this post was submitted on 21 Nov 2023
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[–] Magnetar@feddit.de 106 points 10 months ago (5 children)

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.

[–] Rakonat@lemmy.world 47 points 10 months ago (1 children)

Nearly every cat I ever had was once a stray and I wouldn't trade that for the world.

[–] EvolvedTurtle@lemmy.world 2 points 10 months ago (1 children)

You don't to have a pet cat

The cat chooses you as their pet

[–] creditCrazy@lemmy.world 1 points 10 months ago

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.

[–] Maggoty@lemmy.world 2 points 10 months ago

Release a mouse, a bird, and a raccoon...

[–] creditCrazy@lemmy.world 1 points 10 months ago

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

[–] Rolder@reddthat.com 0 points 10 months ago (2 children)

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.

[–] Pringles@lemm.ee 17 points 10 months ago (1 children)

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.

[–] oatscoop@midwest.social 2 points 10 months ago* (last edited 10 months ago) (1 children)

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.

[–] zalgotext@sh.itjust.works -1 points 10 months ago (1 children)

I like how you put "pure" in quotes because the way they keep those lines healthy is by occasionally mixing in other breeds.

[–] oatscoop@midwest.social 2 points 10 months ago* (last edited 10 months ago)

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.

[–] SharkEatingBreakfast@sopuli.xyz 15 points 10 months ago

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 him name from "Luigi" to "Waluigi", and he was best best buddy for many many years.

[–] masquenox@lemmy.world 0 points 10 months ago (1 children)

aren’t pretty but full of genetic defects

Nature despises purity.

[–] imgcat@lemmy.ml 1 points 1 month ago

The concept of breed purity is completely artificial

[–] Omgarm@lemmy.world 82 points 10 months ago (2 children)

Random breeds are better than pedigree stuff.

[–] sepiroth154@feddit.nl 33 points 10 months ago

They say pedigree i say inbred.

[–] iheartneopets@lemm.ee 10 points 10 months ago (1 children)

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.

[–] Soggy@lemmy.world 5 points 10 months ago (2 children)

Working dogs are great, but aren't usually great pets. They need a job, an outlet, and usually a lot of structure.

[–] ephemeral_gibbon@aussie.zone 1 points 10 months ago

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.

[–] iheartneopets@lemm.ee 1 points 10 months ago

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.

[–] Selmafudd@lemmy.world 52 points 10 months ago (1 children)

Wait, so I can take my cat somewhere and have them scratch someone else besides me?

[–] Facelikeapotato@lemmy.ml 50 points 10 months ago (1 children)

Yes, but they may not get an A+ if they do.

[–] Maggoty@lemmy.world 2 points 10 months ago

Oh no, that's S tier.

[–] rustydrd@sh.itjust.works 40 points 10 months ago (1 children)
[–] Rakonat@lemmy.world 52 points 10 months ago (1 children)
[–] spudwart@spudwart.com 2 points 10 months ago (1 children)

I see you have the M30W, nice nice. I prefer the M1A0 myself.

[–] harmsy@lemmy.world 1 points 10 months ago

The NY44 is my weapon of choice.

[–] psycho_driver@lemmy.world 35 points 10 months ago (5 children)

What if my cat is an asshole?

[–] Konstant@lemmy.world 16 points 10 months ago

Points for "character".

[–] Agent641@lemmy.world 14 points 10 months ago

A cat show without at least 3 human deaths is considered a dull affair

[–] Kolanaki@yiffit.net 6 points 10 months ago

Grand Prize

[–] cley_faye@lemmy.world 2 points 10 months ago

So, a regular cat?

[–] ZeroCool@feddit.ch 27 points 10 months ago

They're good cats, bront.

[–] morrowind@lemmy.ml 12 points 10 months ago (5 children)

People know about cat breeds?

[–] oolio@feddit.de 33 points 10 months ago (2 children)
[–] Ferris@infosec.pub 9 points 10 months ago

the Garfield spectrum

[–] Rakonat@lemmy.world 7 points 10 months ago

Lovelable idiot and unruly bastard.

[–] Holyhandgrenade@lemmy.world 19 points 10 months ago (1 children)

Wait I thought cats just appeared in your home one day?

[–] morrowind@lemmy.ml 9 points 10 months ago

I've yet to see anything proving otherwise

[–] TheBat@lemmy.world 12 points 10 months ago (2 children)

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.

[–] SwampYankee@mander.xyz 3 points 10 months ago (1 children)

The ones that look like Ron Perlman, The ones that look like Adam Driver

Maine Coons and Oriental Shorthairs/Longhairs if anyone is wondering.

[–] Maggoty@lemmy.world 1 points 10 months ago
[–] ElPussyKangaroo@lemmy.world 2 points 10 months ago

Garfield is different from Orange.

[–] Tavarin@lemmy.ca 2 points 10 months ago (1 children)

Who doesn't know about Siamese?

And most people I know Have heard of Ragdolls, and Sphinxes at least.

[–] NBJack@reddthat.com 0 points 10 months ago (1 children)

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".

[–] Tavarin@lemmy.ca 1 points 10 months ago

Bombay's are great, but I'm partial to British shorthairs myself.

[–] ugh@lemm.ee 2 points 10 months ago

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.

[–] cley_faye@lemmy.world 6 points 10 months ago

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".