Children`s World - Pets (Cats II)

The Himalayan Cat

The Himalayan is not a natural breed, but is a man-made breed developed through selective breeding and crossing several breeds to help avoid genetic diseases and to see how distinctive features will be inherited after breed crossing. An excellent pet for true cat lovers was created almost accidentally. Breeders worked on creating this breed throughout the 20th century and about 40 years ago breed recognition was achieved and now this cat is regularly met in cat shows.

The parent breeds of the Himalayan are the longhaired Persian and the shorthaired Siamese. The word Himalayan is not connected with the Himalayas, but with the cat’s distinctive look. Namely, some animal breeds with the same characteristics, e.g. hare, rabbit, Guinea pig, etc., also have the word Himalayan in the name of the breed. The Himalayan has a long coat and long ear and toe tufts and a full tail, with colour on the facial mask, the feet, ears and tail, like the Siamese.

There are several basic coat and point colours in which the Himalayan is bred. Grooming is important and coat requires daily combing. Occasional baths are required as well and products for coat. The Himalayan has a silky coat with fine texture and it is long and shreds occasionally, which is why it is important to keep up the grooming and combing routine.

Himalayans are intelligent and sweet. They like being petted and love to play, and they love receiving attention, but never demand it. They adjust to the mood of their family members: if one is in a bad mood or gloomy, the Himalayan will try to cheer them up and if she feels it is not the time to seek attention, she will be content to keep to herself and wait for the right time to interact. Himalayans enjoy playtime with teasers or balls, which they love retrieving like dogs.

The Himalayan is a perfect pet for any home where she can enjoy sitting in a lap, have her hair gently combed or playing with interactive cat toys and for people who do not mind finding a hair or two on their furniture.

Maine Coon

The Maine Coon owes his name to the state of Maine and the last name of the man who probably brought him to North America. In the early 18th century Captain Coon may have brought this cat from Europe to America, and there is also an unlikely theory that the Maine Coon is the result of a mating between a cat and a racoon, and that the name comes from that.

The ship’s cat has been common on ships in the 18th and 19th centuries to catch mice and rats. Cats killed rodents aboard ships and how common they were shows the saying “rats are first to leave a sinking ship”. The Main Coon became the official state cate of Maine. The climate there is damp and harsh, so unlike other cat breeds, Maine Coons have a heavy water-resistant medium-long fur, with tufted ears, paws and cheeks, reminding of the lynx. Their hair is easily cared for and requires combing at least twice a week. Their coat has a silky texture but it is heavy and suitable for all weather conditions. The Maine Coon is a majestic cat breed and they can come in a variety of colours and pattern, apart from chocolate, purple and cinnamon. Maine Coons can actually be any colour or pattern, except pointed like the Siamese. Maine Coons are among the largest cats: most weigh about 8 kg and males can be up to 10 kg.

Once a ship’s cat, today this breed is among the world’s most popular pets, due to their good and affectionate nature. They enjoy the company of other animals and adore children. The Maine Coon is one of the oldest cat breeds in the United States and first registered as a breed in 1851 in the book called The Book of the Cat. New breeds around the turn of the century almost ended its popularity, but later the breed regained its popularity owing to its superb characteristics and devoted fans and today the Maine Coon is among the 10 most popular cat breeds in the United States. Today they are unavoidable at international cat shows.

Russian Blue

The name of the breed suggests its colour and origin: the breed comes from Archangel in Northern Russia and the thick short coat reveals that the Russian Blue is used to cold climate. The Russian Blue first arrived to Britain in 1860 as a ship’s cat. The other theory is that it was bread on the Russian court and in addition to his coat; his blood is blue as well. The colour of the coat was originally bright blue, but later breed crossings resulted in today’s colour.

The Russian Blue’s development resulted in several types, but in the 1960s the original appearance was brought back and accepted as the breed standard. One of the characteristics is a thick double coat with, brighter inside and plush with silver-tipped hairs outside, making it seem to glisten in the sun. The Russian Blue loves to sleep in the sun and playing with the rays of sunlight. His thick coat is short and easy to groom. There is almost no shedding, so it is enough to comb the Russian Blue’s coat once a week. His beautiful eyes are bright green.

The Russian Blue loves to play and enjoy chasing teasers. These cats are loyal and devoted, love to follow family members around the house, affectionate but careful with strangers. He doesn’t like change and always has a favourite spot. He has a sweet and intelligent personality and loves to play and master tricks and skills - he will learn how to open doors, turn on the light, fetch toys and similar. He will not mind wearing a collar and walking on a leash, which is why he is called the “Doberman Pinscher of cats”.

His life span is 15 to 18 years, and the Russian Blue often lives even up to 20. The Russian Blue rarely causes an allergic reaction and that makes him a popular house pet.

The Sacred Cat of Burma (the Birman)

The Sacred Cat of Burma is the most mystical breed and how they came to be is actually unknown. Legend says that in the Buddhist temple of Lao-Tsun in Indochina lived a white cat called Sinnom and that one day robbers came to kill the priest who was feeding the cat. The cat jumped on his master and his coat became the same colour as that of the skin of the goddess to whom the temple was dedicated. The robbers got scared and fled and all the cats there have acquired this striking appearance.

The first verified data about the breed is a plaque given to a British officer who aided the priests of the temple. The plaque shows the Birman with sapphire eyes. The Birman has fascinating bright blue eyes and the coat is in the pointed pattern, from white to light brown, with darker points on the face, ears, legs and tail, just like the Himalayan. His coat is medium long, and may be longer on his back, thighs, neck and belly. His paws and belly have to remain white, as a symbol of purity, because they touched the priest’s body. The symmetry of the “gloves and laces”, i.e. “white mittens” is of key importance.

It is unknown how the breed reached other parts of the world, but it is presumed that a person from the temple stole a pair of cats to sell them to a rich American.

The first photograph of the Birman dates to 1930s and was taken in France. The name of the cat in the photograph was Dieu d’Arakan. He and several kittens were later sold to Germany to several owners. Since then the Birman is a regular show cat. They became very popular in the 1960s when the breed became well-established. The Birman is beautiful and affectionate and a wonderful pet.

Boris Cebović, breeder of small animals