This is an early Persian from a 1903 text:
And here is a modern show Persian:
Cats are in no way as variable in appearance as domestic dogs are. Even in extensive selective breeding programs, their forms remain conservative.
And the vast majority of cats are not purebred or can even be traced to purebred animals.
Is it any wonder that the average life expectancy for a cat is quite a bit longer than that of a dog?
I’ve been trying to find the average life expectancy for purebred cats, but I have not been able to find any data. I would like to know how their life expectancy compares to the moggie-type cat.
Cats are not kept in totally closed studbooks. Each breed has permissible outcrosses, so I be the average pure-bred cat lives longer than the average purebred dog.
Modern Siamese are also very different than their 50’s era ancestors. Huge ears, a very long, tapered head, and very skinny body. There are actually two camps of Siamese breeders, one who prefers the old type and the modern show-style breeder.
I’m going to do a post on that in the next few days.
You should check out the cat registries. Most breeds will have several other breeds it is acceptable to cross with, after a few generations they are considered ‘pure’ again. Very different than dog registries.
That early photo is a beauty …reminds me of those photos where people put a false mane on a Labrador to make it look like a lion!
My mum had a Persian cattery years ago and I remember as a child making deals with god if he would let the kittens live. I recall mortality amongst them was high.
Dogs certainly haven’t been the only animals harmed by our bizarre animal breeding practices and you raise some very interesting (and I think valid) points regarding dog V cat life expectancy.
I think the outcrossing allowances that the cat fancy has would be a very helpful thing for purebred dog folks to consider. Cat folks have embraced the whole ‘pure phenotype over pure genotype’ much more than dog people, and I’m sure it has helped in keeping COI low in many lines.