International Cat Care’s veterinary division, the International Society of Feline Medicine (ISFM), collaborates with the Federation of European Associations of Companion Veterinarians (Fecava), the Federation of European Veterinarians (FVE) and the European Union of Veterinary Medical Doctors (UEVP) to prevent the promotion of cat breeds with extreme conformation in publicity.

In recent years, veterinary professionals have seen an increase popularity of pedigree breeds with extreme body shapes and characteristics, such as a flat face or folded ears. While these features may seem attractive or attractive to pet owners, there are many of them unaware of the associated health and welfare issues which can cause lifelong suffering.

ISFM has created a letter in partnership with Fecava, FVE and UEVP, urging all companies that include cats in their marketing materials to work collaboratively with veterinary professionals and promised to avoid using the race in any advertising.

What is most affected is race brachycephalic cat (flat-faced), such as Persian cats, which suffer from breathing difficulties and skin and eye problems, as well as Scottish Fold cats, which suffer from painful arthritis from an early age due to cartilage disorders responsible for the crooked shape of his ears.

Almost 40% of veterinary professionals in the UK feel that excessive conformation in pedigree dogs and cats is to blame. major welfare issue. However, the impact of using these breeds in advertising and their popularity among celebrities and social media cannot be underestimated, which influence potential owners to choose them as pets, with a significant increase in the population of Scottish Folds and other pedigree cats having been observed in recent years.

Nathalie Dowgray, director of ISFM, notes that “seeing a cute cat in an advertisement can often be a trigger for people to seek out cats of that breed without understanding the welfare issues associated with some pedigree breeds. Increased demand may lead to increased breeding practices resulting in serious conformation problems and reduced welfare in this race. “We encourage people to download this letter to use when they see a race of concern used in advertising, because health is always more important than appearance.”

A sample letter to company which is currently using cat breeds with extreme conformation available to send to brands and encouraging them to change their advertising standards.

ISFM will continue to work closely with our partners across the sector to achieve these goals raise awareness of health and wellbeing issues that cats were bred with extreme facial conformations.