Cat Breeds The Snowshoe

The Snowshoe is a breed of domestic cat that originated in the 1960s in the US and is still classified as a rare cat breed.

Breed history

The Snowshoe was first discovered in the 1960s by a Siamese breeder named Dorothy Hinds-Daughterty when three kittens in one litter had unique markings - white points and feet. Curious about this development, she began to work to create a breed using seal point Siamese and bicolor American Shorthair cats as the basis. However, the offspring often lacked the Siamese points. By breeding these cats back to the Siamese, the point markings came out and she named the breed Snowshoe due to their white feet. The program was later taken over by Vikki Olander.

Olander was the first to develop a breed standard for the Snowshoe and had this accepted by both the Cat Fanciers Federation (CFF) and the American Cat Association (ACA) as an experimental breed in 1974. By 1977, however, Olander was the sole breeder in the US until she was contacted by a number of other breeders who became interested in the work. Finally, they achieved championship status from the CFF in 1983 and from the ACFA in 1990. Recognition came from The International Cat Association in 1993.

A breeding program started in the UK in 1986 but by 1998, when Mollie Southall of the Coldenbufforsnow Cattery joined, there was just a single breeder left, Maureen Shackell. Between them, they had just five cats to work with. A male was imported from Germany to bring in fresh bloodlines and by 2006; other breeders began to help widen the gene pool. The Snowshoe was given full breed status with the GCCF in 2013 and can now be shown at Championship level in their shows. There is also a Snowshoe Cat Club in the UK and in 2005, the Snowshoe Cat Society began.

Description

The main reason the Snowshoe has been so difficult to establish is that it is tricky to get cats with the breed standard markings and patterns. The markings rely on recessive genes along with other factors, such as the V shaped facial pattern that is created by a gene of incomplete dominance. This means that if any offspring has two dominant genes for the marking, the features produced will be larger than one with a single version but other factors also influence the appearance, meaning it can be difficult for breeders to predict what their cats will produce. Snowshoes that have too much white, not enough white or white in the wrong place are all classed as mismarked and not to the breed standard.

The Snowshoe is a shorthaired cat that can have either the triangular modern Siamese look or the softer applehead shape. The coat consists of solid and white patterns with the points of solid black based colors and white patterns normally on the face, chest, stomach and the paws. Eyes are always blue in purebred cats and their points can come in blue, lilac, lynx, chocolate and fawn.

Character

Breeders describe these cats as affectionate and sweet tempered cats who enjoy the company of both adults and children and get along well with other pets. They are social and mellow with great devotion and affection for their owners but this does mean they don't like to be left for long periods of time unaccompanied. They have the vocalisations of Siamese though aren't as loud and are also noted for their intelligence. Learning to open doors and tricks such as fetch is common for them. They don't mind water, particularly when it is running and will sometimes even swim.

Conclusion

The Snowshoe is not a cat that is easy to obtain in show standard quality due to the specific nature of the markings required. However both show standard and 'pet' cats are affectionate and adoring family members who fit in well with both children and other pets and have the intelligence typically of breeds descended from the Siamese.

reade more... Résuméabuiyad

Cat Breeds Khao Manee

The Khao Manee is a rare breed of cat originating in Thailand also known as the Diamond Eye cat that has an ancestry going back hundreds of years. They are known for having a pure white coat and often odd coloured eyes, with blue and gold or one of each being normal.

History

The Khao Manee is an ancient breed similar to the Siamese and the Korat and was mentioned in a book of cat poems called the Tamra Maew. It is however, a completely separate breed from the Siamese, even the pure white versions of that breed known as the Foreign White Siamese, as those cats have a British shorthair ancestor. The Khan Manee has been studied genetically and been shown to be a completely separate breed to the Siamese and other Thai cat breeds.

The breed was said to have originally been kept by the Siam royals along with other unusually coloured cats. Breeders in Thailand have worked to retain the purity of the breed as well as detailing its lineage and forming a breed standard. It was first exported to the US in 1999 when Colleen Freymouth imported a cat called Sripia and she was used as the foundation of the breed in the country. It took another 10 years for the breed to first reach the UK.

Khao Manee currently has advanced new breed status with The International Cat Association having been first listed for registration only in 2009. The GCCF in the UK granted the breed pre-affiliation in 2011.

Description

While known as a white cat breed, the Khao Manee can produce coloured offspring depending on the genetics that cause the white coat. This is because white isn't so much a colour as a lack of colour and if both parents of the cat carry a certain version of this gene, the colour of the body isn't masked and a coloured cat is born. The coat of these cats is smooth and shiny with very little undercoat. They often have a darker patch on the head when they are born but this vanishes at around 12 months old.

Originally, the Khao Manee were said to have mercury coloured eyes but yellow eyes have become the most popular eye colour in Thailand and the odd-eyed cats are considered lucky. Cats that have blue eyes are sometimes deaf while their nickname of Diamond Eye cats comes from a type of glaucoma that they were once prone to, though it wasn't understood as such at the time. The deafness is caused by the dominant white gene that causes damage to the inner ear and many breeders now have their cats tested to see if they carry this gene to consider when breeding.

Personality

The character of these cats is described as very similar to other Thai cat breeds - they are very intelligent, affectionate with people and curious. They like to be around people, curling up with their owners to watch the TV or following them around the house. They are curious about visitors and will offer them affection quickly.

reade more... Résuméabuiyad

Cat Breeds Khao Manee

The Khao Manee is a rare breed of cat originating in Thailand also known as the Diamond Eye cat that has an ancestry going back hundreds of years. They are known for having a pure white coat and often odd coloured eyes, with blue and gold or one of each being normal.

History

The Khao Manee is an ancient breed similar to the Siamese and the Korat and was mentioned in a book of cat poems called the Tamra Maew. It is however, a completely separate breed from the Siamese, even the pure white versions of that breed known as the Foreign White Siamese, as those cats have a British shorthair ancestor. The Khan Manee has been studied genetically and been shown to be a completely separate breed to the Siamese and other Thai cat breeds.

The breed was said to have originally been kept by the Siam royals along with other unusually coloured cats. Breeders in Thailand have worked to retain the purity of the breed as well as detailing its lineage and forming a breed standard. It was first exported to the US in 1999 when Colleen Freymouth imported a cat called Sripia and she was used as the foundation of the breed in the country. It took another 10 years for the breed to first reach the UK.

Khao Manee currently has advanced new breed status with The International Cat Association having been first listed for registration only in 2009. The GCCF in the UK granted the breed pre-affiliation in 2011.

Description

While known as a white cat breed, the Khao Manee can produce coloured offspring depending on the genetics that cause the white coat. This is because white isn't so much a colour as a lack of colour and if both parents of the cat carry a certain version of this gene, the colour of the body isn't masked and a coloured cat is born. The coat of these cats is smooth and shiny with very little undercoat. They often have a darker patch on the head when they are born but this vanishes at around 12 months old.

Originally, the Khao Manee were said to have mercury coloured eyes but yellow eyes have become the most popular eye colour in Thailand and the odd-eyed cats are considered lucky. Cats that have blue eyes are sometimes deaf while their nickname of Diamond Eye cats comes from a type of glaucoma that they were once prone to, though it wasn't understood as such at the time. The deafness is caused by the dominant white gene that causes damage to the inner ear and many breeders now have their cats tested to see if they carry this gene to consider when breeding.

Personality

The character of these cats is described as very similar to other Thai cat breeds - they are very intelligent, affectionate with people and curious. They like to be around people, curling up with their owners to watch the TV or following them around the house. They are curious about visitors and will offer them affection quickly.

reade more... Résuméabuiyad

Cat Breeds The Snowshoe

The Snowshoe is a breed of domestic cat that originated in the 1960s in the US and is still classified as a rare cat breed.

Breed history

The Snowshoe was first discovered in the 1960s by a Siamese breeder named Dorothy Hinds-Daughterty when three kittens in one litter had unique markings - white points and feet. Curious about this development, she began to work to create a breed using seal point Siamese and bicolor American Shorthair cats as the basis. However, the offspring often lacked the Siamese points. By breeding these cats back to the Siamese, the point markings came out and she named the breed Snowshoe due to their white feet. The program was later taken over by Vikki Olander.

Olander was the first to develop a breed standard for the Snowshoe and had this accepted by both the Cat Fanciers Federation (CFF) and the American Cat Association (ACA) as an experimental breed in 1974. By 1977, however, Olander was the sole breeder in the US until she was contacted by a number of other breeders who became interested in the work. Finally, they achieved championship status from the CFF in 1983 and from the ACFA in 1990. Recognition came from The International Cat Association in 1993.

A breeding program started in the UK in 1986 but by 1998, when Mollie Southall of the Coldenbufforsnow Cattery joined, there was just a single breeder left, Maureen Shackell. Between them, they had just five cats to work with. A male was imported from Germany to bring in fresh bloodlines and by 2006; other breeders began to help widen the gene pool. The Snowshoe was given full breed status with the GCCF in 2013 and can now be shown at Championship level in their shows. There is also a Snowshoe Cat Club in the UK and in 2005, the Snowshoe Cat Society began.

Description

The main reason the Snowshoe has been so difficult to establish is that it is tricky to get cats with the breed standard markings and patterns. The markings rely on recessive genes along with other factors, such as the V shaped facial pattern that is created by a gene of incomplete dominance. This means that if any offspring has two dominant genes for the marking, the features produced will be larger than one with a single version but other factors also influence the appearance, meaning it can be difficult for breeders to predict what their cats will produce. Snowshoes that have too much white, not enough white or white in the wrong place are all classed as mismarked and not to the breed standard.

The Snowshoe is a shorthaired cat that can have either the triangular modern Siamese look or the softer applehead shape. The coat consists of solid and white patterns with the points of solid black based colors and white patterns normally on the face, chest, stomach and the paws. Eyes are always blue in purebred cats and their points can come in blue, lilac, lynx, chocolate and fawn.

Character

Breeders describe these cats as affectionate and sweet tempered cats who enjoy the company of both adults and children and get along well with other pets. They are social and mellow with great devotion and affection for their owners but this does mean they don't like to be left for long periods of time unaccompanied. They have the vocalisations of Siamese though aren't as loud and are also noted for their intelligence. Learning to open doors and tricks such as fetch is common for them. They don't mind water, particularly when it is running and will sometimes even swim.

Conclusion

The Snowshoe is not a cat that is easy to obtain in show standard quality due to the specific nature of the markings required. However both show standard and 'pet' cats are affectionate and adoring family members who fit in well with both children and other pets and have the intelligence typically of breeds descended from the Siamese.

reade more... Résuméabuiyad

A Look At Cat Breeds

 Loading ...

Over the last thousands of years, cats have pretty much handled their breeding themselves. In the beginning, they were used for one purpose – hunting and killing rodents. As the years progressed, we began to breed cats more to our liking. Now days, there are several different breeds of cats – which you can tell if you look closely.

These days there are over 70 distinct cat breeds, which are recognized through cat registries. There are several registries that will recognize around 40 breeds or so, as they exclude the more domestic breeds such as tigers. There are also many variations as well, including wild cats that have longer hair.

There are some cat breeds who have roots going back quite a bit in history. Some Japanese breeds, such as the Japanese Bobtail, can be traced back more than 1,000 years in history. These cats were very common and well known throughout Medieval Japan. Now days though, they are all but a myth throughout Japan and the entire world.

The more common cat breeds that are found in North America include the alley cat, long haired cat, and Persian cat. Siamese cats are also common, although they are well known to be destructive and to have a foul temper. Persian cats are very popular, proving to be loving companions. Persian cats can be very expense, depending on where you get it and what type of Persian cat it is.

Alley cats are the most common in North America. There are actually several different breeds, although most of us just refer to them as alley cats. They make good pets, although there are literally thousands of them in existence. Cats are known to breed more than any other pet, and they will continue to breed until they are stopped. Alley cats are among the most bred, as there are hundreds of thousands of cats that are homeless – and have nothing to do but breed.

The look of the cat is the easiest way to tell what breed he or she may be. Some people choose to go by color, although color isn’t as easy to identify. Different breeds of cats have different looks, such as the Siamese and Persian cats. Siamese cats are almost always black, and easy to identify by their color and their eyes. Persian cats on the other hand, are easily identified by their body type and their hair.

Over the years, there has been quite a few breeds come along. Cats were one of the first pets, and easily one of the most popular. Millions of people around the world own cats, with many people preferring a cat over any other pet – including dogs. No matter breed of cat you get – you’re sure to get a pet who make for a great companion for years and years to come.

Word count: 472

reade more... Résuméabuiyad