#brachycephaly

“Chouchou is thriving right now! 

Can I tell you something? A big fear I have is that people will fall in love with Chouchou online… and then want to buy Persian cat. So please know that if you love kittens like Chouchou, the last thing on earth you should do is support the breeding of Persian cats! Persian cats are bred to have unnaturally flat faces for no reason other than the aesthetic preference of humans. But this brachycephaly leads to many problems for them, including respiratory issues, eye issues, and often congenital abnormalities including cleft palates, like Chouchou has. Unfortunately most of the kittens born with these medical problems will not be lucky like Chouchou—they will suffer and die as newborns, because it is very difficult and not cost efficient to save a kitten like Chou. Kitten deformities & death are just part of the cost of doing business for a Persian breeder! In fact, Persian cats have the highest infant mortality rate of any breed, according to research. So while I’m happy that we all love Chouchou, I just want to continually emphasize that Chouchou’s story isn’t one about how Persian cats are desirable animals. His story is about why no one should ever, ever support the breeding of Persian cats. The truth is that most people have no idea what they are supporting, or getting themselves into, when buying a Persian kitten. But babies like him don’t deserve to suffer or die just so someone can make a quick buck off of the ignorance of others.

P.S. Don’t believe me that these cats are often born with cleft palates? Check out @purritoplace who is raising another little Persian kitten named Cabbage with the same exact problem (I’ll pop Cabbage’s photos in the comments.) Cabbage and Chouchou are two of the lucky few who live to have someone tell their story, and to advocate on behalf of those who are less lucky than them. If you love them, please — never breed or buy these flat-faced cats.”

ID:

First comment: I was watching a TikTok where a flat-nose dog was intubated during surgery and was waking up and recovering from anesthesia. The dog was awake and still had the tube going down its throat. The vet explained that flat-nose dogs will tolerate a tube down their throat way longer than my other dogs because they can actually breathe well. That one was awake with it for an hour before they took the tube out. Imagine that from the moment you are born, breathing is hard and one day, you have surgery, they put a plastic tube down your throat, and it is the first time you have ever been able to breathe normally. Very sad.

Second comment: I'm a vet tech and it's 100% true. So many of the brachycephalic patients were joyful in ways not seen without the endotracheal tube in. We always try to keep them in as long as safely possible for those patients, because they sadly seem to prefer it.

This is so heartbreaking jfc. People have gotta stop supporting breeders who create these brachycephalic dogs (and stop breeding them in the first place, ofc). 😢

I mean look at this mess! First pic is a standard dog, second pic is a brachycephalic dog:

At least it looks like Netherlands is banning them, along with cats with folded ears (like Scottish Folds), which have equally horrible outcomes like osteochondrodysplasia.

Hi, Sueanoi here

Brachycephalic syndrome.

vet-and-wild here.

I second that.

gettingvetted here.

Third.

Ferox here.

Fourth. And the motion is carried.