munchkins and similar new breeds

[tnsanders]

I am a sphynx cattery, but I have two pet Munchkins and ignorant people annoy me. First of all, its a huge misconception that Munchkins are manmade. They showed up spontaneously in the wild. That means NOT manmade. Secondly, if you've ever been around one, you'd know that they can jump just as high, are just as active, even more agile, and extremely intelligent vs. a normal cat. They are not handicapped in any way, and because they came from plain old alley cats, their gene pool is so diverse that they are extremely healthy.

Dogs, such as you used in your comparison, such as Dachshunds, ARE manmade and bred down to be small and because of the line and inbreeding, do have many skeletal/back problems. This has never been found in the NATURALLY OCCURRING munchkin.

You need to know what you are talking about before lighting torches and grabbing the pitch forks.

 

[Anne]

Just wanted to pop in and say that this is a fascinating thread. Like Pete said, the thing I'm most proud about in these forums is the friendly atmosphere that actually allows us to discuss issues and learn from each other. So, please everyone - let's try and keep it this way!

I am glad that many professional breeders have joined us! Welcome everyone!

 

[bemba]

 They are recessive genes and they are natural occurrences.

Just wanted to point out here that the dwarfing gene in Munchkins is a dominantly inherited mutation, so you only need one parent to be Munchkin to produce more. And the normal legged kittens born cannot carry the gene hidden in it's DNA, it's either a Munchkin or a "normal"