A variety of domestic cat of the Asian feline species, the Burmilla (sometimes referred to as a ‘Tiffany’) is the result of a chance intermixture of two other breeds, namely, the Burmese and the Chinchilla Persian; its beginnings were in the U.K. and it was first produced back in 1981 but it had to wait another 10 or more years until it was officially granted championship status.
These cats are of average size, with strong physiques, small muzzles, a circular shaped face and large, vivid eyes in shades of brilliant green, blue, and even yellow or amber in the kitten stage; the black variety of Burmillas’ have dark eyeliner. Their ears are large and rounded and they have reddish-pink noses, (some varieties have a black nose).
The length of the Burmillas’ fur comes in three classes: the most usual type has a soft, silky short-hair coat; the Long-hair Burmilla, produced from a recessive gene, has a smooth, glossy coat that lays close to the skin, and a long, opulent looking tail; the third variety is known as a ‘Plush’, similar to the Short-hair except it has a thicker, woolier coat.
Burmilla fur colors are many and varied, and include: blue, black, brown, deep-brown and grayish-pink; red, yellowish-white and tortoiseshell varieties have also been produced. A silvery or golden colored undercoat is the norm for this breed; pattern-wise, their fur can be either, shaded (coat is a quarter colored), tipped (a fine dusting of color over the undercoat), or smoked (solid colored fur with a soft, whitish basis to each individual hair).
The Burmilla’s personality is inquisitive, self-reliant and warm, without being overly-friendly; they are kittenish and active even into adulthood; getting along well with other pets and young children, they may live up to an age of 15 years or more. Health-wise, they are very fit and hardy and have few problems being suitable as pets for families or elderly owners as they require little attention and grooming (once weekly).
11 DecCat Breed – Burmilla
10 JulThe Ragamuffin Cat Breed
If you are looking for a cat breed that won’t mind if your children decide they want to play dress up, you may want to take a look at the Ragamuffin cat breed. These cats are very tolerant of children and other pets and will allow children to play games that would have other cat breeds and even many dog breeds running for cover.
The same characteristics that make the Ragamuffin such a wonderful family pet make it a bad choice for people who are not home for long periods of time. This breed thrives on attention and enjoys ‘helping’ its family do routine household chores, such as putting away groceries or folding laundry. Spending a lot of time alone can make your cat very unhappy. After all, a cat breed that will ride around in your child’s doll carriage or attend a tea party obviously loves plenty of company and attention.
The Ragamuffin is one of the biggest cat breeds, weighing in at a very hefty ten to twenty pounds. Although these cats have larger than normal bones, part of their weight also comes from their tendency to carry a bit of extra fat on their bellies. This breed has a big, solidly built body, a wedge shaped head that is a bit round and large eyes that are so expressive that many people say that their cats seem to talk with their eyes. This breed has a long, gracefully tapered tail that is covered in long hair, giving it a bushy appearance. You can find the Ragamuffin in almost any coat color and any pattern. However cats with points can not be shown.
The Cat Fancier’s Association classifies the Ragamuffin as a member of the Miscellaneous class. This cat breed is the only one currently in this category. As the breed becomes more established, it will eventually move to the Provisional class. While the Ragamuffin can be shown, it can not receive any ribbons or awards until it moves from the Miscellaneous class and into a different class.
Ragamuffins have long hair with an extremely soft texture. Despite the fact that these cats are longhairs, the silkiness of their hair makes them easy to care for. This breed is not prone to developing matted hair and one of these cats only needs to be groomed about once a week to keep his coat looking beautiful and tangle free.
Since these cats have a tendency to carry a few more pounds than necessary around their stomachs, you may need to keep a close eye on your Ragamuffin’s weight. If he grows too overweight, you should ask your veterinarian about feeding your cat a weight management cat food. Except for this weight problem, this cat breed has no hereditary health conditions and is an extremely healthy breed overall.
If you want a large, gentle cat that actually enjoys being around children, then the Ragamuffin is the perfect breed for you.
13 OctCalm Cat Breeds
There are many things to consider when thinking of choosing a cat as a pet. There are 40 different cat breeds that are internationally recognized. One should consider whether it is a purebred or a mixed breed cat that would best suit the needs of the owner.
It is best to consider whether to get a short hair or long hair cat. Do you want a cat that sheds a lot or a little? Many different breeds have different personalities and traits so choosing the breed or mix that is best for the family will take some research. Do you want one that is affectionate or aloof? Does it get along with children and other pets? These are some of the questions to consider when choosing a cat breed.
Mixed breeds are often a good choice if the breed itself is not an issue. Many of these can be found at the local veterinary office or animal shelter. Many of these places give discounts for neuter or spay of the animal. Mixed breed cats have a variety of personality traits and appearances.
Purebred cats have distinct personalities and appearance. They come in all shapes and sizes. The Persian has long hair, not loudly vocal and moderately active. In comparison, the Siamese has short hair, is highly vocal and much more active. There are plenty of sites on the internet that will allow you to enter your requirements and match you up with a cat breed that fits.
Whatever cat breed is chosen, it is important to look after their health. Spaying or nuetering the cat will prevent unwanted pregnancies and lengthen the life of the cat. Vaccinations are equally important, most basic cat disease can be prevented by keeping the cat indoors and having it immunized.
29 MayWell-Known Cat Breeds
It’s a known fact that dogs are considered to be the finest option for pets. However, lots of people have a powerful taste for cats as well. In case you are interested to have a pet cat, you have countless preferences to select from. Let us know more in detail about a few popular cat breeds.
When you chat of popular cat breeds, the first name that arrives to brain is Persian cat. This breed is famous for its fluffy and long hair. This cat breed is obtainable in a number of colors ranging from black, grey, white and often orange. If you are planning to get home this cat, it is advised to prepare yourself for some high duty maintenance. Nevertheless, handling these cats is pretty simple.
Another preferred cat breed is Maine Coon. Pretty contrary to the regular cat breeds this 1 comes in a big size. You need not fret much in grooming this breed as it is not one of the high upkeep forms at all. An average grooming would easily suffice for this cat. If you’re looking for a cat breed which is very playful and bouncy, this one fails to meet the expectations. Contrary to other cat breeds, this cat is not very amiable and active too.
Another common cat kind is the Abyssinian. Unlike Maine Coon, this 1 is a pretty tiny pussy breed. It has a slim body and a short coat. As a consequence, this cat breed can do with lowest level of grooming. These cats are very active ‘n playful. So, if you have kids at home, this one may be a brilliant choice. However, note that these cats are widely known to be pretty difficult to deal with.
The Manx breed of cats is also a much preferred breed by virtue of their distinct appearance. They have strange backs which end in small tails- an attribute that makes them look very rounded. These cuddly and adorable creatures are a pleasure to look at. They are additionally more intelligent as compared to other breeds. They’re playful and also known to be very social.
Yet an additional famous cat breed is Russian Blue. This cat has 1 of its kinds look and is regarded to be very clever too. This 1 is stated to be an exotic cat kind. The blue and grayish coat of this cat assuredly adds it a very definite and exclusive look. This breed of cat is very reserved and shy. It’s because of this, that it doesn’t bond well with strangers or guests. On the other hand, this breed has a tendency to bond and mingle well with the owners. As an exotic breed, petting this cat may prove to be pretty an expensive matter.
All the above mentioned cat breeds may turn out to be best pet for you. Nevertheless, it is advised to learn well in detail about the strange traits of these cats beforehand, then zero in on any as per your taste and ease.
19 DecPersian Cat Breed Origin
There’s a beautiful legend which tells that the Persian cat was created by a wizard from a sparkle, which jumped out of the fire, the shimmer of two far away stars and a curl of grey smoke. I’d say that this legend rather closely describes appearance and temperament of the Persian cat, but the real history of persian cat breed is not less interesting or less mysterious.
So how does such mutation as long hair appear in a domestic cat? None of its wild counterparts has long hair gene. Well, if only lynx and snow leopard have a slightly longer coat due to the environmental conditions of their habitat.
It’s rather difficult now to investigate the origins of the long-haired cats, but most probably they are rooted in Persia, which is now called Iran. That’s from where Pietro della Valle brought several long-haired cat beauties to Italy in 1620. And a few years later the scholar and naturalist Nicolas-Claude Fabri de Peiresc brought long-haired cats form Angora (now Ankara in Turkey) to France. When the first long-haired cats appeared in England (which is now called ‘the second motherland of the Persian cats) they were called ‘French cats’.
It’s not exactly known whether those were the cats of one and the same breed. Nowadays it is the recognized fact that there existed several breeds of long-haired cats in the East. Angora cats were described as fluffy, light and active animals of a medium size, while well-known Alfred Edmund Brehm described long-haired Angora cats as big-sized and clumsy cats. He as well noted that grey and blue Angora cats were observed in the South of Siberia.
It’s not easy to answer the question why the animal from hot Asian counties has got long hair, while Mother Nature usually gifted long-hair to animals from severe Northern countries.
There are several versions regarding the long-haired cats origin. Some believe that among the ancestors of the Persian cat breed there were long-haired cats form Siberia which at first got into East and Small Asia, and only then were brought to Western Europe.
Others believe that long hair was a mutation which happened to a short-haired cat in the East, which then was kept in the process of domestication and some sort of selection – thus the cats which got into Europe and Siberia were aborigineous to Eastern countries.
The third theory roots in the phenotypic differences between the Persian cats and other domestic cats. This theory suggests that massive stocky with the ears set wide, big round head are related to Pallas’ Cat ( Felis manul ) otherwise known as Manul – wild cat which lives in Central Asia and has comparatively long hair, flat face with round eyes and ears set low on the head. Recent research however refutes this theory.
Such are the different Persian cat origin theories but anyway, all of them are pointing to Iran, Turkey and Afghanistan as the Persian cat native lands.
England is rightfully called the second Motherland of the Persian cats, as it were British cat fanciers who started to purposefully breed cat breeds (and primarily – Persian cat breed) in the 19th century. Although that was the time when the long-haired cats started being differentiated into Turkish Angora (long flexible body, silky but less thick coat, big pointed ears) and Persian cats (massive, with big round head and small ears), as a matter of fact only blue cats of the latter were called Persian, and all the rest were simply called ‘long-haired’ cats. Every of about 50 colors of long-haired cats was considered to be a separate breed. Till nowadays the Persian cat in England is not in fact called ‘Persian’ but rather ‘long-haired’, and every color variation is attributed to a separate cat breed. Also the official ruling of the British cat fanciers club regarding this issue was issued as early as 1910, the Englishmen still follow this kind of breed distinction.
The Persian cats arrived into America in the eighties of the 19th century and soon became a very popular cat breed. Unlike British clubs, in America all the color variations of the long-haired cats were attributed to one cat breed – “the Persian cat”. There are lots of color variations for Persian cats but Persian show cats are limited to the following colors: solid color, shaded and smoke, tabby, particolor, bicolor.
For today we know about 150 variations of the persian cat breed and contemporary persian cat, due to the efforts of many breeders, is a work of art among the other cat breeds. New age Persian cats are quite different form their ancestors. The Persian cats of the ‘old type’ had a narrower face, the color variations were not so rich and the coat was not so thick and delightful. Contemporary Persian cat might have its coat as long as 10 centimeters. One could say that the contemporary persian cat is the result of selective breeding by cat breeders from different countries. Probably due to that fact there are several Persian breed standards and some of the traits are still not agreed upon.
For one, starting form the middle of the 20th century, American cat breeders’s efforts were aimed at reinforcing traits peculiar to Persian breed – they were trying to breed a cat with even more massive, short body, even more round head and flat muzzle. As a result a new variation – Extreme Persian (or Peeked Faced Persian) – emerged. The first kittens of that type were born to red and red tabby persians in 1920-s. Although veterinarians believe that extreme manifestation of such traits is harmful to the animals health (specifically affecting their sinuses and breathing), and the despite the fact that British cat fanciers stand against such breeding, extreme persians are extremely popular in America and many European countries.
Contemporary persian cat became progenitor to a new breed – Exotic cat – a short-haired cat breed which has all the traits specific for the Persian cat breed with the exception of the coat length. Exotic cat is a hybrid with adorable temperament and excellent physical condition. The breed was created by American cat breeders in 1960-s. FIFe (Federation Internationale Feline) recognized the Exotic cat breed in 1984. Short (though longer than with other short-haired cat breeds) but awesome sparkly coat of the Exotic cat does not cause any problems with grooming.