Thread: Can somebody tell me if my kitten is a Maine Coon?

Originally Posted by candes

I guess I should have said many "people" like the sweet look. Yes unfortunately there are breeders that are willing to do anything for a buck. But the animals could end up suffering in the end.

And I feel that there are ethical issues involved too. They are live animals, not toys to be tinkered with. What does the breeder do with seriously genetically flawed kittens that are born. Not the results they were aiming for and so severe that the line can't be continued? It is animal cruelty no matter if the animals live or are disposed with.

Perhaps there should be fines and jail time for anyone who tampers with and causes damage to animals. Since it is animal cruelty. Then these frankensteins would think twice before they try messing with nature. But the problem with this, is that the damaging results may take a very long time to surface.

I agree with you 100%.

I'm not sure why, but it seems dogs have suffered more than cats in the area of breeding for extremes which have resulted in serious health problems. It was 'designer dogs' first, but 'designer cats' can now be found. I really dislike the idea of 'designer' animals; it makes a living creature a mere object.

I see it as a manifestation of today's all-too-common acquisitiveness and materialism along with a lack of respect for life (except, of course, one's own).

(Off my soapbox.)

Originally Posted by Walter Coonkat

I'm not sure why, but it seems dogs have suffered more than cats in the area of breeding for extremes which have resulted in serious health problems. It was 'designer dogs' first, but 'designer cats' can now be found. I really dislike the idea of 'designer' animals; it makes a living creature a mere object.

I think people have simply been breeding dogs for very much longer than cats, so much more extreme variations have been produced. Certainly there are cat breeds that are now linked inherently with potentially severe health problems, like the Manx: http://fanciers.com/breed-faqs/manx-faq.html#medical

I certainly haven't seen any evidence of "extreme" MCs being subject to any special health issues, so I really have nothing against people breeding them. I just believe that cats that bear little resemblance to the MCs that arose naturally should not be sold as being "Maine Coons."

Wow, I didn't know about the health problems with the Manx. Thanks for teaching me something.

I am so glad I joined this forum. This post alone provided more information than any book I read on Maincoons. For a while I thought that wilder looking Maincoons were "more real" ones. Not anymore.
Thank you guys for researching , posting awesome references and sharing your thoughts.