Find that cat *breed*

[selkirkrex]

Your cats are lovely. Although I share my home primarily with selkirk rex, I also have two sphynx and two munchkins. The sphynx are mine and have completely captured my heart. The munchkins actually belong to someone else and are just visiting for a bit while she is in the process of moving from one state to another. They are both wonderful breeds though.

I hate to see any cat live it's life in a cage. I understand the purpose of caging in a cattery situation, but have personal issues with it, especially with kittens. They need to be handled daily and loved on. They need to run around and explore their environment. That's impossible if they are in a cage 24 hours a day. I do use a cage when my babies are born, but mainly for the safety of the babies. Once they are old enough to start exploring, then we open the cage door and give them run of the nursery. Once they are about 2 months old, we give them run of the house. I've found this works best for us and our babies.

The difference between a bambino and a minskin is very simple. A bambino is from a sphynx/munchkin hybridization. There should be no other breeds used to create this breed. Bambino's are supposed to be hairless and short. A minskin uses the sphynx/burmese/munchkin hybridization. They should be "fur-pointed", not hairless. This is a completely new type of coat. They are pretty neat cats too. A friend of mine has been working with the owner of the cat who's photo you posted for the past year or so on this breed. I can't attach a photo but I can attach the link to a website that has some.

http://www.bambinocats.com/

This is a new breed that is still in the developmental stages.

[selkirkrex]

There are a lot of good links for the Munchkin breed. Here are a few:

http://www.moggies.co.uk/breeds/munchkin.html
http://www.catsinfo.com/munchkin.html
http://www.bayshorekennel.com/cats.htm
http://www.cats-central.com/cat-bree...eed-guide.html
http://www.tica.org/breeds/munchkin.htm
http://www.kittykondo.com/munchkin.htm


I would like to see a Seychellois. I see they are a breed shown through FIFE, but we do not have them in the US, so am curious about them.

[moosmom]

I just saw the link of Bambinos you posted. How can you NOT love those faces!!! When I adopted MooShoo, I never realized how loyal and sensitive they are. I am smitten over him!! He's more loyal than alot of guys I dated. But at least I know every single night, he's in bed with me, head on pillow, snuggled under the covers and not out catting (pun intended) around.

BTW,

A friend of mine has been working with the owner of the cat who's photo you posted for the past year or so on this breed

Is it someone I know??? I DO hope you're not telling me that Moo's breeder is at it again!! She was on a 5 year suspension from TICA for what she did to those poor babies!!!

[selkirkrex]

If you got your baby from who I think you did, it is definitely not my friend. If I'm right, the kitty came from the NE area. Both my friend and I am in Texas and neither of us have ever been suspended in any organization. Our babies are our lives and well loved. My friend is also a vet tech, which helps both us a lot to keep up on feline health issues.

I think both the Bambino and the Minskin are adorable. Sphynx are the most "human" of cats in my opinion. Both my babies are warm and affection. Real "velcro" cats that are happiest when on a lap.

Attached are Mora, my blue-cream girl and Dusti Rose with her uncle Scooter, who was visiting while his human mama was in the hospital.

[moosmom]

If her name is Lisa Bressler, then THAT is her!!! She lived in NY while playing the cello professionally. She has no business breeding cats the way she did. We were so hoping she'd be banned from judging, but I guess not.

Your babies are beautiful!!! I try to imagine what MooShoo would look like with normal eyes. I think his eyes are one of the reasons why people think he looks like an alien. But I love that boy!!! I'd love to find him a girlfriend. Even a retired show cat.

[selkirkrex]

I know who Lisa Bressler is and she is still on suspension the last I heard. I serious doubt that she will ever be premitted to judge again either. She started out in cats young and I believe with the best of intentions... what happened in the end, I don't know or pretend to understand. I think it was a matter of the situation getting away from her. Too many cats, not enough time to properly care for them. All while she is running around the country judging other people's cats at TICA shows and putting on a good front for the world.

Until about 2 years ago, I did a large amount of persian rescue... and believe me when I tell you, there are more than enough persians that need rehoming in the USA. I have seen conditions that would make you sick. Literally make you want to kill the person responsible... so I do understand how you feel about how your baby was mistreated.

[moosmom]

There's a TICA show the last weekend in April in Ansonia, CT that I'll be going to. Are you going to be there??? If you do go, I'd LOVE to meet you and see babies.

Here's the link I found on Animal Planet.com with regards to the Munchkin. They have only recently been recognized by TICA.

History

The cat fancy’s version of downsizing—the Munchkin—has cat fanciers on both sides hissing over whether the breed should be recognized. While most new breeds have to face periods of resistance before acceptance can occur, the battle over this breed is particularly heated because it raises questions regarding where “unique variety” ends and “abomination” begins. This point has been previously raised within the cat fancy concerning breeds such as the Sphynx and the Manx. The word (or words to that effect) was even applied to the Siamese when it made its debut in London in 1871.

Short-legged cats have been documented as early as the 1930s in England. According to reports, these short-legged cats survived for four generations before World War II took its toll on the cat population of Europe. One such cat was also reported in the Soviet Union in the 1950s and dubbed the “Stalingrad Kangaroo Cat” for its tendency to sit up on its haunches. But the breed as we know it today began in Rayville, Louisiana.

In 1983 music teacher Sandra Hochenedel discovered two cats hiding under a pickup truck where they had been cornered by a bulldog. Hochenedel rescued the cats and took them home, later noticing two things—both were pregnant, and both had short, stubby legs. She kept Blackberry, the black cat, and gave away Blueberry, the gray.

When Blackberry produced her first litter, Hochenedel gave one short-legged kitten, named Toulouse, to her friend Kay LaFrance, who lived in Monroe, Louisiana. Since LaFrance’s cats were allowed free access to the outdoors and were not altered, a feral population of Munchkins occurred around Monroe, where they apparently competed very well with their long-legged friends for prey and mating opportunities.

Hochenedel and LaFrance contacted Dr. Solveig Pflueger, chairperson of TICA’s genetics committee. Her studies determined that the short legs were the result of a dominant genetic mutation affecting the long bones of the legs. This mutation apparently occurred spontaneously within the feline gene pool. Any cat that possesses this gene will exhibit the short legs. A cat that has received the Munchkin gene from one parent will produce Munchkin kittens at an approximate ratio of one Munchkin to one normal kitten.

Other breeders joined the cause, and in 1991 breeders tried to gain acceptance from TICA for the Munchkin, named for the little people in The Wizard of Oz. They were turned down on the basis that not enough was known about the breed. They tried again in September 1994 and this time were accepted. As of May 1, 1995 the Munchkin was recognized for New Breed and Color status in TICA. When the acceptance was announced, TICA member Katherine Crawford resigned her ten-year position as judge, saying that the breed was an affront to any breeder with ethics. Others shared her sentiments, feeling that the short legs will cause crippling back, hip, and leg problems in the future, although no evidence exists that the Munchkin is prone to such problems. Breeders had their oldest Munchkins X-rayed and examined for signs of joint or bone problems. No problems were found, but the breed is still in its infancy, with the oldest Munchkin only 14 years old at the time of this writing.

According to Laurie Bobskill, breeder and president of the International Munchkin Society, 19 separate Munchkin-like mutations have been found in the United States, all unrelated to Blackberry’s lines. Breeders find this encouraging, because it gives credence to the contention that this mutation is a viable variation of Felis catus.

Ironically, the controversy surrounding the breed has contributed to its growing popularity. Because of articles in The Wall Street Journal, People Magazine, and other publications, public demand for Munchkins has been great, the waiting lists long, and the supply limited. The sports car of the cat fancy is commanding sports car prices, too, and breeders want to ensure that disreputable people don’t take advantage of the Munchkin’s popularity by using unethical breeding practices.

Personality
For their part, Munchkins, oblivious to the controversy surrounding them, go on being just what they are—cats—self-assured and outgoing. They love to wrestle and play with their long-legged feline friends, happily unaware that there’s anything different about them. Nor do their feline companions treat them like members of the vertically challenged. Only humans look at them askance.

Fanciers assert Munchkins can do anything an ordinary cat can do, except leap to the top of the bookcase. They can get on the kitchen counter, but they take the scenic route. Munchkins are also known as “magpies,” often borrowing small, shiny objects and stashing them away for later play. Proficient hunters, Munchkins love a good game of catnip mouse, but when playtime is over, they want a warm lap to snuggle into and strokes from a loving hand, like any domestic.

Conformation
Because of the small gene pool, outcrossing will need to occur for many years to keep the breed healthy. For that reason, the conformation may vary in these early years as new genes are introduced. Any domestic longhair or shorthair that is not a member of a recognized breed is an acceptable outcross. Color, pattern, and hair length will vary as well, and the Munchkin can come in any color or pattern, including the Siamese pattern. Munchkins with long flowing tresses also exist and are recognized by TICA. The conformation for the Munchkin Long-hair is the same except that the Longhair bears a semi-long silky coat that sports a full flowing plume on the tail

It's funny that my cat's breeder, the chairman of TICA, is mentioned in the article. SHE is the one who kept Shortie in a cage the first year of her life! She is also known in certain circles at the Mad Scientist for the way she experiments with cat breeds. Shortie was SUPPOSED to have a litter of kittens one day, but developed Pyometria, which caused her to be spayed. That was my lucky day!!! She's my short, multicolored kitty cat. I call her THE most beautiful calico Munchkin on God's green earth!!

[selkirkrex]

Is it someone I know??? I DO hope you're not telling me that Moo's breeder is at it again!! She was on a 5 year suspension from TICA for what she did to those poor babies!!!

I meant the minskin photo, not your sweet sphynx kitty. Sorry for the mis-communication on that one.