Cat Breeds That Stay Small

There is only one cat breed that stays relatively small as an adult: the Singapura. That is under normal conditions. However, any breeder can, through selective breeding, breed small cats or big cats or cats with certain types and colors of coat.

The popular teacup or miniature cats are not cats of a certain cat breed. They usually look like miniature chinchilla traditional Persians, however.

Breeders of purebred cats are limited to what they can do because there is a breed standard to follow. This is a document that sets out guidelines as to what the cat should look like. Behavior is also referred to occasionally.

I think that you might find that the concept of miniature cats - adult cats that look like kittens - is frowned upon my some people in the cat fancy because it is unnatural and may be unhealthy. However, not all the breeding practices of purebred cats are healthy. It could be argued that breeders of mainstream purebred cats don't have a right to be critical of miniature cat breeders. Perhaps they are not.

A female Munchkin who is a little smaller than average would have the appearance of a small cat because these are dwarf cats. They have normal sized bodies but short legs.

The biggest problem in buying a miniature cat is ensuring that the cat is fully grown. Obviously a sub-adult cat will be small and the breeder might say he is a full adult. This would be a misrepresentation but it would secure the sale.

Picture of Cat Hissing

This is a picture of a cat hissing. It has to be, judging from the demeanor of the cat. The photographer does not say that the cat is hissing, however. This is probably one of the best photographs of a cat taking up an aggressive stance that I have seen.

Photo by Hannibal Poenaru

We know that hissing is intended to deter or see off an aggressor and it is a defensive measure. It is intended to mimic the snake's hiss. This has evolved over eons. It appears that animals recognise that the snake is dangerous otherwise there would be no point in mimicking the snake. You can see the ears starting to flatten too. This is to protect them in an ensuing fight. Cats ears get damaged in fights.

This particular cat could be a purebred. She looks a bit Burmese or Burmilla and she looks clean and cared for indicating a house cat rather than a feral or stray cat.

The teeth and gums are in good condition. She is probably quite young. The eyes sparkle. The picture was taken in France near Paris. The photo is published here under a creative commons license.

Desensitising the baby to the cat allergen!

You'll enjoy this picture of a baby using the family cat as a pillow.

The cat is a brown/gray mackerel tabby and the child is Caucasian! I read somewhere that it is healthy for a child to be exposed to allergens as it helps to desensitize the person. It provides some protection in later life. And there is no doubt that when this child grows up he or she will like to keep a cat. Which brings me to the next point. It is during childhood that we can learn to love cats or be frightened of them. A bad experience or bad teaching from parents can leave the child with a fear of cats. A lot of people are frightened of cats to varying degrees. This is usually due to a lack of understanding or knowledge about the domestic cat. Once the person gets to know and relate to a cat the perceptions change for the better.

The fear of cats can result in an abuse of cats.

Hurlingham Club, London, England

Hurlingham Club, London, England, a photo by broadsurf on Flickr.

Nothing much to do with cats but I go here once a week normally on the invitation of a friend and we play scrabble. It is a bit unreal for me but makes a nice break from reality.

It is very English. If you live in Arizona or the mid-west of the USA this is almost the opposite!

It would be wonderland for cats though. The whole house and grounds are enormous and worth hundreds of millions of pounds but at one time a medical doctor lived here. It was his home. They were different times although today (2012) doctors get very well paid in the UK! They couldn't afford this though.

Do foxes attack cats?

Foxes don't attack the domestic cat, normally. This comes from my personal experience and from information on the internet. It actually makes sense too. I am incidentally, writing about British foxes in Britain. The British fox, in this instance an urban fox, is the size of a medium-small sized dog.

My friendly fox getting up close to me. Photo by Michael at PoC

He is a very handsome fox. I look after him in a minor way. I put out cat food that my cat does not finish. This is sensible recycling, I think. There is no waste. Although I don't think a fox should eat too much cat food as it is probably too rich.



I think this fox is no longer frightened of me. Although he is very cautious but as you can see he approaches to within a foot of my camera! He actually looks pretty fit. Most foxes around here die of a kind of mange that strips off their fur and they die of hypothermia I believe.

The issue of whether a British fox would attack a domestic cat probably comes down to several factors all of which indicate that it won't happen.

The relative size of the animals is a factor. A small, perhaps ill cat might be vulnerable to a large, hungry and desperate fox. But a decent sized adult and relatively fit domestic cat is probably perfectly safe. I have seen my three legged boy cat, a large 15 lb cat, walk close to a fox and be aggressive towards the fox. The fox ignored him.