All About Purebred Cats
The Purebred Dilemma: Purrsonality
By Myrna Milani, BS, DVM
As more and more people turn on to cats worldwide, the interest in purebred
animals grows. Although the rule, "Ask the person who owns one"
holds true for any purebred animal, it holds particularly true for cats.
However, not only should you talk to people who own the kind of Persian,
Siamese, British or American Shorthair, Bombay, or other purebred you like,
you should compare those peoples' lifestyles and temperament to your own.
If they match, then find out where these owners purchased their cats and
buy one from that same line from that same breeder. Just as one man's floor
may be another's ceiling, one man's Persian may be another man's something
else.
We know from studies of animal behavior that whenever we breed to change an
animal's body, we automatically change its mind, and vice versa. And even
though breeders may naively say they breed for coat or eye color, they can't
change any aspect of an animal without changing its entire body and mind in
some way.
Animals theoretically bred strictly for coat color, such as the many
different varieties of Persians, exhibit different personalities as well as
physical features. Breeders who focus on temperament may create cats who
possess a specific look that goes along with that temperament.
When most people think about a prize-winning purebred cat, they
automatically assume that at least as much effort went into creating a sound
temperament and healthy body as that special look.
Unfortunately, such isn't necessarily the case. While some breeders do
spend a great deal of time creating such animals, show standards focus almost
entirely on physical appearance. Consequently, a lot of champions on a
purebred cat's pedigree in no way guarantees that that animal or its offspring
will make loving household pets.
What about descriptions of various feline personalities in breed books? For
those who plan to take this approach, read as many different books as
possible.
The good news is that this will give you the broadest view of a particular
breed's temperament. The bad news is that, the more sources you examine, the
more conflicting reports you'll encounter. One book's description of a breed
as "very playful" becomes another's "too energetic to live in a
confined space." A friend waxed ecstatic about his purebred's tendency to
follow him around like a puppy. Other owners of cats belonging to that same
breed describe them as "introverted to the point of neurotic."
Several factors unique to cats contribute to this dilemma. First, even though
some breeders will spout feline histories that trace their particular breed
back to ancient Buddhist temples if not further, purebred cats rank as a
relatively recent phenomenon. While the legends may be ancient, the actual
breeds aren't.
For example, ever since the 1970s when the western world became aware of
some ancient manuscripts housed in the Thai National Library called The Cat
Books Poems, the rush has been on to create cats who look like those pictured
in the manuscripts.
Compare pictures of Siamese cats taken twenty-five years ago to those of
today's cats and only the blue eyes and colored points (feet, tail, muzzle,
and ears) and distinctive voice remain. While these modern cats certainly look
a lot more like the ancient ones, any actual link to these animals is tenuous
at best. And while people seemed to maintain some fairly strong ideas about
the "old" Siamese's personality-which they either loved or
hated!-the "new" one's body type rather than its personality now
gets the most attention.
Second, many cat breeds—such as the Devon and Cornish Rex and Scottish
Fold-arise from spontaneous mutations that occur in "mixed" breed
cats. Breeders who fancy a certain look may breed those mutants with purebred
cats of different breeds (called outbreeding) to produce this look.
Thus, even though the original-one might even say the only pure-Devon Rex
was a feral creature tough enough to survive on his own, he spawned a breed
that may carry British and American Shorthair, Burmese, Bombay, or Siamese
genes in addition to those carried by the original.
Not only that, which breeds' genes a particular championship Devon Rex
might carry depends on where that cat earned its championship. Shows sponsored
by one cat organization may permit breeding to breeds not accepted by others.
Further complicating matters, breeds accepted for out breeding by one
organization one year may not be accepted the next.
Obviously, then, if the gene pool of a "purebred" cat can vary
from breeder to breeder and year to year, the chance of a particular breed
consistently displaying the same personality across the board amounts to more
wishful thinking than reality.
Third, unlike most purebred dogs whose heritage includes breeding for some
function that compliments the dog's physical and mental qualities such as
hunting or herding, the cat fancy doesn't dwell much on function.
This occurs because that cat's ultimate function remains to hunt. Because
such a function-regardless how deeply entrenched in the species-so violates
the human idea of purebred cats as exotic, elegant creatures worthy of
pampering, most American breeders ignore it completely.
While some European breed books may describe certain breeds as good
mousers, the idea that one of their cats would even encounter a mouse, let
alone kill and eat it, strikes many breeders as unthinkable. Moreover, these
breeders condemn anyone who would even consider putting a cat in an
environment where it might hunt.
The closest cat breeding comes to breeding for function involves breeding
for a nebulous quality known as "companionship." Put ten cat lovers
together and ask them to describe the ideal feline companion and you'll get
ten different answers.
Some want a cat who cuddles; others want one who can take care of itself.
The definitions will include the most dependent as well as the most
independent feline qualities and everything between. This lack of a consensus
about what the average cat lover considers a good feline companion probably
doesn't matter though, because the cat breeders can't agree on it, either-even
those who breed the same breed of cats.
So, if you want a cat that likes other cats, dogs, or kids, or one who will
follow you like a devoted puppy and hang on your every word, or one who will
enjoy roughing it with you in the Andes, don't rely on breed books or
pamphlets put out by purebred groups.
Instead, talk to people who own the kind(s) of cat(s) you like. Compare the
owners' lifestyles and personalities with your own. If you fall in love with a
feline look first, as most people do, remember that a body and a mind come
with that look. Even if the show standards don't consider the whole package,
the average cat lover seeking a long, healthy, and rewarding relationship with
a suitable pet must.
©2002 Myrna M. Milani, DVM Telephone: 603-542-7227 - e-mail: mm@mmilani.com
HC 60, Box 40 - Charlestown, NH - 03603
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