My god... the eyes!

August 26, 2003 6:23 AM

Talking of kittens... What does it say about someone that they'd like their pet to look like this?
posted by humuhumu (25 comments total)

That they like cute kittens?

I think I must be missing a point in there somewhere.
posted by jacquilynne at 6:56 AM on August 26, 2003

Same here... these kittens look positively normal, at least compared to the grooming accidents you see in most dog shows.
posted by clevershark at 7:00 AM on August 26, 2003

something to do with the eyes, perhaps? (just guessing here)
posted by ruelle at 7:02 AM on August 26, 2003

That some of them loooooove bad MIDI files?
posted by Dagobert at 7:05 AM on August 26, 2003

You can really do better than the links provided if you really want to find some wierd looking cats.
posted by PenDevil at 7:08 AM on August 26, 2003

That the two on the right are conjoined at the head? True Siamese cats.
posted by Joeforking at 7:17 AM on August 26, 2003

The first photo you linked to is of Somali cats.

I can't stand cats, but Somalis are gorgeous creatures.
posted by jennak at 7:17 AM on August 26, 2003

That last link is scary. It's basically selling you a "how to run a kitten mill" package. Responsible breeders of animals don't view it as a "business" in that sense, they view breeding as a way to improve their chosen breed, any financial interests are at the opposite end of the importance spectrum from breed interests.
posted by biscotti at 7:25 AM on August 26, 2003

Oh, and I also don't get what's so odd about the links posted, they're different breeds of purebred cats, just as some people find Bulldogs or the Xoloitzcuintli beautiful (which says nothing at all about them except that their aesthetic sense isn't the same as many peoples'), some people like unusual-looking cats (and keep in mind that many people like unusual animal breeds for reasons other than (and often more important than) appearance - like temperament).
posted by biscotti at 7:32 AM on August 26, 2003

I must have some kind of catphobia if everyone else finds these cats cute. I find this cat extremely worrying. Just doesn't look natural... not at all.
posted by humuhumu at 7:55 AM on August 26, 2003

Aren't they all (apart from one link) grossly fat and... well... repulsive?

I love cats. I have a cat. But I really don't like the cats humuhumu linked to at all. They're so gormless...

Fat, gormless, pug-ugly lumps.... they look like they're retarded, brain-dead furballs.

I, for one, applaud humuhumu's persecution of these repulsive animals.
posted by Blue Stone at 7:58 AM on August 26, 2003

they look like they're retarded, brain-dead furballs.

As opposed to...?

/not a pet owner
posted by clevershark at 8:00 AM on August 26, 2003

Aren't they all (apart from one link) grossly fat and... well... repulsive?

Most of them are long-haired cats, all that hair makes them look much bigger than they likely are (it's very hard to tell if a long-haired cat is overweight without actually touching it), and the pushed in faces and round heads of the Persian-oids make them look fat, but the head is not a good place to look to get an indication of body weight (unlike people, weight changes in animals don't cause much change in the head, most animals have to be at the extreme ends of the spectrum to have obvious changes in their faces). Given that most of them are show cats, it's extremely unlikely that they're "grossly fat".

And I don't think it's cataphobia, humuhumu, I just think you haven't seen many different breeds of cat. It's one thing to think "wow, I don't like the way foo breed looks" it's another to assume that there's something wrong and weird about people who like a given breed, simply because it looks unappealing to you.
posted by biscotti at 8:13 AM on August 26, 2003

simply because it looks unappealing to you.

It's not unappealing per se - it just looks wrong. And I don't like the idea of cats being bred purposely to look a particular way. As you say, maybe I haven't met enough kitties in my life. The ones who come into my garden, chase the butterflies and chase away the squirrels certainly don't look like this.
posted by humuhumu at 8:25 AM on August 26, 2003

biscotti, you ugly-cat sympathiser.

Come the revolution...
posted by Blue Stone at 8:26 AM on August 26, 2003

jennak,

those kittens are actually a type of burmese called asians according to the cattery's site.


As far as a odd sight to me, check these out: munchkins
posted by deathofme at 8:27 AM on August 26, 2003

I love cats, and while I'm used to Persians, I do find them a little bit unsightly - especially the deep, dirt-holding crevasses on their face. Actually, what's most yucky about Persians is that you need to trim the long hair on their rear-ends, or you will have a very dirty and unhealthy cat.
AFAIK, the hairless cats are an unhealthy genetic mutation which should never have been propagated. They seem much more prone to infections, etc.
If anyone's looking for a fantastic cat breed that's a little off-kilter looking, check out Tonkinese - I have two (that's one of them), and they're more like dogs than cats: friendly, playful, cuddly and attentive.
posted by stonerose at 8:28 AM on August 26, 2003

And I don't like the idea of cats being bred purposely to look a particular way

Then you basically don't like the idea of cats. All recognized breeds of cats have been bred. Hence the name.

By the way, particular breeds of cats and dogs also have fairly consistent and predictable temperaments.
posted by kindall at 8:40 AM on August 26, 2003

I have a cat who is clearly of Tonkinese descent... She was a great (attentive, playful, smart) cat until about 5 years of age, when she became extremely bitchy. In fact, she rarely even comes indoors anymore. Does this happen with pure-breds, stonerose? I first heard of Tonkinese cats as therapy cats used to help the infirm and disabled. My Tonkinese would not be great at this job, to put it mildly.
posted by maniactown at 9:01 AM on August 26, 2003

meow
posted by bargle at 9:01 AM on August 26, 2003

Good god, Persians are ugly.

And I like cats.
posted by xmutex at 9:10 AM on August 26, 2003

And I don't like the idea of cats being bred purposely to look a particular way.

How do you feel about dog breeding, I wonder?

I have to say, this is one of the lamest threads I've read on MetaFilter. You're holding up perfectly normal cats up for ridicule, for no other reason than you think they're ugly? Would you do the same for humans? Shame on you, and shame on all of the rest of us for participating.
posted by me3dia at 9:26 AM on August 26, 2003

About three weeks ago we had a funeral in our backyard for Mehitabel, my recently departed seal-point Siamese of fifteen years. She'd been part of my life longer than I've known Mrs. Alums. Joshua, our little boy, who hardly paid attention to Mehitabel when she was alive (it was mutual, actually) wept as we declared our love and asked God to make a place for her on His lap.

My own lap seems a lot emptier now because the other two aren't lap cats the way Hitty was.
posted by alumshubby at 9:29 AM on August 26, 2003

Then you basically don't like the idea of cats. All recognized breeds of cats have been bred.

Are there not mutt cats? I'm a dog guy, but I much prefer mutts both personality and looks-wise.
posted by Ufez Jones at 9:35 AM on August 26, 2003

Are there not mutt cats?

Yes, there are, and a lot of them are pretty darn nice critters as long as you remember they're cats and not expect them to be Rin Tin Tin or something.
posted by alumshubby at 9:36 AM on August 26, 2003