Should you get a purebred or moggie cat? You can weigh up the pros and cons of purebred vs crossbred cats.
According to the Animal Medicine Australia 2016 Pet Ownership Report, three-quarters of cats owned in Australia are mixed breeds (76%), while the remainder is pure breeds (24%). Whereas 50% of owned dogs are mixed breed and 50% are purebred in Australia.
A quarter of cats have been acquired through animal shelters (25%), and 19% were from friends or neighbours.
Interestingly, the third most common source of cats was the street, with 15% saying their cats were strays. This was was higher than the proportion who bought their cats from a breeder (13%) or a pet shop (10%). Pure breeds were more likely to have been purchased from a breeder (40%) or pet shop (17%), while mixed breeds were more likely to have been acquired from an animal shelter (29%), from friends or neighbours (22%), or were taken in as strays (19%).
Purebred cats are more likely to be kept indoors (54%) and this is more likely to be by people who live in apartments or units (55%).
Purebred cats come from a closed gene pool, that is, they are not crossbred with another breed. Sometimes the word purebred is used synonymously with pedigreed, but purebred refers to the animal having a known ancestry, and pedigree refers to the written record of breeding of three to four generations. Not all purebred animals have their lineage in written form.
The Australian Cat Federation Inc has developed a breed standard for each pedigreed cat breed it recognises and provides a national forum for the recognition of new breeds of cats and the subsequent development of standards for those breeds.
Contrary to popular belief, Companion cats (non- purebred cat breeds) can be shown at a cat show and they have their own standard that is very different from those of their pedigreed relatives. Companion cats should exhibit excellent temperament, a nice purrsonality, and top physical condition as the paramount requirements. They may have any coat colour, eye colour, body shape, or coat length.
There’s no right or wrong answer when it comes to choosing between a purebred or crossbred dog. We’ve listed the purebred vs crossbred pros and cons below to help you with your decision making.
Purebred vs crossbred cats pros and cons
PROS | CONS | |
---|---|---|
PUREBRED | 1. To a certain extent, behaviour and characteristics can be predicted, however, all cats are individuals and their behaviour can still vary greatly within the breed. | 1. Some breeds have serious inherited disordeinherited disordersrs. Choose your cat breed wisely! |
2. Has a known ancestry. Pedigreed cats have a written record of breeding. | ||
3. The breeding is more regulated. Good breeders aim to produce healthy, human friendly cats and minimise the risk of inherited cat disorders. | ||
CROSSBRED | 1. Considered to have a lower risk of inherited diseases than purebred cats, although health problems from the parents may still be passed on. | 1. It can be difficult to determine the parentage so there is no control over coat length, colour or body shape. |
2. The breeding is not regulated. Look for a good animal shelter/rescue group for a kitten or adult cat that is healthy and socialised with people and other animals. |