Quote:
Originally Posted by NorthernGlow  Really? Have you ever heard of the breed called German Rex?  |
Yes, I know this breed. They too are seen as a form of animal cruilty by many, but as none was on the photos of this particular cat show I didn't mention them. They too have issues with their whiskers.
And yes, Sphynx cats are also bred in Germany, but that doesn't mean its OK to breed cats that do not have their whiskers as sensors. Whiskers aren't just some sort of whim of mother nature, they serve a purpose.
Quote:
Originally Posted by whiteforest
As someone who has owned several Persians, the tear staining is very normal. Due to the shape of their skull the eyes tend to drain externally. There is no health issue with tear staining.
|
Thank you for answering my question. So why breed with such a skull shape in the first place?
EDIT:
http://www.pictures-of-cats.org/Clog...-of-a-Cat.html
"If the tear duct is defective it is not clogged. I know of only one case where the tear duct of a cat is inherently defective through breeding and that is in the flat faced Persian cat and the Himalayan cat (a pointed Persian cat). Tear duct overflow in these cats is a medical condition brought about by irresponsible breeding. These cat breeds should not have been brought into existence. The doll face Persian does not suffer from the same condition because the face has a normal anatomy. Please see Cat Health Problems and Persian Health Problems."
EDIT 2:
http://www.worldofdani.com/healthpro...ersiansen2.htm
"
Excessive tearing (Tear duct overflow / Epiphora)
Epiphora is an abnormal overflow of tears down the face that results from either obstruction of tear drainage through the nasolacrimal (tear duct) system or overproduction of tears that overwhelms the normal drainage system. The overproduction of tears is most often a reflex, activated to expel irritating material from the surface of the eye or when significant irritation develops inside the eye. Although uncommon, epiphora may also result from overactive lacrimal (tear) glands and be unassociated with any source of irritation.
Tears are continuously produced on the eye in most animals. With each blink of the eyelids, tears are pushed along the outer aspect of the eyelids towards the nose.
While tears are typically colorless, they can dry to a dark red-brown-black crust, especially in the cat. Chronic tearing can also result in a brown to rust-colored staining of the hair around the eyes and face of animals. This is believed to be due to porphyrins or other pigment-like substances present in the tears.
Tears that spill over onto the face can also be irritating to the skin of the face. Moisture and bacterial build-up in that area aggravates this irritation.Epiphora can be caused by numerous conditions.Inefficient drainage of tears from partial closure of the drainage openings, increased kinking of the drainage duct in the nose, or wicking of tears onto hairs present in the crease where the eyelids meet. This condition is most common in the flat faced, long-haired breeds of cats, particularly the Persian and Himalayan breeds.
As a result of their short and concave underlying facial bone structure, the lacrimal sac and the nasolacrimal duct of most Persian cats is blocked at the lacrimal puncta, causing an excessive coagulation of debris and an overflow of tears from the lacrimal glands: Excessive tearing is a common characteristic of Persian cats and is caused by abnormal drainage of tears and may result in epiphora (Faculty of Cornell Feline Health Center 1997). The two lacrimal puncta are the small openings to the canaliculi (ducts) leading to the lacrimal sac. The nasolacrimal duct drains the sac into the nose. The ducts of the lacrimal system are already very small in felines and the facial conformation of extremely short-nosed, large-eyed cats, namely Persians, is the single most common cause of occlusion (blockage) of the lacrimal system and resulting abnormal drainage of tears.
Consequently, because of the epiphora and the blocked lacrimal system, Persian cats suffer from chronic eye infections. Bacteria build up in the obstructed lacrimal passages and thrive on the debris deposited from the coagulated tears, inducing chronic conjunctivitis, with characteristic symptoms such as a brown, mucus-like discharge from the eye, blinking, and an exposed third eyelid. In severe cases, the conjunctiva is swollen red (Faculty of Cornell Feline Health Center 1997). It is important to note, however, that conjunctivitis is not painful (Carlson and Giffin 1995)."
Why risk all of this purely for looks? Surely the skull shape doesn't have to be like this?
regards,
Christine
