Banning wild cat/domestic cat hybrids
Recently the USA state of Iowa banned the
keeping of Bengal cats. This ban included all cats with a wild ancestry meaning
wild cat/domestic cat hybrids. These cats are the Bengal, Chausie, Savannah and
Safaris for example. The Cat Fanciers Association (CFA) refuses to register
domestic cats with "wild blood" in them. Fourth generation Bengal
cats have about 12% Asian Leopard in them. The CFA is the most conservative
registry. The International Cat Registry is more adventurous and registers more
breeds including the Bengal. There is divided opinion about wild/domestic cat
hybrids. The Bengal though is a very popular cat demonstrating the desire of
the public to keep wild cat substitutes.
There is a continuing desire by the cat lovers
to "own" (I prefer keep or adopt) unusual and valuable
"objects" and that includes animals and one of the most popular
animals to keep are cats. How do cat breeders keep up with the demand for the
exotic and unusual while maintaining a moral code and high standards of animal
welfare?
Moral issues/arguments
The moral issue is whether it is good for
wildlife to create designer and exotic cat breeds by mating wild and domestic
cats. The idea is that in keeping such a hybrid cat the keeper is reminded of
the plight of the dwindling number of wild cats in the world.
The counter argument is that this form of
breeding damages the wild cat in that the increased interest is fed by the
breeding program which encourages malpractice by importers of wild cats into
the West and increases the importation of wild cat breeds into Western
countries. The biggest market for exotic pets and cats by far is the USA.
Genetic Mutations
Not only are there questions about exotic cats
the same moral dilemma exists in relation to the breeding of cats that suffer
from genetic defects (mutations). These cats such as dwarf cats, tailless cats
and cats with malformed ears are
interesting and rare. Once again the unusual catches the eye of the public
consumer and cat lover and breeders feel an obligation to create more of these
rare cats. But is it right to create more cats that have a major
defect/disorder which sometimes (rarely with careful breeding) has fatal
consequences and secondary conditions that harm the cat (e.g. flat chest kitten
in dwarf cats). You can see links to articles about a number of mutated breeds
at the Different Breeds Page of
my website. Examples are the Bobtailed cats and the Dwarf cats.
Commercial pressure
There is then commercial pressure to breed
more cats and it could be argued cats of the wrong type. The public's desires
are being checked and controlled by the authorities (see the Iowa ban above).
Conclusion
It is not possible to make a cattery highly
commercial and prioritize the cats welfare in my opinion. Catteries should be
small and one litter should ideally be bred at one time. The exception appears
to be the Allerca cat, a wild/domestic hybrid being bred by a company and which
sells at high prices (up to $30,000 per cat or so). The company treats these cats
as a product. I find this to be an incorrect moral attitude.
As to the exotics and mutated breeds; I can
accept the exotic designer breeds provided the breeders observe high standards
and can see the wider issues (effect on wildlife). I cannot, however, agree
that creating more cats with disorders is acceptable and in that regard I agree
with the CFA who don't register for example Dwarf cats for that reason.
The author is Michael Broad, as retired
solicitor and cat lover, who runs his website http://www.pictures-of-cats.org for the charitable
purpose of helping cats less fortunate than the majority of those in the
Western World. The website is being continually added to and includes well
researched facts and photographs by the world renown cat photographer Helmi
Flick plus many other fine amateur made photographs from a wide range of
legitimate sources.
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