Wednesday, 19 May 2010

Daria F2 Savannah Kitten

This is a wonderful F2 Savannah kitten from A1 Savannahs that will grow into being a fine looking and behaving adult cat of real presence. The photo was taken by me yesterday under what I would consider to be difficult conditions as it was very dark at the time. The only light was from a tungsten light source.

Daria an F2 Savannah kitten from A1 Savannahs

In order to get workable sharp picture I had to use flash light and the only flash light that I had was on the camera.

It was fortunate that Daria went into this tunnel cat play area. Using a shutter speed that allowed some of the background to also show despite not being illuminated by the flash I was also lucky enough to get a nice wildcat type expression.

I had all but given up getting a decent photograph and at the last gasp got one that works OK.

Daria already has a new owner and was about to be picked up or shipped out. The photo was taken at A1 Savannahs and Daria was born on their farm and raised by Kathrin and Martin Stucki.
 
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From to Home Page

Monday, 19 April 2010

Cat Breeders Should Warn of Genetic Diseases

Senator Larcenia Bullard in Florida has introduced a bill (a draft law - actually, I think it is a proposed amendment to an existing law) that breeders of cats and dogs should provide a sort of 'health warning' to buyers. The proposed written warning notifies buyers of purebred cats and/or dogs of the potential of a genetic disease being present but not apparent and recommends that the buyer has the companion animal screened.

This is of course being opposed by breeders. They like to fight for their rights. And I agree that it sounds a bit insulting as decent breeders will monitor genetic diseases themselves and minimise the risk of the disease occuring. Indeed sometimes cat associations stipulate breeding practices that are intended to eradicate or minimise unwanted deliterious conditions that are manisfest through the transmission of mutant recessive genes.

But and this is always the case, there are breeders who go a bit too far in their desire to create the perfect cat that is exactly to type and more. That requires inbreeding and the recessive genes can show in physical characteristics under these conditions.

This is because there is an overemphasis, it is said, on a cats appearance. This drives breeders to breed for appearance sometimes to the detriment of health or at least risking health issues arising.

So the bill is intended to sharpen up the cat breeding business. What is wrong with that? It will help the cats. There are many instances of regulations that govern the freedom to contract. This is just one more. People need freedom, yes, but they also require a degree of regulation. Look at the banks.

There does seem to be a gradual focus on cat related issues and their regulation. I am thinking of the declaw bans in California late last year. And the bill in California to stop landlords insisting on cats being declawed.

The law needs to protect animals that are part of a profit making enterprise as these animals are always open to abuse even on a minor scale. See Genetic Diseases in Purebred Cats.



Cat Breeders Should Warn of Genetic Diseases Home Page

Martin and Kathrin Stucki in the News

Kathrin and Martin Stucki of A1 Savannahs are in the news, and rightly so. They have a fantastic business breeding Savannah cats. It is more than a business, though. Their passion comes through in the commitment to their work and the quality of the cats that are created at A1 Savannahs. The video below comes from News OK, an Oklahoma new website. A1 Savannahs is at Ponca City in Oklahoma.



All being well (volcanic ash permitting), I will be visiting them in May and I intend to bring back some decent photographs for the website: Pictures of Cats org.


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From to Home Page

Sunday, 18 April 2010

The Cat Mountain

Charlie, Three Legged Cat in Classic Meerkat Stance

Here is what I would call a 'cat mountain'. He is Charlie. Now, before anyone thinks that I staged this, I didn't. Charlie just likes to stand up like a meerkat. He uses this position to see better. He can have a good look at what is going on.

He also uses the position to get attention. If he is asking me for food and I don't respond quickly enough, he jumps up like this. I then get the message loud and clear.



From The Cat Mountain to Home Page

Monday, 12 April 2010

More Burmilla Photographs

I have just bumped into some more nice Burmilla photographs on Flickr that I am permitted to publish her under a creative commons license (Attribution-Non-Commercial-No Derivative Works 2.0 Generic). Thank you kind Flickr photographer. Here they are:

Burmilla cat

See the above in larger format on the original Flickr page. Next is Priscilla:

Burmilla cat

See the above photograph in large format on Flickr

Photographs are by Oz-Aspects (Flickr)


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