American Curl turns up in a homeowner's backyard as a stray

This is unusual. Perhaps very unusual. A user on the Reddit.com website has posted a video which you can see below of a domestic cat that they thought had a strange appearance. 

They said that the cat was very big with strange ears. I immediately, identified the cat as an American Curl which is a fairly rare purebred cat and certainly very rare if he or she behaves as a stray cat which appears to be the case in this instance. 

They're not normally large cat but standard-sized domestic cats with one exception to their regular appearance namely the ears that curl back due to a genetic mutation.

Here is an example of an American Curl show cat photographed by Helmi Flick years ago.

Photo: copyright Helmi Flick.

Note: the video below may eventually stop working. Sorry but I can't control its existence. CLICK ON THE EXPAND ICON BOTTOM-RIGHT TO SEE THE VIDEO FULL SCREEN.

What kind of cat is this? Stray cat moved into my back yard. Has huge paws/weird ears.
by u/ReindeerNo1893 in cats

This breed is meant to be very standard in appearance and they can be tabby cats or any other coat type. I suspect that a neighbour of this person owns this cat. 

And the cat has wandered into a neighbour's property as domestic cats do. It is also slightly unusual for a person to allow their fairly rare purebred cat to wander around outside without supervision.

American Curl turns up in a homeowner's backyard as a stray. Screenshot.

An alternative assessment would be that this is a non-purebred cat which happens by chance to carry the genetic mutation which cause the ears to curl back. 

This gives them the appearance of a purebred American Curl. You won't be able to tell the difference because, as mentioned, the American Curl is a very regular looking cat. There are no other outstanding features other than the ears.

This is my cat Leo. My sister says he’s ugly and doesn’t look like a cat. What do you guys think?

Well, the title comes directly from Reddit.com. I kept it intact because I think it's good and the first response that comes to my mind is that there are no ugly cats. I say that even though I have a page on one of my websites in which I show some 'ugly cats'. I defend the cats and the page was written some time ago. I disagree with it now. It's unfair to call cats ugly. We judge appearance by human standards and use stereotypes to do this.

Leo described as ugly. He is not. Photo: Reddit.com

You can't apply those stereotypes to cats. They are sentient creatures and you have to look at the character as more important than the appearance. And if a domestic cat is physically ugly by human standards it can only be because the cat was selectively bred to extreme by a cat breeder who has screwed up and created a cat with an undershot jaw or bulging eyes because they did a very bad job of artificial selection. So, it's a human fault. Or the cat might have been involved in an accident which causes an injury to the face. Under these circumstances it is unfair and unkind to call a cat ugly.

Associated page: There is also cat colour personality type stereotyping - click to read about it.

There are numerous reasons why a cat might look ugly, by our standards, but none of them justify calling the cat on this page ugly. We need to be more sensitive and tender towards fellow creatures.

An interesting point is that the Reddit user who published the photograph shows us a tabby cat who is distinctly not ugly by any standards. This is a perfectly normal tabby cat don't you agree? Many other Reddit users who commented on the picture say that he is handsome. But the question did provoke a heated debate which resulted in the comments section being shut down.

A moderator on the Reddit.com website said the following: "I am afraid to say that I have to lock the comments till this calms down. Be humane to others". And there are 637 comments so I can't read them all to find out what went on, but clearly people got a bit heated. However, the general gist, from what I have seen, reflects what I have said above. They think the cat is handsome and you can't call cats ugly because you got to look at the whole including their personality.

I think the problem was that people who commented started to attack the sister who said that this cat was ugly. It was unnecessary to do this, but for the life of me I can't see how the sister could describe this cat as ugly. They have strange standards. Perhaps they've been looking at too many humongous, awesome, Maine Coon cats which are outstanding. Perhaps they've been trawling through the Internet looking at all these high-profile purebred cats so that a humble moggy tabby cat suddenly looked ugly to them. I'm afraid she's wrong.

A lot of the purebred cats, which have a wonderful appearance, will probably be suffering in middle age and beyond with inherited health problems. Moggies are generally healthier than purebred cats. That's a factor when you assess beauty.

What do you think? Please comment. Thanks.

Wise Devon Rex Cat

This is a photograph taken at the Cuyahoga Falls Veterinary Clinic of, what I have referred to as, a wise Devon Rex cat. He is wise looking. That may be because he is dressed up and I am anthropomorphising this cat (see another intelligent looking cat).  I don't like dressing up cats as it is unnatural but in this instance it does seem to have given this cat an air of wisdom! I cleaned up the photo a bit from the original as there was a tungsten light color cast and the face was burnt out. There is still a slight underlying distortion to the color balance.

Devon Rex Cat at vets - Photo copyright: Cuyahoga Falls Veterinary Clinic

He is terribly cute isn't he? The hair is sparse and downy. This is typical of the Devon Rex. The breeding is a little bit extreme for me. I am referring to the very large ears and the high cheekbone appearance. Domestic and feral cats don't have ears this large. The eyes are very big too in relation to the head size, which is small. I think he is wearing a brown jumper to keep warm! I am not sure, but if it is cold outside he might feel it as his coat is not that protective. That as is an indication that the genetic mutation that produces the rex coat (curly and thin) is not one that would have developed and evolved under Darwin's theory of evolution as it does not aid survival.

As I said, he does look cute, though, and wise. This photo has been used with permission for teaching/educational purposes at this website. If you would like to use it please ask the clinic first and comply with their terms and conditions.

Maine Coon Slide Show

The best Maine Coon pictures on the internet in a large format slide show. Most of the pictures are of course by the celebrated Helmi Flick. The cats that Helmi photographs are nearly always show cats and some are really high class award winners at the top of the show cat tree. Some of the other pictures are by Dani who lives in the Netherlands. She is an amateur photographer and breeds cats including traditional Persians, Ragdolls and Maine Coons. All the photos have credits.


Fine photos by Helmi Flick, Dani and others

The Maine Coon has a very distinguished appearance I think. It is what cuts them out from other purebred cats.

You will see "pretty" Maine Coons registered with the CFA and more shaggy, natural Maine Coons registered with TICA. You will see a slight difference between the US Maine Coons and the Dutch cats.

Oriental Shorthair Picture

A beautiful Helmi photograph of a very impressive cat. The Oriental Shorthair is a purebred cat that was created in the mid 20th century by breeders to allow them to break out of the constraints of the Siamese cat pointing. The Oriental Shorthair is a contemporary looking Siamese cat with a very wide range of colors. As you can see this is a slender cat at the opposite end of the spectrum to the Persian. Breeders call the slender appearance "oriental" (see cat body types). Initially the breeding program produced a cat that was not so slender. Today in terms of temperament and physique this is a Siamese cat. Without wishing to be critical, the modern Siamese cat has one of the longest lists of potential inherited diseases as will this closely associated cat breed. In the UK, the GCCF classify the "Oriental" cat into eight different coat types (colour/pattern/length). The cat in the picture looks like a silver tabby and white. Through selective breeding the tabby pattern on the body has been almost eliminated to produce a speckled black-on-silver finish.

Australian Mist Picture

Australian Mist - photograph © copyright Terry Goulden

The Australian Mist is an Australian hybrid purebred cat. This breed is a nice amalgam of two cat breeds, the Burmese and Abyssinian together with the domestic shorthair (DSH - random bred cat). This is a well balanced cat that makes a really nice cat companion.  The name describes the way the spotted or marbled tabby pattern is muted as if being viewed through a mist. This is a cat of moderate proportions and balanced character. The Australian Mist is not yet a well known or mainstream cat breed. Read and see more here.

American Wirehair Picture

A beautifully taken photograph of an American Wirehair cat by the well known cat photographer, Helmi Flick. This photograph was taken in the USA, probably at a cat show. This will be a show cat of some distinction. The American Wirehair is a purebred cat and a rare breed of cat.  This cat breed started in 1966. The curly hair is due to a dominant genetic mutation. It is not a robust looking cat. I like this cat breed nonetheless. Its temperament is similar to the American Shorthair. This particular cat has a dilute calico coat (tortoiseshell and white) and odd eye color due to the white spotting gene although American Wirehairs come in a range of traditional patterns and colors. Read and see more here.

Purebred Cats in Bad Economic Times

I think it is time to think whether the breeding of purebred cats in bad economic times is morally correct. That sounds tough and a bit near the bone but.....at 2011 things are very bad in Europe and the US economically. And it will get worse in the Europe at least. If Europe is bad then the US must suffer somewhat because of trade links.

In these very difficult, in fact, scary times, it is time to pull together and do the right thing. That means going back to old values. In former times people saved and put money aside if they wanted to buy something. People worked hard and had what we consider a work ethic.  People were patient. Today it is all about instant gratification. It has been that way for 10-20 years and we are paying the price in a slow motion train wreck as it hits the buffers of reality. We can't borrow any more money. It has to stop. That will bring uncomfortable times for many years while we wean ourselves of the fiction of life that comes with borrowing money we cannot afford to pay back. And I am talking about individuals and nations.

In times gone by we did not have purebred cats. Before about 1900 purebred cats were extremely rare. When we had a cat it was moggie and we knew of nothing else. Let us return to those times. It will be good for the cat because it is wrong to kill perfectly healthy random bred cats while breeding purebred cats. Especially purebred cats that are overbred and intrinsically unhealthy. If we as people pull together we should include our cats. Too many are needlessly killed at cat shelters.

I am not criticizing cat breeders. People have their rights. I have my right of freedom of speech.