Munchkin cats?

[carolinagirl58]

Oh, what CUTE kitties!!

 

[ChickenfootDuckbutt]

Quote:
Oh, yes, I forgot to mention the music, MWAHAHAHAAHAHAHHAHHA

, glad someone else experienced the ear-pain like I did LMAO


I have also noticed that there are quite a few spelling errors on the site, oh well.


ofcourse, there' aways a catch with wanting a breeding priced cat

. but oh well too lol

 

[rancher hicks]

This post just caught my eye. I didn't know these things were still around. I read about them years ago and thought of getting some but like many things in life it just didn't happen.

 

[Gypsi]

My daughter rescued a kitten from a neighbor's attic a couple of years ago. Zena, warrior kitty, has phenomenally short legs (and is presently quite obese, but fixed). I didn't know about munchkins until this thread.

Zena might be available for adoption, my granddaughter is now 18 months old and giving her the run for her kitty chow. She may lose a little weight!

 

[ChickenfootDuckbutt]

Quote:
I actually haven't heard of any for years, infact don't know anyone who's ever even seen one.

from what I understand, most breeders are in other countries, but there re like 5 or 6 breeders in PA


I actually really want a Bengal cat, which ould be my FIRST, bu Bengal breeders are few and far between, eventualy I WILL have both of my dream cats

 

[aubreynoramarie]

Quote:
okay the polite thing to do would have been to warn us before sending us through such a CUTENESS OVERLOAD.

 

[pinkfoxfarm]

1: be warey of litter box issues, ive met many (there very popular in CT for soem reason) and ive yet to hear of a single one thats properly litterbox trained...they also tend to be increidbly picky about the size of the box (it must be long enough to be comfortable since there full sized cats, but the walls need to be low enough for easy acess.....

2: be incredibly warey of BACK issues....there highly prone to spinal issues just like dacshunds are, they should not be doing alot of jumping orr high objects or stairs...(yup i just said no high objects and cat in the same sentence)
we had 3 that came into the clininc i used to work at, 1 was completly paralised in the back end, she was when they got her...she used a whel chair just like the ones for dogs.
another came in lame in the back end after falling off a bookcase, and the tird was partially paralized after jumping off a normal height bed too many times...
back issues are a SERIOUS concern in the "breed" and to me personally breeding a cat who simply cant safley do everything a climb, jump ect...is actually kind of cruel.

at least doxies were bred long back short legged for a reason...with cats it was simply "hey look that cat has little legs...hey thats adorable...hey lets try and recreate it" and while thats how most cat breeds got their start, the fact thatthe thing that makes them appealing is a genetic deformity that can cause a pretty serious health risk...its just not the kind of practice id be supporting.

want something adorable...look into the singapura! there tiny, there adorable, and no back issues to worry about.

 

[ChickenfootDuckbutt]

Quote:
okay the polite thing to do would have been to warn us before sending us through such a CUTENESS OVERLOAD.

I am very sorry

I shall make everyone want a munchkin! mwwahahahahahahahahahahahhahhha!!!

 

[goofy98]

i have one but it is an outside cat she is so sweet

 

[punk-a-doodle]

Just going to put in that the short legged mutation shows up in feral populations, and seems to actually be beneficial in some way amid some groups given the prevalence of the mutation. The reason doxies have back issues is laid out here (the same disease can happen in other breeds):
http://myminidoxie.com/dachshund-health-and-safety/why-do-some-dachshunds-have-back-problems/
As you can read, the form of chondrodystorphy in dachshunds (accounts for dwarfism) is what causes calcification.

Munchkin cats do not suffer from this same calcification link. Scottish folds however, have problems with osteochondrodystrophy, including calcification. I have seen recent trends in breeding munchkins to other rare breeds, and Scottish folds are among this list (Persians are more commonly added to the mix, the result being called a 'Napoleon' cat). Breeding to an unusually large breed or cats with links to health issues such as Scottish folds mean that what you are looking at isn't a 'munchkin', it is a cat with the munchkin mutation....plus other mutations. http://mro.massey.ac.nz/bitstream/handle/10179/800/2whole.pdf?sequence=2 (Scroll down to page 175...going by the actual page numbers written in the bottom corner, not by the computer numbering) shows a chart comparing the many different forms of chondrodystorphy. Munchkins show up in a different grouping than, say, Siamese. As you can see, the axial skeleton is not affected.

Some people confuse so called 'twisty cats' (front legs shorter than hind legs) with munchkins. Totally different mutation. I'm sure most have seen cats with extra toes (polydactyl). This is a mild mutation, but the same gene can cause radial hypoplasia (ie. twisty cats).

Basically, I have not actually seen any solid evidence that Munchkin cats have any more spinal or mobility issues than other cats (lines with Scottish fold etc. bred in excluded).