why havent we been breeding housecats bigger than they currently are? i feel like it wouldnt be that hard to make a concerted effort to get gigacats
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I have a 16-pound cat. She may as well weigh 50 pounds, considering she takes up my entire bed (and howls if I don't let her sleep in it). I can't even imagine what an actual 50-pound cat would be like. They disobey the laws of physics as-is.
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This has to do with the science of evo devo! Dogs have extraordinary flexibility in their embryonic development: hence the many different species. Cats are more limited. Also, we might be able to create wild cat/domestic cat crosses, but such animals would be very dangerous.
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Maine coon cats are pretty big.
But rapid breeding for size results in health problems... even at the level of this breed (not really that much bigger than a regular cat) there's already heart and hip issues for some of them.
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Large cats are quite dangerous. Even though domesticated house cats aren't that domesticated, a scratch or bite isn't a big deal. A larger cat could disembowel you by accident. Cats are also insanely strong, so any hope of controlling them goes out the window the larger they get.
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They are considered an invasive species and they wreck local bird populations and ecosystems if their wild population goes out of check. Bigger cats would likely make this way way worse.
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