I recently came across a breed of cat which surprised me. I’d never seen one, and don’t recall spotting any reference to it in books or magazines (probably due to going around with half-closed eyes!). It was the Sphynx, a breed which is hairless due a mutated gene, and was named after the ancient monument in Egypt. As one writer put it, if you ever wanted to see what a cat looked like naked, then now you know.

Now that I’ve opened my eyes and looked around I find that The Sphynx is not alone as a hairless breed. To my mind (and I’m sure I’m bound to annoy more than one person here) the other two I’ve come across – the Peterbald and the Donskoy – are even stranger, the latter being extremely wizened. And yet, like all breeds each has its enthusiasts. Each to his or her own, say I.

It seems that the Sphynx breed probably originated in the 1960 when a shorthaired domestic cat in Canada had a male kitten which was hairless. The younger male then mated with his mother and so a new hairless breed was born. It took until the 1990s for the Sphynx to be recognised officially and not until 2002 could it be widely shown.

Sphynx cats are friendly, loyal companions, who delight in a lot of personal attention and purr happily when a favorite person is nearby. They are athletic athletic and enjoy tree climbing. The Sphynx have strong personalities and don’t enjoy being lonely. Another cat companion, not neceassarily another Sphynx, will help to keep a Sphynx happy and occupied while the owner is away from the house.

As implied in my opening comments these unusual cats are not to everyone’s liking. But with its unique appearance and bubbly personality you might just decide that one would make a great new companion.

Tags: cat breeds, Donskoy, Peterbald, Sphynx

I have a friend who I often described as “her with two kids, two cats and a dog”.  The dog is a golden retriever; the cats defy description in terms of breed.  The great thing, though, is how well they get on together. Like human brothers and sisters they sometimes tantalise one another, they sometimes argue, but they don’t like being apart – as is seen very clearly when the dog is away being looked after by friends for a few days; the reunion is something to be seen.

This made me think about specific cat breeds, and I started to do some reading.  As is often the case I don’t claim this to be thoroughly researched, but from my reading so far I’ve put Burmese, Siamese and Ragdolls on my initial list of cat breeds likely to live in harmonious coexistence with a dog.

I suppose, though, that peaceful cat-dog coexistence will depend also on the breed of dog. That’s something I haven’t yet researched.

Tags: cat breeds, cats and dogs together, dog-cat coexistence

The Ragdoll breed was initially developed in California in the 1960s and went through a somewhat confrontational period as different breeder groups differed over the standards and administrative arrangements for the breed registration.  By the 1980s Ragdoll cats were being exported to other countries and after about ten years the breed was eventually recognised in the United Kingdom.  Since the early 1990s it popularity has increased around the world and in many major countries is now in the top ten.

The Ragdoll is one of the larger breeds of cat, with long soft hair.  It requires grooming to keep the coat in good condition but is less prone to severe matting than some other breeds such as the Persian.  They tend to be very “laid back” in temperament, are often cuddly with humans, relax when picked up, and are sometimes said to be rather dog-like in their behaviour.  Their docile behaviour is probably inherited from Persian and Birman ancestry; in fact they are usually so docile that some breeders have been coming to feel that this relaxed manner is too much to be good for them

On the whole this breed is likely to inflict little claw damage on furniture as they do not get stressed very easily.  A Ragdoll will usually live peaceably with another cat, but generally prefers human family company.  Kittens are born white but adult colouring varies widely.

For several decades the breed name Ragdoll was a privately owned trademark controlled by an individual breeder, and only since 2005 when the trademark was not renewed has it been possible to use it widely.  As a result the name Ragamuffin started to become widely used, and there now are cat fancy societies with this breed name, such as the UK RagaMuffin Cat Society and the US-based RagaMuffin Associated Group (RAG).  Specialist breeders have focused on producing subtly different characteristics from the Ragdoll although the average owner would find it very difficult to tell the two breeds apart.

Ragdoll Cats – further information:
The British Ragdoll Cat Club
The Cat Fanciers Association (USA) Breed Profile

Video: The Ragdoll Cats of Crack O’ Noon!
The following video captured out attention on YouTube. We have no commercial connection with Crack O’ Noon Ragdolls but couldn’t resist showing their video.

Photographs of the beautiful and humorous cats and kittens of Crack O’ Noon Ragdolls, Colorado

Tags: cat breeds, cat video, ragamuffin cat, ragdoll cat

As is indicated by its name the Burmese cat originated in Burma (often known today as Myanmar) and was brought to the West in the years immediately before the 2nd World War. After the war the look of the breed diverged on opposite sides of the Atlantic so that now there are European Burmese and American Burmese cats. Although the ordinary cat lover might often be hard pressed to tell the difference the expert breeders and show judges have long debated the merits and demerits of the two.

The breed is good around people and enjoys being in a home with more than one cat.  The following YouTube video clip shows the playfulness of Burmese kittens.  I liked this when I saw it but have so far been unable to identify its producer or I would give them credit.

A Burmese cat is sleek and smooth which from the point of view of the owner is extremely convenient as its glossy coat needs little or no grooming by human hand. The Burmese has been described as the ultimate low maintenance cat. Although sleek and medium-sized people are often surprised at the weight of a Burmese as they tend to be very muscular. Colour varies from platinum and champagne to chocolate brown, and the eyes are often bright yellow or gold.

Burmese Cat Calendar from Amazon.com

Burmese Cats 2011 Square 12X12 Wall Calendar (Multilingual Edition) $11.69 Known to shadow their owners wherever they go, Burmese Cats relish the attention and affection people give them and they return the favor generously. A Burmese is truly an extrovert. Fans of this fabulous breed will cherish this Burmese Cats wall calendar...

UK visitors to our site can find Burmese cat calendarson Amazon.co.uk.

Tags: Burmese cat, cat breeds, cat video

For many families a kitten from the litter born next door, of no particular breed, is quite enough.  Other people like to have a cat of known breed, often because a friend or relative has one and they’ve been won over by its appearance and/or personality.

There is vast range of breeds and families of breeds to choose from. Information on these is not difficult to come by.  Many breeds have societies devoted to them; many have extensive single-breed web sites; and the number of books is legion.

There are many books to help you in your search to find what breed of cat will best suit your personality, and your purse.  A convenient “Kitten Buyers’ Guide” for the UK is published periodically in “Your Cat” magazine, the November 2009 issue being the latest.

An excellent book that I bought recently is Encyclopedia Of Catsby Candida Frith-Macdonald. It is available from Amazon.com by clicking the link above. Described as a “comprehensive guide to all world breeds”, and with more than a 1,000 photographic images, this 384-page book published in 2008 is highly informative and easy to read.

(UK visitors: As of the date of writing this post the British edition of this book appears to be out of print. However, here is a range of alternative cat encyclopediasavailable from Amazon.co.uk).

Tags: cat breeds, cat magazine, kitten buyers guide, your cat

Cat health is a complex subject.  Many of its aspects are common to all, but individual breeds have different genealogies and as a result of their varying genetic makeup they differ one from another in the degree to which they are prone to various diseases.  Here are just two examples.

A Bengal cat, firstly, can often be prone to problems of the digestive system, probably because of generational closeness to its Asian leopard cat ancestors and lack of time to adapt to anything other than a hunted meat diet.  It was only as recently as the 1970s that the Bengal was developed through cross-breeding of domestic cats with wild leopard cats, and even in the past couple of decades a great deal of breeding back to the wild has taken place, even though it is now discouraged.  Problems such as irritable bowel syndrome are not uncommon.

Secondly, during the process of self-grooming all cats swallow hair.  Shorthaired cats do not normally have a problem with this, and the strands of hair simply pass through the digestive system. In longhaired breeds, however, there can be difficulty with hairballs forming in the stomach, composed of a mixture of hair and fat. Specially formulated foods can help minimise this.  It must always be remembered that long hair arises from a genetic mutation and close attention to cat health is necessary.

Make sure that you read up on the characteristics of a breed before purchasing and taking responsibility for an animal. This should always include any information you can find about the specific health care risks and requirements of the particular breed.

Tags: bengal cat, cat breeds, cat health, hairball, leopard cat