Cat Breeds

Cats can also come in several body types, ranging between two extremes. These are the body types of cat:

Oriental

Not a specific breed, but any cat with an elongated slender build, almond-shaped eyes, long nose, large ears (the Siamese and Oriental Shorthair breeds are examples of this).

Foreign

Less slender than the oriental type, but nevertheless a cat with a slight build and generally athletic look. Typical example breeds would be the Abyssinian cat and the Turkish Angora. Some people consider the foreign and oriental body types as being the same, however.

Semi-Foreign

More or less the middle range of body conformation types, this type of cat is less slender without being stocky. Example breeds would be the Devon Rex and the Egyptian Mau.

Semi-Cobby

These cats look more rounded without looking too stocky. Example breeds would be the American Shorthair and British Shorthair.

Cobby

Any cat with a short, muscular, compact build, roundish eyes, short nose, and small ears. Persian cats and Exotic cats are two prime examples of such a body type.

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Most popular cat names in Quebec:

1. Minou
2. Grisou
3. Ti-Mine
4. Félix
5. Caramel
6. Mimi
7. Pacha
8. Charlotte
9. Minette
10. Chanel

Popular cat names in Germany:

1. Felix
2. Minka
3. Moritz
4. Charly
5. Tiger (tee-gher)
6. Max
7. Susi
8. Lisa
9. Blacky
10. Muschi

Cat years is life expectancy of a cat, typically 12-15 years. However, a cat kept indoors may live to at least 21 years. This compares to a world average for humans of 67.2 years. A one-year-old cat may be compared to a 15-year-old-human. This proportion narrows as the cat gets older so that when the cat is 15 it is equivalent to a 76-year-old person.

Cat years compare to human years:

Cat Years	Human Years
1	15
2	24
3	28
4	32
5	36
6	40
7	44
8	48
9	52
10	56
11	60
12	64
13	68
14	72
15	76
16	80
17	84
18	88
19	92
20	96

The United States' largest pet insurer, Veterinary Pet Insurance (VPI), releases annual rankings of its customers' most popular cat names and dog names. The 2010 list (based on information from 2009 and released in January 2010) was gathered from 475,000 policies. Curtis Steinhoff, senior director of corporate communications for VPI, attributed the popularity of "Bella" (No. 3 on the cat list but No. 1 for dogs) on the 2010 list as probably having "something to do with Bella being the name of the heroine in a certain vampire book/film series that's pretty popular these days."

In 2009, the Chicago Sun-Times reported that according to government databases, the three most popular cat names in that city were, in order, Kitty, Tiger and Max. In 2004, the same newspaper reported differently based on information from the Cook County Department of Animal Control. The Sun-Times reported in 1987 that the same Cook County department had checked its database of 27,863 cats that had been vaccinated from 1984 through 1986 and found yet different results.

Popular cat names in United States:

Source	VPI 2010	VPI 2009	VPI 2008	VPI 2006
1	Max	Max	Max	Max
2	Chloe	Chloe	Chloe	Tigger
3	Bella	Tigger	Lucy	Smokey
4	Oliver	Tiger	Tigger	Tiger
5	Tiger	Lucy	Tiger	Chloe
6	Smokey	Smokey	Smokey	Shadow
7	Tigger	Oliver	Oliver	Lucy
8	Lucy	Bella	Bella	Angel
9	Shadow	Shadow	Sophie	Oliver
10	Angel	Charlie	Princess	Simba

In 2006, Direct Line, a pet insurance company, created this list of the most popular cat names in United Kingdom chosen by its customers: The company's lists of popular cat and dog names "overlaps heavily with the same year’s 100 most popular children’s names in England and Wales", according to Melissa Lafsky, writing in the "Freakonomics" blog at the New York Times website:

1. Molly
2. Charlie
3. Tigger
4. Poppy
5. Oscar
6. Smudge
7. Millie
8. Daisy
9. Max
10. Jasper

Another survey conducted in 2006 came up with different results. In that poll, conducted for the Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, 2,000 people in the United Kingdom were asked about their pets' names. The most popular names in United Kingdom were:

1. Molly
2. Felix
3. Smudge
4. Sooty
5. Tigger
6. Charlie
7. Alfie
8. Oscar
9. Millie
10. Misty

A 1998 poll in Britain conducted for Petplan, an animal insurer, found the most popular cat names to be Charlie, Milly, Oscar, Tiger, Poppy, Sophie, Rosie, Smudge and Lucy.

According to "Bow Wow Meow", an Australian company that provides pet tags to pet stores and veterinarians, the 10 most popular cat names its Australian customers chose, as of 2010, are:

1. Oscar
2. Max
3. Tiger
4. Sam
5. Misty
6. Simba
7. Coco
8. Chloe
9. Lucy
10. Missy

10 most popular cat names its Australian customers chose, as of 2008, are::

1. Oscar
2. Bella
3. Molly
4. Max
5. Coco
6. Milo
7. Angel
8. Tigger
9. Missy
10. Lily

10 most popular cat names its Australian customers chose, as of 2008, are::

1. Tiger
2. Puss
3. Smokey
4. Misty
5. Tigger
6. Kitty
7. Oscar
8. Missy
9. Max
10. Ginger

The York Chocolate Cat is a new American breed of show cat, with a long, fluffy coat and a plumed tail and most of them are black. 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 (bicolor cat). The breed is not yet widely recognized by breeders and the Cat Fanciers' Association.

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.

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.

The Ukrainian Levkoy is a cat breed of an 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.

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.

A Twisty Cat or squitten is a cat breed with unusually short forelegs or unusually long hind legs that resembles a squirrel. It is an example of a cat body type genetic mutation. The word squitten is a portmanteau of the words squirrel and kitten.

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

The term squitten is generally used to refer to cats with the condition radial hypoplasia (underdeveloped 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.

A corresponding condition affecting the hind legs is called Femoral Hypoplasia and has only been reported three times in cats.

Typical characteristics of a squitten are short forelegs, with a short radius and ulna which may be twisted or absent, extra front toes, and normal-length hind legs.

The Turkish Vankedisi is a breed name accepted by some cat registries to refer to the Van Kedisi and pure white versions of the Turkish Van.

The Vankedisi is alike in all ways to the Turkish Van apart from its colouration. A normal mating to produce Turkish Vankedisi kittens would be between a Turkish Van and a Turkish Vankedisi.

In Turkey the all-white Van Kedisi has always been the most highly prized, even more so than the more familiar van pattern, with its coloured patches on the head and tail. Due to the severe restrictions placed on the export of these highly prized cats very few ever left Turkey. However, in the early 1990s, Lois Miles succeeded in obtaining written permission from the Turkish authorities to bring a white, odd-eyed female to the U.K. The most sought-after is an odd-eyed white cat, but blue-eyed cats are also seen as special. The variety was given recognition by the GCCF in 2006 and by TICA in 2007.

The Turkish Vankedisi is a cat breed name accepted by some cat registries to refer to the Van Kedisi and pure white versions of the Turkish Van.

The Vankedisi is alike in all ways to the Turkish Van apart from its colouration. A normal mating to produce Turkish Vankedisi kittens would be between a Turkish Van and a Turkish Vankedisi.

In Turkey the all-white Van Kedisi has always been the most highly prized, even more so than the more familiar van pattern, with its coloured patches on the head and tail. Due to the severe restrictions placed on the export of these highly prized cats very few ever left Turkey. However, in the early 1990s, Lois Miles succeeded in obtaining written permission from the Turkish authorities to bring a white, odd-eyed female to the U.K. The most sought-after is an odd-eyed white cat, but blue-eyed cats are also seen as special. The variety was given recognition by the GCCF in 2006 and by TICA in 2007.

The Turkish Van, or simply just Van, is a recognized cat breed that was created from the cats native to the Lake Van area. The cats of this type are named in Turkish Van Kedisi (although it is used to refer solely to the all-white form), in Armenian vana katu (Armenian: վանա կատու), and in Kurdish (Pisîka Wanê). Originally called in the West the Turkish Cat, the name was changed in 1979 in the U.S. (1985 in the U.K.) to Turkish Van to better distance the breed from the Turkish Angora cat which had its origins around Ankara, in central Turkey. Traditionally, in the cat fancy, Turkish Vans are recognized as patterned cats with colour restricted to the head and tail with the body of the cat being white. However, in Turkey, the cat is recognised in an all-white form as well as the form with red patterning and a "fox tail", and with blue eyes, amber eyes, or one eye of each colour (Heterochromia iridis).

Characteristics

The coat is the most fascinating trait on this cat. The climate change in Eastern Anatolia region throughout the year seems to have designed the cat's coat over time. Eastern Anatolia is mountainous, and Lake Van sits over 5,260 ft (1,600 m).) above sea level. The area faces such extreme temperatures during the summer and winter seasons that it is almost inhospitable. The semi-long haired, water resistant single coat, is thick in winter but very soft, like rabbit fur or cashmere. At maturity, the cat will have a winter mane. During the spring and summer months when it becomes extremely hot, the long hair on the body is shed for a shorter coat that retains the cashmere feel. The hair on the tail remains long throughout the year and has the appearance of a bottle brush.

The Turkish Van is a large, semi-longhaired cat with a swimmer's body. Ideal type should feature broad shoulders with a body that is 'top heavy', that is a cat with its center of gravity forward. The cat is moderately long and its back legs are slightly longer than its front legs but, neither the cat itself nor its legs are so long to be disproportionate. These cats are large and muscular and feature short necks. Male Vans grow to about 16 pounds (7 kg), while females tend to be a bit lighter in weight, 12 to 14 lb (5 to 6 kg). A Van will take up to 3 years to reach full maturity. Vans have been known to reach 3 ft (1 m) long from nose to tip of tail.

The shoulders of the Turkish Van are broad with the ability for one to place three fingers between the legs at the chest area. It is said that large Van males are the only domestic cats that cannot follow their heads through a fence due to the broadness of their chest and shoulders. The rear end on the cat should not exceed the width of the shoulders — in other words, no bell bottomed or pear shape should be seen.

Turkish Vans are very intelligent, and will easily take over their home and owners. Vans are people cats that want to be with people wherever they go. They like to play and jump and explore anything in their reach, which is quite large. They are energetic; they play hard and sleep hard. Unusual for cat breeds, Turkish Vans love to play in the water and will join you in the tub for a dip or help you in the sink and are known as "the swimming cat." Many Vans are dedicated to fetching their particular object of interest, and many owners describe them as "dogs in a cat suit" because of their unusual personalities.

Vans, because of their fine fur, are hypo-allergenic cats. They are considered excellent pets for those with allergies.

Breed standards

The coloring of the Turkish Van should be limited to the head and tail with random body spots acceptable but all color should not exceed more than 20% of the entire cat with no lower case markings (marking on the legs). The random spots should not detract from the pattern. This would be a small color cap on the head with a white blaze to at least between the front edge of the ears, and a colored tail in any of the traditional colors. The rest of the cat is chalk white. Color can extend up the rump from the tail of the cat and patterned cats often have a random spot or spots of color on the shoulder (more frequently on the left shoulder) or body.

White Turkish Vans should be solid white if that variety is accepted by their registration association.

The traditional color of a Turkish Van is Red Tabby and White; as this was the first color exported out of Turkey. Later colors added were Cream, Black, Blue, Cream Tabby, Brown Tabby, Blue Tabby, Tortoiseshell, Dilute Tortoiseshell, Brown Torbie, and Blue Torbie.

Currently, in Turkey, the Van Kedisi (English: Van cat) is recognized only as an all white cat, generally with eyes of two different colors (see Odd-eyed cat). These all-white cats may be either short or long haired. The all white Turkish Van is claimed to be genetically identical to the patterned cat with the exception of the white masking gene (W) that "covers" the pattern. Offspring of a white Turkish Van mated to a patterned Van will be a 50/50 mix of white and patterned kittens. However, this can only be the case if the white is masking the van pattern. As white can mask any possible cat color and pattern, solid and bicolor kittens could be produced from a white to van-patterned mating. At present cat associations in England recognize the patterned offspring of such a mating as Turkish Vans and the white offspring as a new breed called Turkish Vankedisi. WCF and FIFe, the largest international cat fancy organizations, recognize only van-patterned TUVs. In the U.S., TICA has fully accepted the white vans as Turkish Vans as has the Government of Turkey. CFA, the world's largest registry of pedigreed cats, does not recognize the all-white Turkish Van as they define the breed by both its type and pattern.

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

Turkish Angora Cats have a silky (originally white), 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, and 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. Some undeaf \turkish angoras love to go outside, and if you have hardwood floors inside, the Turkish Angora will be agreeable to spin in donuts on the floor.

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

In the Turkish Angora, a disease that is commonly referred to as ataxia, is found. Ataxia is thought to be inherited as autosomal recessive. The kittens affected by ataxia have Parkinson's like movements, and require intensive nursing care to help them survive. These kittens are usually euthanized, but there are reports of a small handful of kittens that may have survived to adulthood. The genetic cause of this ataxia is not yet known. Another genetic illness known to the breed is Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy, which is a cardiac condition usually found between the ages of 2 - 6, with males being affected more commonly and more severely than females. In the Maine Coon cat, HCM is thought to be an autosomal dominant gene and researchers are working to identify markers for this disease. However, in the Turkish Angora, the disease has not yet been studied at length, and is likely to result from a different mutation of genes, with a different gene location than that of the Maine Coon cat. HCM also affects many other breeds (from Ragdolls to Persians, to Bengals).

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.

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.
The Tonkinese has a winsome personality, not surprising since the Burmese and Siamese are prized for their temperaments. Faithful followers say the Tonkinese has the best of both cat breeds. Its voice is milder in tone than the Siamese; however, it does believe in feline free speech and wants to share all of the day's adventures with you when you come home in the evening. The Tonkinese craves, and returns, affection and companionship. It has an unflagging enthusiasm for life and life's pleasures, and loves interactive toys such as human fingers and the tails of its cat companions. It makes every close encounter a game.

Tonkinese 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.

Tonkinese cats weigh 10-20 lbs.

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.

The Sphynx (Canadian Hairless ) is a rare breed of cat known for its lack of a coat.

Anecdotal evidence shows that hairless cats have been the results of natural mutation that occurs in the cat population every 15–20 years. The contemporary breed of Sphynx (known also as the Canadian Sphynx, distinct from the Russian Sphynx breeds - Peterbald, Don Sphynx) started in 1966, in Roncesvalles, Toronto when a hairless kitten named Prune was born. The kitten was mated with its mother (backcrossing), which produced one more naked kitten. Together with a few naked kittens found later it became the primogenitor of the breed. The first sphynx breeders faced a number of problems: The genetic pool was very limited; breeders had rather vague ideas about sphynx genetics; and many kittens died. The naked male Epidermis born in 1975 to short-haired mother provided new material to sphynx fanciers and new genes for further breed development. In the early stages of the breed crosses with devon-rex were used, but later this crossing was frowned upon because it caused health problems. Now the Canadian Sphynx is a breed with a sound genetic pool and closed to out-crossing unless the breeder has an experimental breeding license.

Characteristics
The Sphynx appears to be a hairless cat, but it is not truly hairless. The skin texture resembles that of Chamois leather. It may be covered with very short, fine hair, not unlike a peach. Because the sphynx cats have no pelt to keep them warm they huddle up against other animals and people. They even tend to cuddle up and sleep with their owners under the covers [1] Lack of coat makes the cat quite warm to the touch. Whiskers and eyebrows may be present, either whole or broken, or may be totally absent. The skin is the colour their fur would be, and all the usual cat marking patterns (solid, point, van, tabby, tortie, etc.) may be found on Sphynx skin.

Sphynxes generally have wedge-shaped heads and sturdy, heavy bodies. Standards call for a full round abdomen, also known as pot bellies.

Sphynxes are known for their extroverted behavior. They display a high level of energy, intelligence, curiosity, and affection for their owners.

Care
While Sphynx cats lack a coat to shed or groom, they are not maintenance-free. Body oils, which would normally be absorbed by the hair, tend to build up on the skin. As a result, regular cleaning (usually in the form of bathing) is necessary; one bath a week is usually sufficient.[4] Care should be taken to limit the Sphynx cat's exposure to outdoor sunlight at length, as they can develop sunburn and photo damage similar to that of humans. In general, Sphynx cats should never be allowed outdoors unattended, as they have limited means to conserve body heat when it is cold. Their curious nature can take them into dangerous places or situations.

Although Sphynx cats are sometimes thought to be hypoallergenic due to their lack of coat, this is not always the case for cat specific allergies. Allergies to cats are triggered by a protein called Fel d1, not cat hair itself. Fel d1 is a tiny and sticky protein primarily found in cat saliva and sebaceous glands. Those with cat allergies may react worse to direct contact with Sphynx cats than other breeds. However, conflicting reports of some people successfully tolerating Sphynx cats also exist. However, these positive reports may be cases of desensitizing, wherein the "hairless" cat gave the owner optimism to try and own a cat, eventually leading to the positive situation of their own adaptation.

Health Issues
The Canadian Sphynx is recognized by cat fancy associations as being a healthy robust breed. Lack of hair can cause health issues with kittens in the first weeks of life due to susceptibility to respiratory infections. Reputable breeders will not let their kittens go to new homes without being at least 12 weeks of age to ensure the kitten is mature enough to cope in a new environment.

The breed does have instances of the genetic disorder Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy due to early outcrossing with Devon Rex and American Shorthair breeds. Studies are being undertaken to understand the links in breeding and the disorder.

Sphynx cats can catch common feline diseases and should be immunized in the same way as other breeds.

Breeding
Although hairless cats have been reported throughout history, breeders in Europe have been working on the Sphynx breed since the early 1960s. The current American and European Sphynx breed is descended from two lines of natural mutations:

• Dermis and Epidermis (1975) from the Pearsons of Wadena, Minnesota, USA.
• Bambi, Punkie, and Paloma (1978) found in Toronto, Canada and raised by Shirley Smith.

Other hairless breeds might have body shapes or temperaments that differ from those described above. There are, for example, new hairless breeds, including the Don Sphynx and the Peterbald from Russia, which arose from their own spontaneous mutations. The standard for the Sphynx differs between cat associations such as TICA, FIFE and CFA.

It has been theorized that Sphynx hairlessness might be produced by an allele of the same gene that produces the Devon Rex (re), with the Sphynx allele being incompletely dominant over the Devon allele and both recessive to the wild type. However a different genetic symbol (hr) is given to the Sphynx gene and it is more likely that these are different genes interacting with each other. The only allowable outcross breeds in the CFA are now the American Shorthair and Domestic Shorthair. Other associations may vary and the Russian Blue is a permitted outcross in the GCCF. In Europe mainly Devon Rex has been used for outcrosses.

In 1999 SGC Apophis Nordstrom of Classical Cats won the TICA International Alter of the Year. In 2006 SGC Classical Cats Valentino won the TICA International Cat of the year. In the Cat Fancier's Association, GC, RW, NW Majikmoon Will Silver With Age was Cat of the Year for 2006. The following year, GC, RW, NW Enchantedlair NWA Cornflake Girl was Kitten of the Year. These awards are handed out for the highest scoring cats, across all breeds during the current show seasons.

The Somali is a long-haired Abyssinian. The cat breed appeared in the 1950s from Abyssinian breeding programs when a number of Abyssinian kittens were born with bottle-brush tails and long fluffy coats. Abyssinians and Somalis share the same personality (active, intelligent, playful, curious) and appearance. The only difference between them is the fur length and therefore the amount of grooming required. Unlike most long-haired cats, Somalis shed very little excess hair. Their coat is generally shed en masse, or "blown", once or twice a year, rather than constantly shedding like a Persian or other long-haired cat.

Somalis have a striking, bushy tail, which, combined with their ruddy coat, has earned them the nickname of "fox cats" in some circles. In addition to the fluffy tail, the Somali breed features a dark (color depending on the body color) stripe down its back, large ears, a full ruff and breeches, contributing further to the overall "foxy" look. Their coats are ticked, which is a variation on tabby markings, and some Somalis may show full tabby stripes on portions of their bodies, but this is seen as a flaw, and tabby Somalis are only sold as neutered pets. The only tabby marking on a show Somali is the traditional tabby 'M' on the middle of the forehead. Like Abyssinians, they have a dark rim around their eyes that makes them look like they are wearing kohl, and they have a small amount of white on their muzzles and chins/throats. White elsewhere on their bodies disqualifies them from show-status.

The essence of the Somali cat is ticking - each hair is ticked multiple times in two colours. The Usual or Ruddy Somali is golden brown ticked with black. There are 28 colours of Somali in total (some organisations accept only some of these colours). All organisations accept Somalis in usual/ruddy, sorrel/red, blue, and fawn. Most clubs recognise usual/ruddy silver, sorrel/red silver, blue silver, and fawn silver. Other colours that may be accepted include chocolate, lilac, red, cream, usual-tortie, sorrel-tortie, blue-tortie, fawn-tortie, chocolate-tortie, lilac-tortie, and silver variants of all the above colours.

In the 1990s, many purebred Somalis had significant dental problems due to congenital problems magnified by inbreeding. As a result, many Somali cats had to have all their adult teeth removed. (Dental abscesses, especially below the gumline, can cause cats to stop eating, which often leads to hepatic lipidosis, a condition that's often deadly.) As of 2006, the CFA breed standard makes no mention of this, and breeders say they've made much progress in breeding out this unfortunate trait.

The Somali cat breed along with its parent breed the Abyssinian have been found to suffer from Pyruvate kinase deficiency (PKDef), with around 5% of the breed carrying the defective gene. There is now a genetic test to identify this recessive disorder within the breed, and as such all breeding stock should be tested to ensure no more affected kittens need be produced.

The Sokoke is a breed of cat. The original name of the breed was Khadzonzos. This name was given to the cat by the local people, the Giriama tribe, who had known of the cat for a considerable time. It is speculated that this breed of cat had been around for possibly centuries before the intervention of the West. "Khadzonzo" means "look like tree bark" in the language of the Giriama people and it is plain to see why. The coat of this cat is a modified tabby (a marbled appearance much like the marbled Bengal), which looks like tree bark.

The Khadzonzos cats were discovered in the Arabuko-Sokoke forest, on the Kenyan coast, by Jeni Slater in 1978. Gloria Moeldrop, a friend of Slater's, brought some of the cats home with her to Denmark to breed because Jeni Slater feared for the survival of the cat in Kenya. In 1990, she imported more cats from Kenya to strengthen the breeding stock. The cats were first shown in Copenhagen in 1984. The breed was officially recognized by the FIFe in 1993, with the name changed to Sokoke, after where they came from.The Sokoke is also currently registered by The International Cat Association(TICA) the World's largest domestic Cat Registry, and is eligible to be shown in the Preliminary New Breed class at TICA-sanctioned shows.

There has been some speculation as to whether this is a domestic cat or a descendant of a wild cat that has domesticated itself. With recently published data from the Cat Genome Project,based on DNA swabs, it has been concluded that the Sokoke is part of the Asian Group of domestic cats, and has Arabian Wildcat genetic origins as well.

The Sokoke, the free-roaming streetcats of the Kenya coastal area, and the Cats of Lamu Island have now been put into a small genetic branch of the Asian domestic Group with the Arabian Wildcat influence. These three types of cat share regional and genetic similarities but are very different in coloration and structure when looked at closely.

Sokokes have blotched tabby coats in shades of brown, with amber to light green eyes. The center of the patterns are hollow looking due to the agouti gene producing a "salt and pepper" look. Their coats are short and coarse, with little to no undercoat. Recessive colors/traits are rare. Noted so far (and not accepted for showing) are Seal Lynx Point, Melanistic (Black), and Blue colors, with one long-haired kitten also known. Like all of the short-haired Asian Group cats,they do not thrive in extreme cold temperatures for extended periods of time. However, contrary to previous reports, they can be acclimated to colder climates and do not require special housing any different than similar short-haired Asian Group cats would. A special pattern trait is agouti body-ticking that can extend all the way into the tailtip itself. Chaotic, chained, and clouded marble patterns have been seen recently, with deviation away from the typical modified classic tabby pattern. Their bodies are long and thin, with long legs. The back legs should be longer than the front legs, similar to a wildcat. They also have a unique tip-toe gait, in part due to a straighter stifle as well as the afore-mentioned longer back legs. Sokokes are very active and enjoy climbing and talking to their human and cat families. They bond deeply to each other, as well as their owners. This trait makes re-homing harder for them,with a longer adjustment period expected in adult cats and older,bonded kittens. Once a Sokoke is comfortable and feels safe, their sweet-natured highly intelligent personalities come through.

The Sokoke does well in a controlled environment, due to their peace-loving nature, and also because of their limited resistance to common New World cat illnesses, found in multi-cat cattery settings. It is typical for the male to help raise the kittens, and if left together the mother will often wait months to wean her kittens, even though their development is fairly rapid once they leave the nestbox. One can expect one to two litters per year, per pair, and sometimes two close litters in a row, then have them go longer periods of time before producing again. Sexual maturity is usually around eight to ten months of age, and their expected lifespan is the same as any purebred domestic cat, with 15 years an average old age.The Sokoke is currently bred and/or shown in Europe and USA.

The Snowshoe Cat is a rare and relatively new breed of cat originating in the United States of America. Snowshoes were first produced in Philadelphia when a breeder's Siamese cat gave birth to three kittens with the pattern. The breeder, Dorothy Hinds-Daugherty, began to promote the cat and began a breeding program dedicated to them. When Hinds-Daugherty left the program, Vikki Olander began working with the cats and recruited new breeders, as well as worked towards full recognition within cat associations. Despite having existed for 45 years, Snowshoes are rare due to the difficulty of reproducing the correct coat markings. The marks are based on recessive genes for color points and on the co-dominant but variably-expressed piebald pattern gene, making it difficult to predict the appearance of offspring.

The coat coloration recognized by registries and associations is point coloration, and it comes in a variety of colors, though some associations do not recognize certain colors. Snowshoe cats have an affectionate and docile disposition. Due to this, they do not do well under circumstances where they are left alone for long periods of time. Snowshoes are also very vocal, though their voices are not as loud as the Siamese, a cat found in their breed heritage. They are noted as being very intelligent and have the ability to learn tricks and open doors. The cats also enjoy water, and may swim on some occasions.

Popularity and breeding

The Snowshoe is a rare breed, partly due to the difficulty of breeding cats with markings and patterns that conform well to breed standards. The Snowshoe's pattern relies on recessive genes and other factors to produce desired results. One gene, which causes the "V" facial pattern is an example of incomplete dominance. If the offspring produced as two dominant genes for the marking, then the feature will be larger than a cat with one dominant gene. However, other factors may influence the feature, which makes it difficult to predict the outcome. Another issue is the white boots, which can be caused by a pie balding gene or a gloving gene. The genes are difficult to control, and many cats' boots extend too far up the leg, do not reach far enough up the leg, or the cat completely lacks white. As such, pet quality Snowshoes usually have too much white, too little white, or white features are mismarked. The cats' body type further complicates breeding, as the breeder must achieve the correct head shape and ear set, while still maintaining the American Shorthair's body structure and the length of the Siamese.

Anatomy

The ear size ranges from medium to medium-large with slightly rounded tips. The head may be triangular, however can be an "applehead" shape with a traditional cat look. The short-haired coat consists of solid and white patterns. Points (ears, tail, face-mask and sometimes legs) are solid black-based colors. White patterns vary, typically falling along the face, chest, stomach, and paws. The body is an even coloration, subtle shading to point color on back, shoulders and hips; toning to a lighter shade near chest and stomach. Paw pads may be white, point color, flesh tone, or mottled. Their color will darken with age, even to the point of turning a chocolate brown shade. In purebreds, the eyes are always blue. The tail is medium-sized. Snowshoe cats come in blue, lilac, lynx, fawn, chocolate, and seal points. The Snowshoe is a medium-large cat and longer length wise than many cats, with many males reaching 18lbs or more.

Coat

In registries and cat associations, the recognized Snowshoe coat color is point coloration, with a light body color and darker ears, face mask, legs, and tails. The American Cat Fanciers Association and the American Association of Cat Enthusiasts recognize seal point coloration and blue point coloration while the Fédération Internationale Féline recognizes seal, blue, black, chocolate, red, cream, cinnamon, and fawn point coloration. The International Cat Association recognizes all pointed colors. Snowshoe kittens are born white, and markings appear within 1 to 3 weeks; each Snowshoe has a pattern unique to themselves.

The Snowshoe's coat should be of medium to short in length, and should be bright and smooth. It is considered a fault within cat associations if the Snowshoe has a plush or double coat, and should not have a noticeable undercoat. The Snowshoe's coat undergoes seasonal changes and does not require much grooming.

Personality

Snowshoes are generally affectionate and sweet-tempered, yet still mellow. They enjoy the company of humans and being petted, and are compatible with children and other pets. Snowshoes are very social and docile, and show great devotion and love towards their owners. Consequently, the breed dislike being left alone for long periods of time and are able to cope with working hours more if they have another cat companion. Snowshoes may express themselves and their complaints vocally, though their meows are not as loud as the Siamese. The cats are also noted as being intelligent; they can learn to open various types of doors, and can be taught tricks, especially fetch. Snowshoes also enjoy water, particularly running water, and may on occasion swim. Though very active, they are not restless or easily agitatable, and they have a fondness for perching and high places.

The Singapura Cat is one of the smallest breeds of cats, noted for its large eyes and ears, brown ticked coat and blunt tail. Reportedly established from three "drain cats" imported from Singapore in the 1970s, it was later revealed that the cats were originally sent to Singapore from the US before they were exported back to the US. Investigations by the Cat Fanciers' Association (CFA) concluded no wrongdoing and the Singapura kept its status as a natural breed.

The Singapura Cat is a moderately stocky and muscular small to medium-sized cat, with a very short and fine coat. A full grown female usually weighs 5-6 pounds while the male weighs 6-8 pounds. The large, slightly pointed and deep cupped ears together with the large almond shaped eyes are characteristics of the breed. The tail is slender, slightly shorter than the length of the body and has a blunt tip.

The breed's coat pattern is that of a ticked tabby. That is, individual hair strands have alternating sections of dark and light color, typically two dark bands separated by two light bands, with a dark color at the tip. The underside, including the chest, muzzle and chin, takes the color of the light bands. The Singapura Cat is recognized by cat registries in only one color, the sepia agouti, described as "dark brown ticking on a warm old ivory ground color".

The Singapura Cat is described by the CFA as active, curious and playful. They are affectionate and desire human interaction. They have a tendency to perch on high places, to allow them a better view of their surrounding.

In the UK, a pet-quality Singapura can cost £300-400 (US$500-600 USD) while a show specimen can cost upwards of £600.

Health

Of concern to breeders is the condition known as uterine inertia, an inability to expel the fetus due to weak muscles. This condition was present in one of the foundation cats and appears in some Singapura Cat females today. Individuals with uterine inertia may require deliveries to be made by Caesarean section.

There are no other known genetic health problems in the Singapura Cat, although breeders have shown concern regarding the genetic diversity of the breed due to inbreeding caused by a small gene pool. Researchers who completed the 2007 DNA study found that the Singapura Cat (along with the Burmese) have the least genetic diversity among the 22 breeds studied. The possibility of outcrossing with another breed to increase the genetic diversity had been raised among CFA breeders, but not many were receptive to the idea, preferring to use Singapuras from around the world that are not so closely related to the CFA line.