Cat Breeds: Russian Blue Cats

July 15, 2011 By Leave a Comment

 

Russian Blue Cat
Russian Blue- Image Credit

Wikipedia

Russian Blue cats are so named for their silvery-blue fur. They are very intelligent and playful cats and become very close to their owners. They do tend to be shy around strangers though.

Russian Blue cats originated in the port of Arkhangelsk, Russia. They are sometimes called Archangel Blues as a reference to this. It is believed that they were brought from the Archangel Islands to Europe by sailors in the 1860′s.

Physical Characteristics

Besides their trademark silvery-blue fur, the Russian Blue cat also has a few other distinguishing features. They have dark green eyes as you can see in the picture above. This is rare in other cats and so gives them quite a unique look. The Russian Blue cat is a short haired cat with a solid blue coat, the silvery look comes from guard hairs which are silver. They have a unique thick double coat of fur. This gives them a soft, lush feel that no other cat offers. They also have distinct mauve footpads, most cats have slate grey.

Russian Blue cats will generally live to be 10-15 years old. They are not prone to health problems or illnesses. They are moderately sized of 8-12 pounds when full grown and the male will typically be a little bigger than a female.

A Russian Blue litter will usually have between two to four kittens, but can range from one to six.

Russian Blue Personality

Russian Blue cats are very gentle and sweet, loving cats. They love their owner and their family, but tend to be shy around new people and strangers. They are affectionate and playful. They can play by themselves, but of course prefer a human to play with them, be it chasing after a ball, or a laser pointer.

They like a routine and dislike changes. Most cats dislike change, but the Russian Blue especially does. They also are very concerned about the cleanliness of their litter boxes. They are easily trainable and will understand not to do things like jumping on furniture.

Want to learn about other types of cats? Check out our Cat Types Category page.

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All About Siberian Cats

July 1, 2011 By Leave a Comment

History of Siberian Cats

The Siberian is a cat breed which originates from Russia. These cats are domestic, meaning that they will happily live with humans. They have been present in Russia for at least a few centuries and some consider it to be an ancient cat breed, perhaps the ancestor of all modern long-haired cats.  It’s full name is actually the Siberian Forest Cat and has many similarities with the Norwegian Forest Cat. It is also the national cat of Siberia.

Despite its long history in Siberia, this cat was not imported into the United States until around 1990. Although it is quite a popular cat, these are quite rare to find in the United States.

Siberian CatSiberian Cat Behavior

Siberian cats have long been loved because of their sweet temperament. A Siberian cat behaves much like a dog does. They are very friendly and get along well with other animals, including dogs. They also can get along with young children. Siberians are smart and energetic as well.

These cats are great rodent hunters, in fact, they were imported into St, Petersburg, Russia in the 1940′s to assist with a rodent problem.

Like many cats, they are fascinated with water and love to drop toys in it–however, don’t expect them to jump into the bath come bath-time!

They are a talkative breed. They make many noises beyond the typical mews from most cats.

They have unique triple fur which is suited for colder climates like their native Siberia. They enjoy the outdoors and can often be found under a deep pile of snow.

Physical Aspects of the Siberian Forest Cat

Siberian CatSiberians are very agile jumpers due to their strong and powerful build. They have very large, well rounded paws and strong hind-quarters as well.

The Siberian Cat is considered a semi-long haired cat. Their fur, as mentioned earlier, contains all four types of feline fur–which is extremely rare. This includes guard hairs, awn hairs, an down. This thick coat helps them survive in the harsh winters of Siberia. Their coat is textured and glossy, and easy to care for. Usually, you should brush twice a week.

It has been debated for many years as to whether Siberian Cats are hypo-allergenic. It has never been proven, but many breeders and owners claim to have had no trouble with allergy sufferers owning Siberian Cats.

Siberian Cats are ready to reproduce at an earlier age than most cats–sometimes even as early as 5 months is normal. This might be due to the fact that these cats are close to their feral relatives. In the wild, cats do not live very long and therefore need to breed at a younger age in order to preserve the species. A litter will have, on average, five or six kittens, though litter sizes can range form one to nine kittens.

Taking Care of a Siberian Cat

Siberians, like most other felines, are carnivores. Make sure to read the ingredients list on any food you provide. Many cat foods have a ton of carbohydrate fillers which is not good for a cat’s health.

Siberian cats are very playful. Make sure to play with them every day. Many Siberians enjoy outdoor walks and can use a leash well.

Obtaining a Siberian Cat

There are very few breeders of Siberians. If you can, choose a reputable breeder who lives close enough to you that you can go visit and choose a cat you get along with. However, in many cases, you will not be able to do this because the closest breeder will live too far away. In this case, you can often trust the breeder to choose a cat with the qualities you request. A great list of Siberian cat breeders can be found here.
Check out this cute video of a Siberian Cat:

Do you have any cute videos or pictures of your cats that you would like me to post? If so, e-mail me at Sally@kittenadvice.org

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Scottish Fold Kittens

June 17, 2011 By Leave a Comment

Scottish Fold Kitten- Source:Wikipedia

Have you ever seen a picture of these cute kittens? I’ve seen quite a few and had been wondering about their history and breed. I did some research for you guys on Scottish Fold cats and included what I thought was interesting.

Scottish Fold kittens have a mutated gene which creates a fold in their ear cartilage. This makes their ear fold down giving them an owl-like appearance. They originally were called lop-eared, referring to the rabbits of the same name. They were renamed Scottish Fold in 1966.

 

The first known Scottish Fold cat was a white barn cat named Susie who was found in Scotland. She later had kittens, and two of them had the folded ears as well. A breeder obtained on of Susie’s kittens and registered it with the Governing Council of the Cat Fancy. He then started breeding the cat. 76 Scottish Fold kittens were born in the first three years, 42  of them had folded ears and 34 of the had perky ears. Every Scottish Fold kitten shares a common ancestry to Susie.

 

 

Scottish Fold Cats

Buy Scottish Fold Cats Book on Amazon

The original Scottish Folds had many problems and hence were not allowed to show in Europe in 1971. They had crippling deformities of the limbs and tail and also had many ear problems like mites and deafness. The cats were brought to America where there were cross bred with British and American shorthairs. This allowed the future generations to be much healthier.

 

Scottish Fold kittens tend to be extremely loving. This, combined with their looks, makes them very popular and very expensive. They are a little more work than normal kittens as you will need to clean their ears from time to time due to excessive wax build-up and they have a propensity for obesity.

The expected lifespan of a Scottish Fold kitten is fifteen years. They will not show that they have folded ears until they are about three weeks old. This is the point when most kittens ears open up, the Scottish Folds’ will not. These kittens can be born in any color except pointed.

Looking for Scottish Fold breeders? Here are two!

Dan Lowe’s Scottish Fold Kittens

Linanci Cattery

Know of any other great breeders? Let me know in the comments!

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Cat Breeds: Munchkin Kittens

June 10, 2011 By Leave a Comment
Munchkin Kittens

Munchkin Kitten

 

Munchkin cats are a cat breed which has extremely short legs. This is caused by a naturally occurring genetic mutation. The mutation is similar to the one found in Dachshunds, Basset Hounds and Welsh Corgis, but the Munchkin cats don’t seem to suffer from the same spinal issues as the dogs of these breeds usually do. The shortness in the legs does not seem to effect their running or jumping, and they act just like any other cat.

Short-legged cats have been found throughout history across Europe. They have been found in the United States in the late 20th century, first being documented in the US in the 1960′s. They were first bred in 1983, when two pregnant cats were found with extremely short legs, when she had her kittens, half of them had very short legs as well.

Munchkin Cats became an accepted breed in the International Cat Association in the 1990′s. This made them eligible for competing in competitions, as well as pure-breeding purposes. At the time, critics thought that the cats would suffer from the same hip and spinal problems that short-legged dogs do.

A male Munchkin generally weighs between six and nine pounds. Females are smaller, weighing between four and eight pounds. They are very playful kittens, and are also very smart.

According to the TICA shows, they get divided into two groups- long hair and short hair. They come in all colors and patterns. This is because only one of the parents needs to be a Munchkin in order for some of the litter to become Munchkin kittens. So you can crossbreed with any color or pattern cat. However, this may effect pedigree.

There is some controversy as to whether these cats should be purposely bred. It is felt by some people that the short legs are a deformity and should not be spread. However, there are others who see no difference between these and short legged dog breeds which have been bred for years. There are even governments, including the Australian Capital Territory who officially deem breeding Munchkin kittens as unacceptable because of genetic problems associated with it. However, owners and breeders claim they are a sound breed, ideal for small homes, and are not susceptible to any additional health problems.

 

 

Munchkin Kitten

Munchkin Kitten

Some cat registries accept the breed, while other don’t. The ones that do include:

 

  • The International Cat Association
  • American Association of Cat Enthusiasts
  • UK’s United Feline Organization
  • The South Africa Cat Council
  • Waratah National Cat Alliance in Australia

The Registries which do not accept the breed include:

  • Federation Internationale Feline
  • Cat Fancier’s Association
  • The Governing Council of the Cat Fancy

If you would like to find out more about Munchkin cats, or to find a breeder near you, go to Munchkin Breeders.

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What About Black Kittens?

May 13, 2011 By 5 Comments

 

Black kittens are some of the cutest kittens ever! Unfortunately, they come with a stigma of superstition. Many people believe that black cats are bad luck and therefore will not adopt them. Did you know that black kittens get euthanized at much higher rates than any other color cat? It is simply because less people are willing to adopt them.

black kittenBlack cats bring about many superstitions. In the United States as well as most of Europe, it is considered bad luck if one crosses your path. In Germany, it may be good or bad luck, depending on the direction in which the cat is heading. In Japan and the United Kingdom, it is considered good luck to cross a black cat.

If you are even thinking about adopting a black kitten-please do! They are in dire need of more happy homes willing to take them in. I am sure you will be pleased with what you get. Black kittens can be some of the most loving kittens around. They tend to have great, robust personalities, are very inquisitive and quite playful.

Any color cat can have black kittens. Although it may be strange to see a white mother having a black kitten, it is completely normal. Black kittens also come in many breeds. One of the most common breeds is the domestic shorthair and domestic longhair. Since these breeds are so common, black cats are common among them as well. The Bombay is a very popular black cat breed. It is a very silky, beautiful black cat.

On the infamous website, ICanHasCheeseburger, black cats are called basement cats, and white cats are called ceiling cats, a slight reference to evil and good, heaven and hell. Basement cats are considered more conniving, often quoted as debating stealing your soul, or counting how many days you have left to live. Ceiling cats on the other hand are portrayed as good natured. This is all in the name of fun, of course, and if you have a chance, I recommend you visit that site as it is tons of fun!

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