Controversy Surrounding the New Munchkin Cat Breed

The Munchkin is a breed of cat characterized by its very short legs. They come in a variety of colors and patterns, can be both short and long-haired, and have a wide range of personalities. This breed is currently accepted by the American Association of Cat Enthusiasts (AACE - www.aaceinc.org), The International Cat Association (TICA - www.tica.org), and the United Feline Organization (UFO - www.unitedfelineorganization.org). It was first accepted by TICA in 1994 into the NBC (New Breed and Color) category. The AACE and UFO quickly followed suit, and TICA accepted the Munchkin for championship competitions in 2002.

Although the breed was "discovered" by Sandra Hochenedal in Rayville, Louisiana in 1983, it was far from the first sighting of a short-legged cat. Felines of the same stature were seen in Great Britain in 1944, Stalingrad in 1953, New York in the 1950s, and New England in the 1970s, but the line was not further developed and seemed to be phased out naturally.

This may be in whole or in part caused by the gene that actually causes the deformity, called an autosomal dominant gene, meaning that it is a dominant gene that is not located on a sex chromosome, commonly referred to as an "X" or "Y" chromosome. It is considered a naturally occurring mutation - it occurred without human intervention. Because of the nature of this gene, if two cats are bred that both carry what is termed the "dwarf gene", the embryos are not viable and will perish before birth. On the other hand, when a Munchkin cat is bred with a standard cat it results in a mixed litter - consisting of both short- and long-legged kittens. Since in the previous sightings these cats were not selectively bred, it stands to reason that the combination of the aforementioned breeding problems contributed to the death of the line in those earlier sightings.

The breeding of the Munchkin is the cause of much controversy in the cat world. There are those who say that the breeding of this cat is unethical, as it is an exploitation of a physical deformity for appearance and profit. On the other side of the fence it is argued that since the mutation occurs naturally, human intervention has little or nothing to do with the creation and development of the line. There seems to be support for both sides. So who is right?

Considering that in previous situations the line died out when left to its own devices with no human intervention, it has to be concluded that selective breeding by humans was a definite factor in establishing the Munchkin breed. The fact that it was a naturally occurring mutation that caused the new trait does not change the fact that it was then twisted and exploited. The question is whether or not this practice is unethical. Some veterinarians are concerned about a condition called lordosis, a downward curvature of the spine that can cause compression of the heart and lungs in severe cases. Lordosis can occur in any cat breed, but higher rates have been seen in the Munchkin breed. Many breeders deny that this is an increased risk in Munchkins, and early studies found no correlation to the disorder and the breed. However these studies were considered inconclusive, as the breed has been around for such a short period of time.

The selective breeding of animals to encourage "quirky" appearance traits is not a new process. It's been seen and debated before, as with the Manx breed. The main difference here is that the Manx suffers from many health problems and defects due to the selective breeding process, while at this point there is no data to show that the same is true for the Munchkin. This brings us to a "wait and see" type of situation.

That in itself seems inhumane. Why risk possible painful side effects and deaths for the sake of appearances? Sure, the Munchkin is cute and cuddly, but no more so than any other breed of cat. If you were given the choice to ensure that your children would have small straight noses, a particular type of hair, long legs, or any number of purely physical "desirable" attributes, would you go through with it if there were even the slightest chance that something could go wrong because of your intervention?

SOURCES:
http://us.iams.com/iams/en_US/jsp/IAMS_Page.jsp?pageID=CBD&breedPage=munchkin.html
http://www.munchkins.com/page12_Lordosis_xrays
htmlhttp://cats.about.com/cs/breedprofiles/p/Munchkin.htm