This breed of cat looks like a dachshund. His short legs are controversial

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Munchkin – a cat with short legs

Munchkin At first glance it looks like an overhang, but everything changes when we look at it Paws – they are shortLike a dachshund, with a normal body size, which makes the cat quite a caricature. All this is due to the so-called genetic disease Pseudoachondroplasia.

And while it doesn't affect intelligence, it does cause pain in the paws and spine, which is controversial among cat lovers. “Do their short legs give them any advantage? Can they hunt better?” – they ask on the forums. “It makes animals disabled,” some say.

Opponents of the breed cite the breed's frequent lordosis and pain, which is sometimes so strong that it does not allow the cat to walk. Despite this, the breed is very popular and because it is rare, a short-legged kitten is worth it several thousand euros. The question is whether it is worth the risk of animal suffering.

Race or disease?

The first short-legged cats were bred in England in the 1930s. Archival records show that they survived for four generations before their breeding ceased after the outbreak of World War II. All this time, as well as now, this issue was discussed In the sense of breeding mini cats. People wondered where diversity began and where disability began.

The munchkins we know today Bred in the 1980s in the USA. That's when Sandra Hochenedel, a music teacher from Rayville, Louisiana, found two short-legged cats on the street. One of them was pregnant and when she was born, some of the kittens had short legs. The cat gave birth to a few more litters and then disappeared. Once the kittens were able to go outside, they started breeding with local cats.

Rayville quickly became home to a population of short-legged cats. Hochenedel, interested in what they were like, thought it might be a new breed. He contacted Dr. Solveig Pfluger, All Breed Judge and Chairman of the Genetics Commission about this matter. TICA (International Cat Association).

The scientist concluded that dwarfism is responsible for the unique appearance of cats. For fear that they will have Same dysfunctions as dachshunds and corgis (back pain, hip pain) He ordered further tests. However, they did not prove that cats are dwarfs. It was believed that their only defect was short legs – the rest of the bones should be normal.

Whenever In 1994 TICA recognized the breedOne of the long-time members of the organization left his job. “I will not have a hand in this,” he wrote in the statement. Many people shared his opinion The breed is not recognized by FIFE (Fédération Internationale Féline) – the largest and most famous cat organization in the world. The argument was that “Dysfunction cannot be defined by race”.

It won't jump on the counter, it costs a thousand

Munchkins became one in the early 1990s The most expensive cat breed in the worldreached dizzying heights The price is several thousand dollars. There were so many orders from breeders that you had to wait until the kitten was 2 years old.

Of course, this did not translate to the goodness of the breed. People, finding easy money, started Cats are bred irresponsibly. As a result of mating, about 25 percent died. kittens. Those who survived lived to an old age of 13-15 years, just like ordinary cats.

According to their guardians, many munchkins struggled with lordosis, and those with increased body weight often suffered from osteoarthritis. For this reason in some countries, e.g. Their breeding was banned in the Netherlands. Today, you can mainly buy such a cat only in the USA and France.

Still, munchkins who are oblivious to the controversy surrounding them are just cats — though They can't jump over the counterThey love to have fun and although they are not very athletic, They stand on their hind legs like meerkats. Some value it so much that they pay thousands of zlotys for it. The question is whether it is ethical.