Why can we breed dogs of various sizes and shapes but not cats?

Question

why can we breed dogs of many sizes and shapes but not cats? cats are generally small while dogs can be a few inches long or 1m in height.

ok by 'cat' i meant 'domestic cat', sorry for the mistake

what i think is because dogs' sizes are comparitively similar while cats' sizes vary more, like a fox is not TOO much smaller than a wolf but a lion is much bigger than a civet.

Answer 1

They CAN and do. Dogs are all part of the same species, and thus can breed with each other, big and small. But big cats, like a lion or tiger, are different species than housecats, so they can't breed with each other. But if the two cats are in the same species, they can, and DO, breed many different kinds of these species of cats. Look up cats on google images, and you'll will see many, many different looking types of cats.

Answer 2

This is a good question and one which actually nobody knows the answer to. There is no doubt that dogs have been more selected for a variety of different purposes compared to cats but actually the comparison doesn't stop there. Other species, such as horses, sheep and particularly cattle have been subject to equally intense selection and they all look pretty similar to one another.

You mention height, and in cats there may well be some genes that limit size around an optimum, although this is often the most flexible feature in many species. There is a lot of other variation in dogs e.g. face shape, ear size/shape etc. that is impossible to generate in any other species and the reasons remain a mystery.

Answer 3

Cats are dangerous! Imagine one the size of a Labrador! What would that be like? Oh I know, a puma!

It's probably because dogs have been used for centuries for specific purposes. Working dogs were bred with particular physical and temperamental attributes to make them more suitable to their task. For example a Wolfhound was used as a war dog and for hunting wolves and deer. It had to be big and strong. Yorkshire Terriers were used to hunt vermin in small spaces, hence their size. Anyone that has a Border Collie as a family pet knows they will attempt to herd all kinds of things, including their owners. Lap dogs are small, with large eyes and a short muzzle to resemble a human baby. They were intended as a substitute.

Dogs are also pack animals and will accept a human as a pack leader. This makes them loyal and trainable. Cats are mostly solitary and if they're anything like mine don't give a toss about anyone but themselves.
What I mean to say is that historically dogs have had more uses to humans than cats. What use is a cat anyway? They'll hunt vermin if they can be bothered and they're large enough for that. Cats do come in different shapes, Persians look different to a Cornish Rex and it probably is possible to breed larger domestic cats (Maine Coons are pretty big) but as they are difficult to train they'd probably be a bit dangerous. Best keep them small.

By the way this is only my opinion and I am no expert.

Answer 4

dog breeds have evolved to do different jobs. they are selected when they have the most desirable characteristics and so the breeds are formed. as for cats, the main coon is a very large domestic cat weighting anything up to 10kg when some rex cats are tiny at only about 2kg. cats can not be trained in the same way as dogs so they have never evolved into what we have wanted so the size variation is smaller

Answer 5

Over the many years of man's existance we have used dogs as tools essentialy. We had a job that needed doing and used the best dogs at the time for that job. You get two dogs that are good at one job and you breed them together to get a litter of dogs that are good at that job. Breed the two best dogs of that litter together and you get dogs more adapted to that job. Repeat for a few hundered years and you get many different looking dogs adapted for many different jobs.

There was no such similar use for cats, so no-one bothered. If any specific qualities have been bred in cats then it's looks.

Answer 6

Domestic cats were bred to be small. There are however lots of different type of domestic cat. In order for cats to be 'safe' around humans they should not be too big, some cats have been tamed to do what you bid them but most do what they like when they like. Dogs however are easier to train, mans best friend and all and it it somewhat safer to have larger dogs around.

Answer 7

Cats are often about a similar length (a minimum of those you could cultivate) dogs variety very otherwise from cats. that's all contained in the DNA. Cat's important ameliorations in breeds are personalities and fur, yet some breeds are taller than others. there is one breed of cats which has extremely short legs. that's referred to as Munchkin. certain there extremely is a breed of cat referred to as Munchkin, chuckle in case you elect. yet ya, cats and dogs are very diverse animals.

Answer 8

Dogs were bred as working animals - for racing, hunting etc and as such different sizes were needed. The same is true of horses - a shire horse is huge compared to a racehorse!

Cats are not used for work and as such any different breeds are due to aesthetic tastes only.

Answer 9

Cats have 38 chromosomes, dogs have 78 chromosomes. they have a lot more genetic material hence greater potential for variability. They essentialy have more dice to roll increasing the odds of mutation.

Hmm, dogs have more chromosomes than humans, another hole in the presumption that humans are the pinnacle of evolutionary complexity.

Answer 10

well I am afraid the truth is pure and simply just that they do.. they are quite special in this property. Cats and for that matter horses have been selectively breed for the about the same amount of time and the range of breeds just don't exist.

so .. short answer...
cos we can