Inbreeding by breeders

[NikkiA]

I don't know anything about breeding cats.
I understand that some breeders line breed in the interest of improving the breed, and that some do it to cut costs. I would hope that the former outweigh the latter.
I would hope that the good ones only do it when they think the possible benefit outweighs the possible cost, and I would hope that if they discover an attractive trait that comes long with a genetic issue, that they would choose to stop the cross.

 

[Patti]

I agree with Brigitte - I don't know many breeders who have inbred or line bred, and of those it was a rare occasion. I have seen some pedigrees where the same cat appears several times and don't really know what the rationale was, but suspect (knowing the cattery) it was more because it was all they had on hand rather than a purposeful attempt to inbreed/line breed to produce a specific trait.

There are definitely breeders who do this, but, in my experience anyway, it is not a common or habitual practice.

 

[sacred]

I'm not sure I agree... there are many breeders that work to reduce an inbreeding coefficient and avoid that kind of inbreeding. Although it can be difficult to find a Savannah that one wants in one's program that doesn't share something like a great-greatgrandfather that is the level of "inbreeding" that is more common in our breed than siblings or parent-offspring matings.

How can you reproduce type if you have a low inbred coefficient? Especially in a hybrid breed?

 

[Patti]

Pick and choose your breeders well!

 

[Brigitte Cowell]

Yes, I believe selective breeding is so very important. That's what sets apart those later generation Savannahs that really look amazing...

 

[Patti]

Well, and look at how many decades it's taken us to get there - creating a breed is NOT easy!

 

[Brigitte Cowell]

Yes, many of the traits we are wanting just didn't come easily... but I think most of us were just stubborn enough to see it through ;-)

 

[sacred]

Yes, I believe selective breeding is so very important. That's what sets apart those later generation Savannahs that really look amazing...

Yes but how can you lock in type without inbreeding/linebreeding? It's impossible, no? Sure, you might get one or two winners that pop up, but they will have little to no ability to pass on their traits reliably.

 

[Brigitte Cowell]

I don't think so. My current F5 SBT pairing doesn't seem to play out the way you are thinking. They are not inbred, yet three litters in a row have produced more than one kitten in each of those litters that has been winning in shows. Three litters in a row seems consistent to me...

I think selective breeding can select for the genes to give you good consistent type. It's just a different tactic than inbreeding... and possibly it takes longer to get that type but it avoids the health issues of inbreeding and the selection of bad traits also. In my experience inbreeding can bring out the worst too...

 

[Pam Flachs]

I can only hope to someday have as nicely consistent and very typey kitten litters as Brigitte has produced. IMO, her F5SBT babies look more like F3's, and nicer even than some F2's being produced....the proof is there, as she states, that selective breeding is the key no matter how long that takes to produce kittens and cats that we can be proud of, who do well in the show ring as well as going to other breeders...and as beloved and beautiful, healthy and well-socialized pets with great temperaments. And yes, it IS a very long process to get to that point....I'm in it for the long haul