn, those rodents attracted cats because they were an easy source of food for them.

Cats didn't live with us because they wanted to as dogs do, but because we served a purpose for them, and - survival is top-notch on the list of things to do in life.

While it's generally believed that "purebred" animals are somehow special, the reality is that every purebred cat is a mix of cats from the distant past.

For example, early cats people chose to keep their laps warm were Persians. These cats came from Turkey, which is also the home to the Turkish Angora, a different breed of longhaired cat. In the 19th century, the descendants of these Turkish cats were bred with some of the cats from Italy, and that was the beginning of the modern Persian. Although this breed is ancient, it is also man-made. (Wikipedia)

The Russian Blue breed is believed to have originated in the port of Arkhangelsk, Russia; these cats were said to be the favoured pets of Russian czars and aristocrats. Sweden, Finland, and Denmark crossbred Russian Blues with Siamese cats to produce slightly longer and more angular kitties. They crossbred with Bluepoint Siamese and British Blues in Great Britain for thicker, stockier cats. (https://www.aspcapetinsurance.com/)

The Maine Coon is considered one of the oldest natural breeds in North America, specifically native to the state of Maine, where it is the official state cat. Genetic testing suggests the Maine Coon is a descendant of both the Norwegian Forest cat and a mysterious extinct domestic breed, so it's likely the Vikings are responsible. (https://www.cattownoakland.org/)

The Nebelung breed was developed by a woman named Cora Cobb in the 1980s. The founding cats came from two separate litters made by the same parents: a black domestic shorthair and a longhaired male that looked like a black angora. (https://www.thesprucepets.com/nebelung-cat-breed-profile-4770585)

So, let's all get off our high horses when we are talking about how special "purebreds" are.

Health Over The Years

There is absolutely no doubt that the inbreeding and line-breeding done to produce an animal with a very specific appearance have not been good choices for the human race, especially as far as the long-term health of the animal is concerned.

Scientists talk about inbreeding depression, and it is not uncommon for some of these highly prized animals to have only one or two offspring, and some can no longer bear their offspring naturally; they must have cesareans to do the job.

Aside from the reduction in the gene pool of these breeds, many important aspects of natural birthing directly relate to the animal's long-term health.

The development of the microbiome begins in utero, however factors related to the labor and birth environment have been shown to influence the initial colonization process of the newborn microbiome. This “seeding” or transfer of microbes from the mother to newborn may serve as an early inoculation process with implications for the long-term health outcomes of newborns. Studies have shown that there are distinct differences in the microbiome profiles of newborns born vaginally compared to those born by cesarean.

And that's not even getting into the physical deformities created by these "high-end breeders" like the Persian cat's indented face or the spinal and degenerative joint diseases of breeds like the Munchkin, Manx, and Twisty Cats.

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