Katharina Buczek
“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.
