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I’ll tell you what is wrong with Grumpy Cat – people; that is what is wrong. People exploiting a cat with bone deformities that appear to be throughout her body including her jaw, which gives her the grumpy appearance. I know I am being grumpy myself but I don’t get all this hype and nonsense about this cat who appears to be ill to me. She appears to be in discomfort. No one has discussed that point. People are assuming she is fine.

Putting aside for a minute the bone deformities and the strange grumpy expression, she seems unhappy. In one video the cat’s owner is playing with her and she lacks interest. In another we see her walking on the carpet. Her gait is uncomfortable and her legs look deformed. She heads straight for a little hiding place. This video has 1 million views. What is so fascinating about seeing a small, ill cat struggling to walk and then hiding? She is probably getting away from the ruddy video camera that is hounding her day and night.

Grumpy cat whose name is Tardar Sauce has been on television and a YouTube channel is dedicated to her.

Look, I am just pointing out an alternative viewpoint. I don’t think it is right to do all this videoing for the delectation of the masses without checking her medical condition. Has anyone provided a full report on her medical condition? If not her caretaker should have.

You can’t make money out of your cat if she is ill. It appears she is a dwarf cat, possibly a Munchkin. She also seems to be Snowshoe cat but might not be purebred. She may be a purebred Munchkin with a Snowshoe coat which is pointed (dark extremities) with white fur on the points due to the piebald gene. Update: there is a page on this site about Grumpy’s parents. We are told that she is random bred. Mother: calico. Father: mackerel tabby. Both are normal looking cats. It is hard to believe they created Grumpy.

The medical condition that dwarf cats suffer from is called achondroplasia. It is caused by a genetic mutation. As can be seen in the video it causes shorted limbs. The body is normal sized. The big issue is whether this condition affects other parts of the body. And the answer is yes, it does.

There are numerous other medical issues, at least potentially. As I mentioned the jaw appears to have become deformed resulting in a downward curvature of the mouth. Some other health problems associated with achondroplasia are inward curvature of the spine (lordosis) and a distorted chest cavity (pectus).

There are other possible severe medical conditions that can afflict a dwarf cat. Click on this link for a full discussion on dwarf cat health issues.

I am not saying that Grumpy Cat suffers from these health problems. I don’t know. However, she seems ill and unhappy. Under these circumstances it is wrong to exploit her for money. Making a large number of videos of her and incorporating adverts into the videos can make a decent amount of money if there are lots of views.

One last point. This cat was probably bred deliberately knowing the cat would be a dwarf cat. That appears to compound the dubious ethical standards associated with the whole human circus surrounding this vulnerable and cute cat.

I’m a grumpy old man. I understand grumpy cats.

Update: Since writing this the exploitation has escalated dramatically, with photo-shoots and a movie in the pipe line. Statements by the owners about giving some money to charity are meaningless. A lot of money is being made and this cat is being hawked around the place like a commodity.