Talk:Cabbit

Perennial off-topic thread: Anecdotes about short-tailed, long-legged cats

FYI

 – This article is about an urban legend, not cats with short tails.

Please do not post more threads of this sort. Yes, everyone knows that sometimes cats are born with strange hips, tails or legs. There are entire breeds like this (see Manx (cat) and Japanese Bobtail. This article is not about cats with birth defects, it is about the scientifically possible cross between a cat and a rabbit. Wikipedia is not a forum for the discussion of fringe ideas or your own anecdotes about odd-looking cats. This talk page is for article improvement only, not advancement of your ideas or recollections.

Story about cat-rabbits in Los Angeles

Resolved

 – Spam: Personal anecdote, no source, and scientifically impossible anyway, used to promote personal website.

THERE ARE TOO CABBITS ! This is completly false and misinformative. I have seen packs of up to 7 or 8 of them in Los Angeles. Located behind a Kentucky Fried Chicken drive-thru located on Slauson and Crenshaw. They are indeed cats, with the rear ends of rabbits. They hop away when approached, but will meow for chicken or bones that people reguarly feed them.

The storyline behind this mutation is the old man that raised rabbits in a large hutch directly across the alley behind KFC. When he died and before the house was sold the rabbits were released. As far back as I can remember there have always been cats in that area. Now being of sound mind I am aware of the problems encountered if a sexually matured cat tried to mate with a rabbit. It is allegedly impossible. However some sort of cross mutation has definetly occured there.

These are larger rabbits, bigger than average housecats, that could easily fend off an attack even from several cats. It was almost a daily lunch activity with myself and coworkers to feed the cabbits bits of chicken and bones from our car windows during our lunchbreaks. They have larger heads than most cats, cat ears, a cat face and upper body, but are entirely rabbit from the back. Complete with a bunny tail and powerful legs which enables them to hop as opposed to the slink like gait we are all familiar with exhibited bt felines. It pisses me off to constantly read how self proclaimed experts dont believe what they cant explain or have never seen. I suppose next someone will say what we fed for years was nothing more than a weather balloon, or lights from a star in space.

Though I now reside in Pennsylvania, I'm considering calling a buddy back in South Central L.A, to photograph or videocam them if they are still in that area and post it on my Paranormal website.

--XHIBIT

[Website spam deleted. — SMcCandlish Talk⇒ ʕ(^Õل^ō)ˀ Contribs. 12:20, 3 December 2011 (UTC)]

Artificial insemination story [HOAX]

Resolved

 – Known hoax.

Cabbits may be bread via artificial insemination. January 18th, 2005 a non-profit organization called All Wildlife Rescue and Education, Inc. (AWRE), reports a Cabbit birth in one of it's facilities.[1] AWRE is a non-profit organization devoted to rescuing, retrieving, medically evaluating and treating, rehabilitating and releasing the animals back into their natural habitat (when safe for the animal).

18 January 2005

A few years ago, a good buddy of mine and I were working late into the night with an in vitro fertilization experiment and in the process I confused the container with the rabbit sperm with the container holding the cat sperm and accidentally fertilized a cat ova with rabbit sperm. The Cabbit is the results of said mistake. Cabot the Cabbit was raised with cats and pretty much thinks of himself as a cat despite the facial characteristics and the rear-leg locomotion of a rabbit and when startled he does hop off in quite a hurry. His temperament is that of a pussycat, sweet, adorable and is happiest while curled in a warm lap and if the owner of that lap is willing to brush Cabot, you'll have a friend forever

File:Http://www.awre.org/corp docs/press rel pub/cabit3.jpg

Also I noticed under the hybrid sections it says "Male rabbits have smooth penises and are not able to cause a female cat to ovulate. Thus, even when copulation takes place, there would be no egg to fertilize". This theory goes to the wash when taking into account in vitro fertilization and the use of a Teaser Tom, or a male cat who has been sterilized surgically by vasectomy by a veterinarian, to induce ovulation.[2]

AWRE press Release[3]

--K3n King 09:28, 14 November 2007 (UTC)

The AWRE article used a commonly circulating fake image with a hoax cover story. Either AWRE ran it as a joke or they were taken in by it. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 20.133.0.8 (talk) 07:28, 22 May 2008 (UTC)

Cat with short, puffy tail, long legs

Resolved

 – Anecdotal and confused.

I have a cabbit. Yeah; so they exist. My cat doesn't share all of the same characteristics of a Manx. It has rather large ears (for a cat), and a poof ball tail. While it does have elongated hind legs, they're pads go to the joint of the lower part of the limbs, much like a rabbit's. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 68.61.149.153 (talk) 23:02, 13 September 2009 (UTC)

Please mind our policy. Per WP:V, "the threshold for inclusion in Wikipedia is verifiability, not truth". Also, per WP:OR, "Wikipedia does not publish original research or original thought." That means whether you think that your pet is a cabbit or not has no bearing on this article. It doesn't even matter whether cabbits exist or not. As long as no reliable source says that they do, we won't say so either. Goodraise 23:17, 13 September 2009 (UTC)

Marking this "Resolved" for archival. Having a long-legged, short-tailed cat does not mean you have a cabbit (a cross between a rabbit and a cat). — SMcCandlish Talk⇒ ʕ(^Õل^ō)ˀ Contribs. 12:14, 3 December 2011 (UTC)

RIP

Resolved

 – Obviously fictional, non-encyclopedic stuff.

And I quote: "The most researched community of cabbits lives behind the Canadian Parliament buildings in Ottawa, Canada alongside a thriving population of wild cats which, it is presumed, has been mating with the few wild rabbits and hares in the area. Some local politicians called for a cull of the clowder-herd following an incident where a Japanese schoolgirl was killed in an attack by several cabbits while touring the Parliamentary grounds as part of a school trip."

Come on - really? That was a classmate of mine. I can't believe they haven't yet taken any action. - Ezreal

Randomly occurring short-tail mutations

Resolved

 – False claim, suggestion of article changes that would violate policy, claims of sources without citing them. I.e., non-encyclopedic.

Cabbits do exist -- however these are not hybrids but probably a result of a mutation. My cat gave a birth to one a few years ago -- and later on a national newspaper had a feature on him. It was just like the squirrel cat (squitten) but with a rabbit like tail.

The article should be changed so it focuses on a mutation rather than the fictional hybrid. Z99 (talk) 15:14, 13 June 2011 (UTC)

Interesting. You wouldn't remember what national newspaper that was, would you? Date or issue number would be helpful as well. After all, we can't cite what we can't find. Goodraise 11:29, 9 August 2011 (UTC)

That, and the claim and suggestion don't make any sense anyway. Cabbit refers to a folkloric belief in crossbreeding between rabbits and cats, which is scientifically impossible, so any claims of having bred a real one are silly. We cannot change the article to focus on something else, since that would be a blatant falsification of the facts to advance someone's personal theory about what the word "should" mean (like "short-tailed kitten I have"), per WP:V, WP:NOR, WP:NOT#SOAPBOX, etc. We do not, cannot and will not have entire articles on every random birth defect that could possible affect a cat here and there. We don't even have that for humans yet, and the topics simply aren't notable enough to justify it for cats (or dogs, horses, etc.) Z99, your cat emphatically did not give birth to a cabbit, it gave birth to a cat with a short tail. Happens all over the world, and except where it leads to the foundation of a stable breed (Manx, Japanese Bobtail, and two Russian breeds) it simply isn't notable. — SMcCandlish Talk⇒ ʕ(^Õل^ō)ˀ Contribs. 12:10, 3 December 2011 (UTC)

Argentine video on YouTube

Resolved

 – Obviously just a cat with a hip problem.

Apparently, cabbits do exist. I have seen it on TV. I don't know if it's either a mutation or simply a cat. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vq5_pz7MKAg — Preceding unsigned comment added by 186.191.178.47 (talk) 03:41, 6 October 2011 (UTC)

The two things you just said aren't mutually exclusive. "Mutation" simply means "genetic change". "Mutant" doesn't mean "inter-species cross breed". It's obviously a cat. It also obviously has hip dysplasia or some similar genetic defect that prevents its hips from working properly. It is either a) an unusually unfortunate specimen of some established tail-suppressed breed like the Manx or Japanese Bobtail, b) a random local mutation (tailless cats are known in small independent populations around the world), probably the most likely explanation, or c) it's tail was docked. A cat-rabbit hybrid is genetically impossible., so no, cabbits do not apparently exist, and you did not see one on TV. Sorry. The one at the washed-out video http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j55RUCo3Q7Y&feature=related is clearly a Japanese Bobtail or essentially identical local mutation - it's got a short but bulbous tail. And so on.

All that said, the videos are interesting because they are sources for Spanish-language portmanteau words that are the direct equivalent of "cabbit": gatoconejo (or gato-conejo), gatonejo and conegato, and are also citable evidence that the cabbit idea is popular in Latin American folk belief. — SMcCandlish Talk⇒ ʕ(^Õل^ō)ˀ Contribs. 11:59, 3 December 2011 (UTC)

Article re-organiztion (folklore vs. fictional character)

Resolved

 – Questionable fictional character was actually sourced.

It looks like this article should be re-organized into 2 sections: one about the "real" cabbit, and one about the fictional cabbit in anime. Also, there should be a source for cabbits in anime, as I've never heard of the term in my life. Viltris 21:39, 5 August 2006 (UTC)

I agree. Until a source can be cited to back up the claims of the fictional cabbit, I'm going to remove this from the article. If it is a commonly used term, it would have more hits on google. Timbatron 19:23, 24 August 2006 (UTC)

Actually, I've found enough sites connecting the term that I'm just going to soften the wording a bit. See this search: [4] Timbatron 19:27, 24 August 2006 (UTC)

Removed section

FYI

 – Notice of removal of junk content per Wikipedia policy at WP:V, WP:NOR, WP:HOAX.

I don't know how to articulate with encyclopedia-appropriate language the absurdity of the cat-rabbit hybrid myth presented as fact by the removed section, so I just exercise damage control for now and see if I can do better when the shock (and cognitive bias) of perversity wears off. I've no doubt a male rabbit might plausibly try to mate with a cat if not killed in the attempt, but a confirmed hybrid between such distantly related species- indeed even a zygote that divides once before dying -would be worldwide front-page news. Why otherwise reasonably intelligent people eagerly believe incredible things despite conspicuous lack of similarly incredibe evidence backing them up is beyond me... especially when malformed cats that resemble rabbits are already recognised! —Preceding unsigned comment added by 98.202.213.24 (talk) 01:26, 4 August 2008 (UTC)

Because a lot of people are unscientific, superstitious and gullible. — SMcCandlish Talk⇒ ʕ(^Õل^ō)ˀ Contribs. 12:23, 3 December 2011 (UTC)

Repeated vandalism

Hi Cabbit page watchers. There have been a string of IP-vandalisms (probably by the same person, based on the consistency of the edits) from different IPs.

There are probably more, but it's not really worth investigating the history that much. If you see similar vandalism, keep note of the IPs so we can establish a pattern and eventually take administrative action. Nimur (talk) 01:25, 12 October 2009 (UTC)

Similar vandalism List:

• Diff - Special:Contributions/69.165.164.176
• Diff - Special:Contributions/69.196.128.86
• Diff - Special:Contributions/69.196.130.252
• Diff - Special:Contributions/69.196.172.32
• Diff - Special:Contributions/69.196.180.210
• Diff - Special:Contributions/69.196.186.48
• Diff - Special:Contributions/74.51.50.132
• Diff - Special:Contributions/75.119.244.100
• Diff - Special:Contributions/75.119.225.209
• Diff - Special:Contributions/75.119.255.148
• Diff - Special:Contributions/76.10.168.63
• Diff - Special:Contributions/108.161.122.222
• Diff - Special:Contributions/166.137.132.50
• Diff - Special:Contributions/166.137.132.166
• Diff - Special:Contributions/174.254.17.232

If it gets too frequent we can ask for page protection. until then, rollback should suffice. Totnesmartin (talk) 20:45, 1 June 2011 (UTC)

Just partial page protection, so only logged-in editors can edit it for a while, if this happens again. A full page lock-down would not be justified. — SMcCandlish Talk⇒ ʕ(^Õل^ō)ˀ Contribs. 12:01, 3 December 2011 (UTC)

I've rangeblocked 69.165.128.0/19 for six months. It's a relatively small range, but may slow him up a bit with a minimum of collateral damage. Gamaliel (talk) 00:19, 19 August 2013 (UTC)

He used 206.248.164.221 and 76.10.150.34 today. Gamaliel (talk) 02:25, 1 September 2013 (UTC)

69.196.128.0/18 blocked. Gamaliel (talk) 17:17, 4 November 2013 (UTC)

Manx cat material

A large amount of material and sourcing in this article really needs to move to Manx (cat) and doesn't actually have anything to do with the urban legend of the "cabbit". This article's focus is off in more than one way. As evidenced by a lot of the "noise" in older threads here, a lot of people seem to think this article is about cats born with tail-suppression mutations, longer-than-average legs, etc., so the article clearly needs to be clarified. — SMcCandlish Talk⇒ ʕ(^Õل^ō)ˀ Contribs. 12:36, 3 December 2011 (UTC)

Rabcat if fathered by buck rabbit

I wandered into this page following Joseph Train to see if there was a wikipage on him. I added some minor contribution in whimsey. It occured to me that Train conceived of a creature fathered by a buck rabbit on a female cat, then shouldn't the name be "rabcat", following the convention such as that of liger ? Well I did a cursory books.google look up and found just one example of usage of the hybrid rabcat here:

"Another of these recurrent hybrid stories concerns the so-called rabcat, a hybrid of the cat and the rabbit."

— Maurice Burton (1956), Maurice Burton (snippet), Hutchinson, p. 22)

--Kiyoweap (talk) 22:08, 19 March 2012 (UTC)

Carnivorous cryptids?

In the process of adding categories, I could not find "Feline crypids" categ so I settled for "Carnivorous cryptids". But on second thought, I wasn't sure, since I really can't classify the creature by its unknown dietary habit can I? And it seems the creature from anime is more rabbit-like, since it seems to consider carrots its favorite food. I suppose perhaps only the "cryptid hybirds" categ should be kept, and to leave it ambiguous whether the creature is carnivorous or herbivorous. --Kiyoweap (talk) 22:15, 19 March 2012 (UTC)

Quote

I've removed this section.

In the late 1950s, P. M. Soderbergh wrote: "The normal gait of the Manx is different from that of the ordinary cat, and in some respects is similar to that of the rabbit, but there remains much debate regarding the statement sometimes made that this breed was originally the result of a cross between a rabbit and a cat. That is sheer speculation." He further observed, "the hind legs are longer than those in front. From this difference in length of leg the peculiar gait of the breed arises, and it is as a result of this that the Manx has been called the ‘Rabbit cat’. On a number of occasions it has been posited that this variety may, in fact, have been first produced by crossing a rabbit with a cat, but any such statements can be regarded as theories only."

This seems to be referring to a 1951 book by Soderbergh, reprinted in 1959 in its third edition. I cannot verify it, but I doubt we even need the quote. Link and source found off wiki. Needs verification (of the quote in the book) but it is noted here as the source of the material. [5] ChrisGualtieri (talk) 18:18, 24 May 2012 (UTC)

Please do not delete the AfD notice!!

This page seems to be under a vandalism attack: I recently undid an edit which just deleted the deletion notice and also vandalized the article. Please do not delete the deletion notice. If you have any comments, enter them at the discussion page which can be accessed through the notice. Piyush (talk) 06:19, 30 May 2012 (UTC)

Evidence that genetics does not determine reproductive barriers at all.

Studies of Martinique Island Chain lizards and irradiated fruit flies disproves the theory that interbreeding should become impossible at a certain degree of genetic difference. Studies of finches in Australia with distinctive feathers painted over shows that reproductive species barriers are actually determined by the placebo effect. See the article "Self-organization" on topic page "Evolution" on Pure science Wiki The whole concept of declaring cat-rabbit interbreeding or any other type of interbreeding "genetically impossible" is therefore spurious. 109.58.165.41 (talk) 09:54, 15 February 2013 (UTC)Martin J Sallberg

Even taking what's written on that page (by you apparently) at face value, it's not evidence that everything and anything can reproduce regardless of their genetic differences. Of course lack of evidence that X has ever occurred isn't evidence that X is impossible either, so I'll remove that passage from the article. We wouldn't want to rely on common sense, now would we? Goodraise 15:50, 15 February 2013 (UTC)

Why have you not removed all references to genetic impossibility? I saw one remaining. And lifeforms can apparently change their own genomes. See Pure science Wiki. 109.58.13.178 (talk) 17:41, 15 February 2013 (UTC)Martin J Sallberg

Oh, there was another one. I didn't notice. Well, now we have a problem: That one is cited (Sarah Hartwell. "Cabbits - Why Cats Can't Breed With Rabbits". 2005.) and I'm not convinced of the claim's falsity. The way I see it, you have two options. You can A) challenge the source's reliability at the reliable sources noticeboard or B) provide a more credible source which contradicts it. By the way, pointing to an entire Wiki for other editors to search through is not very helpful. It would be better to provide direct links to whatever you want others to read. Goodraise 23:59, 15 February 2013 (UTC)

This is just WP:FRINGE, bordering on WP:BOLLOCKS; I call WP:DONTFEED shenanigans on this. The anonymous OP's wording doesn't even make sense; it appears to be composed of semi-random scientificky-sounding phrases that don't pertain to the context. E.g., "placebo effect" is medical jargon for symptoms improving despite a medication or treatment not having direct medical efficacy; it has no bearing on animal breeding matters whatsoever.  — SMcCandlish ☏ ¢ 😼  17:37, 17 May 2019 (UTC)

What is a cabbit really?

The one example of a cabbit, the fictional Ryo-Ohki, is not descended from either a cat or a rabbit and has distinctive ears, neither of which appears to be addressed by the article. Also, the entry cites a non-scientific article that bizarrely talks about confused cats and rabbits, and does not consider mutations that could make a cat and rabbit compatible, not to mention talks about traits of cats and rabbits as if they were the determining factor and not DNA alone. Besides, artificial means can result in a cross-breed, the genes can be mechanically placed in an egg, fertillizing it. Hackwrench (talk) 07:21, 6 October 2017 (UTC)

There is no such thing "really". The article makes that pretty clear. This is an article about a persistent urban legend with several variations, and various things confused with it and called called "cabbits" sometimes.  — SMcCandlish ☏ ¢ 😼  16:40, 17 May 2019 (UTC)

Semi-protected edit request on 8 April 2022

• Remove the template {{Tenchi Muyo!}} from the bottom of the page because it is not relevant to the main subject of the article.

• Change the line "This article is about a hybrid creature the cabbit in general. For specifically the anime Tenchi Muyo! character/creature, see Ryo-Ohki." to something like "This article is about the fictional hybrid creature in general. For the character/creature in the anime Tenchi Muyo!, see Ryo-Ohki." because it looks better than the current version. 91.129.102.205 (talk) 18:10, 8 April 2022 (UTC)

 Done ScottishFinnishRadish (talk) 18:58, 8 April 2022 (UTC)