One of my childhood cats was a purebred smoky brown Persian who was rescued from an abusive show breeder. He was so traumatized and was terrified to be handled and never quite healed. I was honored that in the last few years of his life he began to trust me enough to not flinch away when I approached and accepted affection with a quiet purr.
I will never understand how inhumane and brutal breeding programs are, for all animals. You'd think that because they are a 'product' that the animals would be treated with value, but abuse and neglect seem the norm.
My ex and I had a British Shorthair that we "rescued" from owners that were abusing him. We were house sitting for them on the marine base of Camp Pendleton because the husband was deployed, and the wife went to stay with family. Thankfully, she took their rottweiler with her. Normally they would leave the dog AND the cat in a room together, where the rottweiler would terrorize the poor cat so much that he spent most of the day huddling under the backside of the toilet in the adjoining bathroom. When we arrived, they had a spiked collar on him, there were ants in his food dish, and he was scared to death of humans. After 3 months of getting this sweet cat to trust us and feel comfortable in the home, the wife returned, and I found the dog and cat locked in the room together within a day. Serendipitously, that same day, the cat ran out the front door when I "forgot" to close it (oops!) and was never seen again... by them. We just never mentioned he was in a cat carrier, and I was the one running... to my car. I knew we did the right thing when the husband and wife didn't even really care that the cat was "gone." It may have been cat-napping (this was in 1997) but I don't feel bad at all, as he was being abused.
My mind is blown by that fact that the hairs in the ear being depigmented means they atrophy and lead to deafness. I would never have guessed that's the reason. Very interesting - happy that Chouchou does not seem affected by this :)
I’ve been calling him a walking Q-tip. Q-tip was also what we named the white teddy bear hamster in my sophomore homeroom teacher’s class. Chouchou looks just like him. I don’t remember how Sr. Angelo ended up with him, but we had several rodents including a pair of rats we named Romeo and Juliet (their unpin succeeded with several babies), Q-tip and a couple of gerbils. Frequently homeroom was passed listening to announcements while holding random class pets. They were all very spoiled.
she is enthusiastic and knowledgeable, but not great at explaining. I knew all the information she shared, but I still found her explanation convoluted and confusing.
I think one can be 'enthusiastic' without being effusive and sounding like she's talking to a class of pre-K kids. The subject matter is fascinating but I can't listen to affectations in voices - i.e., that extra high pitching. Perhaps it's a generational thing as it seems to be more common.
My kitty is named Chowder, he's a Persian of some sort (we adopted him from the SPCA when he was 5/6). We always call him "Chowchow" so when Chouchou first came along I was instantly in love with him since the names are so similar. In fact Chowder is currently rubbing his face all over mine demanding cuddles right now haha. On behalf of both of us, sending Chouchou the best of luck with his future surgeries. If I wasn't all the way in Canada I would be sitting waiting with an application for him when he became adoptable
Between the cleft palate, flat face, and fluffiness, I had a feeling he would be Persian! Probably left at the shelter by the breeder themselves when they realised about the cleft palate. But he's in the best of care now! Go Chouchou!
Now I'm terrified that Chouchou fans are going to run out to breeders of questionable ethics to buy a Persian kitten because they want a Chouchou. To Chouchou fans: Please don't.
Right. If they're really set on a purebred something or other there's plenty of rescues out there, because people who shop from breeders often don't do their research and end up dumping their "high maintenance" cat or dog.
@@Luphirasoul same!!! I love Chou, but caring for him would be so hard. I’m so glad Hannah is taking such good care of him and I can enjoy him through my screen
I absolutely knew it, as soon as he started being extra floofy. A breeder noticed him having an issue, they probably knew what to look for, and they just decided he wasn't their problem. Disgusting behavior and it just goes to show how breeders see these beings as nothing more than income. They don't care about the breed or the cats themselves. Thank you, Hannah, for being there to step in as Chou's Humom and for always being open to take on those who are most vulnerable. ❤️ Chou is a dandelion puff (even though he's become more vocal about actually being a ferocious predator) and you are the best foster mom any animal could wish for. Thank you!
A grey Persian wandered into my home one day & climbed right into my a cat tree. He was fully groomed although a little overdue for another shape. To this day I have no clue who’s Persian she was lol.
Lol, I can just picture it. "God, look at this house. I mean, sure, it looks nice, but it's 100% lacking in me. Well, there's only one thing to do about that. Guess I'm living here now. You! Yes, you on the sofa: get me stuff. I'll be here napping when you're done."
I knew that he was 100% Persian. Sadly they have a lot of health problems due to breeding practices. Even my cat who is mixed still inherit Ed issues from her Persian mom. Luckily her breeder messed up and she is half Russian blue. Can't imagine how much worse her respiratory issues would be if she was pure
Yeah I kind of figured from the way he looks, the cleft palate, and the way he was dropped off that it sounded like he was a "failed" purebred for a persian or similar breeder. To be fair, I dont think any other cat mom could have given him the care he needed, but it hurts that he was almost definitely a "shop over adopt" cat who got dropped into a shelter for the consequences of unethical breeding.
@@Kat-xy7fm esp considering he was a few days old and was dropped off at an animal hospital vs a shelter, it kind of seems like the breeder was trying to tube feed him until they realized they couldn’t provide the care he needed so was hoping the animal hospital would. which honestly is the best thing they could have done for the lil guy
My boyfriend and I just moved into our home and the first thing I want is a cat once we are settled in. I can't friggin wait 😭🥺 and YESSSSS we are adopting NOT shopping 💖
My old roommate learned from the kitten lady how to take care of a stray kitten 5 years ago. I adopted him right after. She named him Hercules so he could be big and strong. He looks forever the size of a teen cat but he’s healthy and spoiled. I’ve just started watching the kitten lady and told my old roommate and she said “I told you she’s good!!” learning from Dr. Annette and you makes my day. I love cats and seeing two people so passionate them is awesome! Thank y’all so much! ❤️
Is it possible that Chouchou was part of a "breeding program". I can see a white Persians as a highly desired breed. So I cannot help but wonder. Either way, he is absolutely adorable!! Like your very own miniature abominable snowman!! I just love him!! He's got an amazingly fun personality!!
Yep. Breeder. And all pedigree and breed cats are HEAVILY inbred to highlight breed characteristics. Very few breeders actually bother to find distant cats to diversify the genes. It means breed cats have more diseases, deformities and intellectual issues. IDK how anyone can still justify pet breeding at this point.
sounds about right. he was probably part of a breeding program (would have pretty much had to be to be 100% persian with NOTHING ELSE in his background) ..and im sure once the breeder realized all the issues he had they abandoned him because it would not be profitable to have to attend to all his issues (the issues that THEY likely caused by NOT having a good breeding program and checking for issues in the genetic background of their breeding cats, etc... not to mention that breeding persians is iffy at best as the breed itself has a lot of issues due to their bone structure (they're like the pugs/bulldogs of the cat world with the unhealthily smooshy faces )
Yeah I kind of... suspected that heavy inbreeding was at least partially responsible for poor Chouchou's problems. Brachycephaly is basically bad in both dogs and cats and I honestly wish breeders would stop actively making it worse. Breeders have done less damage overall to cats than they have to dogs, (I wish I'd never seen a King Charles Spaniel screaming in utter agony because their skull was too small for their brain and it's genuinely criminal to keep deliberately perpetuating that) but they're still absolutely ruinous for the health of the animals being so bred.
That reminds me of French Bulldogs. They can't give birth naturally because the puppies heads are too big. If the mama dog isn't taken to a vet for a c-section, both mama and the puppies can (and do) die. Talk about messed up genetics, just for a dog that is so brachycephalic (flat faced) it can't breathe normally, is prone to hip dysplasia, cherry eye, ear infections, fold dermatitis, etc. A whole host of issues just to have a "cute" dog. So sad.
In the Netherlands they banned breeding of flat faced dogs. So no normal pugs or bulldogs anymore. All dogs have to have a certain nose length. Of course, dog breeders all over the world have complained about that because a lot of them don't care about the well-being of their animals.
I was aware about the issues with flat-faced breeds and short-legged ones etc, but this is the first time hearing about brain size issues. Having a skull too small for their brain sounds like a full-blown torture 😰
Ten years ago we found a male kitten in our shop and I brought him home. Five years later I adopted three kittens from the shop next door to ours, and their mother looked a lot like my male. I’d love to see if they’re related - I’m guessing my male is related to their mother, making him a great uncle of sorts.
Ah, so I have guessed correctly. Honestly I'm feeling relief that my half-breed persian cat didn't inherit brahycephaly and doesn't have any problems breathing or a cleft palate since raising him up was already a hassle (had him in our care since he was a week or so old). Persians are cute as heck and my best kitty friend growing up was a white persian girl with the most lovely persona but honestly, cuteness ain't worth it when for one healthy adorable animal you get a ton of sick ones who can't breathe or have weird bones or whatnot. Also can we please have more genetics talk like this one please?? That was super interesting.
I had a feeling he was a pure breed, probably inbred even. My "theory" about him is that an irresponsible breeder just shrugged off the responsibility of him, and dumped him at the vets so they didn't have to shoulder the financial and other burdens of taking care of a kitten with a cleft palate. He wouldn't be profitable for them, and that's probably all these breeders really care about, a quick buck.
@@jelatinosa Yeah that's what I figured too. To be fair, it was always going to take a highly trained and specialized foster like Hannah to keep him alive once he was born like that, and you can't develop those skills fast enough to keep one kitten alive when they have such a bad cleft, so they needed to let him go to get him the help he needed regardless. That said, frankly, they shouldn't have been breeding these kittens to begin with, and they could have kept up with how he was doing after surrendering him and helped cover some of the costs. It was definitely irresponsible breeders and the shelter should know to look out for the person who surrendered him in case they dump more "less profitable" persians off later
Seriously? The first documented ancestors of the Persian cat were imported from Khorasan, Persia, into the Italian Peninsula in 1620 by Pietro della Valle; and from Angora (now Ankara), Ottoman Turkey, into France by Nicolas-Claude Fabri de Peiresc at around the same time.
@@CanisLupus1987 we had a doll-face Persian when I was growing up and she was one of the more active, healthiest cats I've known. I'll never understand why the peke face is popular.
@@marlowemayhem3230 Just because a breed is old it doesn't mean that it wasn't selectively bred by people. Humans have been selectively breeding animals and plants for thousands of years.
I've always loved Persians but specifically the squishy face ones.. idk what about them is so heart melting. I had only found out a few days ago that it's a defect, which makes sense why most cats I have seen online that look like this tend to be rescues. I'm so glad RUclips started recommending your videos because I'm learning a lot.
Super interesting video! Chou Chou being purebred makes me wonder if he was rejected by a breeder because of his cleft. He’s a sweet, lucky little guy♥️
I thought he'd turn out to be 100% dandelion! I could listen to her talking genetics all day! I need to rewatch the orange gen part because I didn't fully understand it, but I loved that info about deaf cats! We had a super fluffy very big polydactil (26 toes) foster that I wished I'd have tested! I should suggest it to her new family.
@@amgoudman my grey tabby i dont know if he'd be considered really fully polydactly but he has what looks like thumbs because he has a fifth claw (yknow the one that is a little higher up on the side of the arm kinda like a dew claw but dew claws are usually useless and dont really have any muscle or bloodsupply to them..his arent useless, he has full control over them and uses them to grab things lol) so he has that part of his paw and his 'dew claw' is really big and sticks out like a thumb and he always uses it as part of his paw and is good at grabbing things with his 'thumbs' lol i just dont know if its actually considered a polydactyl cause usually the polydactyls that i see are like full extra toes sticking out of the main paw pad... his is a little further up and sticks out like an actual thumb ;)
Dr. Annette should have her own channel!!! This was so fascinating and she explains everything in a way I can understand! Thank you for this video Hannah! 🥰
Oh this was SO interesting! I'm just a cat mom, but genetics fascinate me. I have an orange male cat and a little Calico girl. Very informative indeed!
I have been following your adventures with these delicate babies for a long time. I just love and totally respect the gentle care and love you show every little one who comes to you. I have learned a lot and thank you for all you are doing.
How adorable, I’ve been watching his story from the start!! If I didn’t live so far away I would be adopting him as soon as he was ready for a forever home!! He’s such a sweet cat and you are such an awesome person!! Thank you for saving cats and kittens everyday!
Dr. Annette kept saying "this is getting very technical," well I loved it! I loved the technical in-depth explanations of why some of these things are the way they are. I knew a couple of the non in-depth parts (dominant vs recessive genes) but it's super cool hearing which ones are which and I never knew about eye color!
Fascinating! Next time you do this I would be interested in learning more about the genetics involved in cat allergies (in people to cats) I've read that some cats don't carry the gene that makes their saliva trigger allergic people. From what I've read it's not necessarily tied to a specific cat breed but that could be wrong. Thanks for all you do!
I've noticed I have only been allergic to a couple of the many cats I've been around. I was so allergic to one of my rescue "fail" kittens my throat would start to close up when I was near her. That problem lasted about 1 month. One of us grew out of it, I'm not sure which of us changed. (I'm not allergic to things and wasn't around cats as a child.)
I'm allergic to most cats (most furry animals and a lot of other things as well), but found that the Persian cats I've lived with don't trigger the asthma. Shorthaired cats, and non-Persian longhaired cats, do. The rescue centers where I've found my cats said that they'd heard that before, from other people adopting a cat. I don't know if it is about something in the saliva, or if their fur is so different - I once read something about Persians having slightly different proteins in their fur.
It IS triggered by a protein in cat saliva. All of them have it. All of them. Some cats have a little less than others. If you're that allergic? Don't get a cat. Still want to risk it? You can still go to a shelter.
@@aautumn733 I wasn't making a statement I was simply asking a question. I'm aware that feline saliva contains that protein but I've read that levels are genetic. It could be beneficial knowledge for people who would love to own a cat but can't because of allergies. It could also be beneficial for developing an effective treatment for people so fewer cats would end up at shelters because of owner allergies.
@@sjbock allergies can (and do) develop later in life; I wasn't allergic to anything at all until I went to college (which is a common time to develop allergies), and didn't have any food allergies until about ten years ago. That said, I've also learned that with at least some allergens, "habituation" is possible, where you stop reacting to a very specific version of the allergen (in the case of cats, to one specific cat's version of the allergen). "Cat" is one of my allergies, but I still have cats; I suffer for a bit when I first get them, then after a month or two everything's fine again. So it's likely you who changed, by habituating to that kitten. :)
Chou Chou is sooo cute. I knew as soon as I saw him I knew Persian is in his bloodline. His face and Persians do have cleft palate more often. Enjoy this sweet heart. My favorite breed is the Persian. I had three doll face myself. One Himilayan and a black and a calico.
@@Burning_Dwarf Ironically that's not the case in cats, though. Albinism does not affect cats' ears, as you can see in Siamese/color-pointed cats, which have mutated albinism as color.
This interview was so interesting and that Dr. sounds so passionate about her job!! thank you for sharing this educational information and hugs to Chou Chou ❤❤
Last winter we found a similar smooshed faced brown kitty on the side of the road, half-frozen and starved to death. Veterinarian had to cut tips of her ears because of the necrosis but ultimately she recovered and grew up to look hilariously like Toothless the dragon. To this day we have no idea what her breed is, British or Scottish or some kind of a mix and it would be cool to find out
I love how Chou Chou just sat there happy as a clam the whole time. Most kittens would be bouncing around and out of there in a snap. He’s such a prince, and he knows it. ❤️
Super fascinating! I wonder what they would make of the feral colony in my parents tiny town? 99% of them have white chins. It doesn't matter what the other fur colorations are- they will still have white chins. There are a lot of orange kitties in the colony but not a single one of them are a solid orange. I adopted two of the rescued kittens, one is a torbie and the other a brown tabby, both with white chins! :)
Definitely adopt from a shelter or pick up from the street. My cats Maui and his sister, Moana, where born on my front porch. Their mother was a neighborhood cat that I got close with and she was very loving. After the kittens were old enough, our local rescue helped us with spay/neuter for the whole family and while we kept Maui and Moana, their mother along with their brother and sister went to rescue and all were successfully adopted into their forever homes.
I just did this! The most ‘interesting’ thing for my flame point girl was 6% Abyssinian. My strait black boy has 6% Egyptian Mau! I wasn’t expecting anything surprising. Besides these they are both mostly American and European short hair breeds, nothing ‘exotic.’ It was fun to find out even if in the end it didn’t accomplish anything other than be amusing.
This was honestly such a good interview, Hannah! You touched on so many good topics. I am definitely purchasing one for my 9 year old long haired tuxedo cat. I am also sharing the video with my rescue and vet friends.
18 years ago I bottle fed my kitten that had a cleft palate. He had 2 surgeries at 4 months and 7 months..The mouth grows and that's why the 1st surgery ,it opened up..He is 18 yrs old now!He made it but always has sinus congestion and problems choking a bit..They need to eat on a elevated dish.Much better for them..I hope this baby will be okay..
I really enjoyed this educational talk and I think going into detail was so neat! I loved finding out Chou's genetic makeup and I was also happy she touched on the subject I asked about - multiple fathers to a litter! Thank you for this talk.
What a gorgeous kitten! ❤️ You are so wonderful, helping all these kittens! My daughter and I adopted a kitten 3 years ago and she is the love of our lives. 😻
I have a flame point tabby boy. He was pure white at birth, looked like a little lab rat. As he got older he was so long and thin and still pure white. He looked like an ermine or ferret! Now he’s a big boy and has an orange mask and his saddle is a light cream. And he has beautiful light blue eyes, of course. He is one of the most interesting cats I’ve ever come across. He very vocal, and also a thief! 😅
I wish I was either of these ladies. To make a living with your cat obsession and to help so many kitties, what a dream! It's okay, I'm saving kitty lives, too, just not as many.
I know it’s easy on the internet to over-dramatize one’s feelings towards a kitty, but I’m absolutely genuine when I say Chouchou is the cutest, prettiest, most loveable kitten I have seen in my entire life ;;
Hm. I didn't know cleft palates were common in Siamese cats, too. It makes sense. I'm fairly sure they've been bred for a specific extreme muzzle shape just like Persians have, just in the opposite direction. (A very elongated muzzle compared to a completely flat face.)
Makes sense he is Persian, my dad's great-aunt had an all white Persian and she looked exactly like ChouChou as a kitten. Besides having a tiny bit more of a nose because that's what the breeder specifically looked for. So that cat had no breathing issues and managed to make it to 18 years old but it's sadly not that common.
ChouChou is a good example for the damage breeding cats can do. Without genetic diversity, cats are more likely to inherit and show genetic disorders, even if the genes are recessive. By breeding "pure" cats, you are weakening their genetic makeup and increasing the risk of multiple genetic issues in each cat. ChouChou is a beautiful, adorable baby, but he would not have made it if it wasn't for Hannah. He couldn't have possibly survived, and cats like him get discarded by breeders as if they were trash, which is ironic because those breeders are the cause for these kittens' existence. Bottom line: cat breeding is awful. Don't buy kittens from breeders. By doing so, you are actively contributing to the birth - and death - of kittens like ChouChou.
Chouchou is 100% Persian, 100% fluffy cloud, 100% little guy
Dats right!! ❤❤
100% shaped like a friend!
100 percent marshmallow
110% absolute unit
100% inbred...
"The best cat is the cat who needs you" NEEDS to be on a t-shirt, like, YESTERDAY.
💯❕
Hannah, can you make that happen?
@@elizabethkoobs1060 it would be awesome
Yes!!!
We have two rescue girls, a mini-tiger (tabby) and an Oreo girl.
One of my childhood cats was a purebred smoky brown Persian who was rescued from an abusive show breeder. He was so traumatized and was terrified to be handled and never quite healed. I was honored that in the last few years of his life he began to trust me enough to not flinch away when I approached and accepted affection with a quiet purr.
I will never understand how inhumane and brutal breeding programs are, for all animals. You'd think that because they are a 'product' that the animals would be treated with value, but abuse and neglect seem the norm.
My ex and I had a British Shorthair that we "rescued" from owners that were abusing him. We were house sitting for them on the marine base of Camp Pendleton because the husband was deployed, and the wife went to stay with family. Thankfully, she took their rottweiler with her. Normally they would leave the dog AND the cat in a room together, where the rottweiler would terrorize the poor cat so much that he spent most of the day huddling under the backside of the toilet in the adjoining bathroom. When we arrived, they had a spiked collar on him, there were ants in his food dish, and he was scared to death of humans. After 3 months of getting this sweet cat to trust us and feel comfortable in the home, the wife returned, and I found the dog and cat locked in the room together within a day. Serendipitously, that same day, the cat ran out the front door when I "forgot" to close it (oops!) and was never seen again... by them. We just never mentioned he was in a cat carrier, and I was the one running... to my car. I knew we did the right thing when the husband and wife didn't even really care that the cat was "gone." It may have been cat-napping (this was in 1997) but I don't feel bad at all, as he was being abused.
@@lizzykay9912 yep, don't they realise that no one would buy a traumatized neglected cat?
@@lizzykay9912 right? Why would you want to sell unhealthy and abused animals? Doesn't seem like a great sales pitch 🙄 breeders are awful
@@A.Girl.Has.No.Name. you saved the cat, thank you so much
My mind is blown by that fact that the hairs in the ear being depigmented means they atrophy and lead to deafness. I would never have guessed that's the reason. Very interesting - happy that Chouchou does not seem affected by this :)
Me too. It is so awesome that they could figure that out.
I know! I was blown away by that. Just incredible.
I was blown AWAY by that info too! Wild! Breaks ur heart!💔
He looks like a cotton ball with legs!! I love ChouChou!!🙋🏽♀️💕😻
Or a cloud.
A massive dandelion 🥰
I’ve been calling him a walking Q-tip. Q-tip was also what we named the white teddy bear hamster in my sophomore homeroom teacher’s class. Chouchou looks just like him.
I don’t remember how Sr. Angelo ended up with him, but we had several rodents including a pair of rats we named Romeo and Juliet (their unpin succeeded with several babies), Q-tip and a couple of gerbils. Frequently homeroom was passed listening to announcements while holding random class pets. They were all very spoiled.
An adorable little puffball!
I could listen to Dr. Annette talk about cat genetics for hours. She's so enthusiastic about it and it's so interesting!
she is enthusiastic and knowledgeable, but not great at explaining. I knew all the information she shared, but I still found her explanation convoluted and confusing.
@@amazingracie212 Maybe my brain works differently but I understood her just fine.
@@amazingracie212 I didn’t have a problem with it.
I think one can be 'enthusiastic' without being effusive and sounding like she's talking to a class of pre-K kids. The subject matter is fascinating but I can't listen to affectations in voices - i.e., that extra high pitching. Perhaps it's a generational thing as it seems to be more common.
She keeps pronouncing “chromosome” as chromosoNe. There is no N in this word!
My kitty is named Chowder, he's a Persian of some sort (we adopted him from the SPCA when he was 5/6). We always call him "Chowchow" so when Chouchou first came along I was instantly in love with him since the names are so similar. In fact Chowder is currently rubbing his face all over mine demanding cuddles right now haha. On behalf of both of us, sending Chouchou the best of luck with his future surgeries. If I wasn't all the way in Canada I would be sitting waiting with an application for him when he became adoptable
Awesome info! Thank you.
LOVE that name!
That was so cute!
Between the cleft palate, flat face, and fluffiness, I had a feeling he would be Persian! Probably left at the shelter by the breeder themselves when they realised about the cleft palate. But he's in the best of care now! Go Chouchou!
Now I'm terrified that Chouchou fans are going to run out to breeders of questionable ethics to buy a Persian kitten because they want a Chouchou. To Chouchou fans: Please don't.
Right. If they're really set on a purebred something or other there's plenty of rescues out there, because people who shop from breeders often don't do their research and end up dumping their "high maintenance" cat or dog.
I will live vicariously through Chouchou videos to get my Persian fix
@@Luphirasoul same!!! I love Chou, but caring for him would be so hard. I’m so glad Hannah is taking such good care of him and I can enjoy him through my screen
The same kind of breeders who probably bred ChouChou into a cleft palate and then dumped him off at a shelter when he wasn't healthy enough to sell
Chouchou wants us to adopt not shop.
I absolutely knew it, as soon as he started being extra floofy. A breeder noticed him having an issue, they probably knew what to look for, and they just decided he wasn't their problem. Disgusting behavior and it just goes to show how breeders see these beings as nothing more than income. They don't care about the breed or the cats themselves.
Thank you, Hannah, for being there to step in as Chou's Humom and for always being open to take on those who are most vulnerable. ❤️ Chou is a dandelion puff (even though he's become more vocal about actually being a ferocious predator) and you are the best foster mom any animal could wish for. Thank you!
Every time chou chou is on screen is a friggin delight. I love that lil cotton swab 😭
Chouchou is 100% cutie patootie!!
100% baby
😂😂😂😘😻👍
A grey Persian wandered into my home one day & climbed right into my a cat tree. He was fully groomed although a little overdue for another shape. To this day I have no clue who’s Persian she was lol.
That’s so funny. Just made herself at home
Lol, I can just picture it.
"God, look at this house. I mean, sure, it looks nice, but it's 100% lacking in me. Well, there's only one thing to do about that. Guess I'm living here now. You! Yes, you on the sofa: get me stuff. I'll be here napping when you're done."
I knew that he was 100% Persian. Sadly they have a lot of health problems due to breeding practices. Even my cat who is mixed still inherit Ed issues from her Persian mom. Luckily her breeder messed up and she is half Russian blue. Can't imagine how much worse her respiratory issues would be if she was pure
Yeah I kind of figured from the way he looks, the cleft palate, and the way he was dropped off that it sounded like he was a "failed" purebred for a persian or similar breeder. To be fair, I dont think any other cat mom could have given him the care he needed, but it hurts that he was almost definitely a "shop over adopt" cat who got dropped into a shelter for the consequences of unethical breeding.
@@Kat-xy7fm esp considering he was a few days old and was dropped off at an animal hospital vs a shelter, it kind of seems like the breeder was trying to tube feed him until they realized they couldn’t provide the care he needed so was hoping the animal hospital would. which honestly is the best thing they could have done for the lil guy
Therefore, such breeds should be strictly forbidden. Any breed of animal that has health problems should stop being bred.
These problems result from inbreeding, I'm presuming?? I couldn't listen to the whole video to see if they say.
Can I ask what you mean by the breeder messed up? Like was your kitten born from an accidental breeding or was it intentional?
My boyfriend and I just moved into our home and the first thing I want is a cat once we are settled in. I can't friggin wait 😭🥺 and YESSSSS we are adopting NOT shopping 💖
Congratulations, how exciting.
If you happen to be in Mo. I have several up for adoption soon.
My old roommate learned from the kitten lady how to take care of a stray kitten 5 years ago. I adopted him right after. She named him Hercules so he could be big and strong. He looks forever the size of a teen cat but he’s healthy and spoiled.
I’ve just started watching the kitten lady and told my old roommate and she said “I told you she’s good!!”
learning from Dr. Annette and you makes my day. I love cats and seeing two people so passionate them is awesome! Thank y’all so much! ❤️
Is it possible that Chouchou was part of a "breeding program". I can see a white Persians as a highly desired breed. So I cannot help but wonder.
Either way, he is absolutely adorable!! Like your very own miniature abominable snowman!! I just love him!! He's got an amazingly fun personality!!
That's what I thought too
Yep. Breeder. And all pedigree and breed cats are HEAVILY inbred to highlight breed characteristics. Very few breeders actually bother to find distant cats to diversify the genes. It means breed cats have more diseases, deformities and intellectual issues. IDK how anyone can still justify pet breeding at this point.
@@EeveelutionStorm and likely interbreeding too.
sounds about right. he was probably part of a breeding program (would have pretty much had to be to be 100% persian with NOTHING ELSE in his background) ..and im sure once the breeder realized all the issues he had they abandoned him because it would not be profitable to have to attend to all his issues (the issues that THEY likely caused by NOT having a good breeding program and checking for issues in the genetic background of their breeding cats, etc... not to mention that breeding persians is iffy at best as the breed itself has a lot of issues due to their bone structure (they're like the pugs/bulldogs of the cat world with the unhealthily smooshy faces )
Yeah I kind of... suspected that heavy inbreeding was at least partially responsible for poor Chouchou's problems. Brachycephaly is basically bad in both dogs and cats and I honestly wish breeders would stop actively making it worse.
Breeders have done less damage overall to cats than they have to dogs, (I wish I'd never seen a King Charles Spaniel screaming in utter agony because their skull was too small for their brain and it's genuinely criminal to keep deliberately perpetuating that) but they're still absolutely ruinous for the health of the animals being so bred.
Heartbreaking 😿
That reminds me of French Bulldogs. They can't give birth naturally because the puppies heads are too big. If the mama dog isn't taken to a vet for a c-section, both mama and the puppies can (and do) die. Talk about messed up genetics, just for a dog that is so brachycephalic (flat faced) it can't breathe normally, is prone to hip dysplasia, cherry eye, ear infections, fold dermatitis, etc. A whole host of issues just to have a "cute" dog. So sad.
I've witnessed the eye of a Chihuahua pop out of its head before, absolutely criminal that breeding animals like that is still allowed.
In the Netherlands they banned breeding of flat faced dogs. So no normal pugs or bulldogs anymore. All dogs have to have a certain nose length. Of course, dog breeders all over the world have complained about that because a lot of them don't care about the well-being of their animals.
I was aware about the issues with flat-faced breeds and short-legged ones etc, but this is the first time hearing about brain size issues. Having a skull too small for their brain sounds like a full-blown torture 😰
Ten years ago we found a male kitten in our shop and I brought him home. Five years later I adopted three kittens from the shop next door to ours, and their mother looked a lot like my male. I’d love to see if they’re related - I’m guessing my male is related to their mother, making him a great uncle of sorts.
Such an adorable baby! I’ve been thinking about him since you began fostering him! Good job so glad he had you!
Ah, so I have guessed correctly. Honestly I'm feeling relief that my half-breed persian cat didn't inherit brahycephaly and doesn't have any problems breathing or a cleft palate since raising him up was already a hassle (had him in our care since he was a week or so old). Persians are cute as heck and my best kitty friend growing up was a white persian girl with the most lovely persona but honestly, cuteness ain't worth it when for one healthy adorable animal you get a ton of sick ones who can't breathe or have weird bones or whatnot.
Also can we please have more genetics talk like this one please?? That was super interesting.
Nah, he's definitely 50% cotton ball, 40% dandelion fluff and 10% bunny tail
He's a PURE BRED Persian?? Holy cow :0
I figured he was a Persian, but I thought he'd have been a Persian/Domestic cross.
I had a feeling he was a pure breed, probably inbred even. My "theory" about him is that an irresponsible breeder just shrugged off the responsibility of him, and dumped him at the vets so they didn't have to shoulder the financial and other burdens of taking care of a kitten with a cleft palate. He wouldn't be profitable for them, and that's probably all these breeders really care about, a quick buck.
@@jelatinosa Yeah that's what I figured too. To be fair, it was always going to take a highly trained and specialized foster like Hannah to keep him alive once he was born like that, and you can't develop those skills fast enough to keep one kitten alive when they have such a bad cleft, so they needed to let him go to get him the help he needed regardless. That said, frankly, they shouldn't have been breeding these kittens to begin with, and they could have kept up with how he was doing after surrendering him and helped cover some of the costs. It was definitely irresponsible breeders and the shelter should know to look out for the person who surrendered him in case they dump more "less profitable" persians off later
Doctor Dumpy - is it possible for a crossbreed or random breed cat to be pure white?
@@buyerbware25 well yes? American Domestic Shorthairs come in a million different colors, including pure white!
@@unholyheretik I never saw any solid color mixed breed cats except for black cats and grey cats.
Persians are one of those breeds we made, rather than nature. I'm sure his cleft palate is due to breeding. But I'm so happy he got to you.
We didn't create them although the peke face was something we selected. Originally Persians are more Doll Face
You can say that about all cat & dog breeds, including the domestic shorthair.
Seriously? The first documented ancestors of the Persian cat were imported from Khorasan, Persia, into the Italian Peninsula in 1620 by Pietro della Valle; and from Angora (now Ankara), Ottoman Turkey, into France by Nicolas-Claude Fabri de Peiresc at around the same time.
@@CanisLupus1987 we had a doll-face Persian when I was growing up and she was one of the more active, healthiest cats I've known. I'll never understand why the peke face is popular.
@@marlowemayhem3230 Just because a breed is old it doesn't mean that it wasn't selectively bred by people. Humans have been selectively breeding animals and plants for thousands of years.
I've always loved Persians but specifically the squishy face ones.. idk what about them is so heart melting. I had only found out a few days ago that it's a defect, which makes sense why most cats I have seen online that look like this tend to be rescues. I'm so glad RUclips started recommending your videos because I'm learning a lot.
Chouchou is 100% cotton ball and I need to apply him to my face every day 😂❤❤❤
I have a British Shorthair with the softest fur I have ever felt..... I apply her to my face daily. 😁
Super interesting video! Chou Chou being purebred makes me wonder if he was rejected by a breeder because of his cleft. He’s a sweet, lucky little guy♥️
I thought he'd turn out to be 100% dandelion!
I could listen to her talking genetics all day! I need to rewatch the orange gen part because I didn't fully understand it, but I loved that info about deaf cats!
We had a super fluffy very big polydactil (26 toes) foster that I wished I'd have tested! I should suggest it to her new family.
Or puffball! That's wonderful that you had a foster with THUMBS!!! My parents had a mini-tiger (tabby and white) girl with thumbs.
@@amgoudman my grey tabby i dont know if he'd be considered really fully polydactly but he has what looks like thumbs because he has a fifth claw (yknow the one that is a little higher up on the side of the arm kinda like a dew claw but dew claws are usually useless and dont really have any muscle or bloodsupply to them..his arent useless, he has full control over them and uses them to grab things lol) so he has that part of his paw and his 'dew claw' is really big and sticks out like a thumb and he always uses it as part of his paw and is good at grabbing things with his 'thumbs' lol i just dont know if its actually considered a polydactyl cause usually the polydactyls that i see are like full extra toes sticking out of the main paw pad... his is a little further up and sticks out like an actual thumb ;)
Such a little cloud baby I wanna huggle (hug and snuggle) him!
The best little cotton ball! 🥰
I think I speak for many of us when I say we're here for the nerdy cat genetic stuff!
Cat genetics are fascinating! Great video. Chouchou is just lush, you are an angel Hannah xxx
Dr. Annette should have her own channel!!! This was so fascinating and she explains everything in a way I can understand! Thank you for this video Hannah! 🥰
Oh this was SO interesting! I'm just a cat mom, but genetics fascinate me. I have an orange male cat and a little Calico girl. Very informative indeed!
CHOUCHOU IS THE CUTEST PUFFBALL I HAVE EVER SEEN. Taking for taking such care of him, Hannah!
I have been following your adventures with these delicate babies for a long time. I just love and totally respect the gentle care and love you show every little one who comes to you. I have learned a lot and thank you for all you are doing.
How adorable, I’ve been watching his story from the start!! If I didn’t live so far away I would be adopting him as soon as he was ready for a forever home!! He’s such a sweet cat and you are such an awesome person!! Thank you for saving cats and kittens everyday!
This was brillant. I'd love it to be regular, a series on cat's genetic or something like this.
Chouchou is 100% ridiculous in the best way ever and I am here for it.
He is adorable and I love him to pieces.
This was a fascinating conversation! Thank you both so much.
Dr. Annette kept saying "this is getting very technical," well I loved it! I loved the technical in-depth explanations of why some of these things are the way they are. I knew a couple of the non in-depth parts (dominant vs recessive genes) but it's super cool hearing which ones are which and I never knew about eye color!
The ears moving on the bottle feeding newbie was soooo precious!!! I wanted to watch her for mush longer. Cuteness overload❣️🥰❣️🥰❣️
Fascinating! Next time you do this I would be interested in learning more about the genetics involved in cat allergies (in people to cats) I've read that some cats don't carry the gene that makes their saliva trigger allergic people. From what I've read it's not necessarily tied to a specific cat breed but that could be wrong. Thanks for all you do!
I've noticed I have only been allergic to a couple of the many cats I've been around. I was so allergic to one of my rescue "fail" kittens my throat would start to close up when I was near her. That problem lasted about 1 month. One of us grew out of it, I'm not sure which of us changed. (I'm not allergic to things and wasn't around cats as a child.)
I'm allergic to most cats (most furry animals and a lot of other things as well), but found that the Persian cats I've lived with don't trigger the asthma. Shorthaired cats, and non-Persian longhaired cats, do.
The rescue centers where I've found my cats said that they'd heard that before, from other people adopting a cat.
I don't know if it is about something in the saliva, or if their fur is so different - I once read something about Persians having slightly different proteins in their fur.
It IS triggered by a protein in cat saliva. All of them have it. All of them. Some cats have a little less than others.
If you're that allergic? Don't get a cat. Still want to risk it? You can still go to a shelter.
@@aautumn733 I wasn't making a statement I was simply asking a question. I'm aware that feline saliva contains that protein but I've read that levels are genetic. It could be beneficial knowledge for people who would love to own a cat but can't because of allergies. It could also be beneficial for developing an effective treatment for people so fewer cats would end up at shelters because of owner allergies.
@@sjbock allergies can (and do) develop later in life; I wasn't allergic to anything at all until I went to college (which is a common time to develop allergies), and didn't have any food allergies until about ten years ago.
That said, I've also learned that with at least some allergens, "habituation" is possible, where you stop reacting to a very specific version of the allergen (in the case of cats, to one specific cat's version of the allergen). "Cat" is one of my allergies, but I still have cats; I suffer for a bit when I first get them, then after a month or two everything's fine again. So it's likely you who changed, by habituating to that kitten. :)
Chou Chou is sooo cute. I knew as soon as I saw him I knew Persian is in his bloodline. His face and Persians do have cleft palate more often. Enjoy this sweet heart. My favorite breed is the Persian. I had three doll face myself. One Himilayan and a black and a calico.
I knew the white-deaf link but I had NO IDEA that the lack of pigment caused the deafness so directly. Fascinating!
In humans aswell, people with albinism have higher chances of being deaf
@@Burning_Dwarf Ironically that's not the case in cats, though. Albinism does not affect cats' ears, as you can see in Siamese/color-pointed cats, which have mutated albinism as color.
This is an extremely fascinating conversation! Thank you so much for sharing!
This interview was so interesting and that Dr. sounds so passionate about her job!! thank you for sharing this educational information and hugs to Chou Chou ❤❤
DNA comes back: 100% Fizzgig.
Last winter we found a similar smooshed faced brown kitty on the side of the road, half-frozen and starved to death. Veterinarian had to cut tips of her ears because of the necrosis but ultimately she recovered and grew up to look hilariously like Toothless the dragon. To this day we have no idea what her breed is, British or Scottish or some kind of a mix and it would be cool to find out
Oh my word! I was right about Chouchou. I couldn't figure out his eye color, but I guessed his breed correctly. It's the little things.
I love how Chou Chou just sat there happy as a clam the whole time. Most kittens would be bouncing around and out of there in a snap. He’s such a prince, and he knows it. ❤️
What a cutie patootie puff ball! Typical playing while mama is adult talking. I’m melting with envy.
This was an absolutely fascinating discussion on cat genetics! Thank you!
Super fascinating! I wonder what they would make of the feral colony in my parents tiny town? 99% of them have white chins. It doesn't matter what the other fur colorations are- they will still have white chins. There are a lot of orange kitties in the colony but not a single one of them are a solid orange. I adopted two of the rescued kittens, one is a torbie and the other a brown tabby, both with white chins! :)
Definitely adopt from a shelter or pick up from the street. My cats Maui and his sister, Moana, where born on my front porch. Their mother was a neighborhood cat that I got close with and she was very loving. After the kittens were old enough, our local rescue helped us with spay/neuter for the whole family and while we kept Maui and Moana, their mother along with their brother and sister went to rescue and all were successfully adopted into their forever homes.
I just did this! The most ‘interesting’ thing for my flame point girl was 6% Abyssinian. My strait black boy has 6% Egyptian Mau! I wasn’t expecting anything surprising. Besides these they are both mostly American and European short hair breeds, nothing ‘exotic.’ It was fun to find out even if in the end it didn’t accomplish anything other than be amusing.
I absolutely loved all of the information in this video. The doctor is really personable and knowledgeable. Thank you so much for this post!
My goodness, that is one beautiful kitten.
Oh bless him he's such a little fluff ball he's getting bigger looks like he's a loves his cuddles ❤
This was honestly such a good interview, Hannah! You touched on so many good topics. I am definitely purchasing one for my 9 year old long haired tuxedo cat. I am also sharing the video with my rescue and vet friends.
Chou is over here trying to play with Hannah’s hand while she’s doing her thing. 😍😍
18 years ago I bottle fed my kitten that had a cleft palate. He had 2 surgeries at 4 months and 7 months..The mouth grows and that's why the 1st surgery ,it opened up..He is 18 yrs old now!He made it but always has sinus congestion and problems choking a bit..They need to eat on a elevated dish.Much better for them..I hope this baby will be okay..
I love how Chouchou hops around. amazing little kitty
I really enjoyed this educational talk and I think going into detail was so neat! I loved finding out Chou's genetic makeup and I was also happy she touched on the subject I asked about - multiple fathers to a litter! Thank you for this talk.
Chou Chou is the most adorable fluffy marshmallow there ever was
What a gorgeous kitten! ❤️ You are so wonderful, helping all these kittens! My daughter and I adopted a kitten 3 years ago and she is the love of our lives. 😻
This interview is super interesting!! Thanks for sharing this video!! ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️
Yeah, if he was only going to be one breed, yeah, Persian makes sense. It definitely explains a lot of his health problems.
I did this for my (littermate) cats and they came back as different breeds. 0.o I think they have different dads! lol
They probably do. A litter can have a different father for each kitten.
I have a flame point tabby boy. He was pure white at birth, looked like a little lab rat. As he got older he was so long and thin and still pure white. He looked like an ermine or ferret! Now he’s a big boy and has an orange mask and his saddle is a light cream. And he has beautiful light blue eyes, of course. He is one of the most interesting cats I’ve ever come across. He very vocal, and also a thief! 😅
Chouchou is 100% adorable. Such a sweet little being. Very interesting conversation, thank you.
Chouchou keeps getting more cute day by day!
This baby is gorgeous.. Gosh what I wouldn’t do to have such a sweetie!
I wish I was either of these ladies. To make a living with your cat obsession and to help so many kitties, what a dream! It's okay, I'm saving kitty lives, too, just not as many.
Chouchou is definition the most adorable kitten I've ever seen. He was so cute in the background simply being cute.
I guessed this and this explains it all. But to me Chouchou will always be 100 % sweetest marshmallow puff
I know it’s easy on the internet to over-dramatize one’s feelings towards a kitty, but I’m absolutely genuine when I say Chouchou is the cutest, prettiest, most loveable kitten I have seen in my entire life ;;
I found your talk with Dr. Anett really interesting!
Chou Chou is 100% absolutely adorable!!!!!
Yes! More cat genetics stuff please. Love it.
“He has a flat face and is very fluffy”
Hmm sounds like a Persian doesn’t it
well sure! but surprising that a purebred cat would wind up abandoned on the street!
@@hechebomba No. It's really not. It's pretty common actually.
@@aautumn733 ok
God bless you. Thank you so much for devoting your life to helping kittens and cats have better lives!
as a genetics nerd and a cat nerd (but not often having these two overlap), this video was so awesome and informative. i learned so much!
Before clicking on the video I said to myself “if he’s not at least half persian I’m rioting” XD
Hm. I didn't know cleft palates were common in Siamese cats, too. It makes sense. I'm fairly sure they've been bred for a specific extreme muzzle shape just like Persians have, just in the opposite direction. (A very elongated muzzle compared to a completely flat face.)
Dilococephalic! :)
Thanks! I didn't know the right word.
This was a super interesting video Hannah! It was great to hear from Dr. Annette and to learn about what she does
Makes sense he is Persian, my dad's great-aunt had an all white Persian and she looked exactly like ChouChou as a kitten.
Besides having a tiny bit more of a nose because that's what the breeder specifically looked for. So that cat had no breathing issues and managed to make it to 18 years old but it's sadly not that common.
100% baby
3:49
I just want to take a moment and point out how the different cat personalities showed through while each one was being swabbed.
Thank you for posting this - I think the discussion covers a lot of good information for cat owners interested in feline genetics!
Chou Chou is an excellent assistant!
I really enjoyed this. Thank you for bringing in an expert and letting her explain alot.
Such a stuffed toy like sweetie 😍
This is one of your most intriguing posts yet !!! Thank you so much for being YOU! My beloved kitten lady xxx
I love how Chou Chou just becomes one with the cat tree cushion with all of his fluff. So cute!
Every time we see him he gets even floofier!
ChouChou is a good example for the damage breeding cats can do. Without genetic diversity, cats are more likely to inherit and show genetic disorders, even if the genes are recessive. By breeding "pure" cats, you are weakening their genetic makeup and increasing the risk of multiple genetic issues in each cat. ChouChou is a beautiful, adorable baby, but he would not have made it if it wasn't for Hannah. He couldn't have possibly survived, and cats like him get discarded by breeders as if they were trash, which is ironic because those breeders are the cause for these kittens' existence. Bottom line: cat breeding is awful. Don't buy kittens from breeders. By doing so, you are actively contributing to the birth - and death - of kittens like ChouChou.
+
Chouchou is 10000000% precious! He's the cutest fluffy cloud ever! 😍
Very interesting conversations!