The Cat Lineage And Their
Inherited Health Problems

Information Design / Poster

Medium: Digital Print
Dimensions: 8.25” x 11.75” (A4)
Tools: Illustrator, Apple Numbers
Timeline: Oct 2021 - Nov 2021

Cat breeders have long been experimenting with breeding different types of cats. While some breeds may turn out to be successfully profitable, they often inherit numerous health problems from their complicated lineages from decades of cross-breeding.

Cat owners will then make a purchase of kittens without realizing the possible underlying health problems that they have inherited. Eventually, cats with problematic health will be given up by owners who are unwilling to pay for their medical bills, creating a never-ending cycle of cat abandonment in our society.

 

 

Project Statement
My data visualization aims to illustrate the various types of health problems that cats may have inherited due to the inconsiderate breeding process of unhealthy cat breeds. Consequently, I hope this visualization can bring awareness to the issue of cat abandonment. Moreover, I hope this piece can act as a reminder for new cat owners of the importance of adopting over buying from a breeder.

How To Read:

This piece is created with a force-directed circular diagram to showcase the connections between the nodes. Each cat species is categorized based on the average selling price, which ranges from $500 CAD to $3000 CAD. The health problems of the cats are represented by 8 coloured circles that show which body system the type of disease belongs to. Finally, the lineages are divided into two types of links: ‘created,’ ‘genetic mutation.’

What Does It Answer?

  • Siamese and Persian cats carry the most health problems.

  • Siamese and Persian cats are cross-bred the most, creating over 9 and 6 other new cat breeds respectively. 

  • 5/6 of the Munchkin cat’s children breeds have inherited and suffered from musculoskeletal-related health problems.

  • Almost over half of the cat breeds in this piece suffer from diseases in the cardiovascular, nervous and urogenital systems.

Process Documentation