breeding teacup cats

swate

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I have noticed some teacup cat breeders on the internet, are there alot of health problems related to the cats? Whats the average size of a litter 1? 3?
 

goldenkitty45

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Please do not even CONSIDER giving your money to one of these "breeders". There is no such thing - its a person taking the smaller runts of the litters and breeding them to create an even smaller cat! Another "designer cat" bandwagon.

I'm sure there are a host of problems - even if the breeder claims they have healthy cats - you can't just keep breeding smaller cats. IMO cats are small - ranging from 5 lbs to 20 lbs - why would you want ANY thing smaller then that?

This goes hand in hand with the so called "tea cup yorkies/poodles", etc. you also find bad breeders breeding!
 

white cat lover

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From "teacup" dogs, I can say that there are a whole host of problems. Those "breeders" are breeding runts, who are typically not healthy to start with. Breeding unhealthy to unhealthy just creates sicker cats. IMO, "teacup" anything is wrong.
 
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swate

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Thanks alot, I knew nothing of this breed, but I figured these cat must have alot of health problems. Doing some ground work and research I have found alot of bad breeders (cat mills)

Again thank you for your time and input.
 

scamperfarms

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Its a gimmic.and a bad gimmic at that. Teacup branding makes me MAD. and there is no reason to be breeding small to small...and.. Argh yeah. I dont think its a good idea. at all. And i would not give any money to that kind of breeder.
 

sharky

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Originally Posted by ScamperFarms

Its a gimmic.and a bad gimmic at that. Teacup branding makes me MAD. and there is no reason to be breeding small to small...and.. Argh yeah. I dont think its a good idea. at all. And i would not give any money to that kind of breeder.
My thoughts exactly
 
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swate

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I have not found one breeder on any board that is happy with this type of breeding.... I guess people should have to have a license to breed....
 

amaranth

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The sad part is that tiny animals--whether cats or dogs--that look cute and can be carried around like accessories are a current fad, so unfortunately it does not look the demand will end anytime soon.
 

denice

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This doesn't have anything to do with someone trying to breed very small cats but I read an article about a kitten that someone had adopted from a shelter. She was very tiny and there is, I think, a natural attraction to the runt of the litter. That cat never got big enough to safely spay but she did have heat cycles. I think people who breed for that are backyard breeders. They are preying on that instinct to take the runt of the litter to make money.
 

merrytreecats

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Originally Posted by swate

I have not found one breeder on any board that is happy with this type of breeding.... I guess people should have to have a license to breed....
There are already too many *unconstitutional* restrictions being placed on us breeders--pet limit laws and the like--for any required licensing to be a good thing. I should not have to buy a license to breed my Persians. Require licenses one day, and the animal rights people will find even more ways to restrict our pet ownership the next.
 

goldenkitty45

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Common sense apparently is NOT so common!

I was at cat show one time and there was this really cute HHP (tortie I think) who I thought was about 5-6 months old. Turns out she was 4 YEARS old! and only the size of a 5 month old. I was shocked - but at least the little one was spayed.
 

kai bengals

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Cats and dogs are meant to be certain sizes, based on the breed standards.

If you want an animal that will fit in a teacup, buy a gerbil or a hamster.
 

merrytreecats

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Originally Posted by GoldenKitty45




you can't just keep breeding smaller cats. IMO cats are small - ranging from 5 lbs to 20 lbs - why would you want ANY thing smaller then that?
I see your point and it is a good one. However, consider this--the average "natural" dog size is about 50 to 60 pounds. But many breeds of dogs have a standard calling for as little as 10 pounds. That's less than one fifth the weight of an average dog. If you consider an average cat to be 10 to 15 pounds {and that's on the large side}, then breeding cats of 2 or 3 pounds would be roughly the equivalent. Why is it ethical to breed toy dogs but not toy cats? And btw I'm not referring to those "teacup" yorkies and such which go to 5 pounds or so. I'm just noticing a double standard here. IMO as long as it doesn't hurt the animal's health and well being I see no problem with breeding for larger or smaller size. Maine Coon breeders are working to increase the size of their cats, for instance. Why the stigma on trying to breed a small but still healthy cat?
 

goldenkitty45

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Who says I approve of the little dogs????
We have a lab. The smallest dog I would consider owning is a cairn terrier - I really don't like the toy breeds.

And most cats/dogs have some kind of genetic problem. Many of the toy breeds are prone to eye problems (bulging eyes) or breathing problems - pugs, boston terriers, or knee problems. So are they really any healthier.

I understand that Maine Coons are having some problems now with hip displaysia.

IMO you can't have "healthy" teacup anything.
 

arlyn

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Legitimate dog breeders of toy breeds will tell you there is no such thing as a teacup.

As for varying dog sizes (not the true toys, just the small breeds) they were created and bred to fill a purpose, a lot of those size differences came about naturally due to many environmental factors.
Cats have no purpose beyond companionship, there is no legitimate reason to breed them smaller, or bigger.
There is quite enough variance between the different breeds as far as size goes.

For my personal tastes, I do not like toy breeds, nor do I like so called miniatures, Minpins are an exception as these are not bred down Dobermans.
Small dogs, however, are ok (well there are some breeds I do not like, but that is more general personality).
 

hopehacker

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Originally Posted by GoldenKitty45

Who says I approve of the little dogs????
We have a lab. The smallest dog I would consider owning is a cairn terrier - I really don't like the toy breeds.

And most cats/dogs have some kind of genetic problem. Many of the toy breeds are prone to eye problems (bulging eyes) or breathing problems - pugs, boston terriers, or knee problems. So are they really any healthier.

I understand that Maine Coons are having some problems now with hip displaysia.

IMO you can't have "healthy" teacup anything.
What do you think of Pomeranian's? They aren't exactly Tea Cup, but they are toy sized dogs. I used to have one, and I don't think they stunted or dwarfed anything to create the breed. My little guy seemed extremely healthy. In fact he still is. I had to give him to my neighbor because I couldn't walk him due to my bad hip.
 

arlyn

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Poms were actually a Northern spitz breed at one time in history, a sled dog.

Poms though are one of the toy breeds I like.
 

goldenkitty45

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Arlyn, you beat me to it - I also knew that Poms were originally bred down from sled dogs. That's why they act so tough
I do like Poms (think they are cute) but I wouldn't own one - too little for me. I had a cairn terrier - would have one again
 

sharky

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Arlyn is right NO GOOD BREEDER will say TOYS exist ... Yorkies( I have one ) are supossed to be 14-16 lbs ( std of today for show is 7) ... they are a small hunting dog ( rats mostly) //// DO you think a 3lb yorkie could hunt and kill a mouse/ rat??? I dont ... poms are a different group all together since naturally the german spitz( the poms closest reletive is about 15 lbs if memory serves )
 
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