Animal Breeding Horror Show - Featuring trendy bulldogs, exotic bullies and the dog cum cartel

[XYZpdq Jr.]

advertise them as the incorrect breed to try to get people to adopt.

when I was a kid we adopted a "beagle mix"
it was a german shep with floppy ears and a white spot on her tail
good dog, but that label was a bit of a strech

 

[A.P. Hill]

As far as "adopt don't shop," I've grown sour on shelters. It's worse with dogs, but shelters will gloss over an animal's behavioral problems or advertise them as the incorrect breed to try to get people to adopt.

I would only ever trust a shelter with a kitten. In my area, if you want to adopt a mutt that isn't a pitbull seized from Tyrone's dogfighting ring or Cletus Bob's meth lab, you're out of luck. With young cats, at least it's likely that they were strays that got brought in at some point. Shelter dogs are nearly all ones that got surrendered because of issues.

My experience with shelters has been that the neurotic, 40+ year old cat ladies volunteering there simply don't want to part with the animals. The demands they had for parting with the cat i was looking at were ridiculous, they basically demanded a more luxurious living situation for it than anybody i know has. One other woman immediately demanded to make an appointment to visit my apartment to see if it's cat friendly enough before continuing any form of conversation and i just looked at her like "What the fuck?" and left. Unhinged. Needless to say the three shelters in my city are filled to the brim and have been so for ages. I heard similar stories from people in my social circle who ended up going to a breeder after these utterly ridiculous requests by the shelters. I ended up getting mine from our version of Craig's List.

I think it's because the adoption agencies are run by retired women who simply have nothing better to do with their lives, but I agree. I tried to request to meet a litter at one of my local cat rescues, and immediately noped out after seeing the 60 question essay response form. A form to meet, not even adopt, a cat, should not be longer than a job application. I don't even think the citizenship test is that long.

 

[anliteralidiot]

The last time I went to my local shelter to adopt, we found out (after the fact) that half of my cat's teeth were rotten, and had to be surgically removed. She also had a plug of dead ear mites, hidden under her cauliflower ear that our vet removed. We didn't learn about either problems until after we adopted her.

Health problems aside, she's a great cat, and I'm glad the volunteers recommended her.

 

[Neurotypical Mantis]

The last time I went to my local shelter to adopt, we found out (after the fact) that half of my cat's teeth were rotten, and had to be surgically removed. She also had a plug of dead ear mites, hidden under her cauliflower ear that our vet removed. We didn't learn about either problems until after we adopted her.

Health problems aside, she's a great cat, and I'm glad the volunteers recommended her.

i got really lucky with my boy. he had all his dental work done in-shelter before we adopted him. he developed a lipoma which hasn't changed in size around last year but despite my concerns it's just a harmless perma-lump. they occur in old and fat cats of which he is both, anyway, so it's not even surprising

 

[Marche]

There are a lot of unhealthy pedigree breeds and bad breeders.
I got a British shorthair because I like large cats and like their round faces, I would have never got one if it was a shit breed or I could not find a good breeder. My cat is pedigree and comes with papers of multiple generations so there is no inbreeding going on.

All cats can have health issues and all cats can have short lives or long lives and while it's totally acceptable to say a lot of breeders are shit it needs to be said that a lot of shelters are as well, especially no kill shelters who get over run with pitbulls and try to pawn clearly damaged animals off to families.

 

[Fukase]

Shelters are fucked usually, I feel like they're one of 2 extremes. Either they gatekeep to a ridiculous degree or hand out animals like Halloween candy. When I got my cat, all they did was look at my ID to make sure I was over 18 and that was it.

You have a better chance at finding a decent cat than dog there, since so many of them are just basic shorthairs and not unholy breeding abominations but you MUST interact with them first to make sure they're properly socialized. Shelters will try to pawn off cats that are straight up feral. So many people grab the first cat they think is cute and it ends up being a neurotic, aggressive menace. Unlike what people believe, once a cat passes the age of socialization, it is nearly impossible to train them out of a fear of humans.

My cat was a 2 month old kitten who was raised in the shelter basically from birth. Someone dumped off a litter of newborns they didn't want to deal with. Because of this she was extremely well socialized around humans and other cats, and isn't easily scared. Very clingy and cuddly.

As others said above, your best option from a shelter is to go in the morning before everyone else has gotten to the latest batch of kittens. There are plenty of decent older cats too that got a bad hand in life and ended up at the shelter (cats are seen as more "disposable" than dogs a lot of times, and people will just leave them behind when moving etc) but make sure to spend a lot of time interacting with them first if you don't want to end up dealing with an aggressive cat.

If you want a specific breed just research the breed itself. Go for the ones that originate from landraces; most (country name) shorthair/longhair breeds, NFC, Russian Blue, etc. and also a lot of research on the breeder. Many of them actually care about the cats' health. As a rule of thumb, avoid breeds that have extreme features (Persians, modern wedge-headed Siamese, Orientals) or originated post-1950.

 

[Equal Rights for Androids]

Shelters are fucked usually, I feel like they're one of 2 extremes. Either they gatekeep to a ridiculous degree or hand out animals like Halloween candy. When I got my cat, all they did was look at my ID to make sure I was over 18 and that was it.

You have a better chance at finding a decent cat than dog there, since so many of them are just basic shorthairs and not unholy breeding abominations but you MUST interact with them first to make sure they're properly socialized. Shelters will try to pawn off cats that are straight up feral. So many people grab the first cat they think is cute and it ends up being a neurotic, aggressive menace. Unlike what people believe, once a cat passes the age of socialization, it is nearly impossible to train them out of a fear of humans.

My cat was a 2 month old kitten who was raised in the shelter basically from birth. Someone dumped off a litter of newborns they didn't want to deal with. Because of this she was extremely well socialized around humans and other cats, and isn't easily scared. Very clingy and cuddly.

As others said above, your best option from a shelter is to go in the morning before everyone else has gotten to the latest batch of kittens. There are plenty of decent older cats too that got a bad hand in life and ended up at the shelter (cats are seen as more "disposable" than dogs a lot of times, and people will just leave them behind when moving etc) but make sure to spend a lot of time interacting with them first if you don't want to end up dealing with an aggressive cat.

If you want a specific breed just research the breed itself. Go for the ones that originate from landraces; most (country name) shorthair/longhair breeds, NFC, Russian Blue, etc. and also a lot of research on the breeder. Many of them actually care about the cats' health. As a rule of thumb, avoid breeds that have extreme features (Persians, modern wedge-headed Siamese, Orientals) or originated post-1950.

No to many things in this post.
Don't 'avoid' Persians, Siamese, Orientals. Siamese are often labeled as such due to their traditional point colouration, but an actual Siamese cat is hard to find. They're not an unhealthy breed, including wedgeheads (which are the progenitors of Orientals). Persians have a high disease rate but they are often snatched up quickly. Orientals, you'll be very lucky if you ever find one in a shelter. Likely due to the previous owner dying. Orientals are expensive cats, rare in the USA, and no sane person who bought one as a kitten would discard it. People should get what breed they want so long as they're prepared to handle potential diseases in the future that may be more common with that breed than others.

Most non-county/city shelters [aka privately run] do not take in feral cats. They will trap, neuter, release. It would be stupid of them to sell a cat that has a feral-like disposition. One bite and they're forced to report it to the city. Too many reports and they could be investigated or shut down. Most county/city shelters that don't do TNR will euthanize the cat if it's not friendly upon behavioral eval. Most shelters don't have time to do a house check or whatever. It's sort of an unreasonable expectation.

I don't agree that you should interact with the cat first as a determination of whether they'll be a good cat. A cat who's been there for a while will appear nice because it's used to its environment, but once you put it in your house, all of that peace could come undone and the cat could show its true colors (just like dogs do in shelters, which helps explain high return rates). I also disagree that cats being a "neurotic mess". It's not them; it's YOU and the environment they're put in that make them act in a certain way. The only cats that truly can't be helped are the hybrids between wild cats, just like wolfdogs or coydogs. Their behavior can no longer be considered predictable. A cat that was just put into the shelter could behave "aggressive" and "neurotic" until they settle down and get used to it.

Designer animal breeding was a mistake. I'd go so far as to say there is no reason to selectively breed cats, other than to preserve recessive color patterns and the few actually old historical breeds such as Siamese (the ancient Thai "applehead" type, not the modern extreme "wedgehead" types you see now). As working animals they only are used to control rodents and any basic street cat can do that.

I don't get this hate for wedgehead cats. Orientals are the borzois of cats. It doesn't affect their health. There are some people that make the claim they have respiration issues but I've never found that in any of the orientals I've raised. Then again, I feed raw, so maybe that might contribute to a healthier cat overall. It's a far cry from the health conditions that the breeds of dogs have or other cats, such as the sphynx, do.
Also, cats are poor rat hunters compared to ratter dogs. Dogs and minks do it much more efficiently and achieve a higher kill rate than cats. Cats are a pet and we should be allowed to pick and choose how they look much like dogs so long as it doesn't negatively impact their health greatly. Otherwise, there's really no reason to preserve neither the the 'recessive color patterns' nor the historical breeds.

 

[Fukase]

@Equal Rights for Androids It won't let me quote you for some reason, so sorry if my arguments seem disorganized. Spoilering because it's a long post and goes a bit off topic from the main point of the thread. But anyway:

Spoiler

By avoiding those breeds I meant in the context of breeders. It's very difficult to know you're getting a quality cat unless you are very experienced and know what to look for. Of course you are almost never going to find pedigree cats in a shelter. People won't dump an 1000$ purebred cat but they definitely will with a common domestic shorthair. And to me personally, I just don't think it's ethical to breed a cat that is prone to health issues knowingly. Modern flat-faced persians have breathing issues, it's a fact. The only reason to breed for those extreme appearances is cosmetic reasons which personally is not worth the effects it will have on the cat. Siamese/Oriental is not as bad as Persians, but they are prone to eye and respiratory problems unless the breeder REALLY knows what they're doing.

As for the ferals, it might just be a thing for my shelter since it's very ghetto tbh. They've taken in feral cats before. I think there should be a healthy medium at least when it comes to adopting an animal, going to someone's house is ridiculous but they should make sure the person is aware about what they're taking on when they adopt a pet.

Interacting with a cat obviously isn't going to tell you everything about it but it'll give you an idea of what they're like. If a cat is very friendly at the shelter it's 99% likely they're going to be that way at home. Any cat is going to be fearful at first in a completely new environment. If they've been in the shelter for a while, and they're comfortable there, eventually they're going to get used to your home as well even if they're skittish or aggressive for a few weeks/months while they adjust. It is on the owner to make it as easy as possible on the cat while this happens And as you said, if the cat is friendly at the shelter but turns aggressive permanently at home, it is a problem with the environment the cat is in, and the owner needs to change that. I think we are on the same page in that regard.

However there are many cats who are straight up just aggressive and poorly socialized, and it isn't just from being in a new place, they act like that for years and years. When a cat isn't socialized well and has a fear of humans, there very little one can do to change that. Sure there are things that can be done to lessen that fear but it can't be fully eradicated. Now to be fair, I am basing this on anecdotal evidence so I could very well be wrong, but it just seems to be the overall experience of people I've talked to.

I am not opposed to breeding for appearance. That was on me for not wording my post more clearly. My intended point was that there isn't as much of a reason to in the way there is with dogs, who were bred to have specialized purposes such as herding and hunting. Cat breeders who put care and effort into the health of their cats and don't breed in harmful traits have all of my respect. Unfortunately the bad outweighs the good so much. I am in favor of quality breeding but designer breeders do not have that as their goal. They are the types like the one who bred my mothers cats, who pump out unhealthy kittens and breed in harmful traits. I think experiencing and reading about cat breeding horror stories has soured and biased my view, especially when it comes to exaggerated traits. The way the cats are raised is definitely also a factor; raw food is definitely better for their health, and having a good environment for them is essential. A bad breeder is going to keep their cats the cheapest way possible.

 

[UnsufficentBoobage]

Rescues are also getting choosier, with some who refused to adopt to me because I own a reptile and others wanting proof I owned my house and wasn't renting it. I thought they were overflowing with animals, but it's like pulling teeth to get them to respond to messages, let alone allow you to meet their cats

the neurotic, 40+ year old cat ladies volunteering there simply don't want to part with the animals. The demands they had for parting with the cat i was looking at were ridiculous, they basically demanded a more luxurious living situation for it than anybody i know has. One other woman immediately demanded to make an appointment to visit my apartment to see if it's cat friendly enough before continuing any form of conversation and i just looked at her like "What the fuck?" and left

Please tell me one of you is russian, I refuse to believe this is international.

It seriously feels like these wine aunts have persistent delusions of being the only thing between cats and I Know You Are Getting Them For KIDS Who Will Torture Them

 

[The Feline Solution]

Please tell me one of you is russian, I refuse to believe this is international.

It seriously feels like these wine aunts have persistent delusions of being the only thing between cats and I Know You Are Getting Them For KIDS Who Will Torture Them

German but i read of similar stuff happening in the US and UK, too. Because of these women we had a scandal in one of the shelters in my city last year, it was running at 300% capacity or some absurdly high number like that, with sick and dying animals of all sorts all over the place, many having had to be put down because of the neglect. There are no kill shelters here (again our laws) so it really was a semi-big scandal because so many animals died needlessly. Don't know if the shelter is reopened by now but i doubt it, it's all funded via charity and i don't think people are motivated to donate to a shelter with such history. All i remember is three women (One management, two volunteers) getting fined for this thing.

Edit: With the two women i had contact with in the shelters i visited i noticed at a glance that they were crazy and had obvious hang-up's when it came to, what they perceived as, their own animals. Very high strung, extremely weird way when speaking about the animals.

 

[Big Miss Steak]

Most non-county/city shelters [aka privately run] do not take in feral cats. They will trap, neuter, release. It would be stupid of them to sell a cat that has a feral-like disposition. One bite and they're forced to report it to the city. Too many reports and they could be investigated or shut down. Most county/city shelters that don't do TNR will euthanize the cat if it's not friendly upon behavioral eval. Most shelters don't have time to do a house check or whatever. It's sort of an unreasonable expectation.

Private shelters in my area will take in feral kittens. They will take in feral adults too if they're friendly/personable. Once the cat is out of their hands and with an owner, the shelter isn't responsible for shit. County/city shelters will adopt out feral litters but will euthanize adults. A lot of private shelters will ask to do a house check or at least a virtual interview. Hence why I got my cat from Craigslist.

I don't agree that you should interact with the cat first as a determination of whether they'll be a good cat. A cat who's been there for a while will appear nice because it's used to its environment, but once you put it in your house, all of that peace could come undone and the cat could show its true colors (just like dogs do in shelters, which helps explain high return rates). I also disagree that cats being a "neurotic mess". It's not them; it's YOU and the environment they're put in that make them act in a certain way. The only cats that truly can't be helped are the hybrids between wild cats, just like wolfdogs or coydogs. Their behavior can no longer be considered predictable. A cat that was just put into the shelter could behave "aggressive" and "neurotic" until they settle down and get used to it.

If you can interact with a cat before adopting it, definitely do it. If you can foster to adopt, even better. One of the best cats I had (although this "oops" kitten may end up having that cat beat) was a kitten I visited several times at a private shelter (back before it was commonplace for them to want to see your home, around 11 years ago). We visited abut 4 or 5 times and this kitten came up and got in my lap every time. She remained very attached to me and very outgoing throughout her life.

You should bear in mind that they might be nervous due to their environment, but you can still generally get a feel of a cat's personality and bearing if you see it in person. A cat that is outgoing and friendly in a shelter is unlikely to become reclusive and shy when you bring it home (after an adjustment period of course). A cat that immediately comes over and seeks pets from you at the shelter is very likely to remain friendly and affectionate once he adjusts to your home. A cat that is shy at the shelter will probably come out of his shell some, but one that reacts with aggression when you try to gently approach it at a shelter is probably never going to be an amicable cat.

Cats can 100% be neurotic assholes. As can dogs. Animals have their own personalities and some of them just suck. There are also no "hybrids" between domestic cats and wild cats. There are feral cats and there are house cats. They are the same animal. One was socialized to humans from a young age and one was not. You can take a feral kitten and as long as it's not inbred or older than 6 months, it can very well adjust to being a pet. You can also get kittens from a house cat that are mean little shits. You can really try to split hairs and say only the meanest cats survive outdoors, but since cats are only semi-domesticated anyway and plenty of feral-born cats turn out to be very sweet, I don't think this holds much water.

Also, cats are poor rat hunters compared to ratter dogs. Dogs and minks do it much more efficiently and achieve a higher kill rate than cats.

Two different situations. Barn cats or ratting cats don't require human supervision. Dogs and minks do. Dogs and minks should be used when turning over a field or demo'ing an old barn. Cats should be used when just trying to keep the rodent population on a property under control.

Please tell me one of you is russian, I refuse to believe this is international.

American.

 

[Equal Rights for Androids]

Private shelters in my area will take in feral kittens. They will take in feral adults too if they're friendly/personable. Once the cat is out of their hands and with an owner, the shelter isn't responsible for shit. County/city shelters will adopt out feral litters but will euthanize adults. A lot of private shelters will ask to do a house check or at least a virtual interview. Hence why I got my cat from Craigslist.

What you're describing is not feral. "Feral" adults who are friendly/personable are not considered feral. A feral cat is one that is not accustomed to human contact and will not tolerate it. What you describe are cats who live outdoors but have had good contact with humans, enough to be domesticated. Feral kittens are a different story.

If you can interact with a cat before adopting it, definitely do it. If you can foster to adopt, even better.

Agreed. Just don't base the entire cat on the few times you interact with it, though.

one that reacts with aggression when you try to gently approach it at a shelter is probably never going to be an amicable cat.

False. Not all shelters list when a cat was received into shelter. A cat that is still scared of its environment will show that in hostility. A cat that is surrounded by the smells of other cats is more likely to be hostile (hence why cats freak out when at the vet). You cannot judge a cat by how it acts in the shelter. You speak like a dog person who knows so little about cats (which kind of shows when you say there's no such thing as domestic/wild cat hybrids lmfao).

Cats can 100% be neurotic assholes.

Disagree. Cats are not all the same. They have personalities and that includes their tolerance for human contact/petting. If they have a low limit to how much they want to be pet (I've seen cats as low as three strokes before they tell you off), they'll let you know with warning bites or swatting. A lot of people do not understand how to respect a cat's boundaries and call them "neurotic" because they don't understand that not all cats want to be pet often. The only ones that are truly neurotic are the ones that have physical damage to the brain (abuse, hit by a car, etc), genetic defects (which is again, understandable and usually presents visibly in other areas of the cat), or they're WILD CAT HYBRIDS (see below), where their behavior is no longer considered predictable.

There are also no "hybrids" between domestic cats and wild cats.

Yes there are. Savannah cats, bengal, chausie, caracats, safari cats. The lists goes on. At least do a google search before you state something so wrong. "Wildcat" is not a term used to describe a feral cat (Felis catus).

 

[UnsufficentBoobage]

Yes there are. Savannah cats, bengal, chausie, caracats, safari cats.

I am still mad I misplaced (tumblr search never works right) a post where obvious wildcat mix, with really visibly not domestic cat colouration (strange face markings, also smallish head), was greeted and fed by someone as a feral. I think some of semi-ferals are domesticable (does not mean it should be done)

 

[Equal Rights for Androids]

I am still mad I misplaced (tumblr search never works right) a post where obvious wildcat mix, with really visibly not domestic cat colouration (strange face markings, also smallish head), was greeted and fed by someone as a feral. I think some of semi-ferals are domesticable (does not mean it should be done)

It is impossible for a domestic cat to mix with a wild cat without there being human intervention (and thus the cat not being feral). Those cats are very expensive, ranging from $2000-$40,000 depending on what species it's been crossed with. Rest assured that no domestic cat/felid hybrid is naturally occurring. That cat was previously owned by a human.

 

[The Feline Solution]

It is impossible for a domestic cat to mix with a wild cat without there being human intervention (and thus the cat not being feral). Those cats are very expensive, ranging from $2000-$40,000 depending on what species it's been crossed with. Rest assured that no domestic cat/felid hybrid is naturally occurring. That cat was previously owned by a human.

I hate rich assholes who go for these breeds, wether it be felines or canids. Just because it can be done doesn't mean it should. Evan Wright wrote a nice article back when he was still a pure journo about a wolf hybrid killing a woman in a NY condo. They held that animal in a condo, fucking just imagine that. The woman killed was a direct neighbour of the owners, already complained about the "dog" multiple times to the landlord.

 

[UnsufficentBoobage]

I hate rich assholes who go for these breeds, wether it be felines or canids. Just because it can be done doesn't mean it should. Evan Wright wrote a nice article back when he was still a pure journo about a wolf hybrid killing a woman in a NY condo. They held that animal in a condo, fucking just imagine that. The woman killed was a direct neighbour of the owners, already complained about the "dog" multiple times to the landlord.

I agree, but I pet a bengal that was being walked by some guy, and she was so calm and full of love. Also warm.

 

[Android raptor]

I hate rich assholes who go for these breeds, wether it be felines or canids. Just because it can be done doesn't mean it should. Evan Wright wrote a nice article back when he was still a pure journo about a wolf hybrid killing a woman in a NY condo. They held that animal in a condo, fucking just imagine that. The woman killed was a direct neighbour of the owners, already complained about the "dog" multiple times to the landlord.

Wolfdog did nothing wrong. That's what you deserve for keeping a wolfdog in a condo.

High content wolfdogs need pretty much the same care as wolves i.e. a large, secure, naturalistic enclosure and things to climb and keep them occupied. They're wild animals.

 

[Smokingpoop]

I can't believe I'm just finding this thread, this is so fucking wrong and exploitative. Really truly the most nigger ass shit I've seen in a long time. Imagine never being able to walk, breathe, or procreate naturally and being in constant pain because you're an inbreed abomination. Not that the clout chasing niggers and spics who do this shit give a fuck. If there were more regulations in place, or licenses required it would make it so much harder for them to be profitable since the only people who buy these "dogs" are other breeders mostly.

As a side note, a manager of mine at a previous job used to breed these dogs with her felon loser husband. They were both incredibly lowclass and gross people but I just remember her talking about the dogs as if they were drugs she was dealing to other drug dealers and her being so proud of their genetic mutations/defections that make them "show dogs". I wasn't well versed in this repulsive industry at that time but I was beyond horrified at how they would mutilate and chop off the dogs ears.

This seriously needs to be made illegal as soon as possible

 

[Chub Rub]

I am still mad I misplaced (tumblr search never works right) a post where obvious wildcat mix, with really visibly not domestic cat colouration (strange face markings, also smallish head), was greeted and fed by someone as a feral. I think some of semi-ferals are domesticable (does not mean it should be done)

One of the Animal Planet animal cop shows had a scene of this. Complaints of a woman keeping a wildcat, the officers show up to a house with just a ton of cats coming in and out. An ocelot walks in, eats some cat food, and lies down in the sun with the other cats. The old lady just thought it was a big feral cat. She wasn't keeping it confined, it showed up and stayed around for the food, but could leave whenever it wanted to.

 

[Xarpho's Return]

My first dog was a racing greyhound that was retired at two years old because he'd broken a toe (healed when we got him). We agreed to foster him for a couple months. The greyhound rescue did not prepare us for him.

Greyhounds, like dogs from fighting rings, just aren't meant for rehoming as normal dogs. They're not trained to be house dogs. A few years ago, a new law in Texas was passed to allow police dogs to retire with their trainers (instead of being auctioned off as surplus property), which is really a better idea, a K-9 unit does not sound like something you want around the house, and would be better off staying with its partner.

I would never adopt an animal from the shelter that was over 1 year old. Sucks to be a dog that was ditched because their owner died but I ain't taking the risk.

Both of my siblings adopted animals from shelters (the dog was kept in a kennel most of the day and still has some training issues like peeing when it gets too excited) but my brother's cat was a housecat that got lost and replaced, then taken to the shelter when it was eventually found, yet still is very needy and meows a lot.

The deeply unpleasant thing you need to remember about shelter animals: Animals are like orphaned babies. There's a huge demand, so any animal worth taking will not be there long. Almost every animal there, as a result, are not salvageable.

I'm not sure about cats, but it seems the last time I went to the shelter, almost every dog there was a pitbull or pit mix.

I think it was on 4chan (might've been here) where anon went to the animal shelter to get a dog and explicitly made it clear that he didn't want a pitbull or pit mix, and they got pissed at him as if he said the "N word".