Breeding for temperament

 

Breeding for temperament

                        Jellicoe , Isambard and Herschel as kittens

Those who choose to share their lives with dogs are aware of the importance of breeding for temperament. Selective breeding enhances or encourages certain characteristics, for shepherding, for retrieving, for detection and so on. It is well-established in the dog world and effective and safe if conducted thoughtfully.

I wondered if there were any such programmes for the breeding of pedigree cats. I don’t know of any, but I do know that responsible breeders pay great attention to potential inherited health issues and choose their proposed litters’ parents with great care.

Why are some cats aloof and dislike being stroked, emphasising this by washing obsessively if they are touched? Other cats actively seek out human companionship and welcome new people with loud cries of pleasure.

The simple answer is that kittens become habituated at an early age. If they are treated gently as well as being exposed to the busyness of a home, they will generally be happier and calmer with strangers and their own people.

However, as with all simple answers, it’s not so straightforward. Two cats live in a house near us, a brother and sister. They have the freedom to go outside. The boy sits outside his house and allows all the children going to school to stroke him and talk to him. He even follows the children for a short while before returning to his post. He never strays far from home. His sister prefers to find a quiet spot in a neighbour’s garden and is rarely seen by people outside her family. They have been together all their lives and have had identical experiences and upbringing.

My middle daughter has three house cats. The two Somalis (semi-long-haired Abyssinians) are litter brothers and have never been separated. Lenny loves all people and loudly demands attention from anyone who enters the house. His brother, Solomon, does not seek out the company of anyone other than my daughter. He is happy to observe life and have an occasional petting. Her third cat, Zula, is an enchanting little Abyssinian who has eyes only for Susannah.

 Herschel and Jellicoe are also litter brothers. Their third brother died young and until he left, we didn’t realise he was the dominant cat. Isambard was a quiet, very affectionate cat and always wanted to be with a human – child or adult, he didn’t mind. Jellicoe was happy to sit on a lap now and then, but Herschel was a very private character, keeping himself to himself, tolerating rather than seeking attention. After Isambard’s passing, Herschel really came out of his shell and his character developed. There was never any nastiness between the brothers, but clearly Herschel was over- shadowed. Now he is rarely far from one or other of us. Both he and Jellicoe are very chatty cats, but Jellicoe, who is at least a third smaller than his brother, is the dominant boy.

                                    Isambard, Jellicoe and Herschel

We used to breed Burmese cats, in a small way. Our two queens, mother and daughter, trusted us and allowed us to handle their kittens from birth. The kittens were cuddled and kissed and loved by our children and their friends.

                    Granddaughter Marnie with blue Burmese Pansy

Consequently, they were extremely confident, happy and bomb-proof. Even so, some were more outgoing than others, so nature rather than nurture seemed to be the dominant factor.