This Vet Went Viral On TikTok For Exposing The Terrible Health Problems Behind Popular Pet Breeds

Have you ever seen a Sottish Fold cat and thought it was utterly adorable? What about flat-faced dogs, like Pugs or Bulldogs?
These are just a few kinds of pets that TikToker @Cat_The_Vet talks about in her “Pets that people think are cute, but are not!” series.
Dr. Cat Henstridge has been a veterinarian in the U.K. for over fifteen years and is even a member of the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons.
She has gained over three hundred thousand followers on TikTok for answering pet questions and giving advice to pet owners.
But, this new series– which addresses the harmful health disorders behind these “cute” pets– has catapulted her to TikTok fame.
Dr. Henstridge started this series by discussing the Scottish Fold cat. As you can likely guess from its name, this cat has “adorable” ears that fold over onto its head.
While many aspire to have such a cute cat, Dr. Henstridge enlightened the TikTok community to its disastrous health problems.
“Do you know why they fold? They fold because they have weak cartilage in them that makes them collapse under their own weight,” she said.
TikTok; pictured above is Dr. Cat Henstridge in her video
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“You know where else you have cartilage? Nearly every single joint in your body. So, that cartilage is affected everywhere.”
Dr. Henstridge went on to explain how this ultra-weak cartilage gives the Scottish Fold cats arthritis.
“Arthritis is an incredibly painful, debilitating joint condition that we are basically breeding deliberately into these cats just because we think their little ears look cute,” she said.
The doctor could not help but agree that the cat’s folded ears look absolutely adorable. But, she reiterated that the end would never justify the means.
“That’s not a good enough excuse for breeding a cat that basically spends most of its life totally crippled and ends up being euthanized really, really early because it cannot even walk! This is not cute. This is cruel,” Dr. Henstridge said.
This first TikTok gained nearly 9 million views and a whopping 1.9 million likes. The community was beyond grateful to Dr. Henstridge for bringing awareness to harmful breeding practices.
Many people did not know about the severe health problems that come along with Scottish Folds and many other cat and dog breeds.
Without awareness, people will continue purchasing these breeds and may not even have the resources to support their medical care.
“Thanks for this awareness. I never knew this. I will never get this cat,” one user commented.
“I did not know this. I was thinking of getting one, but I definitely will not do that now if it isn’t a rescue. Thank you for sharing this!” commented another.
Dr. Henstridge has continued to post more videos for her series and highlights other pets such as flat-faced dogs, flat-faced cats, munchkin cats, and more. To learn more about these breeds, visit Dr. Henstridge’s TikTok account here.
Before getting a new pet, remember to always do your research. Plus, the easiest way to avoid perpetuating these breeding practices is to adopt, not shop.
@cat_the_vet Pets That People Think Are Cute But Are Not! The Scottish Fold Cat. #catthevet #scottishfold #catsoftiktok #vettok #fyp
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