Cat Keeping in the US and UK Compared

Breeder Advertisements

I'm fascinated by American Breed Adverts. Nowhere are mutations established as breeds faster and with greater enthusiasm than in the US. Curled ears? You got it! Stumpy legs? You got it! Hybridized to resemble a wild species? You got it! Cats are no longer 'bred', they are 'genetically engineered'. Devon Rexes and Sphynxes are 'guaranteed hypoallergenic' and several breeds are 'guaranteed against genetic or physical defect' although the guarantee is for one year only, after which the cat is free to mutate if it so desires. The breeder offering 'lifetime guarantees' obviously has more confidence in her cats' genetic stability!

Like Coca-Cola™, many American cat breeds come in two flavors - original and 'new improved'. American Persians come in two varieties, three if you count the increasingly uncommon Peke-Faced. 'Doll-faced' Persians have noses while extreme-type 'Piggy' Persians have high nose-breaks and their nostrils between their eyes. According to a columnist in the American 'CATS MAGAZINE', the Peke-Faced ('an interesting study in anatomy') has nearly died out; the squashed and wrinkled muzzle leading to high mortality rates in the kittens.

The Burmese comes in 'traditional', 'contemporary' and 'European' styles; the contemporary Burmese having a more rounded head, shorter muzzle, large, soulful eyes and a tendency to suffer from third-eyelid problems. The Siamese also comes in two styles, with the chunkier 'Appleheaded' or 'Traditional' Siamese making a comeback beside its tubular 'Classic' counterpart. For a while it looked as though the 'Wild Abyssinian' would mark another return to the 'old-style', having the barred markings which breeders have diligently eliminated from the smaller modern Abyssinian.

A modern cat with delusions of great age is the bald, wrinkly Sphynx ('all purr and no fur', 'no grooming expenses, no fleas and no hairy furniture'): 'from the scrolls of antiquity, the world's most hairless cat' runs the ad, despite the breed's relatively recent origins. The hairless cat from the scrolls of antiquity, the Mexican Hairless, is in no position to contest the claim, having become extinct some time ago.

Since American cats live permanently indoors, there is a quest for a space-saving cat for space-age man. The Mei Toi has been advertised as the 'first genetically miniature cat, mature at 4-5 lb'. I've seen references to 'Little Americans' and 'Mini-Himalayans', but no further details so perhaps the domestic cat is too sensible to allow itself to be miniaturized for our convenience. So far, the closest breeders have gotten is the Munchkin whose 'low center of gravity gives it superb cornering abilities'.

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