American Miniature Cat

Miniature cat, Lilly. Photo: copyright Pocket Kittys

As I read it the American Miniatures cat is simply a very small cat that is bred in America. So, what is the criteria? Well, this breed is recognized by the Rare and Exotic Feline Registry (REFR) who provide some good guidelines.

The criteria for a cat to qualify as an American miniature cat is as follows:

• there are no restrictions on coat color and pattern or hair length
  
• size is the criteria which dictates whether this is a miniature cat
• the American miniature cat is about half the size of the average domestic cat. See a size comparison between purebred cat breeds and wild cats
• the weight of a mature American miniature cat should not exceed 7 lbs
• a better method to decide if a cat is an American miniature cat is by the cat's length and height. To qualify for registration with the Rare and Exotic Feline Registry a mature cat (at least 18 months of age) should be a maximum of 12 inches from the base of the neck to the base of the tail "fully stretched out" and no more than 10 inches from the "top of the shoulder blade" to the "top of the paw" and finally weigh no more than 7 lbs as stated above
  
• these cats are proportioned like full sized domestic cats and are therefore not dwarf cats which have shorter legs but normally proportioned bodies. See Dwarf cats and Miniature cats
• the standard for the American Miniature cat is completely open such that tailless or short tailed cats (see Manx cat for example) and polydactyl cats are accepted (see American Polydactyl cat)
• the offspring of registered parents qualify for registration

As a matter of interest the American Miniature cat should grow more slowly than a cat of average weight and size. The birth weight of an American Miniature cat should be at or less than 100 grams if the kitten is likely to become a miniature cat.

The Rare and Exotic Feline Registry advises that breeding stock or unregistered outcrosses (cats not registered with the REFR) should:

• not exceed 7 lbs in weight
• not exceed a length of 14 inches from the base of the neck to the base of the tail
• not exceed 11 inches from "shoulder blade to wrist"
• the breeder should take note that an miniature female cat may have difficulty mating with a male that is too big or if the female is too small. As a result selection for breeding should be carried out with care.
  

Go from American Miniature Cat to Miniature cats

Source: Rare and Exotic Feline Registry
Picture header: published with permission of the breeder Pocket Kittys

Cats hate doors

Come on - No cat flap - photo by Mr_Benn

Why do cats hate doors? Why are cat flaps an essential piece of furniture? Cats don't really understand the concept of doors; they're a human invention for the human world and environment.

Cats like to inspect their territory. This may be a quick check. It frequently will be a cursory check. The bl**dy door is in the way though.

One underlying reason for frequent visits to patrol territory is this. A cat will mark territory by rubbing against objects and/or spraying objects. The smell of the scent fades. It needs to be topped up. Cats can tell how recently a cat was in his territory by the strength of the scent.

Once topped up the cat can go back (via that damn door) to the security of his little den and rest peacefully in the knowledge that all is organized and ship shape. It's a bit like mowing the lawn or hoovering the carpet.

Cats hate doors to Moggy, the mixed breed cat.

Thanks to Desmond Morris - Cat Watching

Cats hate doors - Photo published under creative commons license - Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs License

Sociable cats

photo by Tjflex2 - see base of post.

Sociable cats is an oxymoron some would say. In other words the cat is thought of as solitary and therefore cannot be a social creature living in harmony with other cats or pets. We think of the wild cats who prowl alone all their lives for example. We think of cats as only meeting up to have a fight.

Wild cats often don't have to be sociable cats as they have sufficient space to roam alone. This is a pet subject of mine as habitat destruction is seriously endangering a wide range of wildlife particularly the wild cats. See for example:

Wild Cougar
Bengal Tiger Facts
White Siberian Tiger

Cats, can be sociable cats are we know; they live with us fairly contentedly after all, seeing us overgrown giant mother and father cats rolled into one. The truth is, if cats need to be sociable they will be. They can change. Cats can be less selfish than we expect or are taught. Although generally cats avoid each other for territorial reasons (they even time share territory it seems), feral cat colonies are an example of cats getting along the benefit of all. This is in part due to the fact there is a space limitation in cities where feral cats congregate - they have to get on essentially.

Feral cats eat together if food is put down for them. I can recall an occasion in Italy where outside the hotel a feral cat colony lived in relative harmony. When it became cold in the evening one cat would lie on top of another cat. This kept both warmer. It is really about survival I think. If it improves life to be sociable cats, cats will be sociable.

One reason why domestic cats in homes get along better is because they are kept in a perpetual state of kittenhood as we feed and look after them all their lives. Kittens are mentally more able to get along with siblings and other cats.

This leads to the question, "are cats better alone or should we provide company in another cat". Often we are away from the home for long periods. Under these circumstances and bearing in mind what I have said above, my opinion, for what it is worth, is that we should bring another cat into the house to keep our cat company, but and this is a big but, it should be done slowly and with consideration for the cat who was there first as there is a territorial issue to deal with.

Cats like routine and time to change. The time frame to adapt to change of any sort is longer than we like to think. We like things to be instant but cats move at their own pace in order to become sociable cats.

Sociable cats to mixed breed cats (moggies) - see fantastic moggie cats.

Thanks to Desmond Morris for Cat Watching.

Photo header: published under creative commons license - Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs License. The cat at the top is called Oscar, the cat at the bottom is called Mini Bear and the ginger in the middle comes from the neighbor to visit.

Ceylon cat

Ceylon cat photo copyright www.zivotinjsko carstvo.com See note at base.

I had never heard of the Ceylon cat until recently. This is a rare cat in respect of the world cat fancy but seems to be much better known in Italy, where it is a breed recognized by the FIAF - Italian Federation of Feline Associations.

First things first. Ceylon is now Sri Lanka. Ceylon became Sri Lanka in 1972.


This map shows where Sir Lanka is. Published under a Wikimedia license. author, Vardion - see Wikipedia license.

A cat called the Ceylon cat would imply that this cat was "discovered" by the cat fancy in the west before 1972, some time ago. The 1960s was the decade when the most cat breeds were created in the 20th century (15). However, it seems that Dr. Paolo Pellegatta, an Italian, visited Sri Lanka in 1984 and liked the cat he saw so much he brought the cat back to Italy. The 1980s were also a productive period for the commencement of cat breeds when 12, now widely recognized breeds, were started.

I have no knowledge of the background of the cat brought back except that the cat is described as a "natural breed that has developed spontaneously on the island of Sri Lanka". At first I thought that this meant that the cat is a feral cat, semi-feral cat or a domestic cat on Sri Lanka. On that basis, is possible to say that this was a naturally occurring "cat breed"? I don't think a mixed breed cat (moggie) that is unrecognized by any cat association can be a cat breed. I think it is more sensible, to be honest, to simply say that a mixed breed cat that had certain characteristics was imported from Sri Lanka.

However, I think that I may be simply wrong as one source of information (http://www.agraria.org/gatti/ceylon.htm) says that imported Ceylon cats from Sri Lanka need an a certificate of origin and authenticity from what seems to be a cat association in Italy, Cat Club Amatori of Ceylon or CLUB AMATORI DEL GATTO DI CEYLON. This would seem to say that the imported cats are a cat breed in Sri Lanka.

The Ceylon cat is quite small (medium small) and looks elegant and fine boned; a nice natural looking cat in fact. I am not sure how much of the appearance is due to the breeding program. This cat breed is nicely balanced not extreme in any way, which is pleasing for me to see. It seems that the wise intention is to preserve the traditional appearance of this cat.

This cat is registered with the World Cat Federation (WCF). The WCF Ceylon Cat breed standard says that this cat is small to medium sized. The head is rounded, short and broad with pronounced cheek bones. The ears should be large and set high on the head. The eyes should be large and set wide apart. The coat should be fine close lying and silky in texture. The acceptable ticking colors are black, blue, red, cream, tortioiseshell and blue tortie.

As a matter of interest it is said that the imported cat was kept in an air conditioned room or area that reproduced the same temperature and humidity as Sri Lanka, a very hot and humid country (I presume to ease the introduction to a new environment). It would seem that other cats of a similar type were also imported from Sri Lanka to Italy and a breeding program commenced. The program progressed and a breed standard drafted in 1988.

As to coat type the classic Ceylon cat has a dark ticked coat with banding on the legs and tail and classic "M" tabby pattern on the forehead as shown in the heading photograph. In this conformation the cat is called the "Manilla", I believe. The standard however allows a wide range of colors and patterns as I understand it (including the pointed pattern - i.e. Siamese appearance). The Abyssinian cat is the bearer of the best known ticked coat, which is a special kind of tabby cat coat.

From Ceylon cat to Abyssinian Cat

Photo: I have taken the liberty of publishing a photograph of this cat from the website www.zivotinjsko carstvo.com. A link has been provided in exchange which I hope is acceptable. If not, please leave a comment and I will take prompt action.

Note: the information gathered for this post came substantially from Italian websites translated by Google. These translations although very helpful are not always easy to understand, hence the caution shown in drafting this.

Ceylon cat - Sources:

• http://www.agraria.org/gatti/ceylon.htm
• EGCA
• http://catouweb.free.fr/Races/Ceylon.htm
• http://www.micimiao.it/corto/Ceylon.htm

Caracat

The Caracat is a wildcat/domestic cat hybrid created in 2007. They are a cross between the relatively small wildcat, the Caracal (or Caracal Lynx), and the popular Abyssinian. The Abyssinian cat, a nicely balanced cat with a famously special tabby coat (ticked) is the parent of another wildcat hybrid, the Chausie. The Chausie is a cross between the Jungle cat (another medium/small wildcat) and the Abyssinian (or other well matched domestic cat).

Is this a caracat in Florida? Photo: Diane

Regarding the above picture see: unknown Florida wildcat, please. 


Caracal wildcat - photo by ckindel



Abyssinian cat - photo copyright Helmi Flick

I don't have a photo of the Caracat so we'll have to imagine the cat on the basis of seeing pictures of the Caracal and Abyssinian cats pictured above.

The Caracat would be a bit like a miniature wild Cougar, I think it would be fair to say but, I am sure, not quite so stocky. The Cougar is a very strong jumper and has very muscular limbs. In terms of coat type, this means the Caracat has no coat patterns such as spots or blotches although there will few patterns in the way of bars on the legs and markings on the belly. The coat is, as expected, "ticked" (see cat coats tabby). We can see that the Abyssinian and Caracal cats are well matched and quite similar. The Caracal is considerably larger, however, weighing about 30 lbs (for a large male) while the average domestic cat weighs about 10 lbs (see largest domestic cat breed). This probably presents problems with breeding. Breeding wild cat to domestic cat is problematic (src: A1 Savannahs who breed Savannahs).

A feature of the Caracal are the tufted ears and these are present on the F1 first generation Caracats. The first generation Caracats are large, weighing something in the order of 25-30 lbs and the F2s might weight in the order of 20+ lbs. This is about the size of a largish Maine Coon cat.

So this is another wildcat hybrid but this time with an evenly colored coat, the same as the Chausie in that respect. First generation Caracats screech rather than meow and are like bulls in a china shop it seems (src: http://caracal-hybrids.spaces.live.com). They do look fantastic with their tufted ears (black tufts).

There seems to be one breeder: http://caracal-hybrids.spaces.live.com based in the USA I presume (although I couldn't see this on the website). The owner of the business is Joy and she says she is going to register the Caracats with TICA. I presume therefore that TICA recognize this breed (please tell me in a comment if this is wrong/correct). I am afraid I am compelled to criticize Joy for one thing and this must be said; she declawed (or will declaw) her F1 cat and plans on declawing her F2s of either sex. She is doing this because she feels that these large domestic cats are too dangerous with claws. I am sorry to say that if that is the case the cats should not be bred in the first place. Declawing is certainly inhumane and for me it is barbaric. There is no justification for it. If we need to declaw a cat we are not the right person to keep a cat. We either have a cat that is a cat (fully a cat as nature intended) or not at all. It is not our place to modify, manipulate and amputate at the expense of the animal.

In this instance too we have a semi-wild cat in the F1, who is it seems semi domesticated and then without claws to add further confusion to the cat. Declawing is a substantial operation that can cause phsycological problems. How would we like it if the tips of all our fingers were removed surgically? This is wrong I am afraid - sorry to criticize.

Breeder: http://www.junglecats.com/caracat.htm

If I have all of this wrong tell me please. I have some pages on declawing and claw clipping:

• Declaw cats
• Helmi Flick on declawing
• F1 Bengal delawed and indoors
• Trim cat claws
• Cat Declawing - major page.
  

Caracat to Savannah cat

Sources:

• Messybeast
• http://caracal-hybrids.spaces.live.com

Cats are aware of our needs

Binnie - she cares and understands. The kindest of souls.

Cats are aware or our needs, some people believe. Do they have a innate sense, that we don't understand, that allows them to detect if we are ill or need their company and is there some relatively simple scientific explanation?

We hear of dogs being particularly in tune with their human companions and being able sense when a person is ill or needs company. But what of cats? There is the fairly well known story of Oscar, a cat who lives in a hospice "at Steere House Nursing and Rehabilitation Center in Providence, Rhode Island." (src: Wikipedia published under GNU Free Documentation License, Version 1.2 or any later version - see Wikipedia licensing below) The hospice actually have 6 pets who improve the lives of the residents. Oscar is able to pick out the patients who need his attention more than the others because they are within several hours of death. He lies down next to the patient. If asked to leave he paces outside and meows. The question is how does he do it? And why does he do it? Is the answer as simple as it looks, meaning he just wants to help and comfort people in the last hours of their lives. These are the kind of altruistic, compassionate actions and emotions of humans (when they are being kind).

The answer may help us work out the answer as to whether cats are aware of our needs. Oscar has lived at the hospice since he was a kitten and he was born in 2005 so he has been there for a while and therefore in tune with the surroundings and the patients.

Some medically qualified people have given their views. Dr. Dosa believes that a dying person gives off chemicals. Oscar being a cat has a fantastic sense of smell and picks up the smell of these chemicals. Margie Scherk, a veterinarian in Vancouver concurs with this. Margie also says that cats can detect illness. Dr. Jill Goldman makes the point that Oscar has had time to learn that a certain smell is associated with death. Dr. Daniel Estep, a certified applied animal behaviorist makes a good point, I think, that Oscar is picking up on the fact that some patients are particularly still and quiet. It is these patients who are the ones that are within hours of death.

These are plausible theories and support the view that cats are aware of our needs. They explain how Oscar detects a patient who is within hours of dying but it seems that it has already been concluded that Oscar lies with the patient as an act of compassion. Is this true? If one was being very cynical there is an argument that Oscar is doing this for some other reason. For example, he simply likes the smell or he knows the person will be still which suites him. I am playing devils advocate here, no more by the way.

Dr. Jon (of Petplace fame - great website) recounts the story of a veterinarian's clinic cat called Gizmo who is able to detect, it seems, animals which need urgent medical attention. Gizmo alerts the veterinarian by jumping up and meowing. Gizmo can also sense when the people in the surgery need comfort as well. Once again this is evidence of a kind that cats are aware of our needs and the needs of other animals.

OK, what of my personal experiences? While writing this (at 3 am in the early hours of the morning because a fox screaming outside woke me up - no problems I like foxes) my girlfriend/partner said that my cat (Binnie Do) had slept with her for several hours last night. Binnie hadn't done this for a quite a while. Binnie had placed her paw with claws retracted on her closed eyes and face for a long time. Binnie had also licked her gently on the face. This had gone on for about 45 minutes. Nothing spectacular about that except my partner has recently undergone a major operation and is just recovering, going through a difficult time. My partner was quite moved by it and feels better as a result. Are the two events connected? More evidence that cats are aware of our needs.

Binnie knows when to touch gently. And she does come to me when I have been unusually still or in bed, for example, longer than usual (this would indicate illness). She will wake me or try and arose me by placing her paws (claws retracted) on my face. This supports Dr. Daniel Estep's thoughts above. I think that cats do pick up on different behavior patterns of their human keepers and respond to this. Cats are very involved with the concept of routine. They like routine and familiarity with their surroundings. This enables them to readily pick up on any changes. Changes bring concern and a response. Stillness in a creature is a clear indication that something is wrong as it is counter to activity and activity means life and living. I think this is the most important factor that draws Oscar to dying patients. We see wild animals picking up on this. They know when a member of the family is ill or dying and stillness is the first and most outstanding sign. If it is true that cats are aware of our needs it arises in part from this; our stillness or lack of activity.

It is certainly possible to have a very close connection with a cat such that one can communicate on quite a profound level. What I mean by that is not on an intellectual level but a profound emotional level. This comes from a long relationship and habits becoming very familiar to each individual.

This allows both the human to be aware of the cat's need and to go to her when she needs help or comfort and in the same way for the cat to do likewise. My conclusion for what it is worth on this difficult subject is that cats are aware of our needs on a fundamental survival type level as their needs are bound up with our suvival. The survival of the "family" means that our cat is more likely to survive. Cats are aware of our needs for selfish reasons. This is not a criticism. It is natural. We are all made this way.

Cats are aware of our needs to Household pets (Moggies)

Wikipedia license

Bohemian Rex cat

The Bohemian Rex cat (or Bohemia Rex) originated in the Czech Republic in 1994 (although this could be 1981 or even as early as 1971 - the 1994 date comes from Robinson's Genetics for Cat Breeders and Veterinarians Fourth Ed.). The breed is also called the Czech Curly Cat for this reason. This is one of the lesser-known Rex cats. The better-known ones are the:

• LaPerm
• Skookum - LaPerm/Munchkin cross
• Devon Rex
• Selkirk Rex
• Cornish Rex
• German Rex

They all have curly cat coats. There are no pictures of this cat due to rarity or put it another way there are no pictures of the Bohemian Rex cat on the Internet that I can find. However, we can guess or imagine what this cat looks like. This breed is a curly haired Persian. Persians are long haired so this cat has flowing curls. Rex cats have soft fur as the hair strands are finer than usual. 

There are two types of Persian cat, Ultra or extreme meaning flat faced and Traditional Persian meaning Doll Face or a face of more normal appearance. This Bohemian Rex cat is a curly haired version of the traditional Persian. The Selkirk Rex cat has a body conformation like the Persian (see link above).

This is a Selkirk Rex a cat that is similar in body type to the Traditional Persian and with curly Rex hair so probably similar to the Bohemian Rex. I could not find a picture of the Bohemian Rex. The Selkirk Rex is a well-known cat breed which has recently been discussed more (2020) because of the distinctive coat. 

---

It is thought that this cat originates from the German Rex, which apparently was crossed with Persian cats (probably to enhance or alter the body conformation or increase hair length - my guesses) and the German Rex mutated gene was carried by Persian cats imported into the Czech Republic. See links to more fringe domestic cat breeds. 

Bohemian Rex cat to Home page