Non Pedigree Owners

vansX2

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It Baffles me why so many are wondering what breed their cats resemble. Had they done research themselves on Cat breeds they wouldn't have to ask. If they are happy with their domestic non pedigree cat why worry about what it resembles.
 

Juniper_Junebug

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Ok, I'll bite. Because it's fun. Because it's interesting. Because new cat "owners"-- especially first-time cat "owners" like myself-- are so excited about their new companion that they want to know everything about it. Even if it's just what breed it might resemble.

I got my first cat last year, and originally I wanted a Russian blue. Mostly because of the look, but I also liked the description of personality. It was only after talking to a vet friend that I learned how common solid gray/blue cats are in the general moggy population. So that's what I got. But until I managed to connect with her foster several months later (foster was from a different organization than the rescue I adopted her from), I knew almost nothing about her background, even her age. And that just made me hungry for any little scraps, even those that weren't truly significant. And though I knew she was a DSH, I was curious what made her look different from a Russian blue (besides the eyes, which are obvious). I am still pretty terrible at reading head-shape, so I enjoy seeing other people explain it in response to other new owners' questions.

Also, nearly every article about cats talks about breed-- which breeds are best for this or that, etc. Almost none talk about domestics. I have yet to see an article on gray cats that mentions D*H. For that reason, IMO, you can't really fault new cat owners too much for focusing on breed (especially if they're more familiar with dogs, which usually are some mix of breeds).

Tl;dr It's a fun way to talk about our cats and it doesn't hurt anyone.
 
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vansX2

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Ok, I'll bite. Because it's fun. Because it's interesting. Because new cat "owners"-- especially first-time cat "owners" like myself-- are so excited about their new companion that they want to know everything about it. Even if it's just what breed it might resemble.

I got my first cat last year, and originally I wanted a Russian blue. Mostly because of the look, but I also liked the description of personality. It was only after talking to a vet friend that I learned how common solid gray/blue cats are in the general moggy population. So that's what I got. But until I managed to connect with her foster several months later (foster was from a different organization than the rescue I adopted her from), I knew almost nothing about her background, even her age. And that just made me hungry for any little scraps, even those that weren't truly significant. And though I knew she was a DSH, I was curious what made her look different from a Russian blue (besides the eyes, which are obvious). I am still pretty terrible at reading head-shape, so I enjoy seeing other people explain it in response to other new owners' questions.

Also, nearly every article about cats talks about breed-- which breeds are best for this or that, etc. Almost none talk about domestics. I have yet to see an article on gray cats that mentions D*H. For that reason, IMO, you can't really fault new cat owners too much for focusing on breed (especially if they're more familiar with dogs, which usually are some mix of breeds).

Tl;dr It's a fun way to talk about our cats and it doesn't hurt anyone.
My first time as a Cat owner, I purchased a Show quality, neutered Male. I researched several breeders as too what they had available. Their price, location and the shots the kitten came with. I did my homework prior to the purchase. My first boy was a Brown Mackerel Tabby, whom I named "Hobie Cat" after my sailboat. This cat came from a reputable CFA breeder. There was No Doubt what breed this Cat was.
 

Juniper_Junebug

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That's great. If you're buying a pedigreed cat, it makes perfect sense to do all that research (and seems especially important to be sure you're not supporting an irresponsible breeder). But not everyone wants to buy a cat from breeder. Some folks want a rescue cat. If that's your starting point, you don't need to do homework on breed. But you just might be curious about the moggy you fell in love with and come to a site that invites people to ask what breed their cat resembles.

I think this comes down to: Different strokes for different folks.
 

JuliWo

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I think it boosts the owner's self-esteem. If I get a non-breed cat and accidentally know the cat has a breed, I just feel proud of my cat. Just a good feeling.
 
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vansX2

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That's great. If you're buying a pedigreed cat, it makes perfect sense to do all that research (and seems especially important to be sure you're not supporting an irresponsible breeder). But not everyone wants to buy a cat from breeder. Some folks want a rescue cat. If that's your starting point, you don't need to do homework on breed. But you just might be curious about the moggy you fell in love with and come to a site that invites people to ask what breed their cat resembles.

I think this comes down to: Different strokes for different folks.
In my current situation, I had looked into a Rescued Turkish Van, 3 yr. old Male. He was being offered for adoption from a Purebred rescure agency in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. What didn't work was this 3yr.old did not like other cats. These are rare cats to find with rescue agencies . So my 2nd cat was a 3 month old Turkish Van . Jackpot is the Carmel/ White in my photo. He's from a TICA breeder in Texas.
 
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vansX2

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I think it boosts the owner's self-esteem. If I get a non-breed cat and accidentally know the cat has a breed, I just feel proud of my cat. Just a good feeling.
You feel good that you didn't have to lay out big bucks for the cat right ?
 
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vansX2

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I think it's because people are more used to dogs. Almost every dog has a distinct breed or breed mix history, and this strongly affects their temperament. If someone doesn't know a lot about cats, it would seem reasonable that they'd be the same way.
I disagree about most people being used to dogs. I grew up with Cats, Turtles and a few snakes. Never a dog. Since having cats for myself I have had a pair of domestic shorthaired cats. But Mostly Maine Coons until these current two Turkish Vans.

408144-fb81b383112b3640450cb04e48087928.jpg
 
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Willowy

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I didn't say all people.

Vets are trained more on dogs. There are more rescue agencies that deal with dogs. Dogs are a bigger part of the American zeitgeist than cats (Lassie, Benji, Rin Tin Tin. . .). More American households own dogs than cats.
petownershipushouseholds.png

Pet Ownership Statistics [2021]: U.S Pet Population


If you aren't in the US it may be different. I think purebred cats are far more common in the UK, for instance.

Anyway that's my guess for why people, in the US at least, tend to assume all cats have a breed history.
 
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Tik cat's mum

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With my boy who's passed I knew he was just a moggy. But also knew what he looked like, but only because everyone that saw him asked if he was a van. I didn't know about the van breed. So I did some research read a lot watched videos and found out he acted similar. More dog than cat with a love of water. Even my vet put his breed as a van when he went in for neutering, I had to tell her he wasn't. After researching for me it was obvious what he looked and acted like but for some it might not be. So maybe they've had people ask or are wondering about certain behaviours. As you know I'd love a van that's a van, but I have two lovely moggies now that look like no breed except cat. And love them no less, my boy's are Awsome.
 

chronicallytoast

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From what I understand about cat breeds, they are very different from dog breeds, especially dog breeding culture. I've also noticed that people often (unintentionally) apply dog characteristics and standards to their cats. People are so used to dog "breeds" that they are always guessing what breed a dog is.


I've always personally been more drawn to cat standards because they seem more relaxed than dogs, and allow for more variation and biodiversity. That being said, I always tell people that unless the cat has a pedigree, it's either short/medium/long hair and type of coat pattern.
 

minish

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Minish is my first cat and I rescued as a kitten. domestic shorthair, pure white, has a long tail and incredibly elegant thin limbs and petite paws uncommon for dsh in Turkey. Naturally I thought she could have had angora ancestry. I knew she couldn't be purebred because she was shorthair and people would have tried to sell her instead of leaving her. Yet..
Veru much like Juniper_Junebug Juniper_Junebug said, I was curious. I had no previous knowledge about cats. I was thinking with my dog mind and trying to figure out how she would grow up, what she would look like, would she be stubborn, active, intelligent etc.
It turns out, naturally, I have an average cat, which means much more funny and intelligent than I believed cats would normally be. All because of our shared life. I created puzzles for her, cheered her athleticism, laughed at her jokes, played with her any chance I got,introduced her to all kinds of experiences.
When I got used to being a cat owner and saw how minish developed, the breed thoughts disappeared
 

sivyaleah

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Sometimes I think this site needs a Wiki on breeds put into this subforum. It would help educate people before they post what constitutes a purebreed from a domestic cat and probably avoid a lot of misunderstandings before they occur.

Some people genuinely are coming into the cat fancy without much knowledge of cats, their behaviors or how to distinguish a breed let alone the standards of the breed. They also sometimes aren't aware cats are not like dogs in their history of being domesticated and so their expectations are shattered when they find out their cat is a domestic.

There are members on TCS who are very knowledgeable because they are breeders or from owning purebred cats and can easily ascertain differences between domestic look-a-likes and a purebeed. Unfortunately, some don't want to hear they didn't luck out and discover something "special" at their local rescue. I myself have a rescued domestic long hair and have purchased a purebreed Maine Coon. they look nothing like each other in type other than being cats. Different physical structure, different coat types, etc. I have little trouble knowing an MC when I see one having educated myself and from living with one.

While it is possible to find a purebreed via a rescue or shelter (I myself, nearly adopted a purebreed Ragdoll some years ago which I knew was legit; I asked to see the the breeder paperwork) but that is not the norm. Most purebreed cats should be returned to their breeder before being put up for adoption because there are legalities involved in the contracts signed between owner/breeder. Some owners don't want to bother and so, they wind up in the rescue/shelter circuit. Or worse, if they are not spayed/neutered wind up breeding them. But it is a rarity for this to occur. And last, from what I've seen most rescues that "specialize" in specific breeds have domestic cats that resemble a breed - not, the breed they claim to rescue. This further leads to people not being able to recognize a properly bred cat because they are just seeing the ones that are claimed to be the breed.

Sometimes, a the look-a-like does indeed resemble a particular breed so well that the possibility does seem quite strong that there is at least some minimal ancestry of a purebreed. But more than not, there is no specific breed appearance to the one the person thinks it is.

Having certain traits be they in appearance or personality does not guarantee breed. Many personality traits can be easily found in any purebreed cat that was properly raised and socialized. Even domestics can have those traits when raised well.

One last thing that really bothers me is those that are against purebreed cats. They are a minute percentage of cats in the world. Most people that have said nasty things to me about buying an MC, readily and happily follow famous purebreed cats on social media. I will never figure that out!
 
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vansX2

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Sometimes I think this site needs a Wiki on breeds put into this subforum. It would help educate people before they post what constitutes a purebreed from a domestic cat and probably avoid a lot of misunderstandings before they occur.

Some people genuinely are coming into the cat fancy without much knowledge of cats, their behaviors or how to distinguish a breed let alone the standards of the breed. They also sometimes aren't aware cats are not like dogs in their history of being domesticated and so their expectations are shattered when they find out their cat is a domestic.

There are members on TCS who are very knowledgeable because they are breeders or from owning purebred cats and can easily ascertain differences between domestic look-a-likes and a purebeed. Unfortunately, some don't want to hear they didn't luck out and discover something "special" at their local rescue. I myself have a rescued domestic long hair and have purchased a purebreed Maine Coon. they look nothing like each other in type other than being cats. Different physical structure, different coat types, etc. I have little trouble knowing an MC when I see one having educated myself and from living with one.

While it is possible to find a purebreed via a rescue or shelter (I myself, nearly adopted a purebreed Ragdoll some years ago which I knew was legit; I asked to see the the breeder paperwork) but that is not the norm. Most purebreed cats should be returned to their breeder before being put up for adoption because there are legalities involved in the contracts signed between owner/breeder. Some owners don't want to bother and so, they wind up in the rescue/shelter circuit. Or worse, if they are not spayed/neutered wind up breeding them. But it is a rarity for this to occur. And last, from what I've seen most rescues that "specialize" in specific breeds have domestic cats that resemble a breed - not, the breed they claim to rescue. This further leads to people not being able to recognize a properly bred cat because they are just seeing the ones that are claimed to be the breed.

Sometimes, a the look-a-like does indeed resemble a particular breed so well that the possibility does seem quite strong that there is at least some minimal ancestry of a purebreed. But more than not, there is no specific breed appearance to the one the person thinks it is.

Having certain traits be they in appearance or personality does not guarantee breed. Many personality traits can be easily found in any purebreed cat that was properly raised and socialized. Even domestics can have those traits when raised well.

One last thing that really bothers me is those that are against purebreed cats. They are a minute percentage of cats in the world. Most people that have said nasty things to me about buying an MC, readily and happily follow famous purebreed cats on social media. I will never figure that out!
I like how you worded your message.
 

sivyaleah

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My first time as a Cat owner, I purchased a Show quality, neutered Male. I researched several breeders as too what they had available. Their price, location and the shots the kitten came with. I did my homework prior to the purchase. My first boy was a Brown Mackerel Tabby, whom I named "Hobie Cat" after my sailboat. This cat came from a reputable CFA breeder. There was No Doubt what breed this Cat was.
What breed?
edit: Never mind! I just reread your posts! :D
 
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vansX2

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Prior to my current Turkish Van's I had Maine Coons.
I switched breeds largely because my wife was tired if all the shedding. Our Maine Coons had some mating issues as well. They needed the "Lion Cut" every summer.
My Turks don't have a double coat. They shed, but much less than a Maine Coon. Only require a combing once a week.
 

sivyaleah

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I switched breeds largely because my wife was tired if all the shedding. Our Maine Coons had some mating issues as well. They needed the "Lion Cut" every summer.
My Turks don't have a double coat. They shed, but much less than a Maine Coon. Only require a combing once a week.
My MC mats easily too. It was a huge struggle for a long time but we've come to a peaceful agreement mostly. I groom her while she gets to drink out of the faucet LOL. I can easily get to every part of her I need to, other than her belly. That, she has to put up with me cradling her like a baby to do. She tolerates it, barely, but enough to get keep it from matting.

My domestic girl, who is much more fluffy overall, loves being groomed, thankfully!
 
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