The whole "purebred" thing always seems weird to me, "purebred" royal families aren't pretty but full of genetic defects, why should it be an better with cats or dogs.
The court ruled that the breeding of brachycephalic (flat-faced) dogs is cruel and results in man-made health problems, and is in violation of Norway’s Animal Welfare Act.
Every one acts like every purebreed is a medical oddity when really it's just an increased likelihood of defects for certain breeds. I can tell you right now any animal can hurt your pocket the second they decide your gold plated anal beads look like a tasty treat.
Hmm two possible reasons come to mind. First, purebred in terms of cats and dogs not necessarily meaning genetic defects. Second, having a defined breed gives the judges something to rate against.
I once was looking to get a cat and found the goofiest looking idiot on Craigslist. Turns out, it was a purebred Exotic Shorthair that was surrendered to a shelter because it didn't look fucked-up enough (it could still kind of breathe through its nose). New owners wanted to recoup costs because they adopted another cat that was "more playful" and the exotic was getting eye-goop on their white carpets. A wonderful standard for purebreeds!
I changed his name from "Luigi" to "Waluigi", and he was best best buddy for many many years.
Not necessarily? More like by default. Purebreds are a thing because of certain genetic traits and are bred to not only maintain them, but to enhance those traits. Because of all that inbreeding the propensity for certain diseases and cancers are vastly increased. A purebred dog or cat will with near certainty be riddled with cancer or disease by the time they start getting a bit older. I love both cats and dogs, but purebreds shouldn't be a thing.
To introduce a little nuance, this is not always true in working dogs! What you want is to avoid in those cases are AKC (American Kennel Club) certified dogs; that's where it gets in-breedy—seriously, look up some of the requirements a dog has to meet in its breed to qualify. It's gross.
Anyhoo, in working dogs, a 'pedigree' is actually quite helpful because it shows that that dog comes from a long line of dogs who have been certified to do their job, and so your new farm pup is highly likely to be able to do it too. These breeds will usually have their own organization that oversees this; in border collies it's the ABCA (American Border Collie Association). This organization judges the dogs not on the specific dimensions of their bodies like the AKC, but on their ability to do the job a farmer needs them for.
Sorry for the ramble, I have two border collies and I think working dogs are super neat.
I learned a lot about siberians when I took to the internet to figure out why my stray kitten was so weird. Fun fact- they don't reach maturity until 6 years old. Mine is 9 and still hasn't gotten there.
They do make good pets for people who prefer dogs but want more chaos in the house.
We could just have that. A contest where you bring your cat, they get to play around for an afternoon, and the only outcome from the judge is "yep, that's a cat".