Cat Fact Files

It has been debated over whether this ancient breed, which can be traced back over more than a thousand years, is the forerunner of all long-haired cat breeds, including Persians and Angoras. This is a rough-and-readybreed, genetically traceable to modern-day tabby cats that live around St Petersburg, and has an extremely thick coat to help it survive the extremely thick coat top help it survive the extremes of a Siberian climate. Relatively scarce outside its Russian homeland, this breed is distinctively tabby, with its colouring bias perhaps due to wild or feral matings.

This wolly-looking, short-haired cat first appeared in the 1950s when a British farm cat produced one curly-haired male kitten in her litter. It was consequently bred back with her. Since then, this breed has been crossed with Burmese and British Shorthair. Its short coat is incredibly soft to the touch, resembling velvet, and is said to benefit from an occasional ‘bran bath’. It is not suited to cold and wet conditions, which means this breed is a good candidate for keeping as an indoor house cat. There are a number of colour types including white, cream, silver, smoke, chocolate and tortoiseshell.

The product of a different gene mutation, this curiy-coated cat appeared about ten years after its Cornish cousin. It is said to have resuited from a cross between a curled-coated feral male and a stray British straight-haired female. The gene for a curly coat is recessive and inbreeding became necessary in order to continue the breed. The slightly ‘clownish’ look of this cat is matched by its clumsy and amusing outlook on life. A new American breed, known as the poodle, has been developed from crossmatings between Devon Rex and Scottish Fold cats. This combines the curly coat with the folded ears, to produce a rather comical-looking cat.

This is one of the oldest of all domesticated cat breeds. It was first established in 1868 by soldiers returning from war in Abyssinia (now Ethiopia) and was accepted as a breed in 1882. It is similar in 1882. It is similar in appearance to cats illustrated in tombs and mummified individuals that can be dated to ancient Egyptian dynasties. The common forms are red to biscuit-brown, the perfect camouflage in its natural North African habitat. Its coat pattern is the result of a gene which makes each hair striped dark and light bands. The Abyssinian is an athletic, inquisitive creature and is also known to be almost silent.

Records suggest that this very young breed, recognized in 1987, resulted from a curly-coated female stray mated with a black persian. There are long and short-haired types,with males more readily abtained because females are usally restricted to breeders who wish to retain them for their programmes. This cat’s distinctive patches of curls, rather than a uniform curly coat, make it unusual among rex types. The patches of curls, although apparent at birth, disappear when the cat is around eight to ten months old and stay for the duration of their life.

This apparently hairless cat, often found without whiskers, is the product of a natural mutation first recorded in 1966. However, the Sphynx cat probably has a gene history going back centuries, with obscure references made to it around the world. Some cat fancy associations choose to take a negative view of this sude-like downy-haired breed, but it does have its champions. Cat lovers with hair allergies are often drawn to the Sphynx, which can provoke horrified looks from those who lack an affinity with felines.

This condition, once common in cats fed only on complete dried foods, resuits in a blockage in the urethra in male cats. The combination of this diet, dehydration and early castration can lead to the formation of salt crystals in the bladder that block the urethra. A cat suffering from the effects of this condition will struggle to pass urine, which causes the bladder to extreme pain. It is vital to alleviate the distress caused by this syndrome.

The simple answer is to provide a combination of food and comfort, and a happy home. A contented cat will not want to wander far from the place where creature comforts are never far away. If an adopted cat attempts to return to a previous area, it is important that the neighbours there do not offer it any food or shelter, as this support will discourage it from leaving the area. Try and walk to the neighbours to prevent the cat from obtaining access to outdoors during the first week or two after rehoming.

The best home for my cat is yours. However, someone you know and trust may be the best person to adopt your cat if that become necessary. You could approach a close family member, a relative or a neighbour if the need to rehome is urgent. Failing that, you can contact rescue organizations and individuals who specialize in rehoming cats. However, these placeas are often full to the limit with cats and kittens that need a good home, so you may have to wait until they have space to accommodate your cat.

Some cats become entirely dependent on their owner. As ‘replacement litter mothers’ or ‘replacement lead cats’ humans can easily turn the relationship into one that encourages feline over-dependency and nervousness. In this situation. When a partner first appears they are probably viewed by the cat as an extremely large competitor. An ‘intelligent’ Cat, in feline terms knows as it is best to run and hide and be able to ‘fight another day’ than to be caught up in a potential battle that cannot be won. Eventually, a cat must make the logical decision that the partner is not an aggressive competitor for ‘resources’ within the home, and usually relaxes the nervouse behaviours it was showing.