Introduction

Little was known about the Andean mountain cat until recently thanks to the efforts of Jim Sanderson Ph.D. who is a specialist on small wild cats and who has carried out a considerable amount of work researching the Andean mountain cat. He was instrumental in setting up the Andean Cat Conservation and Monitoring Center with his Chilean colleagues.

Jim Sanderson's work and the work of other conservationists appears to have lead to a reassessment of the range (distribution) of the Andean mountain cat into areas where the cat was thought not to exist.

There is a also the Alianza Gato Andino AGA. This is a group of conservationists whose mission it is to protect the cat and create a harmonious relationship between cat and local people. It is vital to ensure the cooperation of local people in conservation projects to effect a change in attitude towards this species.

The Andean cat is similar in appearance to the grey domestic tabby cat but distinctly more wild looking. The tail is long and bushy, which is typical of wild cats that use their tail for balance. It is considered to be relatively tame and does not run from people. This is probably due to the fact that it has not been in contact with people enough to fear them. This has endangered the cat's survival because local people have killed the cat with rocks.

As the name suggests, the Andean mountain cat lives in the high Andes. Its habitat is treeless and barren.

The cat lives at elevations above sea level in the order of 4,000 feet. The climate is naturally cold.

Introduction

Local people, African's living in equatorial Africa, consider the African golden cat to be fierce. As a result they fear it and use it to bring good fortune when hunting. Pygmy's in Cameroon carry the tail of the African golden cat. The skin is used during circumcision rites. The use of wild cat body parts is widespread generally. This is one reason why they are generally endangered.

The Asian or Asiatic golden cat is classified under the genus Pardofelis as was the African golden species: Profelis aurata. However taxonomy is constantly evolving and due to recent advances in molecular genetic testing this cat has be reclassified as Caracal aurata. Molecular data reveals that it is closely related to the caracal.

This is a secretive cat that lives in the tropical forest region of equatorial Africa. More needs to be known about this species of small wildcat that is about the twice the size of a large domestic cat.

British Shorthair Breed Information

If you are looking for British Shorthair breed information you can do worse than read this site (which is expanding as at the date of this post) and this single page on the Brit SH plus if you just want key facts, this page is for you.

Bengal Cat Key Facts

Seal Sepia Spotted Bengal Cat
Photo copyright Helmi Flick

Date of Origin: 1983 (Encyclopedia of the Cat) but Robinson's Genetics says that this cat breed started in 1963. The discrepancy is probably due to the fact that there was a false start by Jean Mill. In other words she created the breed, stopped and restarted. Hence the two dates.

Place of Origin: The United States of America. This is very definitely a USA invention. Americans like the wildcat but unfortunately they like to either own it or shoot it! That is too harsh but there are a lot of pet wildcats in the USA and it is largely unregulated. Massachusetts is a state that is a notable exception.

Ancestry: The wildcat parent is the Asian leopard cat. This is a small wildcat. Sometimes people tame and domesticate the Asian leopard cat but it is not advisable in my opinion. The original leopard cat parent for this breed was being used in medical research! Jean Mill got hold of it and mated it with a domestic cat. Bingo: the first Bengal cat. Since then there has been lots of selective cat breeding that some might argue has gone to far as there are some Bengal cat health issues. Also there are not enough foundation cats resulting in a small gene pool.

Outcross Breeds: None - should this be changed? Has it been changed?

Names: Once also called the Leopardette.

Weight Range: 5.5-10 kg or 12-22 lbs (note: weights of cat breeds are not that reliable).

Temperament: Active, interactive, intelligent and a desire to use his or her athleticism.

Cat Associations: TICA, GCCF and FiFé (note: the CFA refuse to recognise wildcat hybrids).

Colors: This is a tabby cat. You will see brown, and silver backgrounds and rosettes, spots, twirls and blotches as forms of tabby cat coats. There are snow Bengals too. See Bengal Cat Coat for lots more detail.

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Introduction

The British Shorthair cat is one of the first cat breeds of the cat fancy. Harrison Weir, one of the founders of the cat fancy (the founder perhaps) breed and kept British Shorthair cats (Brit SH).  Apparently he bred British Blues, the coat color most associated with this cat breed. So this cat breed goes back to the very start of the cat fancy.

Of course the Brit SH, then, was not quite the same cat as it is today. The cat fancy started in the late 1800s in England. The phrase "cat fancy" means the group of people who breed and show purebred cats at cat shows. Non-purebred cats can also be shown at cat shows.

This cat has been described as "the working cat of Great Britain" by an American cat fancier. This may come from the fact that the Brit SH originates in the moggie cats of ancient and indeed Roman British Isles. At that time they would have been mousers earning their keep.

Remind ourselves that long-haired British (actually English) cats were the stock from which Maine Coons are made (probably). The Brit moggie started a number of breeds: Selkirk Rex being one example.

OK this is a venerable cat breed. Selective breeding has changed its appearance. The Americans overbreed it to create a face that is too extreme in my opinion. They tend to overbreed all cat breeds - sorry. It is a land of extremes.

The blue Brit SH is the cat we associate with this breed but many coat colors and patterns are allowed by the cat associations and it is the cat associations that dictate how these cats look through their breed standards.

Blue British Shorthair Cat

Photo copyright Helmi Flick

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See the above image in large format on this page.