Ad Blocker Detected
Our website is made possible by displaying online advertisements to our visitors. Please consider supporting us by disabling your ad blocker.
A vet goes viral on TikTok for her video series about pets considered cute but suffering from serious health problems because they were bred to look like.
British vet and animal rights activist Cat Henstridge, who posts online as Cat the Vet, has six clips on “Pets People Think are cute but aren’t!” turned.
Henstridge, who also runs a blog, uses the videos to highlight the health effects on the dogs and cats.
1. Scottish folding cats
In the first video, Henstridge turned her attention to the Scottish fold cat, which has “folded” ears.
“Aren’t you adorable?” said the vet. “Do you know why they fold? Because they have weak garbage cartilage that makes them collapse under their own weight.”
“And do you know what terrible, weak cartilage brings you? Arthritis. An incredibly painful, debilitating joint disease that we basically purposely plant in these cats just because we think their tiny ears look cute. “
The vet added that while she thought the cats looked adorable, this was not a good excuse for breeding cats that “basically” spend most of their lives “crippled” and sometimes “really bad.” “put to sleep early” because they can. t go.
“If you see these cats being branded for promotional purposes or touted as the ‘newest thing’ by celebrities, please let them know this isn’t cute. This is cruel.”
A Scottish fold kitten.
iStock
2. Flat-faced dog breeds
The vet’s second video looked at flat-faced dogs, including popular breeds like pugs and bulldogs.
“These dogs have amazing personalities and make wonderful pets, but we need to talk about how they suffer for their looks,” Henstridge said in the clip.
“A lot of these dogs have trouble breathing normally, starting with nostrils that are often just tiny little slits and their faces are flat on the outside, but on the inside they often have almost as much tissue as a dog with a normal length nose, and that can really affect your airways. “
Henstridge said these breeds often suffered from numerous other health problems. These include skin discomfort, painful tooth decay from having a normal number of teeth in a confined space, and spinal abnormalities that can make walking difficult.
Even her “cute” bulging eyes can be painful, she added.
In her latest video, Henstridge, looking specifically at toad bulldogs, said, “I really can’t understand why anyone should choose to breed a dog that will so clearly suffer from their looks for their entire life.”
Stock image shows a pug, a type of flat-faced dog.
iStock
3. Pekingese dogs
In the third video, the vet talked about Pekingese dogs that have been bred in China for centuries.
“The Pekingese suffers because of its appearance. First, look at how flat this skull is, which means it suffers from all of the problems that the brachycephalic breeds.” [dogs with short snouts] do like eye, breathing, skin fold problems.
“If you compare their skeleton to a normal dog, you can see why they have so many mobility problems too.”
But what worries the vet most about this breed is how prone they are to overheating because of their “huge” fur.
Stock image with a Pekingese dog.
iStock
4. Flat-faced cat breeds
The next video was about flat-faced cat breeds.
“Their tiny nostrils inevitably make it difficult for them to breathe. You can really see how narrow and pinched they are and how bruised their faces are when you compare them to a pretty regular kitty, ”the vet said.
“No wonder they suffer from a lot of dental problems because there is no room for their teeth!”
In addition, Henstridge said these cats’ skulls were misshapen and flat, which could cause serious health problems, and in some cases even be fatal.
“Those flat faces mean their tears are not draining properly, which can result in really sticky, dirty, painful infected skin on their faces,” she said. “And those great big eyes that are so valued? They’re actually very prone to problems because they stick out so far.
“The final insult is their super fluffy, thick fur, so they can’t hope to groom themselves.”
Stock picture with a Persian cat.
iStock
5. Munchkin cats
Munchkin cats are bred with very short legs.
“These are cats that have a genetic mutation that makes their legs really short,” said Henstridge. “I understand why people like them, they look adorable. But that doesn’t change the fact that we breed cats with a really debilitating genetic mutation just because we think they look cute.
“Remember how active our cats are by nature, how much they love to run, jump, and play. Munchkin cats still have these instincts, but they can’t do it as much or as well because we deliberately restricted it. “
In the video, the vet showed x-rays that show how deformed these cats’ limbs and joints are.
“Look at the bones of the legs, see how straight and smooth the normal cat is compared to the short and twisted Munchkin cat,” she said. “Look at how smooth and clean the elbow joint is in a normal cat compared to the horrible and gnarled one in the Munchkin cat.”
“That means that they are not only physically restricted in their freedom of movement, but that this joint would also be very painful.”
