Cats have become the kings of the internet. Memes, gifs, funny or touching videos, we love to survive the adventures of cats on the net. The problem is that their popularity is playing tricks on them. This is the message that Cat_The_Vet, a very active British vet on Tik Tok, is trying to get across in her video “Animals that people think are cute, but aren’t”.
This video (in English), the first in a series of awareness posts, warns of the dangers of genetic modifications being made to certain breeds of dogs and cats to develop traits that are considered cute in them. Here she takes the example of the Scottish Fold cat, a feline that has the peculiarity of having small folded ears.
An anatomical feature that has given him the emotion of the canvas, as his tiny ears give him a touching look. But, the specialist explains, this specificity is due to poor quality cartilage that prevents the ears from standing up. However, cats bred to develop these types of traits suffer greatly as this failing cartilage is found throughout their bodies.
Ultimately, the anatomical changes made to this breed of cat lead to pathologies that poison the lives of animals, as she explains in this video (translated below).
“Look at those cute little folded ears, aren’t they cute?”
Do you know why they bend? Because they contain poor quality cartilage, which makes them collapse under their own weight.
You know where else you have cartilage? Every joint in your body.
And you know what weakens your cartilage? Arthritis. An incredibly painful and debilitating joint condition that we purposely develop in these cats simply because we think their little ears are adorable.
But that’s not enough of an excuse to raise a cat breed that spends most of its life totally paralyzed and ends up being euthanized very early because they can’t even walk.
If you see these cats being used by brands for advertising or being touted by celebrities as the “latest buzz animal,” let them know it’s not cute. It’s cruel. »
Cat_The_Vet on Tik Tok
The Scottish Fold cat is no exception. Genetic drives are increasingly evolving, a phenomenon largely encouraged by social networks and the influx of “cute videos” that are increasing there.
French Bulldog, Shar Pei or Munchkin cats are thus forced to develop increasingly flat faces, more bulges or shorter legs, which cause difficulty in breathing or movement and reduce life expectancy.
So let’s not forget that animals also suffer from fashion standards. Therefore, before choosing your animal, you should ask yourself the right questions. And to make the right choice, adoption is often the easiest.