longevity of purebred vs. domestic cats

Something I have learned in my short time as a cat owner is that, as Sandie points out, just because someone hangs out their shingle as a breeder, that doesn't always mean they know what they're doing. Next time, educate yourself so that you can ask good questions about your cat's bloodline. If the breeder is reputable, they should be willing to answer your questions clearly. Hopefully, that will up your luck with the longevity of your next kitty.

Thank you Sandie, I hope Phantom lives a long and healthy life too.

Dickens' breeder happens to be an associate professor of genetics at a university in Ohio. Geez, you'd certainly think she'd know what she was doing. And I'm not blaming her for what happened to Dickens but if anyone should understand breeding, you'd think it'd be her. Plus, she just seems like a genuinely nice person who cares about her cats.

Oh, I absolutely agree. Two examples.

One breeder of a longhaired breed didn't know if long hair was dominant or recessive.

Another breeder just stopped caring. She's been at it for 20 + years, and started cutting corners by not bringing in new lines, she would just keep a kitten & use it in her "programme". Eventually, all her cats ended up inbred, and she's losing litter after litter. She doesn't perform a necropsy on them. It's so sad to hear how many kittens she loses in a year, and she denies there is a problem.

Research is definitely the key. If you smell a rat, follow your senses & go elsewhere.

Julia.

i too am glad that people are bringing back the "apple head" siamiese. Now only if they would put the noses back on the persians.(im sorry,might be an unpopular thing to say)

Just wanted to add this I know a geneticist who breeds several breeds. It's very unfortunate, but her standpoint as a so called breeder is to "play" with genetics. I have seen her "play" with cats and it makes me sick. Her whole thing has always been scientific, not for the betterment of the breed, or the health of the cats.
As a breeder, I know there may be a time or two we can make a simple mistake, but in general a good breeder will always do what they can to make sure everything is for the best.
I am sure Phantom is going to be just fine. If you ever want another kitty, I am sure lots of people here would be more than happy to help find a reputable breeder

I myself do not like the wedge siamese.I like the applehead.

Me too. I really don't understand why breeders felt they needed to change the appearance of the breed.

Me too. Why try to "improve" something that is already perfect? Here in Germany they've gone so far as to give the "appleheads" a new name. They're called "Thais", whereas as the narrow-headed ones are "Siamese". As far as inbreeding is concerned - here people are importing Maine Coons from the States, because the European ones have a lot of health problems (heart and gum disease in particular). I suspect that an awful lot of breeders concentrate on their own perception of beauty at the expense of health. I find several breeds absolutely gorgeous, e.g. Applehead Siamese, Russian Blues, Somali, but I've decided that I'm going to stick to good old "dime a dozen" domestic shorthairs that have trouble finding homes.

Sandie,

I don't want to sound overly defensive here, but I don't get the sense that Dickens' breeder is trying to play with genetics. Having spoken to her many times, I really feel that she genuinely cares about the welfare of her cats. I think what happened to Dickens could be a fluke and doesn't necessarily mean that the majority of her cats have (or will have) a health problem. My sister has two cats from this same breeder and hasn't had any problems with them. This breeder offered to give us a kitten after I told her all about what happened to Dickens, which I thought was extremely nice. However, I have e-mailed three breeders from the PREOSSIA website to see if they have available kittens because I think I'd like to go with an applehead. (we have an Oriental Shorthair and a Balinese besides Phantom and we'd like to have a fourth kitty)

Thank you for saying that you think Phantom will be OK. He is my buddy, not at all "bloppy" like Dickens was, but a peach of a cat as well.

Oh heck, I am sorry if I gave you the impression that I thought that this breeder was like the one I know. I just wanted to point out that I knew someone who did this. It's best to get to know the breeder and even visit the cattery. Just because someone has credentials, or a degree won't make them responsible.
I should have made that clear, it sometimes seems to come out in writing different than in my head
Again, I am sorry if I gave you the impression I was "slamming" the breeeder you got him from.

I know exactly what you mean, writing via the Net frequently can give a wrong impression. No offense taken.