Monday, September 29, 2014

Singapura Cat

Singapura Cat - is one of the smallest breeds of cats, noted for its large eyes and ears, brown ticked coat and blunt tail. Reportedly established from three "drain cats" imported from Singapore in the 1970s, it was later revealed that the cats were originally sent to Singapore from the US before they were exported back to the US. Investigations by the Cat Fanciers' Association (CFA) concluded no wrongdoing and the Singapura kept its status as a natural breed.

Snowshoe Cat

Snowshoe Cat - is a rare breed of cat originating in the United States of America in the 1960s. Snowshoes were first produced in Philadelphia when a Siamese breeder's cat gave birth to three kittens with white feet. The breeder, Dorothy Hinds-Daugherty, then began a breeding program to produce what were originally called "Silver Laces", crossing the strangely marked Siamese cats with bi-color American Shorthair cats and other breeds. When Hinds-Daugherty left the program, Vikki Olander began working with the cats and recruited new breeders, as well as worked towards full recognition within cat associations. Despite having existed for 45 years, Snowshoes are rare due to the difficulty of reproducing the correct coat markings. The marks are based on recessive genes for color points and on the co-dominant but variably-expressed piebald pattern gene, making it difficult to predict the appearance of offspring.

Chausie

Chausie - is a domestic breed of cat that was developed by breeding a few individuals from a nondomestic species (Felis chaus) to a far greater number of domestic cats (F. catus). The Chausie was first recognized as a domestic breed by The International Cat Association (TICA). Within the domestic breeds, the Chausie is categorized as a nondomestic hybrid source breed.[1] Other domestic breeds in this category include the Bengal and the Savannah. Because Chausies are mostly descended from domestic cats, by about the fourth generation they are fully fertile and completely domestic in temperament. They only look wild. Chausies should be tall, long, and lean, with very long legs and medium boning. The torso is deep-chested with flat sides. The ears are broad, tall, and set high on the head, about two fingers apart. The cheekbones are striking—prominent, long, and angular—and the eyes are flattened on top and form a half oval below. The coat is short, and the cats can come in three colors: solid black, black grizzled tabby, and black (brown) ticked tabby. Gold or yellow eye color is preferred, though yellower and lighter shades of green are allowed.

Thai Cat

Thai Cat - is a newly classified but old cat breed, related to but distinct from the modern Western Siamese cat. This natural breed, descended from the landrace of cats ofThailand, has also been variously called Old-style, Traditional and Classic Siamese.

Cats that were imported from Siam to Western countries in the 19th and early 20th century were broader in features than the modern Western Siamese. While the Thai, known in Thailand as the wichien-maat, has common ancestry with the Western Siamese, generations of separate breeding of these two cats have spearheaded the development of two distinct breeds. The International Cat Association (TICA), approved the look of the Old-style Siamese to be shown as Thai in the Preliminary New Breed category, February 17, 2007. This approval was for a cat that represents the early 20th-century Siamese and can still be found in Thailand catteries, and was shown beginning in 1993 in Europe. Around the world, registered Siamese and imported wichien-maat cats have played a pivotal role in the development of the Thai cat. Breeders internationally banded together to save the old-style look. As of May 1, 2010, the Thai has Championship status in TICA, enabling it to compete along with the other breeds of pedigreed cats.

Ragamuffin Cat

Ragamuffin Cat - is a breed of domestic cat, a variant of the IRCA Ragdoll, that first made its appearance in 1994. Ragamuffins are notable for their friendly personalities and thick, rabbitlike fur.

Munchkin Cat

Munchkin Cat - is a relatively new breed of cat characterized by its very short legs, which are caused by a naturally occurring genetic mutation. Much controversy erupted over the breed when it was recognized by The International Cat Association in 1995 with critics voicing concern over potential health and mobility issues.

Sphynx

Sphynx - is a breed of cat developed through selective breeding starting in the 1960s, known for its lack of a coat (fur), though it is not truly hairless. The skin should have the texture of chamois, as it has a fine layer of down. Whiskers may be present, either whole or broken, or may be totally absent. The skin is the color their fur would be, and all the usual cat marking patterns (solid, point, van, tabby, tortie, etc.) may be found on Sphynx skin. Because they have no coat, they lose more body heat than coated cats. This makes them warm to the touch as well as heat-seeking.