TICA July 2023 Newsletter

From the Editor’s Desk

Dear TICA Feline Science Fans:

Discoveries, breakthroughs, a greater understanding of the genes, mechanisms, and more accurate histories of the domestic cat have all taken place since I first took over the role of TICA Science News Editor.

Thank you for continuing this great journey with me and sharing my curiosity and wonder of what comes together to create the completely unscientific, but totally verifiable magic of cats.

I consider the following the most important points in the application of science to breeding cats for enthusiasts:

All the crosses have already happened! There is no need to breed any cat breed to another, one pattern to another, color to another, or physical mutation to another JUST TO SEE WHAT YOU GET. That information is already known (mostly published), has been done, and is not hard to find (easier to find than cleaning dozens of litter boxes).

Every planned breeding should create less inherited disease and fewer behavior problems while ADDING FRIENDLIER, more BEAUTIFUL, and HEALTHIER cats to the world than would be created randomly.

The mutation features/gene for every coloration, pattern, and anatomical features of cats has not been identified. GET INVOLVED with your fellow breeders, researchers, and institutions to figure it out and share new knowledge with the world.

There are no “Natural Breeds” or accurate legends of domestic cats. Domestic cats, as a species, and all domestic cat breeds were created by individual people who chose to give the resources of food, space, and safety to some animals and not others. The accurate histories of the origins, travel, and decisions made by those people are coming to light as feline science continues to progress.