Egyptian Mau

Images of Egyptian Maus, a very ancient breed, appeared on papyrus scrolls and temple walls as early as 1400 B.C.E. They originally lived in communities along the Nile River and may have been regarded as god-like beings. Ra, the sun god, has been depicted as an Egyptian Mau. These cats competed In European and Canadian shows during the 19th century, and arrived in the United States in the 1950s.

The breed name "mau" simply means cat. A British re-creation of the breed using Siamese cats is now called the Oriental Spotted Tabby, a type of Oriental Short hair. The Egyptian Mau coat appears in only three colors- silver, bronze and a shaded black smoke.

Ideal Breed Characteristics

Overall Appearance: Medium-sized, lively cat with "wild" markings.
Head: Gently wedged, rounded head with a medium-length, slightly tapered muzzle; large, almond shaped, green eyes; medium to large, and gently pointed wide-set ears.
Body: Medium, balanced, strong.
Coat Texture: Medium-length, fine, shiny, silky and dense.
Tail: Medium-length, thick, tapered.
Disqualifications: Blue eyes, lack of spots or incorrect white patches on the coat, abnormal tall.

Devon Rex

In 1960, a feral cat living near a deserted tin mine in Devon, England mated with an adopted stray living nearby. The offspring, named Kiriee, displayed a unique, tightly-curled coat. Kirlee eventually mated with Kallibunker, the original curly-coated Cornish Rex, but produced straight haired kittens. This litter confirmed that the Devon Rex mutation constituted a new genetic pattern.

The breed's very curly coat can display any color or pattern appropriate to an American Shorthair or British Shorthair cat. While a white coat with gold eyes remains the most popular show pattern, many solid, shaded, tabby and spotted patterns also exist.


Ideal Breed Characteristics

Overall Appearance: Fine boned, alert cat with large eyes and ears.
Head: Flat, wedged head with a short, well-developed muzzle; large, oval, wide-set eyes; very large, low, broad, tapered, rounded ears.
Body: Firm, thin, medium-length and muscular with a broad chest and strong, fine bones.
Coat Texture: Soft, fine and dense with a rippled waviness.
Tail: Long, thin, tapered.
Disqualifications: Baldness on the coat, abnormal tail, crossed eyes.

Cornish Rex

The spontaneous mutation that created the curly-coated Cornish Rex occurred twice: In Germany in 1946 and England in 1950. While the German Rex was largely ignored by breeders, British efforts to mate the original English Rex named "Kallibunker" with his mother encouraged a new genetic line. Export of Kallibunker's offspring to the United States established the rex line there.

The breed derives its name from Kallibunker's hometown of Cornwall, England and the term "rex," which refers to a similar coat pattern in rabbits. The coat's unusual hairs are short and wavy, existing in nearly thirty colors including solid, shaded, tabby and particolor patterns.


Ideal Breed Characteristics

Overall Appearance: Small, yet heavy, cat with a distinct wavy coat.
Head: Small, narrow head with a tapered, rounded muzzle; medium to large, oval, clear, wide-set eyes; large, erect, high-set ears.
Body: Small to medium in size with a long, slender shape, fine bones and arched back.
Coat Texture: Short, silky, very soft, wavy, thick and tight to the body.
Tail: Long, thin, tapered and flexible.
Disqualifications: Abnormal tail, presence of long, outer guard hairs.

Lost Kitten Found in Owner's Suitcase

I read an amazing piece of news from Yahoo just now and I felt that I should share it with my fellow blog readers. A 10 months old tabby named Gracie Mae jumped into her owner’s suitcase without anyone realizing it. The suitcase when through the airport x-ray machine, got loaded into the plane, thrown onto the baggage bag and got picked up by a stranger by a mistake away in Texas.

The owner, Kelly Levy said she couldn’t find Gracie after she got back from sending her husband to the airport. She searched high and low for the kitty and practically tore her house apart. And then, she got a phone call from a stranger, Rob Carter, saying that he mistakenly picked up her husband’s suitcase and found a cat in it.

Rob Carter was about to unpack when he realized that the clothes in the suitcase wasn’t his. He was about to close the luggage back when a kitten jumped out! Imagine that!

When he finally got close enough to the frighten kitty, he saw her collar and the owner’s phone number on it.

The tabby returned home by plane, back in her owner’s arms. Robert was considering keeping the kitten before he knew that she had a home. “We’re going to name it Suitcase.”

Tatiana was Provoked

Pic: Tatiana and Tony

Today in yahoo news, it was mentioned that one of the three victims of San Francisco Zoo tiger attack was intoxicated and admitted to yelling and waving at the animal while standing atop the railing of the big cat enclosure. Paul Dhaliwal, 19, told the father of Carlos Sousa Jr. who was killed, that the three yelled and waved at the tiger. As a result, the tiger might have bee taunted and agitated by this, causing her to leaped out of her enclosure and went after these boys.

Toxicology results for Dhaliwal showed that his blood alcohol level was 0.16 — twice the legal limit for driving, according to the affidavit. His 24-year-old brother, Kulbir, and Sousa also had alcohol in their blood but within the legal limit.

According to the affidavit, all three also had marijuana in their systems, Matthews said. Kulbir Dhaliwal told police that the three had smoked pot and each had "a couple shots of vodka" before leaving San Jose for the zoo on Christmas Day.

Reading this news, I was angry. Some people just don't seem to understand that animals have feelings too and they need to be respected as much as human, if not more. And these kids were treating the tiger disrespectfully, causing her to be angry. And because of these intoxicated kids, the tiger had to pay with her dear life. She was an innocent kitty!

To think about it, Tatiana was a very smart tiger. Even when she got out, she didn't attack anybody else except those brothers which proves that she didn't become violent just because she felt like it. Those kids messed with her and although this may sound a bot cold, they asked for it.

I hope they won't let these kids get away easily. They have to be hold responsible. Just because Tatiana was an animal, doesn't mean she doesn't deserve any justice.

I could only take comfort in thinking that Tatiana is in a better place now.

Chartreux

Legend describes battling knights returning from the Crusades and bringing cats back to France. These cats arrived in the care of Carthusian monks at Le Grande Chartreux monastery as early as the 14th century. The Chartreux domestic still holds a reputation for being one of the oldest natural breeds in Europe. Although very few pure bloodlines existed after World War II, selective breeding eventually rescued the breed, which began a worldwide exodus in the 1970's.

The Carthusian monks are probably responsible for assigning the breed name. Similar in body shape to the British Shorthair, the Chartreux always wears a silvery, blue-gray colored coat.

Ideal Breed Characteristics

Overall Appearance: Hearty, husky cat with agility and a thick coat.
Head: Broad, rounded head with a small, narrow muzzle; rounded, wide, coppery to golden orange eyes; medium-sized, erect, high-set ears.
Body: Sturdy, hearty and powerful.
Coat Texture: Medium-length and woolly (silkier texture on females) with a weather-resistant undercoat.
Tail: Thick, tapered and flexible.
Disqualifications: Kinked tail, green eyes, Inappropriate white areas.

California Spangled

Although the California Spangled Cat debuted in 1986, its development began in California about fifteen years earlier. Created in an effort to mimic the coat pattern of wild cats, this breed mixed Manx, Persian, Siamese, American and British Shorthair, Egyptian and Asian street cats. The domestic cats were designed to draw attention to the endangered status of the wild cats they resembled.

Today the coat can appear in approximately ten different colors including blue, gold and silver. Although the colors may differ from cat to cat, each California Spangled Cat must display the unique spotted coat pattern which always contrasts with the background color.

Ideal Breed Characteristics

Overall Appearance: Well-balanced cat with a distinct, spotted coat.
Head: Rounded head with a wide, gently tapered muzzle; medium-sized, oval eyes; medium-sized triangular, wide-set ears.
Body: Medium-sized, muscular and balanced.
Coat Texture: Short and smooth, with finer fur under the belly.
Tail: Long, gently tapered and rounded with dark rings near the tip.
Disqualifications: Universal cat show disqualifications apply.

Burmese / Tiffany

Cats resembling the modern Burmese appeared in the Cat-Book Poems, printed in Thailand in 1350 C.E. The modern breed, however, traces its origins to a breeding effort in the United States during the 1930s. Wong Mau, a brown female from Burma, was imported by an American doctor. The cat mated with a Siamese and produced kittens with many different color patterns, including a dark, solid brown. The brown cats became the core breeding stock of the new breed; each Burmese cat traces its heritage to these felines.

The Burmese coat still exists in a dark sable-brown color. The rare Tiffany breed is essentially a long haired Burmese.


Ideal Breed Characteristics

Overall Appearance: Muscled, agile cat with expressive eyes and face.
Head: Full, round head with a short, rounded muzzle; slightly tapered, large, wide-set eyes; medium-sized, broad, rounded, wide-set ears.
Body: Medium-sized and compact with a level back and round chest.
Coat Texture: Shiny, glossy, short and tight to the body.
Tail: Medium-length and straight.
Disqualifications: Abnormal tail, blue eyes, over or underbite, distorted jaw, spots on the coat.

Getting A Cat as Your Pet

There are many advantages to owning a cat. Clean, easy to care for and independent, they require little living space, adapt to an indoor lifestyle and often cost less to maintain than other pets. You should be prepared for a lengthy commitment, however, since cats generally live for about fifteen years. As territorial animals, they dislike travel and moving from home to home; mobile people should seriously consider their decision before buying a cat.

After you decide to adopt a cat, you must make several important decisions, including the pedigree, age and sex of your prospective pet. In theory, pedigreed cats have predictable personality traits and maintain a physical type. People interested in showing a cat must select a high quality pedigreed cat. Non-pedigreed cats, on the other hand, generally cost less, make healthy pets and often need to find good homes.

When considering the sex of your new cat, remember that both neutered males and spayed females make excellent pets; neither sex has a particular advantage over the other. Unspayed females, however, go into heat throughout the spring and summer months and may become accidentally pregnant. Unneutered males are prone to spraying urine, fighting and wandering.

Young kittens have great appeal and will become quickly adjusted to your home, but they require more attention than adult cats. An adult cat usually requires more time to become comfortable in a new environment, but requires less care, training and attention than a kitten. Kittens should arrive in your home when they reach eight to ten weeks of age. Cats that leave the social environment of the litter too early may develop shy or aggressive personalities later in life.

For people who spend a lot of time out of the house, adopting two or more cats can prevent loneliness. Consult with a professional breeder, animal society or veterinarian to discuss the health and cost issues involved in owning multiple cats.

Take plenty of time to select a specific cat before you bring it into your home. Contact a breed society or visit a cat show to give you insight into the breeds you prefer. Professional breeders produce the best pedigreed animals, while humane societies, animal clinics and shelters remain excellent resources for non-pedigreed pets.

Look for an alert, energetic, friendly, playful animal, but avoid shy, sickly or aggressive cats. Bring a friend or professional to help you evaluate the cats and try to meet their parents. Healthy cats have smooth, unmatted, parasite-free coats, bright eyes, damp noses, clean ears and white teeth. There should be no signs of disease or illness, especially diarrhea. Obtain vaccination certificates and registration papers (if any) at the time of sale, and work out a return policy in case of problems.

Prepare your home and family for the introduction a new cat. Place breakable, valuable, toxic and sharp objects in a safe place. Remove small rubber objects, plastic bags and other items that a cat may chew or swallow. Windows and doors to the outdoors should be closed and latched until the cat becomes adjusted to your home. Purchase a litter box, feeding supplies (food and bowls), a grooming kit, bed, scratching post and toys. Depending on your lifestyle, a carrying crate may also be necessary. Schedule a visit to the veterinarian for a check-up and any needed vaccines. Young children many need explanations and demonstrations of the proper way to behave with animals.

With careful research and preparation, you will find that cats make loving and entertaining additions to your home.

Little Joe Joe

I found this clip of a 3 weeks old kitten looking so adorable. His name is Joe Joe. I thought I'd share it with all my readers.