Cat Body Type Genetic Mutations

People search for "cat body type genetic mutations". So I feel that I should provide a response to what is an enquiry by internet surfers.

The thing is though, that there are no genetic mutations in the cat world, wild or domestic or in between (feral) which cause a change in the body type of the cat. By body type I am referring to the cat fancy's idea of what body type means - for example, cobby or foreign etc. See this page: Cat Body Types for a full description.

Sure, genetic mutations alter aspects of the cats body on very rare occasions (one in a million perhaps) but not the entire body type. By this I mean the overall shape and size of the cat's body.

Examples of where a genetic mutation has changed an element of the cat's body are:

• Manx - lack of tail
• American Curl - ear flaps that curl backwards
• American Ringtail - curly tail
• Scottish Fold - ear flaps that are folded flat to the head
• Dwarf Cats - short legs
• The Rex cats - curly coat (Rex cats are e.g. Cornish Rex, Devon Rex and LaPerm as three examples only. There are more.
• Sphynx - lack of hair
• Peterbald - balding cat!

As you can see the overall body type is not affected.

These genetic mutations have resulted in the creation of new breeds of cat. Variations in cat body type originate in natural evolution, individual cat differences, the sex of the cat and importantly selective breeding by cat breeders.

A classic case of selective breeding that controls cat body type is the teacup cats. These are very small. Breeders breed small cat to small cat and create smaller and smaller cats and fix that trait.



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Bad Cat Behavior

There is far too much written on the Internet about bad cat behavior. For me nearly all of it is wrong. If we really think about it, almost all domestic cat behavior that impinges on our lifestyle is due to us. So if a cat behaves badly in our eyes, it is either a misconception by us or an improper expectation or bad breeding (lack of socialisation) etc. I could go on. Often so called bad cat behaviour is simply behavior that we don't like or which does not meet our expectations even if our expectations are misplaced.

The focus of bad cat behavior should be directed towards us. What are we doing that might create this behavior in our cat?

We should be able to trace it back to us one way or another. Even things such as a cat spraying as a territorial marker can be traced to us.

If a cat is spraying it is probably not neutered. That is our fault. Secondly if a cat is neutered or spayed and still spraying urine as a marker then something in his or her environment is causing this cat to be stressed. And we create the environment.

If there is no cause for stress and the cat is neutered then it is natural behavior for that cat under those conditions (created by us). If we can't accept that we can't accept natural behavior in that cat. That is our problem. Natural cat behavior is not bad cat behavior. It can't be can it?

I summarize these thoughts in this sort Flickr video:



A lot of people won't agree or won't understand what I am trying to say. That is fine. I am just making my point. I feel strongly that we as people need to behave more responsibly towards our domestic cats and that includes me. We tend to do what we are allowed to do and as cats don't have a say in the matter we can do as we please in relation to our cat.

Millions of people act responsibly towards their cat but too many don't. That is why millions of cats are killed each year and why we have places such a shelters, where incidentally most cats are not sheltered but killed - not euthanized. Sorry but we have to face reality if we are to fix the problems - human behavior problems not cat behavior problems.


Please also see this page on the same subject.




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Cat Inappropriate Elimination - Whose Problem?

We cause cat inappropriate elimination. Therefore, it is our problem. It is not a "cat behavior problem" but a human-to-cat relationship problem. In the wild,  the small wildcat will defecate and urinate in certain areas on the ground, on the earth. Sometimes these areas are used as markers to tell other cats of their presence - the feces remain uncovered. Cat spraying is not inappropriate elimination as the purpose of cat spraying is to give signals to other animals of the presence of the cat. The purpose is not to eliminate the urine.

The domestic cat is required by us to defecate and urinate on cat litter in a tray inside a house or some other human structure. From the cat's perspective the litter will usually be a nice place to go to the toilet because litter replicates earth. In the old days, before litter was invented, sand was used. This is why cats don't usually need training to use cat litter.

However, from the cat's perspective litter might not be a nice place to go to the toilet. The cat might prefer somewhere else. If the cat is a full-time indoor cat the only other place is somewhere that is inappropriate for us not the cat. We have the problem. From our perspective this is our problem. From the cat's perspective this is not a problem except that he or she can't find a decent alternative to litter inside a house.

If the cat is an indoor/outdoor cat he or she would almost certainly go outside and use the earth outside as an alternative to cat litter. Earth is actually better than litter as it is softer and exactly the kind of substance a cat would use in the wild.

So when a cat does not wish to use the litter box the problem is ours as we created it in the first place. The cat is simply acting naturally and reacting to the circumstances that exist before him or her.

This argument applies even if the cat is not using the litter due to anxiety, for example. The reason is unimportant. One well known reason for a cat's avoidance of litter is because it is uncomfortable to a declawed cat. This is a double human problem, one compounding the other.

The reason why I am writing this is because I sense that throughout all the many thousands of articles on inappropriate elimination on the internet and in books, the problem is perceived as belonging with the cat. The cat is seen to be at fault. He or she needs to be punished etc. for this "bad behavior".

Wrong, obviously.  Sometimes, there is a terribly arrogant approach to cat caretaking and so called "experts" are often the most guilty. The cat behaviorists - a trendy new occupation - are in fact "human behaviorists" as all their work concerns changing the behavior and habits of people!

Think on...

Related articles:

Avoiding cat behavior problems

Stopping inappropriate elimination



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Pixie-Bob

Photo by WindRanch (Flickr)

How do you spell Pixie-bob? You know, we just don't know for sure. The best source must be the "OFFICIAL PIXIEBOB WEBSITE". That is how they spell it: all joined up so it would be Pixiebob in lower case. But the heading banner to the same website uses the spelling: PIXIE-BOB with a hyphen.

Then if we check the books on cat breeds - a good idea I think to get out of the incestuous and copycat nature of the internet - we can't find any reference to the Pixie-bob....correction, Legacy of the Cat (a fine book by the way) spells it "Pixiebob". That clashes with Wikipedia...

The almighty Wikipedia spell it as I have in the title to this article. That is why I spelled it that way. But why the hyphen? The British Shorthair cat is not spelled British Short-hair is it?

And then do we use lower case after the hyphen: Pixie-bob or upper case: Pixie-Bob? God knows. No I guess he doesn't.

Now I have that little dilemma out of the way temporarily I'll discuss the origins of this interesting cat breed that did not, is appears, progress as far as it might. I feel that it is decidedly on the fringes, which is supported by the fact that it is not listed some mainstream books on cat breeds such as the Encyclopedia Of The Cat. Another cat with a wild appearance that failed to progress is the California Spangled. There was a rush of wildcat looking cats at one time. That has faded and legislation at state level in the USA is further limiting progress it would appear.

Which leads me nicely to the next interesting topic - the "wildcat connection" as I shall call it. Is this cat a wildcat hybrid, a cross between a bobcat and domestic cat? No is the answer based on DNA testing - pretty conclusive I would have thought. However this cat breed was founded by Carol Ann Brewer at a time in the American cat fancy (mid 1980s) when wildcat hybrids where all the rage. They were the cat to found, develop and get accepted (by TICA as the CFA don't recognise wildcat hybrids). For example the Bengal cat was founded in the mid 1970s and the Savannah cat in 1986. The all domestic, but wild cat looking, California Spangled was launched in 1986 by Paul Cassey.

There is no doubt in my mind that the idea was to create a wildcat hybrid type cat that would be desirable. Apparently Carol Ann Brewer claimed that the foundation cat was a wildcat hybrid.

This cat does have the appearance of a wildcat hybrid - obviously the objective of the breeding programme. The bobbed tail (short tail) was an added point of interest to match the American Bobcat's short tail. This was apparently introduced by cross breeding with a Manx, the famously tailless cat.

Here are some pictures....

Pixie bob pictures

Pixie-bob "Assam" Photo copyright Helmi Flick

Pixie-bob cat Photo copyright Helmi Flick

The cat immediately above looks like he is polydactyl. Look at his huge paws (and fantastic face - what an expression!).

All the photos and text on this page are protected by copyright © except where indicated. Violations of copyright are reported to Google.com (DMCA).

Pixie-bob kittens

Pixie-bob kittens - Photo copyright Helmi Flick

I expect that you are looking for breeders if you are searching for Pixie-bob kittens. Please read the sections below. Apparently some breeders show pictures of bobcats in cages to give the impression that this cat is a hybrid. Beware, Carol Ann Brewer, says.

Pixie-bob rescue

This is a purebred cat and quite a rare cat, so you'll need to go to specialist rescue groups/organizations to find a rescue cat. Well, that is my opinion. Wrong? Please leave a comment. I have a page on purebred cat rescue.

I like the Yahoo Groups as a resource where people who want to learn and adopt can network with other like minded people including breeders and Pixie-bob keepers. Fortunately there are a few nice Yahoo Groups concerned with this cat breed:

The first group was active in the early 2000s but less so now. Is this indicative of a lessening of interest in this cat? Click on the following link to read and join: PIXIE-BOB 

The next is all about rescue cats. Click Pixiebob_Rescue. See a list of Yahoo groups associated with this cat.

Pixie-bob kittens for sale

This section is about breeders. A simple Google search will suffice. Pick the long established breeders and it is highly recommended that you visit the breeder. Location is therefore important.

The major cat associations help in a breeder search as do the cat clubs. These don't always show up in a search.

TICA list six breeders, four in the USA and one in Norway. This must be a good starting point.

This page lists four breeders in the USA. (Note: links to third parties sometimes break because the page has disappeared).

If you want to know what a Pixie-bob is meant to look like as a winning show cat,  TICA's breed standard will tell you.



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A tip about making a cat eat

Sometimes for whatever reason your cat won't eat. Or her appetite is poor. A poor sense of smell in an old and senile cat can lead to what looks like a poor appetite. A cat will gauge how appetizing the food is through its smell.

That is why heating it up a bit can get the low appetite cat to eat it. I sometimes microwave cat food that has been left for a few seconds just to give it a bit more odor.

However that is not the tip! This is: I have always found that if I present my cat to the food and then stroke her before and during eating it encourages eating.

I am not sure how this works. I think it is a feeling of reassurance that it gives the cat. It might mimic what happens to a new born kitten when nursing.

Stroking is a human version of a cat's lick after all. Give it a try and report back if you have time.



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