# Why aren't there any "miniature" cat breeds? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [November 18, 2016, 12:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-arent-there-any-miniature-cat-breeds/772295 "2016-11-18T00:02:19Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 9\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![DSeid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dseid/32/20194_2.png) [@DSeid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DSeid)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2016, 8:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-arent-there-any-miniature-cat-breeds/772295/41 "2016-11-20T20:55:38Z")
> [@Sunny\_Daze](#): > > Well, someone thinks there are teacup pigs. Mainly teacup pig breeders. Weights are: 12lbs and up. They are animals bred to be pets. [cite](http://www.teacuppigs.info) … I think actually the people who think there are teacup pigs are the people conned into buying ones sold as such. Until their “teacups” grow to hundreds of pounds. My impression is that the breeders selling animals as such in fact usually [know better](http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2014/09/140930-animals-culture-science-miniature-pigs-breeders-sanctuaries/). [It’s a real problem.](http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/tea-cup-pigs-are-a-scam_us_55aff1ade4b07af29d574b94) > [@](#): > > Online sellers offer teacup pigs for thousands of dollars, promising the animals will stop growing after age 1 and stay small if fed a restricted diet. > > But the tiny pigs keep growing until age 4 and will starve if they aren’t fed properly with potbellied-pig food or a blend of vegetables, animal groups say. Once they grow too big to handle, people give them up. Your linked cite gives all the signs of being one of those online sellers discussed in the articles. ---
**Author:** ![correlophus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/58956e/32.png) [@correlophus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/correlophus)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2016, 9:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-arent-there-any-miniature-cat-breeds/772295/42 "2016-11-20T21:15:52Z")
There was no real reason for selective breeding of cats for size, so the size remains more or less the same in all breeds. Furthermore, an average cat is in the range of a smaller dog, so why do yu want something smaller? It is fortunate that too miniaturized cats do not exist, because such animals mostly develop health problems. ---
**Author:** ![Sunny\_Daze](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sunny_daze/32/438_2.png) [@Sunny\_Daze](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sunny_Daze)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2016, 9:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-arent-there-any-miniature-cat-breeds/772295/43 "2016-11-20T21:58:37Z")
> [@DSeid](#): > > I think actually the people who think there are teacup pigs are the people conned into buying ones sold as such. Until their “teacups” grow to hundreds of pounds. My impression is that the breeders selling animals as such in fact usually [know better](http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2014/09/140930-animals-culture-science-miniature-pigs-breeders-sanctuaries/). > > [It’s a real problem.](http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/tea-cup-pigs-are-a-scam_us_55aff1ade4b07af29d574b94) > Your linked cite gives all the signs of being one of those online sellers discussed in the articles. Ignorance fought. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2016, 10:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-arent-there-any-miniature-cat-breeds/772295/44 "2016-11-20T22:08:25Z")
@ **correlophus** : Yeah, but just think how effective they could be at mousing if they could slither inside the walls like the mice. No more mousey sanctuary! ---
**Author:** ![drewder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/57b2e6/32.png) [@drewder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drewder)\ **Post date:** [November 21, 2016, 12:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-arent-there-any-miniature-cat-breeds/772295/45 "2016-11-21T00:33:36Z")
There was that one time where a Great Dane and a Chihuahua were [bred](https://ponderingsfrompluto.wordpress.com/2011/03/16/new-dogbreed-chi-dane-dane-or-great-mexican/)… ---
**Author:** ![drewder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/57b2e6/32.png) [@drewder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drewder)\ **Post date:** [November 21, 2016, 12:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-arent-there-any-miniature-cat-breeds/772295/46 "2016-11-21T00:39:27Z")
I don’t know about the OP’s experience but it seems like it’s much easier to control the breeding of a dog than it is a cat. ---
**Author:** ![correlophus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/58956e/32.png) [@correlophus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/correlophus)\ **Post date:** [November 21, 2016, 1:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-arent-there-any-miniature-cat-breeds/772295/47 "2016-11-21T01:27:38Z")
If you want something to get into the walls to catch the mice, use a ferret. ---
**Author:** ![Interrobang](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/interrobang/32/17463_2.png) [@Interrobang](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Interrobang)\ **Post date:** [November 21, 2016, 6:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-arent-there-any-miniature-cat-breeds/772295/48 "2016-11-21T06:39:44Z")
> [@correlophus](#): > > Furthermore, an average cat is in the range of a smaller dog, so why do yu want something smaller? Just for the record, I personally don’t want a smaller cat. I don’t think my sister-in-law actually does, either. I just got curious once she raised the concept. ---
**Author:** ![watchwolf49](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e9c0ed/32.png) [@watchwolf49](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/watchwolf49)\ **Post date:** [November 21, 2016, 12:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-arent-there-any-miniature-cat-breeds/772295/49 "2016-11-21T12:35:05Z")
> [@correlophus](#): > > If you want something to get into the walls to catch the mice, use a ferret. Indeed, the ferret is as domesticated an animal as any other domesticated animal … and this was the reason … although the ferret is good at catch and killing rats and mice … they also spook the vermin out of their warrens and into the clowder of cats (or the backpain of dogs, whichever is handy at the time) … [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-arent-there-any-miniature-cat-breeds/772295.md?page=2)