It’s not only dogs that suffer from these purebred breeding programs, but cats as well.  My wife has had a number of Persians over the past 10 years, all of ‘pet quality’ that weren’t good enough for showing.

These cats are bred to have extremely pushed in faces, some even to the extent that their faces are concave.  Many of them have severe respiratory problems and tear duct issues which cause a distinct staining around the eyes.  Fortunately the ones that my wife has had were healthy animals and didn’t have any of the problems which are caused by excessive inbreeding for the desired traits, which is why they were sold as pet quality.

The sad thing, I think, is how much these ‘desired traits’ seem completely arbitrary.  Who cares if your cat has the most extremely pushed in face?  The things they look for tend to make the animals look LESS attractive than a pet quality in my opinion.

Again, the quote from Over the Hedge: “My father, he was so beautiful, he could not even breathe.”

Sorry, I’ve been lurking around the forums for years but I had to get in on this one.
I have a purebred Persian Cat (show quality) that was rescued from a professional breeder who was a day away form putting her down. Apparently she wasn’t breeding well and at 6 was too old to show, but all that aside she’s been a fantastic pet attitude wise.
Health wise has been another issue.
Her tongue is too big for her mouth, so it sticks out and she drools, Her eyes leak and have to be wiped twice daily (at the very least), She sleeps on my back and at night I swear she’s drowning, She has no depth perception due to her pushed in face and has to knock her water dish to tell how high the water is (from the ripples, she’s quite smart when she’s not running into walls), Her mouth (like most Persians) is further under her face then most cats so she has a hard time eating and the list goes on.
I’m convinced whoever bred these cats hated them, because as sweet as she is, half the time I expect her to just fall apart.
I don’t understand the need for this excessive breeding. It’s bad enough we do terrible things to ourselves for fashion’s sake, I don’t see why we have to push it on our pets.

Hey, welcome to the forums, LP.

Thanks! In all honesty I’ve been stalking you guys for about six years.
Wow…Yep that defiantly reads as creepy as it sounded in my head. Oh well you’re probably stuck with me now.

Feel free to come and hang out in the Daily thread.

We don’t so much have an agenda, but it’s lots of fun.

Lady Pyro - 13 September 2009 12:01 AM

Thanks! In all honesty I’ve been stalking you guys for about six years.
Wow…Yep that defiantly reads as creepy as it sounded in my head. Oh well you’re probably stuck with me now.

Stalking us for 6 years?  Geez, I never even got a creepy message or something.    Welcome to the forums though.  I’m sure being stuck with you is much better than being stuck at the bottom of a swimming pool full of orange jello.