Viral TikTok Vet Reveals the One Type of Cat He’d Get

There’s just one kind of cat veterinarian Ben Simpson-Vernon would bring into his own family. Simpson-Vernon, known as Ben the Vet on TikTok, has made popular videos about the five breeds of dog he would and wouldn’t getand one about the four cat breeds he’d avoid. So his newest video, about the type of cat he would get, was inevitable — and should prove satisfying to many who have cat.

tango-cat

Tango here agrees that her mixed-breed self, and her buddies, are the best.

Gael Fashingbauer Cooper/CNET

“There’s just one,” Simpson-Vernon says. “I would just get a domestic shorthair, otherwise known as a moggy — just your regular, standard, garden variety cat. They’re the cat’s equivalent of a mutt, or a mongrel, so on average they’re going to be less inbred than your average pedigreed cat. And they’re just as lovely.”

(“Moggy,” or “moggie,” is a term used in Britain for a regular, non-pedigreed cat, and really, we Americans need to borrow that word.)

@ben.the.vet And the cat breed I would get is… #catsoftiktok#veterinary#benthevet#rescuecat♬ Meow – Lvusm

Simpson-Vernon also spoke about the importance of getting cats neutered (or, presumably, spayed) so they don’t have kittens and contribute to the problem of so many cats needing homes. He also showed a photo of himself with some rescue cats he recently checked over for a charity, noting that the cute cats in the photo have all found homes.

Earlier, Simpson-Vernon said he wouldn’t get a purebred cat from any of four breeds noted for having health issues. He said similar things about five dog breeds — sorry, pug lovers. And when it came to recommending dog breeds, the mutt, or mixed-breed dog, topped his list.