This week's cat drama, for once, did not involve glyphosate poisoning. It involved two big healthy-looking kittens, one of whom seemed unusually alert and lively and cuddly, dying because they should not have been born. Because someone thought that cats with defective tails were cute, and the individual cats can certainly be lovable, the kittens were born with "Manx Syndrome," a set of birth defects that can include heart defects. From birth this kitten's heartbeat was erratic. The heart would beat normally for a few minutes, then fibrillate or slam so hard the kitten's whole body twitched. The kitten would cry for attention and try desperately to find someone to snuggle up to because snuggling seemed to regulate his heartbeat--for a while. His own mother's attitude seemed to be "Why prolong the misery?" On Thursday morning his heart gave up trying to beat normally.
I don't think Manx kittens should be bred. How would we feel if someone were breeding humans for birth defects? "I think cleft palates are sooo cute." "I like the ones with Downs Syndrome. They don't live long, but they're lovable." Accepting children to whom birth defects have happened is good, but deliberately breeding them? Even looking for birth defects in friends ("Looking for a thalidomide-damaged housemate"? "ISO microphthalmic woman for friendship, dating & more"?) seems obscene. That's how I feel about whoever keeps breeding all these wretched Manx cats.
Manx cats are notorious for picking out a human to love for life. We can't not love Manx cats who tell the world we are their humans. But it seems to me that loving a Manx cat should mean wanting to spare it any more of the pain its social instincts have already given it. It probably had at least one sibling who was born with one or more vital organs so defective than it died, days or weeks or months old, possibly screaming in pain.
I believe having normal cats neutered/spayed is obligatory only if you can't keep the kittens or place them in good homes. Manx, Rex, and Sphynx cats are exceptions. (I don't know as much about the "hairless" Rex and Sphynx breeds because people in farming communities don't keep them, but they too are freaks produced by a disaster gene.) To reduce the suffering of the innocent in this world, all cats of those breeds should be sterilized as soon as the vet says they're old enough.
Which means that, if you like the look of a cat without a tail or a coat of thick straight hair, a Humane Cat Genocide Society shelter is a good place to get one. Their idea of cat care--sterilization and solitary confinement for life--may sound like a suitable punishment for those who harm cats, but in the case of cats with disaster genes, it's justified. Normal kittens are welcomed into this world by nice people. Manx kittens are a horror no farmer should inflict on a neighbor's cats by letting a Manx tomcat roam.
That's in spite of the fact that the minority of kittens who inherit one Manx gene, and develop only the peculiar look without the more fatal deformities, can be great pets.
"Cats? I thought this post was about dogs?" someone is saying. Yes. Now that I've vented about this week's cat tragedy, I wondered whether there are similar lethal genes in dogs--genes that someone thought made puppies look cute, that kill or disable dogs if these genes are bred into the pol.Let's look at one photo of a dog with each trait.
The dogs below show traits that justify automatic neutering. Since they are shelter dogs, either they've already been neutered, or the contract of sale ("adoption") will include pre-paying for the operation if it's not been done. Since they were chosen to illustrate genetic type that most often occur in purebred, pedigreed dogs, the prices listed for them may be competitive with puppy-mill prices. Dog DNA is more complex than cat DNA so in dogs it's specific traits that are associated with a set of breeds, rather than the breed names, that demand sterilization.
Zipcode 10101: Ollie from North Haledon (New Jersey)
His web page: https://www.petfinder.com/dog/ollie-58772635/nj/north-haledon/a-pathway-to-hope-nj584/
To my eyes Ollie is not an attractive specimen of a generally gorgeous breed, but he illustrates the effects of a disaster gene that occurs in some "marle" or "dappled" Australian Shepherds. The gene that blocks the effect of the color gene on parts of the dogs' colored spots can block the development of other parts of the dog, including eyes and ears. It's a lethal gene; two copies of the strong form produce dead puppies. One copy produces a dog like Ollie:
* He has colored spots, but they're small and pale; white predominates over black or brown.
* He seems to hear only some kinds of sounds. Sound is vibration, and dogs are sensitive enough that it's hard to say whether a dog like Ollie hears a few sounds with his ears or feels them with his paws.
* He seems to be completely blind on one side and have limited vision on the other side.
It would be cruel to allow Ollie to pass on these traits to puppies. Fortunately, that's no longer a problem. He's described as a nice, lovable pet for someone who's willing to live with his disabilities.
Australian Shepherds aren't a very big or aggressive breed, generally, but they are a herding type of dog and may use snarls or even nips to move people or animals around. They need firm, gentle leadership. As a breed they're adorably quiet, calm, and clever, though nobody seems to be making any special claims in those areas for Ollie, but they're not for the faint of heart. It's a good idea to hang out with a friend's "Aussie" (a misleading name given to an American breed) before you commit to adopting one. I fell in love; many people do. Others feel more appreciation for hounds and retrievers after getting to know an Aussie or collie well.
(If you'd rather adopt a healthier dog with an intriguingly dappled coat? No worries. There are hundreds of gorgeous Australian Shepherds in shelters in and around New York City. From an individual animal's Petfinder page, you can always click on the breed name to navigate back to a directory of adoptable pets whose ancestors are believed to include that breed.)
Zipcode 20202: Opie from Charlottesville
His web page: https://www.petfinder.com/dog/opie-64822882/va/charlottesville/charlottesville-albemarle-spca-va96/
What an adorable doggy face! This handsome four-year-old terrier is said to be very clever, to love hiking and make anything into a game or puzzle. Terriers are small dogs who often live longer than ten years. Opie offers the right person lots of fun for a long time.
Unfortunately, that shaded sepia in his coat indicates a that he's likely to carry a gene that would produce sickly puppies with deformed paws. While the puppies' primary disease symptom would be itchy hypersensitive skin and hair loss, what that would be a symptom of would be an immune system disorder that would guarantee a short life characterized by increasingly serious illness.
Fortunately, Opie has already been neutered, so you won't have to worry about torturing some poor female dog and her humans with a litter of sick puppies.
While Opie is not the dreaded "pit bull," all terriers are tough, sassy little rat killers who can stand their ground against much larger animals. Opie's ancestors are thought to include Boston bull terriers, which are stereotyped as gentle, loyal family pets. Treat him with due respect and there should be no problems.
Zipcode 30303: Dash the Doberman from Social Circle
His web page: https://www.petfinder.com/dog/dash-59538221/ga/social-circle/pound-puppies-n-kittens-incorporated-ga163/
Dobermans are known for having very short tails or none. In the past, if dogs of this breed had puppies with normal tails, people would have the tails cut off so the dogs would look like Dobermans. Well, the gene that prevents the tails from developing normally can prevent other body parts from developing normally, too.
My mental stereotype of Dobermans is that they embody the concept of feo, fuerte y formal. You may think of them as "tough, strong, and serious" dogs too. However, Dash's temperament is described as friendly, playful, and silly. Nevertheless I'm guessing he still needs the general breed warning:
Dobermans are large dogs. Though most of them never bite a human, they can kill a man in a fair (unarmed) fight. This makes them desirable as guard dogs and explains why Dash's sale price is so high. It also means you don't want to mess with these dogs. They are not the type who will lick your hand and whine "Oh, please, Sir, what have I done? How can I fix it? All I ever want to do is serve and please Your Majesty!" after being kicked, as a spaniel or retriever might do. Meh. People who knowingly abuse dogs deserve what they get, and in the case of more docile dogs they deserve much worse, but you will need to be very careful of letting a Doberman be around a child or animal who might make a blunder the Doberman regarded as abuse.
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