Photo copyright glowie NYC - this is for illustrative purposes only. I don't know the situation surrounding these dogs.
Puppy Kitten Mills - how do you define them? The first defining behavioral characterictic of such a cat breeder (and I'll write about cats for obvious reasons in this post) is that they focus on making money as opposed to the welfare of the cat. When you do that your main concern is the "production" of the maximum number of cats as each cat carries a profit. If cats are treated as objects then there will be little concern about a very important aspect of cat breeding, the socialization of the kittens.
Socializing kittens involves ensuring that they are fully accepting of the presence of humans and other animals such as dogs. This allows the kitten to integrate quickly when adopted and to lead a more happy life in their new home. This takes time and effort and it is easier to socialize cats in a small breeding operation. Most cat breeders are it seems hobby breeders, small operations working from home. They are not making a living from the breeding. In all but rare situations, I don't actually think that it is possible to make a profit, sufficient to live on, from cat breeding unless you are operating Puppy and Kitten Mills.
I don't think that profit (or commerce) and breeding animals go together satisfactorily. Proper cat breeders are also concerned with the breed standard. They are, after all, breeding purebred cats and there is an appearance to aim for (but always in moderation in my opinion). I don't think that the people who operate Puppy Kitten Mills care one jot about breed standards. So, you'll find a large number of cats from these breeders that are not inline with the standard. In fact I can see cats from this sort of breeder when I search for photographs for the Pictures of Cats website. Bengal cats for example that are not at all on the standard.
Sometimes people confuse Back Yard Breeders with Kitten Mill breeders. The two could be the same but as a lot of excellent cat breeders work from home and use their back yard in that process it would be unfair to call such a breeder a back yard breeder. I would have thought anyway that a kitten mill operation would more likely operate in a factory like setting on say a farm where there is sufficient space and away from a residential area.
Another very important area of concern is the health of the kitten. It is vital to provide the proper health checks and ensure that the cat bred is healthy when adopted. This doesn't happen with factory production as vets are a cost that erodes profit margins.
I am drawn to the thoughts of Helmi Flick who makes it clear that a person who wants to adopt a kitten really must visit the place where they are bred and make a first hand judgement and ask the right questions. Puppy Kitten Mills only exist because of a lack of concern by the "buying" public.
Here are some more issues in bullet form on this subject:
People often do not know what a good cat breeder is or where they are. How can they differentiate between the Mill and the ethical breeder? This problem is in the hands of the associations and breeders themselves to educated the public and get the message across. There is not enough direction from the associations in my opinion.
It is the puppy and kitten mills who are in part to blame for the high population of cats in rescue centers. Often kitten mill cats are poorly socialized and, as mentioned, unhealthy. This leads to an inability of the human keeper to cope and then abandoning the cat at a rescue where apparently (in the US) 70% or so are killed.
Pet shop kittens from Kitten Mills are well presented but this doesn't mean they are mentally and physically healthy.
Pet shops are convenient. To find a good breeder takes time and effort. Who do you think the public are more likely to go to if they are not well informed?
Puppy and Kitten Mills are likely to cage their breeding cats in a cruel manner for the sake of efficiency. When cats are in pain and upset they tend to go quiet and hide. They don't and can't shout out and complain. Only we, the humans, can do that. That is why I have written this post.
Ultra Persian Cat CFA champion apparently photo copyright alasam
Persian Cat Facts can be found in abundance of the Pictures of Cats.org website. One of the most interesting facts about Persian cats concerns the development of the Persian cat to the extent that we know have two separate breeds of cat. It has been a transformation.
Persian cat breeders in their desire to breed extremely saleable and outstanding Persian cats pushed the boundaries of the breed standard (the measure, in words, against which a purebred cat is to be judged as to whether the cat has a correct conformation for the breed i.e. has the correct type or is "typey" to use cat breeder language).
The more typey the better as far as some breeders are concerned. In striving for this goal set against a breed standard that could be interpreted with wide discretion the face of the sweet Doll Face Persian changed into a squashed face as if someone had simply pushed the face in.
Creating a face that unnatural was unfortunate. It was also unfortunate that the breed standard was then changed to accomodate the flat face. The crazy thing is that the Persian now suffers health problems associated with the flat face as is to be expected. What is even more astonishing is that visitors to my website prefer the old fashioned Doll Face Persian. Here is the result of an ongoing survey that will be updated regularly:-
You will find that a good percentage of the cats being bred are inbetween the extreme and the traditional. OK I've got that off my chest one more time. There are a lot more Persian Cat facts on this page which has links to other pages. Despite the drawback of health issues such as tear duct overflow requiring the area below the eyes regularly and heart disease problems and further the need to regularly groom the very long and thick coat this cat remains in the top 5 most popular domestic cats.
This may reflect the popularity of the doll face. Although, this is probably because Persian cats are seriously attractive cats and they have sweet characters which are well suited to indoor living. Indoor living in the US is a growing concept with a very high percentage of cat keepers keeping cats indoors permanently.
Pushka a Persian cat (she looks like a Traditional Persian from this angle) photograph copyright slight clutter under Creative Commons as is the header photograph.
There is a Persian cat rescue center in the UK, the owner of which says that the Persian cat is more prone to litter training problems than most other cats. This is probably due to stress as the Persian is a gentle cat. This sort of problem can lead to the human keeper having difficulty coping with the result that the cat (sometimes a purebred cat) being put into a shelter. This is despite the fact that a lot of cat breeders will take back cats if the new keepers are having problems. Cat breeders do this for the cat primarily as there is often no contractural obligation to accept the return of the cat.
The most important Persian cat facts concern health and the link above will take you to those. As there are a considerable number of Persians in rescue centers it would make sense to adopt from one of them. On this page is a short list of UK centers and on this page Californian centers.
Large Cats of North America must embrace both domestic and wild cats. Of the domestic cats there is one "stand-out" large domestic cat. Individual Maine Coon cats can reach 25 lbs (11 kg). Although 7.3 kilograms (16 lbs) is about the average. If you've got a story about a large Maine Coon you might like to share it by making a comment. The figure of 25 lbs though is very much exceptional. Most large Maine Coon Cats weight about 20 lbs. Even this figure puts this domestic cat in the middle rank for size of the world's wildcats. A lot of the wildcats are quite small and of a size very similar to domestic cats today.
Large Maine Coon cat
"Shooter" photo copyrightWendyophoto
The Maine Coon is American through and through. There are no other domestic cats of North America that I can think of that are as big. The American Bobtail is a larger than average domestic cat weighing in around 5 kilograms (about 11 lbs). The American Shorthair is quite a large domestic cat too at an average of about 11 lbs. The Ragdoll is probably the next biggest cat after the Maine Coon. The Ragdoll weighs on average about 14 lbs (6.3 kgs).
So, what about the wildcats of North America? The Cougar is the largest of the North American Wildcats weighing in at about 200 lbs for males. Cougars are also called Panthers, Mountain Lions and Pumas. The name comes from a Native Indina word " meaning "False Deer", apparently. The largest North American wildcat is then ten times larger than the largest domestic cat from the same region. I think this is more to do with practicalities than anything scientifically significant.
The most common North American wildcat is the American Bobcat. This cat has a size and weight a little larger than the biggest North American domestic cat at 13.3 kg (29.3 lbs). However, if you include tamed wildcats as domestic cats (such as the Serval an African cat) this wouldn't be the case, obviously.
Another wildcat from the region is the Canada Lynx. She lives in the woodlands of Canada and Alaska and weighs about 23 lbs on average (10.4 kg). This is not really a large wildcat but nonetheless might qualify as one of the large cats of North America.
A full list of wildcats said to be found in the USA is as follows:
Give me back my earrings..... Photo copyright akk_rus
Persian Cat Earrings are a consumer item that people look for so I've done a bit of research to see if I can list out some online cat jewelry retailers to make things a bit easier for people.
Persians are in the top 5 for popularity of all the domestic cat breeds. It is no wonder that Persian cat earrings are popular too. They'll be a kind of statement to everyone you meet that you live with a Persian cat or simply love Persian cats.
The first website that I have bumped into has silver earrings and the cats are Ultra Pesians. They headline for the pictures of the earrings says, "other Ragdoll...." - getting mixed up it seems. They're definitely Persian cats that have been painted or transfered onto a white or ivory colored background. This site is The Tiger Cat Jewelry store. This link takes you directly to the relevant page. It is Victorian jewelry and the store sells in US dollars.
The above earrings cost $14 and are hand crafted from a solid resin material so I guess that they are durable.
The next may be the best as there are 4 pages of earrings. The site is Esquivel and Fees Craftsmen. The products are solid gold and silver and expensive as a result. There is though a much wider selection. This is once again a USA based site.
The last is Precious Pets who also have a wide selection and plenty of earrings. Enjoy but you might consider not buying and giving some of the money you saved to a Persian cat rescue center instead and make a small contribution to changing the world for the better. It'll make you feel better for a lot longer too. Click on this link to go to some USA Persian rescue centers, three of which are based in California. Purebred Persians can be abandoned as can mixed breed cats. Sometimes it is because of an inability to cope with maintenance and/or litter problems. Litter problems can be due to the human keeper. Persians can get stressed and stress can cause bad litter habits. Quite a high percentage of Persians have bad litter habits apparently.
Update: A pair of Persian cat earrings from Amazon, where else!:
Asian Fishing Cat photograph copyright clarissa~ (Flickr)
Did you know this stocky, small wildcat barks like a dog and the alpha male struts around stiff legged with his tail raised? It's toes are webbed and its claws are partially out even when retracted. It is a formidable predator. One report tells of a fishing cat breaking through a cage partition and attacking a female leopard1.
This stocky cat interests me mainly from the standpoint of its likeness to a domestic cat in terms of size which on the face of it can appear similar but is not in fact the same. This cat weighs between 5 to 12 kilograms (11 to 26 lbs). The average domestic cat weights around 10 lbs. Despite being small, its powerful appearance can deceive local people into thinking that, at a distance, they are looking at a leopard. The leopard however is much larger and one of the big cats. Its weight and size varies from place to place. In India this cat can weigh 26 lbs (the very top end for domestic cats, say a very large Maine Coon or Savannah cat) and in Indonesia it weighs about 13 lbs.
In terms of appearance there is a similarity too (particularly to the wildcat/domestic cat hybrids) but there is no mistaking the wild look of this cat. The face has a very particular wild look, rather aggressive in fact. If you took away the wild look (something that cat breeders are keen to breed into cats such as the Bengal Cat) this cat would be quite close to a domestic cat. However, there is the coat too and this cat's coat is very particular and striking. The strong white and black stripe on the forehead differentiate it from the similar looking Ocelot. These stripes are merged spots.
The coat of the Asian Fishing Cat is a classic brown spotted tabby. This is the best coat for camouflage and therefore survival. The Scottish Wildcat and American Bobcat are very similar in respect of coat type and size. The Fishing cat is Asia's equivalent of the American Bobcat it could be said. It even has a shorter than average tail which acts as a rudder when swimming. See more photos in a large format montage of this cat species.
The wild parent of the Bengal cat, the Asian Leopard cat, is also a cat that likes to fish. This wildcat lives next to water of course and is a good swimmer. There are a number of domestic cats that like water, which is unusual for domestic cats. The Bengal cat is known to like water; clearly inherited from the Asian Leopard Cat. Another wildcat hybrid that likes water is the Chausie. The Chausie is a cross between the Jungle cat and the Abyssinian. The Jungle cat is also called the "Swamp Lynx" so also likes water and has handed this down to the hybrid domestic cat. Pure domestic cats are much less likely to enjoy water.
It is not surprising that some wild cats live near water as it is a perfect source of water and food. Cats are extremely adaptable and it would seem that the cat's dislike of water has been overcome to the point where she can swim with skill in water in order to improve its chances of survival.
Asian Fishing cat published under Creative Commons license
License: この写真は，クリエイティブ・コモンズ・ライセンスの下でライセンスされています。
The fishing cat belongs to a group of cats that includes the leopard cat (DNA testing confirms a strong relationship with this cat), rusty-spotted cat and the flat-headed cat. They all have strong markings and spotted patterns. The leopard cat is much more slender that the fishing cat. A notable feature of the fishing cat is its relatively small ears in comparison to domestic cats and some wildcats. On the ear flaps there are white spots against a black background. The spots are sometimes called "ocelli". The word means "little eye". They look like eyes and are designed to send a signal to aggressors to stay away before a fight.
The Asian Fishing Cat is found in Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Sumatra and Java, Indochina and India (see Fishing Cat Range). Its once reasonably continuous range is now fragmented due to human activity.
They sometimes tap the water with their paw imitating an insect luring a fish to the surface. They are nocturnal and few people get to see them in action. They can swim under water too and catch aquatic birds. These are resourceful animals.
This map is an embedded map from Google My Maps that I made up. It is an open collaboration project so if you are able and willing to refine and improve it please go here: Fishing Cat Range.
It is very easy to see the connection between the wildcat and domestic cat and how (s)he became domesticated some 9,000 years ago. After all cats are adaptable and it is a short step from catching rodents in the grassland to catching them near and around barns. And once the wildcat discovered that there was a plentiful supply of rodents near barns (s)he stayed and the farmer liked it.
The Asian Fishing cat and the Asian Leopard cat also catch rodents.
Name
Usually called simply "Fishing Cat". Scientific name is Prionailurus viverrinus. Species Authority: (Bennett, 1833). The scientific name viverrinus is a throwback to its resemblance to the viverrid family of which the large Indian civet is a member1.
Conservation
Asian Fishing Cat - Update 7th October 2008: This lovely cat has moved from vulnerable to endangered on the IUCN Red List. What does that mean? IUCN stands for International Union for Conservation of Nature. The Red List is the most comprehensive list of the status worldwide of the conservation of the world's animal and plant species. The logos below show the different levels of status.
Endangered is EN on the chart. Endangered (EN), considered to be facing a very high risk of extinction in the wild. This chart is reproduced under published under Wikimedia® creative commons license license = Attribution-ShareAlike License. And the text in italics is published under under GNU Free Documentation License, Version 1.2 or any later version - see Wikipedia® licensing.
The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species™ website says that more than 45% of Southeast Asian wetland that is protected are also threatened. How can this be? Either the wetland is protected or it isn't. The wetlands are the habitat of this cat. Perhaps the most commonly encountered threat to wildlife is habitat loss due to human expansion (population and commercial). In the case of the wetlands mentioned above these are drained for agriculture. Other threats include:
pollution
excessive hunting (I presume for prey and/or the Asian Fishing cat perhaps for skins and other body parts). It is notable that the above map has been viewed more times than the other wildcat maps. Is this because poachers are trying to figure out where this cat is? I hope not.
wood cutting
over fishing - a major threat. Overfishing is a worldwide phenomenon.
Yes, it does eat fish! It uses its paws to scoop out fish from the water. It also swims under water to catch fish, coots and ducks1. Frogs are also on the menu as are small mammals, snakes, birds, snails and crustaceans. The Asian fishing cats teeth are not specifically adapted for catching fish. There have been reports (stories?) of the fishing cat killing chittal (Indian deer) fawns calves, dogs and young children 1.
This is a formidable hunter.
Reproduction
Mating appears to take place in January - February. Dens can be in dense reeds. Litter are usually 2 - 3 kittens. Gestation is approximately 63 - 70 days1. Young cat weigh approx. 170 grams at birth. Kittens play in the water at 2 months of age. Although they suckle for about six months they eat solids at 53 days. They are adult in size at 8.5 months of age.
Semi-domestic cat
Asian Fishing Cat - Update 14th October 2008: There are photographs circulating around the internet (and therefore copyright free in my view) of a small wild cat catching a catfish in a bath. Here is one of the pictures:
Asian Fishing Cat
There been discussion as to whether this cat is an Ocelot or an Asian Fishing cat. The consensus is that the cat is an Asian Fishing cat (see a picture of an Ocelot). I agree because the head stripes that I refer to above are noticeable.
The view is also that the cat, the bath and the fish are in Russia in the home (?) of a person who works in a zoo or some such establishment who raised the cat from kittenhood. The cat is therefore domesticated or semi-domesticated. So things are OK in that sense. When we see an interesting picture like this some of us ask questions and make presumptions sometimes. I am too quick to make presumptions on occassion. We think that someone in the US has acquired a wild cat illegally or something. This is not the case.
The only slight problem I have is the fact that the fish was placed in a bath for a certain death at the hands and mouth of the Asian Fishing cat who are very skilled fishers. OK this is reality etc. But it makes some of us a bit queasy when the pictures are widely distributed for our entertainment.
Although the Asian fishing cat has a reputation for being aggressive they are also said to be quite tame and affectionate as pets. This may be an exaggeration however1.
Here is an Asian Fishing cat video from Bigcat Rescue:
(Flickr)
pages 242 - 245. 
