Inbreeding by breeders

[The Kasbah]

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.

Very good observation, Nikkia. Yes, a responsible Breeder would definitely be dissuaded by any potential health issue that resulted from such an experimental pairing.

 

[The Kasbah]

Wow lots of debate, I'm really happy to hear health is the top priority for breeders. Like I said, I don't have a breeding background, I've just owned heavily inbred cats before and wasn't sure about SV's. I can understand maybe like 2nd cousins type thing to lock in a specific gene and then hopefully not again. But to each their own I suppose, also great to hear breeders making sure people know the circumstances the kittens are born from. I am getting a girl SV and we may breed her with Sterling, (the breeder I'm buying from will then sell them, I will just house them) and we where going to get one girl but then we realised the male we thought was the father was shooting blanks so it had to have been the younger male (which proved him) and that the kitten would be my boys niece and the breeder did not want that so we're getting a kitten from somewhere else. Just my preference and the breeders suggestion.

There is really no hiding the background that the kitten hails from (unless of course a Breeder has lied somewhere in the past), as a CERTIFIED five generation pedigree is available from TICA on every animal registered with them...so discovering whether there is line Breeding or inbreeding behind the pedigree of a specific cat is fairly easy.

 

[The Kasbah]

This topic of conversation is super interesting to me, particularly the varied opinions between Breeder and the Pet Community. It seems as though people (for the most part) have VERY strong opinions on this subject, both "for" and "against."

Speaking strictly for myself, I have absolutely no issue with locking in type in this manner, but DO object to inbreeding and/or line breeding related cats for generation upon generation. My philosophy is "do it once, hopefully get the result you were after, and then continue breeding traditionally"

I am of the opinion that it is the repetitive use of a similar gene pool (breeding related cats generation after generation) that gets folks into trouble and that this incessant tampering and refusal to introduce new lines is what eventually creates the abominable results that many fear.

I am not against it, but DO believe it is a practice that should be approached with sensitivity and with moderation!

 

[sacred]

I agree 100% with Brigitte on this. There IS a massive difference between a calculated breeding between related cats and simply inbreeding or line breeding for the sake of convenience. There is a HUGE difference between a Breeder deciding to experiment with a one time pairing between two specific cat to obtain a desired result (on an isolated basis) and the Breeder who simply keeps one stud and allows him to breed his progeny and all of THEIR progeny indefinitely. The former is a situation reserved for the experienced Breeder and can produce incredible results, while the latter is simply irresponsible on every level and a recipe for disaster!

I would note that I am also advocating selective, thoughtful, linebreeding. If you just throw two related animals willy nilly for a few generations you'll wind up with the opposite of heterosis and a genetic and phenotype disaster.

 

[SV Dad]

Thanks, folks. I am learning more than I thought I would.