York Chocolate Cat

The York Chocolate Cat is a new American breed of show cat, with a long, fluffy coat and a plumed tail. The first part of its name is taken from New York state, where it was bred in 1983. This breed was created by color-selecting domestic longhaired cats, and as the name suggests, all members of this breed are solid chocolate or lavender, solid chocolate and white, or lavender and white (see bicolor cat). The breed is not yet widely recognized by breeders and the Cat Fanciers' Association.

Description

The York Chocolate cat is a medium to large cat with a rounded head and a moderately long muzzle. They have large, almond-shaped eyes that are either gold or green. Their bodies are big-boned and muscular, with long necks. The cats have big fluffy tails, tufted feet, and sometimes ruffs. The coat is semi-longhaired and very fine. It is either solid chocolate, solid lavender, white and chocolate, or white and lavender. The kittens are much lighter, and tabby markings and tipping is acceptable until the kitten reaches eighteen months of age.

Personality

The York Chocolate Cat is a very friendly, even-tempered breed that is very content as a lap cat. They love to be held and cuddled. The cats are intelligent, energetic, and curious, happily following their owner around looking to stir up trouble. They are good companions and good hunters. They seem to be enamored with water.

History

The breed was created by Janet Chiefari in 1983. The father was a black longhaired cat and the mother was a longhaired black and white cat. Their Siamese ancestors created the brown coloring in one kitten: Brownie. Brownie had a litter that subsequent summer with a black longhaired tom. There were two kittens in the litter: a chocolate male and a white and chocolate female. Upon noticing similarities in coat and body types, Chiefari began her own breeding program.

In March 1990, the Cat Fanciers Federation and the American Cat Fanciers Association recognized York Chocolates as an experimental cat breed. In March 1992, the breed was also given CFF Championship status. It was granted Champion status by the Canadian Cat Association in March 1995, as well.

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Ukrainian Levkoy Cat

The Ukrainian Levkoy is a cat breed of very original appearance, hairless and with folded ears. These cats are of medium size, the body is rather long, muscular and slender of rectangular format. The bare skin of Levkoy is soft and hot, it is excessive, elastic and wrinkled. Levkoy cat's peculiar features are: special angular contour of its head and "stepped" profile (dogface appearance) folded ears and large, but not well wide opened, almond-shaped eyes. They are very friendly and active. The cats express sexual dimorphism.

History

Work on breed creation has been begun in 2000. Sketches of appearance of a cat, definition of breed and a choice of the genotypes reflecting a phenotype were executed by Elena Vsevolodovna Birjukova (nursery "Ladacats", Kyiv, Ukraine, ICFA RUI Rolandus Union International). The first, registered Breeding commission ICFA RUI a cat the Ukrainian Levkoy, on a nickname "Levkoy Primero" was born on January, 21st, 2004. In 2008 in various the organisations of Ukraine and Russia it is registered more than 200 individuals of cats of this breed, the Ukrainian Levkoy much of them in the fourth generation. Some tens cats already live outside of the former USSR.

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Squitten Cat

Squitten is a portmanteau word derived from the words squirrel and kitten, it is a term used to describe a cat with unusually short forelegs or unusually long hindlegs that resembles a squirrel. It is an example of a cat body type genetic mutation.

Most rarely, the term kangaroo cat is used; this derives from a 1953 specimen known as the Stalingrad Kangaroo Cat.

Characteristics

The term Squitten is generally used to refer to cats with the condition Radial Hypoplasia (under-developed radius bones) or Foreleg Micromelia (small forelegs) and related conditions known as Radial Aplasia (absent radius bones), Radial Agenesis (failure of radius bones to form) that produces stunted forelegs. The mutation sometimes occurs in the random-breeding population, particularly in inbred populations where recessive genes may be exhibited. Such cats have also been called Twisty Cats; in the late 1990s, several were deliberately bred at Karma Farms, a horse farm and cattery in Marshall, Texas, resulting in a public outcry against the operators of the farm.

Radial Hypoplasia is related to one form of polydactyly, sometimes called patty feet or hamburger feet by cat lovers to distinguish them from thumb cat polydactyls. Ordinary mitten cat polydactyls are not affected.

Cats with Radial Hypoplasia or similar mutations often sit on their rump with their forelegs unable to touch the floor; this gives them a resemblance to a squirrel or kangaroo. This raises special care considerations for owners of affected cats. Kittens may be unable to knead effectively with their short forelegs; kneading is required to stimulate milk-flow in the mother. The short or twisted forelegs cause mobility problems and such cats may adapt by using their hindlegs in a hopping gait.

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Turkish Angora

The Turkish Angora is a breed of domestic cat. Turkish Angoras are one of the ancient, naturally-occurring cat breeds, having originated in central Turkey, in the Ankara region.

Physical characteristics

They mostly have a white, silky, medium-long length coat, no undercoat and fine bone structure. There seems to be a connection between Ankara Cats and Persians (see below), and the Turkish Angora is also a distant cousin of the Turkish Van. Although they are known for their shimmery white coat, currently there are more than twenty varieties including black, blue, reddish fur. They come in tabby and tabby-white, along with smoke varieties, and are in every color other than pointed, lavender, and cinnamon (all of which would indicate breeding to an outcross).

Eyes may be blue, green, or amber, or even one blue and one amber or green. The W gene responsible for the white coat and blue eye is closely related to the hearing ability, and presence of a blue eye can indicate the cat is deaf to the side the blue eye is located. However, a great many blue and odd-eyed white cats have normal hearing, and even deaf cats lead a very normal life if kept indoors.

Ears are pointed and large, eyes are almond shaped and the head is massive with a two plane profile. Another characteristic is the tail, which is often kept parallel to the back.

History

Like all domestic cats, Turkish Angoras descended from the African wildcat (Felis silvestris lybica). The mountainous regions of Eastern Anatolia isolated cats brought by traders from Egypt, and through inbreeding and natural selection they developed into longhaired breeds like the Turkish Van and the Turkish Angora.

Longhaired cats were imported to Britain and France from Asia Minor, Persia and Russia as early as the late 16th century, though there are indications that they appeared in Europe as early as the 14th century due to the Crusades. The Turkish Angora was used, almost to the point of extinction, to improve the coat on the Persian. The Turkish Angora was recognized as a distinct breed in Europe by the early 17th century.

In the early 20th century, the Turkish government, in conjunction with the Ankara Zoo, began a meticulous breeding program to protect and preserve what they considered a national treasure: pure white Turkish Angoras with blue and amber eyes. The program continues today. The zoo particularly prized odd-eyed Angoras (ie. Turkish Angoras with one blue eye and one amber eye). The Zoo has its own cat facility which houses the white Turkish Angoras for its breeding program.

The Turkish Angora, which was brought to the United States in 1963, was accepted as a championship pedigreed breed in 1973 by the Cat Fanciers' Association. However, until 1978 only white Angoras were recognized. Today, all North American registries accept the Turkish Angora in many colors and patterns. While numbers are still relatively small, the gene pool and base of fanciers are growing.

Health considerations

In the Turkish Angora, an autosomal recessive hereditary ataxia is found. The kittens affected by this ataxia do not learn to move and die young. The genetic cause of this ataxia is not yet known. Another genetic illness known to the breed is Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy, which is an autosomal dominant gene that affects many other breeds (from Maine Coons to Persians). These cats are often mistaken for the common Norwegian Forest cat. Most of these cats have black fur with white markings.

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Tonkinese Cat

Tonkinese are a medium-sized cat breed distinguished by points as with Siamese and Burmese breeds. They are lively, friendly, often talkative cats, with gregarious personalities. But they are happy apartment cats if they have some exercise opportunity. They are commonly referred to as 'Tonks'. As with many cat breeds, the exact history of the Tonkinese varies to some degree depending on the historian.

History

Tonkinese cats are a recent cross between the Siamese and Burmese cat breeds, although some assert that Tonkinese-like cats have existed since at least the early 1800s, and the founding cat of the Burmese breed was probably a mink hybrid-colored cat named "Wong Mau," a small walnut colored cat imported to California by Dr. Joseph Cheesman Thompson in 1930. Some claim that the appearance of the breed is closer to the original appearance of the Siamese, before Siamese breeders developed today's triangular head and very leggy body. The name is not related to the Tonkin region of Indochina. When the breed was first established in Canada, the breed name was actually spelled "Tonkanese," which was a reference to the island in the musical South Pacific where "half-breeds" suffered no discrimination. The mistaken idea that the name was a geographical reference paralleling the Siamese and Burmese breed names resulted in a gradual switch to the current spelling, under which the breed was recognized by the US registering associations.

Physical characteristics

Tonkinese cats are commonly trim and muscular cats. They are typically heavier than they appear to be, due to their very muscular bodies. They have a distinctive oval-shaped paw, and a modified wedge-shaped head, with large ears set towards the outside of their head. They are unusually intelligent, curious, affectionate with people, and interested in them. Tonks are playful cats, but not hyperactive, although they can be mischievous if they become lonesome or bored. Some interesting toys and a cat tree, or, better yet, another Asian cat such as a Tonkinese, Oriental, Burmese, Siamese, or Snowshoe will keep them occupied when you're not around. Unlike most breeds of cat, they are reported to sometimes engage in fetching, and they can often be found perched on the highest object in the house. Do not be alarmed if your Tonkinese jumps on your shoulders, as the breed is known for its love of heights.

They are more like Burmese in temperament than Siamese, that is, less high-strung and demanding. Their voices are also less piercing (or raucous, depending on taste) in most cases than the Siamese, but most Tonks do like a good chat. Most observers feel they combine the more attractive features of both ancestor breeds.

Tonks come in four colors and exhibit a wide variety of patterns. The three main patterns are mink, solid and pointed. Solid is essentially a Burmese coat pattern; pointed a Siamese pattern. Mink is a unique Tonkinese pattern, with shaded "points" like the Siamese, with the body coloured in a shade harmonising with the point colour. Mink is intermediate between Burmese and Siamese, with less abrupt contrast between body and legs than Siamese. The mink variety is considered most desirable for the show ring in cat fancier associations. The most commonly accepted colors are: platinum, champagne, blue, and natural. Typically, solid Tonkinese cats have gold or blue- green eyes, cats with the pointed pattern are blue-eyed, and the mink cats have a shade of aquamarine. A great deal of subtle variation exists in colors and patterns, and Tonkinese body color darkens with age to some degree in all patterns. Cats kept in colder climates will typically be darker in their mink or point shading, like their Siamese cousins.

Breeding two mink Tonkinese cats does not usually yield a full litter of mink pattern Tonkinese kittens, as the mink pattern is the result of having one gene for the Burmese solid pattern and one for the Siamese pointed pattern. The most likely frequency pattern will be in such a mating one solid kitten, one pointed kitten, and two mink kittens. All three coat patterns will continue to exist and none can be bred out.

Those kittens not fitting the breed standards perfectly are termed 'pet quality' and are usually sold as companion pets, and for less money, since they can not be exhibited. They still have the same Tonkinese charm and personality. The genetics of the coat coloring and its interaction with eye coloring is complex and fascinating, though perhaps not the main attraction for Tonk fans.

Tonkinese registered in associations with closed breed books may produce smaller litters of three or four kittens on average as a result of increasing inbreeding, but those registered where new blood can still be added to the breed tend to the larger litters that come with hybrid vigor, usually having five, six, or more kittens. Kittens from closed breed book litters tend to be smaller in size. Colors and patterns in any litter depend both on statistical chance and the color genetics and patterns of the parents. Breeding between two mink-patterned cats will, on average, produce half mink kittens and one quarter each pointed and solid kittens. A pointed and a solid bred together will always produce all mink patterned kittens. A pointed bred to a mink will produce half pointed and half mink kittens, and a solid bred to a mink will produce half solid and half mink kittens.

In 2001, the Tonkinese were moved from hybrid classification to an established breed

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