Purebred Is Best But What About Other Pets?

[Wilderblu]

I just was thinking today about the fact that as a purebred breeder I encourage everyone to buy from a registered breeder with health checks and future support etc etc.....

What about other pets though. Should we also be buying pedigree cats, show stock chickens, health tested birds?

I'd love to hear peoples thoughts. I have pedigree dogs but the old black and white moggie doesn't have health tested parents who ever they were ...... didn't think twice when I got him as a free kitten 11 years ago.

[poodlefan]

My one and only cat was a pedigreed one. I like moggie cats too though.

My fish are all "purebred". Crossbreeding fish species doesn't tend to do down well in the fish world either.

I've had one crossbred and two purebred horses.

[mirawee]

I have pedigree dogs but my other animals don't tend to be.

Both cats were feral kittens that we rescued and the majority of my horses are crossbreds. Saying that all of my horses have breed registrations and are bred for performance (as well as looking pretty )

It is certainly a lot more taboo to have a cross bred dog rather than horse. But then dogs have more offspring and more people own them. Horses seem to be judged a lot more on their own individual merits.

[JulesP]

I've got inside purebred cats but also have rescue barn cats. Have had both pure and partbred horses. The partbred horses have been a little different from a crossbred dog though as they have also been registered with big long pedigrees. I don't feel much angst about cross bred working dogs that are bred for a purpose.

I don't particularly think purebred is best. It is indiscriminate breeding and puppy farms that I have issues with. I particularly get grumpy with morons that think it would be nice for their kitty or doggie to have babies and then dump said babies at the pound when they can't find homes for them.

[Sam&Saki]

Surely there is no other species with as much intraspecies variation as the dog? (Or at least none where crossbreeding such different types would produce viable offspring?)

Look at the difference between a Great Dane and a Chihuahua; between a Pug and a Husky - different breeds of dogs have different bodily structures, different needs and abilities, different vocalisations, different body language, etc.

So it's really not possible to compare crossbreeding dogs with crossbreeding other animals, I would think.

Although surely rescuing a stray or supporting an ethical breeder would be the ideal with any animal...

[SmoothieGirl]

Dogs have been reg purebreds. One and only cat a moggie. One horse was a purebred and two were/are crosses.

Its a little different in the horse world though, there are a lot of deriviative and part registrations. My current boy, although retired is a part Arabian, part Australian Stock Horse and he's Palomino. So he was triple registered, two breed registrations and one colour registration. Made for very very busy competition life and lots of fun.

[Christina]

Chickens. 2 purebred from show person/fancier.

2 ex battery from rescuer that passed them on to me for a whole $4.

1 picked up off the street half dead, neglected & owner didn't care.

The most unfriendly, not the best egg layers, yes the purebreds but they are very beautiful.

All had to be lice/mite dusted & wormed anyway.

My cats are all pedigrees.

For mice/rats/guinea pigs, rabbits, birds etc I don't think it matters so much or that one would sometimes even know but for the mammals, dogs. cats, horses etc its best to know some of their background if possible.

[Wilderblu]

I knew this would make an interesting topic.

I think in dogs it is especially important because of the genetics and especially the health problems that can arise or the "unknown" in what you are getting.

Horses is something I wasn't thinking about but true.

[Kirty]

I believe all pet dogs and cats should be pedigree or rescues. I own three pedigree cats and one moggy, plus all the fosters. Other animals don't tend to have the same problems as cats and dogs (in terms of health but also in terms of over supply) but I believe rabbits. guinea pigs, rats and mice should also be bought from reg'd breeders.

[WreckitWhippet]

I'm breedist when it comes to all of my pets. My cats since leaving home have also been pedigree animals from registered breeders.

I'm planning on maybe a Winnie Pig for my daughter and it too will come from a registered breeder

ETA: My QH's were purebred and registered with AQHA. I've only owned one cross bred horse. I like to know what I'm getting in terms of type, temperament and soundness in every animal I buy

Edited February 3, 2010 by SBT123

[~Anne~]

It is interesting isn't it.

The humble mongrel cat, or moggy, is relatively free of genetic issues.

It is also interesting that the cat world doesn't think of the moggy in the same way that the dog world thinks of cross bred dogs.

[jesomil]

My dogs/rabbits/guinea pig/budgies are all from registered breeders.

I think its important to support those people who are enthusiasts and put so much into their chosen animals. They breed carefully with conformation and temperament in mind always trying to keep the standard or better it.

I prefer to give my money to these people than those that are just breeding what they have because they can.

[The Spotted Devil]

1 pedigree dog

2 pedigree cats

1 rescue foster failure kitten

3 purebred chooks

Ethical, purebred/specialist breeders or rescues for me, no matter what the species. I wouldn't even buy mice from a pet shop

[~*Shell*~]

As far as I've been able to see, there aren't as many genetic problems associated with cross breeding cats as there are in dogs (cat breeders correct me if I'm wrong) - you don't see cats with HD (I'm sure there are, but none that I've ever met) or the other common genetic "quirks". You also see a heck of a lot more moggies than purebreed cats too. Personally I'm a fan of purebred cats but that's mostly because I like knowing what I'm going to get personality and looks wise. With my cat, who i was given for my 21st by a uni "friend" who thought a pet was a great surprise birthday present, i didn't know how he would turn out. I did however find out which pet store he was from because a vet from the clinic the pet store uses called me to see if i was bringing him in for his shots (the pet store put my details on Mow's microchip and gave them to the vet even though I didn't purchase him - i wasn't even in the store at the time, nor did they have my permission!!) and got to see several of his brothers and sisters, all of which looked similar to him in build and colour.

While I'm not an expert on cats, I just got thrown into having one, I can say this - i would never buy a cat from a pet store (Mow was in horrible shape when I got him - luckily the pet shop went out of business). I would always get a kitten from a rescue if I was to get more cats - there are so many of them in shelters and it breaks my heart because the little skinny black ones always remind me of my cat and how thin and scrawny he was when i got him.

I think a lot of what it comes down to for me is money - there would be very very few people who get into cat breeding for the money. My brother owns cats that are 3/4 ragdoll (mum was pure, dad was 1/2 ragdoll and 1/2 moggie) and he was given them for free. How many people do you know who have bought a 2nd generation spoodle (3/4 poodle, 1/4 cocker spaniel) and paid $1000+? You just don't see the same level of mass breeding for profit with cats - there is very little incentive for people to cross breed to create a "designer" cat.

ETA: I should add I also have 2 birds - both rescues from the same pet store (years apart - not the same pet store as the cat) when they were going to let both of them go because they weren't selling and had been shuffled from store to store (it was a big chain of pet shops - you can probably guess who) for months. Both of them were supposedly hand raised but both acted worse than my completely wild, straight out of the aviary 6 weeks old cockatiel (from a fantastic breeder - my cockatiel unfortunately died a couple of years ago) because they'd had a wing clipped and were forced to sit on a perch in the middle of the store everyday for months. Never ever will i spend money in a pet store that sells animals - they abused 3 out of my 4 animals and the 4th wasn't from a pet store.

Edited February 3, 2010 by ~*Shell*~

[oakway]

Everything here is purebred.

Dogs

Cats

Horse.

[gillybob]

I have a pure bred rat.

Moggies have heaps of problems, feline aids being on eof them.

[kinad]

i have one x bred dog and will soon be gettin a pedigree one , i have a moggy , i also used to breed and show rabbits and if i was ever to buy my kids one as a pet i'd only ever got to a reg breeder rabbits r similar to dogs/cats with breed faults and also backyardys that sell x bred off as pures or simply breed for the kids not thinking about what should be goin with what lol yes we have a rabbit standard , i also dabbled in rats for a while and there the same all mine came from reg breeders ova east cause there is none in w.a i dont actually think there is a club ova this way , show guinea pigs r the same but x breds can also make brilliant pets

[grace]

Pure bred dogs and guinea pigs here. Cats are rescue dumped and a hand raised feral.

[ellz]

My horses are purebred, registered Arabians.

My indoor cats are purebred, registered Devon Rexes.

My barn cats are moggies who would rather BE outdoors.

My dogs are all purebred and registered with the exception of Scrugg the "rescued" crossbred.

Wouldn't have it any other way. I'm a snob.

[Bjelkier]

Lestat the Lab, not pedigree

Mistral and Alchemy, pedigree.

The four cats, all rescue moggies....

Rats, rescue....

Horse pedigree.

Any other animals I get from here on in will be pedigree, I like to know what I am getting.