I was visiting friends yesterday, met their 2 cats. I was told one was the 'brother son' of the other. At first I thought, Nephew? But I was told the one cat had mated with his own mother, and the result was the other cat! It looked and acted normal. Is this common? I was a little weirded out, I hope I didn't hurt the kitty's feelings.
2007-07-02 05:15:42 · 7 answers · asked by danashelchan 5 in Pets ➔ Cats
This happens a lot with animals. It is not a really great thing...especially with mothers and sons...brothers and sisters are not so bad. BUT in order to control population they really should have their cats spayed and neutered. I'm sure you didn't hurt their feelings :), but inbreeding can cause major deformities and problems if it continues.
2007-07-02 05:25:01 · answer #1 · answered by demure_143 3 · 2⤊ 0⤋
In human terms this is incest. In kitty terms, it isn't, and it won't hurt the kitty gene pool the way it would damage the human gene pool, because every momma cat, when she gives birth, gives birth to the kits of several males. But it is not a good idea for a person to inbreed their personal pets as a matter of course, because they can concentrate tendencies toward genetic defects. If the kit who was the babe of the mother-son coupling were male and at maturity, mated with the mother cat, there could be some problems in a resulting kit.
2007-07-02 05:30:00 · answer #2 · answered by Mercy 6 · 1⤊ 0⤋
There is also cannibalism that takes place in the animal kingdom, too. Animals are only wired for survival naturally. Hunt, eat, mate and survive. Beyond that they have no taboos or laws to abide to except that of jungle law which is hunt or be hunted. So no need to feel weirded out about your friend's cats. Only feel weirded out if it took place between humans.
2007-07-02 05:26:47 · answer #3 · answered by Fallen 6 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Incest is a higher order social moral in humans. I don't think other animals have those restrictions, which are put in place for valid reasons for humans by humans.
In-breeding is not good when carried to extreme for many generations. One or two generations may not be adversely affected.
2007-07-02 05:24:52 · answer #4 · answered by Swamy 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋
This is common with felines and tons of animal species. Eventually down the line it can have the same effects as human inbreeding, like lack of intelligence or health problems.
This is why it is very important to get your pets spayed and neutered.
2007-07-02 05:19:04 · answer #5 · answered by kaye t 5 · 1⤊ 1⤋
not all incest kittens are messed up..
my friends neighbors had a few dozen stray cats and kittens and some of the insest kittens had kind of deformed faces..
it really depends on each cats genes
and yeah
2007-07-02 05:22:07 · answer #6 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
There is absolutly NO discretion between family members in the anima kingdom!
2007-07-02 05:21:53 · answer #7 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋