Dog breeds come from generations of selective breeding, but so many cat breeds seem to be called breeds very quickly because of mutations.
What cats were bred with a particular purpose, and what was the purpose? Are some just from special lines that have been continued for a while even if there was no special purpose?
How long did it take from the original mutation for each of these cats to become a breed with a standard?
Like the Sphinx- random hairless cats pop up in Canada and tada- let’s keep breeding them and turn it into a breed.
Munchkin- that is a form of dwarfism isn’t it?
What other cat breeds originated from mutations?
Bengals are a whole different story- those are from wild animals because people feel the need to have an exotic pet that acts like a domestic one.
What are your feelings on these breeds? Where is the line between providing cats with predictable qualities and just providing a cat that is special for a mutation or for having wild blood?
OK- let me expand “purpose” since dogs do more defintie jobs.
What cats were bred for particular TRAITS- like a certain temperment or activity level, and what ones were bred because of a neat looking mutation?
