No Love For DVS – Dept Slammed For Sharing Video Featuring Cat Breeder
Many believed it was a conflict of principle for the DVS to share content made by a breeder.
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The Department of Veterinary Services (DVS) Malaysia has recently sparked outrage on Twitter after they shared a video by cat breeder Johan Eskandar Mohamad, otherwise known as @johanandhiscats on social media.
It wasn’t a video about cat breeding, but was a video in conjunction with World Antimicrobial Awareness Week to raise awareness on antimicrobial resistance (AMR), a medical issue involving antibiotics losing its effectiveness through overuse and misuse.
In the video, Johan advises viewers on safe sources of antibiotics for cats such as veterinarian clinics, and warns against obtaining cat medication from shopping platforms like Shopee or Lazada.
However, the sharing of the video sparked outrage in the online and pet community when netizens came together to slam DVS for promoting a for-profit cat breeder instead of encouraging adoptions.
While we are not cat experts, we cannot confirm whether Johan’s breeding practices are ethical or not but there seems to be a conflict of principle for the DVS to share content by a cat breeder.
The problem with cat breeding
There are multiple issues as to why breeding cats are problematic and unethical. The main issue would be that breeding causes health complications to the animal.
An article by pet care website Kinship reveals seven “Purebred” cat breeds that are likely to suffer from genetic disorders.
The breeds include Persians, Bengals, Ragdolls, Siamese, Exotic Shorthairs, Scottish Folds, and Manx cats.
These cat breeds are said to suffer from genetic disorders such as intestinal cancer, breathing problems, kidney disease, heart disease, blindness, and more.
Another issue with pet breeding is overpopulation, as people keep buying pets from breeders instead of adopting from shelters, which in turn encourages them to keep breeding more animals.
The more breeding happens, the fewer animals get adopted from shelters, and overpopulation has resulted in millions of cats and dogs being euthanised.
Breeding cats and dogs used to be for hunting, police work, search and rescue, therapy, and public service but these days, breeding is for people who want a pet that looks aesthetically pleasing.
However, they ignore the fact that breeding causes the issues stated above.
In any case, as the saying goes: Adopt, don’t shop!
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