Perils of Cat-Dog Inbreeding: Risks & Consequences

Truebreeding cats and dogs are the result of inbreeding among felines and canines, a practice driven by human desires for personal preference and profit.

However, while inbreeding can lead to a purer bloodline, it also significantly increases the incidence of diseases and congenital disorders in these animals. This inbreeding has altered the healthy constitution of cats and dogs, posing a significant and often overlooked threat to their wellbeing.

When it comes to the harm inbreeding can cause to dogs:

Inbreeding involves mating between dogs that are closely related or share the same lineage. While it can pass on favorable genes, it also inadvertently transfers bad genes and even genetic defects. This means that dogs' desirable traits can become exaggerated, while their undesirable ones can worsen.

There are numerous drawbacks to inbreeding in dogs, such as the risk of congenital genetic defects. The likelihood of dogs suffering from diseases is higher due to inbreeding, and these issues can even be fatal, reducing their lifespan.

For instance, German Shepherds are a product of inbreeding, and they are prone to hip dysplasia, a common genetic disease. To mitigate the risks associated with hereditary diseases, the German Shepherd Dog Club has implemented a rule prohibiting inbreeding within three generations.

When aiming to select good bloodlines through inbreeding, it is crucial to start with dogs that possess excellent genetic traits. Without such a foundation, the effort can be futile.

Factors such as the purity of the dogs' ancestral lineage, the strengths and weaknesses of the breeding pair's external characteristics, the balance of their skeletal structure, and their coordination must all be considered.

Even minor defects in the dogs can become significant considerations. Generally, unless a dog is facing extinction or other insurmountable issues, inbreeding tends to do more harm than good to dogs.

Regarding the dangers of inbreeding to cats:

Cats are considered to be inbred if they are related by blood within four generations.

From a biological standpoint, inbreeding in cats is a process of accumulating both positive and negative traits, further perpetuating the parents' strengths or weaknesses. This can amplify the good qualities, but it can also exacerbate the bad ones.

However, the likelihood of producing a highly desirable offspring is approximately 5% or less. This means that the negative consequences of accumulated defects far outweigh the benefits of accumulated strengths, leading to a high prevalence of hereditary diseases in the surviving offspring.

This includes issues like high rates of infertility, fewer offspring, lower survival rates, decreased vitality in the kittens, stunted growth, and an increased incidence of malformed or aborted kittens.

These genetic defects can become permanent within a particular breed's lineage, unless there are special circumstances. In the realm of cat breeding, it is advisable to adhere to the rule of not allowing inbreeding within three generations, and to avoid this practice as much as possible for the wellbeing of the cats.