America's top 2 cat associations should be ashamed of the Peke-face Persian

Here is another infographic about the health problems associated with the Peke-face Persian which is bred to extreme to create an entirely unnatural facial appearance which leads to many serious health problems. More to follow! Here are three concerning the mouth, coat and eyes. I am on the attack against cat associations which refuse to amend their breed standards to prioritise health in breeds.

When these cat associations - The International Cat Association (TICA) and the Cat Fanciers' Association (CFA) insist on certain anatomical features such as a sheer, flat face and a super-long hair you get the kind of health problem referred to in the infographic.

Flat-faced Persian cat coat, eye and mouth problems. INFOGRAPHIC. by Michael Broad

It is just not right that these cat associations have been encouraging and supporting breeders to create these unhealthy cats through their breed standards which, in Germany, would be called 'torture breeding' and banned.

There are other breeds that are inherently unhealthy and which should not exist such as the breed made popular by Taylor Swift who is incredibly influential; the Scottish Fold. She should be ashamed too. She is looked up to but she has her flaws, one of which is promoting an unhealthy breed that is also banned in Germany. The breed should not exist.

More: Vet accuses Taylor Swift of not being a true cat lover.

Below is a picture of a champion Peke-face Persian cat on TICA's website. Behind that image there is pain and distress in many ultra-Persian cats. It is a false representation of the state of this breed. It is a con basically.

 

7th Best Kitten Of The Year IW BW Dark Diamond’s Sebastian/CF. Image credit as stated in the photo.

P.S. please forgive the occasional typo. These articles are written at breakneck speed using Dragon Dictate. I have to prepare them in around 20 mins. Also: sources for news articles are carefully selected but the news is often not independently verified. Also, I rely on scientific studies but they are not 100% reliable.

All 45 cat breeds created in the United States of America

The US is by far the biggest marketplace (if that is the right phrase) for the domestic cat and it can be no surprise that by far the most cat breeds have been created there compared to any other country.

America, quickly followed Great Britain in developing a cat fancy (the breeding and showing of purebred cats). It all kicked off in the years immediately preceding the 20th century. 

Created in America 😹🙀😻🐈‍⬛. This is not a distinct cat breed but a cat representing all the breeds.

The first well-known cat show in America took place in 1895 at Madison Square Garden in New York City. Enthusiastic cat fanciers organized this event to promote cat breeding and showcasing in the United States. 🐾. It featured a variety of feline stars. Among them, a brown tabby Maine Coon emerged as the big winner. The event drew thousands of cat enthusiasts, showcasing both pedigreed and domestic cats.

The cat fancy was 'invented' by the English and the Americans took it too the next level. Their Cat Fanciers' Association (CFA) and The International Cat Association (TICA) are the best known cat associations in the world.

I would suggest that the American cat fancy exists thanks to the descendants of European immigrants. They brought with them their love of the domestic cat and then the purebred cat. 

There was a surge in cat breed creation in the middle of the 20th century which included a fascination with the wild cat hybrids, the most notable of which is the Bengal, a cross at F1 level between the Asiatic leopard cat and a non-purebred cat. The Savannah (serval cross) followed and there are others such as the Chausie (jungle cat cross).

But these wild cat hybrids were accepted with reluctance by the CFA, an old-school cat association. They believed that the wild cat genes made these cats unsuited to domestic life. At F5 they are fine. The CFA still does not accept the Savannah which is strange as at F5 the cat is no wilder then the F5 Bengal which is accepted. TICA accepted the wild cat hybrids.

RELATED: Cat History

1. American Bobtail (1960s)
2. American Curl (1981)
3. American Lynx (1980s)
4. American Shorthair (1966)
5. American Wirehair (1966)
6. Balinese (1940s)
7. Bengal (1963)
8. Bombay (1958)
9. California Rex (1959)
10. California Spangle (1971)
11. Chantilly (1967)
12. Chausie (1995)
13. Exotic Shorthair (1966)
14. Himalayan (1950s)
15. Javanese (1960s)
16. Karakul (1930s)
17. LaPerm (1986)
18. Longhair Exotic (1990s)
19. Maine Coon (1860s)
20. Malayan (1980)
21. Mei Toi (1994)
22. Mexican Hairless (1902)
23. Missouri Rex (1990s)
24. Munchkin (1991-Recognition Date)
25. Nebelung (1990s)
26. Ocicat (1964)
27. Ohio Rex (1944)
28. Ojos Azules (1984)
29. Oregon Rex (1959)
30. Peke-faced Persian (1930s)
31. Pixie-bob (1995)
32. RagaMuffin (1994)
33. Ragdoll (1960s)
34. Renegade (1997)
35. Safari Cat (1980s)
36. Savannah (1997?)
37. Selkirk Rex (1987)
38. Serengeti (1996?)
39. Si-Rex (1986)
40. Snow Cat (1990s)
41. Snowshoe (1960s)
42. Somali (1967)
43. Tiffany (1967)
44. Tonkinese (1950s)
45. York Chocolate (1983)

The Cat Fanciers’ Association (CFA), established in the United States in 1906, is currently the world’s largest registry of pedigreed cats. Their mission is to preserve and promote pedigreed cat breeds while enhancing the well-being of all cats. Whether you’re interested in choosing, caring for, or breeding cats, the CFA offers information, advice, and expertise to cat enthusiasts. 🐱

The International Cat Association (TICA), established in the United States in 1979, is the world’s largest genetic registry for pedigreed and household pet cats. Originally North American, it now has a global reach. TICA’s key activities include:

1. Encouraging members to be cat owners, lovers, and breeders who work together to preserve pedigreed cats and promote domestic cat health and welfare.
2. Maintaining a certified pedigree registry.
3. Hosting cat shows that showcase both pedigreed and non-pedigreed cats.
4. Fostering positive relations between breeders across the U.S. and other countries.
5. Supporting feline health research through a foundation and providing resource materials to members.

TICA also administers rules for hundreds of cat shows worldwide, evaluates cats based on breed standards, and recognizes cats in various classes. Their commitment to preserving distinct cat breeds ensures predictable traits for future generations.

I know of 6 American cat associations:

In North America, several cat associations play pivotal roles in promoting feline welfare and breeding. Here are some of the recognized major cat associations:

1. CFA (The Cat Fanciers’ Association): A prestigious organization that oversees cat shows, breed standards, and registrations in the United States.
2. CFF (Cat Fanciers’ Federation): Another notable association dedicated to pedigreed cats and cat shows.
3. ACA (American Cat Association): A non-profit organization that advocates for responsible breeding and cat welfare.
4. ACFA (American Cat Fanciers Association): A cat registry that recognizes purebred, pedigreed cats, experimental breeds, and household pets.
5. CCA (Canadian Cat Association): Although based in Canada, it collaborates closely with American counterparts. This is added for completeness! 🙀😉
6. TICA (The International Cat Association): A global registry that promotes pedigreed and household pet cats.

P.S. please forgive the occasional typo. These articles are written at breakneck speed using Dragon Dictate. I have to prepare them in around 20 mins.

What is this strange looking cat with odd ears?

This picture is on the Reddit.com website and the person who posted it said that this is a 'very rare and strange cat'. It is a strange-looking cat (but not very rare) because the photograph captures nicely, almost in silhouette, the curled-back ears. It looks like everything is against what we normally associate with the domestic cat appearance with their ever-alert ears pointing forwards to collect the sound waves heading towards them.

What is this strange looking cat with odd ears? Image: Reddit.com

Domestic cats have really good hearing, better than human hearing. Their large ear flaps which can rotate around the head thanks to the 30+ muscles controlling the them, help in picking up the soundwaves.

So, when the ears fold back like this it must affect their hearing and it is due to a genetic mutation. It does look very strange and a bit disturbing to be honest. But this is an American Curl purebred cat (probably) and if he is not a pedigree cat, he'll be a random bred version. The purebreds are deliberately created by breeders to be sold to the public.

It's quite a rare purebred cat and not that popular compared, for example, to the Persian or Maine Coon cat breeds.

It gives the cat a kind of devilish look and they come in shorthaired and longhaired varieties. Essentially this cat is a standard random bred cat with curly ears. There is nothing extreme about the cat's appearance.

American Curl cats are born with straight ears and the ear flaps do not curl back as you see in the photograph until the kittens are 2 to 10 days old. The kittens enter a transitional phase that lasts until about 16 weeks of age and during this time the ears begin to change. They may even 'uncurl' or curl more tightly.

The cat in the photograph has particularly curly ears and would be of show cat quality.

RELATED: American Curl Cat: 12 facts.

I've seen American curl ears that don't curl quite so much. The genetic mutation causes the cartilage in the ear flaps to take up this peculiar shape. The mutated gene is dominant.

As mentioned, the ears curl to different degrees and in the 1st° curl version of this cat, only the tips of the ears curl back. These cats are considered to be pet quality which means that they are not going to be show cats. The 2nd° curl of the ears is an arc ranging from 45° to less than 90°. Cats with secondary degree curled may be considered for breeding purposes but they are not of show quality.

Finally, the third-degree curl of the ears is the curliest. The ears curl from 90 to 180° with the tips not touching the back of the ear or the head and pointing towards the center of the base of the skull. Cats with third-degree curl combined with the correct overall look of the cat as per breed standard would be of show quality.

The cat breed was commenced when in June 1981 in Lakewood, California a longhaired silky black female kitten with these strange ears wandered up to the home of Joe and Grace Ruga. They named the stray cat Shulamith. This cat was the foundation cat for the entire breed and they set about creating the breed from thereon.

Six years later The International Cat Association accepted the American Curl longhair for championship status. They are now recognised for championship status in most organisations in North America.

Here is a calico American Curl. Photo by Helmi Flick. The ears are not as impressive.

This is wrong: '20 cat breeds that are very independent'

Newsweek presents an article entitled 20 cat breeds that are very independent. They quote Vicki Jo Harrison, the president of the International Cat Association (TICA). They wanted her assistance on the sort of breeds that are more independent than others which would suit people who are at work all day and away from their home.

Cat home alone crying. Image: screenshot

I'm going to disagree strongly with both Newsweek and Ms Harrison even though she is the president of a very well-known cat association.

I'll tell you why I can disagree with her. The personalities of the various cat breeds are described on the Internet on websites and in books. Everyone has had a say at it. Often the same words are recirculated around the Internet. One author will copy another. These descriptions have little value in truth. That's the first difficulty in trying to pick out a breed which has a personality which allows them to be alone all day.

The second problem is this. Foundation cats are not selected by breeders for their breeding lines on the basis of their personality. Or if they do select for personality, it is a secondary issue. The primary criterion is the appearance of the cat. If all cat breeders selectively bred for character, you might be able to put some faith in the descriptions of the personalities of these breeds. But they don't. And even then, the base character; the feline character will dominate and domestic cats need company.

Therefore, we have to rely on the overall feline character. What I mean is that the character of the purebred cats is the same as the character of the non-purebred cats. It is the feline character; the raw cat within the domestic cat. This is a character which is aligned to the wild cat ancestor for obvious reasons because the domestic cat at heart is a domesticated North African wildcat.

On this argument all the cats of the various of cat breeds have very similar characters or personalities. Therefore, you can't differentiate one from the other. Therefore, you cannot select a cat breed which is more independent-minded than another. That's my argument, in perhaps simplistic terms.

There might be some small variations in character between the cat breeds. For example, Siamese cats are described as being loyal and they are more vocal. Persian cats are more laid back and decorative. The Ragdoll is meant to be super-laid-back and suited to home life. But you'll get aggressive Ragdoll cats sometimes depending upon the life experience. This is not a precise science and I think it is unreasonable and unrealistic to write an article about cat breeds which are 'very independent'.

CLICK FOR PAGES ON CAT PERSONALITY TYPES

Also, they list 20 cat breeds. That's a very large number but what they're really saying is that the domestic cat per se is quite independent-minded in any case. That is what people think. But even that is wrong because domestic cats need the company of their human caregiver. They are domestic cats. They are socialised to be with humans. That is their raison d'être. Divorced from their humans, they can suffer from stress which can lead to conditions such as idiopathic cystitis. This might be caused by separation anxiety, a condition which is often talked about on the Internet.

There will be countless millions of cats suffering from stress because they have been labelled as being independent and therefore ignored. Some people might go to work confident in the belief that their cat is just fine being left alone for 10 hours. In my honest opinion they are not fine under those circumstances. Watch some videos of cats left alone all day and tell me they are fine. They are desperate for the return of their caregiver.

Newsweek and Ms Harrison are wrong to discuss the cat breeds like this.

Cat Associations Have a Household Pet Class

So-called ordinary cats, random bred cats, moggies, the sort of cat that you and I look after can be shown at cat shows.  With respect to The International Cat Association, the Household Pet Class is for cats that are not registered in the Championship Class.

Calico cat (Tortie and white) random bred show cat. Photo copyright Helmi Flick

See CURTIS a champion Household Pet  - a tabby cat.

This class is open to any cat that is registered as a Household Pet and which is altered meaning spayed or neutered.

It seems to me that this class of show cats are treated slightly differently because the rules are probably a little bit more relaxed.  It is almost as if they are amateurs while pedigree purebred cats are the professionals.  I may be wrong in making that analogy but that is the way it seems to me.

These cats may be of any colour and pattern and there is no particular appearance.  It is wide open which makes it interesting.

It should be said, however, that there are some stunning random bred cats in the Household Pet Class.  They are every bit as beautiful as the pedigree cats.  The exhibitors take great pride in exhibiting their cats in this class.

At The International Cat Association (TICA) there are 10 divisions in this class as follows:

1. Solid
2. Tabby
3. Tortie
4. Pointed
5. Shaded
6. Solid and White
7. Tabby and White
8. Tortie and White
9. Pointed and White
10. Shaded and White

The basic rule is that if a cat looks like a tabby cat it will be placed in the tabby division and so on. You can see that, as mentioned, it is quite a relaxed set up for household pets.

Household Pets are judged on beauty and condition. I don't like the title of the class, however. I don't like "pets".  What about the "Free Cat Class" reflecting the fact that the cats are not bounded by breeding rules.

Source: Me and Legacy of the Cat - Difference between "purebred" and "pedigree".