At Best for Pets we know that cats are one of our customers’ favorite pets. They are characterized by their independence and apparently easy care, but nevertheless they are known to require care from their owners like any other pet. In our online store for pets we have a wide catalog of cat food, as well as accessories and products for their care and hygiene.
According to several studies, cats have been living with humans for 9,500 years, occupying an important place in different cultures. The Egyptians idolized them for years and the Japanese have always considered them good luck animals.
Currently, more than 50 different breeds of cats are known and a large part of them are not the result of nature. Today from our blog for pets, we want to introduce you to six very peculiar breeds of cats.
Scottish Fold: Small folded ears.
It is one of the most peculiar breeds of cats due to its small and folded ears. For many, it is a charming cat, both for its friendly character and for its fun appearance as a stuffed toy.
Its origin comes from Scotland in 1961 thanks to the Ross couple who decided to cross their kitten Suzie, a lop-eared specimen, with a British Shorthair. In 1966, they themselves registered their first kittens as Scottish Fold.
The breed aroused great enthusiasm and was immediately recognized by the official English bodies, although they had to ban it shortly after, in 1974, due to the serious problems of arthritis in the extremities that cats presented in their adulthood, caused by the gene dominant: fold.
Later American breeders and geneticists would discover that the problem was in the pairing between animals of the same breed, these disappearing when the crosses were with different breeds, including the Scottish Straight. The breed was officially recognized by the CFA (Cat Fancy Association) in 1974.
They are medium-sized cats, rounded and robust appearance. Its head is large and rounded, its ears small with their characteristic fold. With a short, flat nose and prominent cheekbones.
Its coat is short and soft, although there is a variable Highland Fold referring to specimens with semi-long hair.
They are affectionate, calm and silent cats. In the family they are calm and confident, and are ideal when living with children. They tolerate other animals very well and adapt perfectly to any space.
The Scottish Fold is usually a robust and healthy cat that does not require special attention, it is enough to brush it frequently to prevent the hair from knotting, especially in specimens with semi-long fur.
A diet without a specific intake of calcium is recommended, since this mineral would strengthen the ear cartilage and deform its characteristic fold.
Manx: The cat without a tail.
Cats of this breed are characterized by lacking a tail. They come from the Isle of Man, in the Irish Sea, and their origin dates back to the 18th century. Along with the Cymric, the Manx cat breed is the only cat breed that lacks a tail.
Today it is known that the lack of a tail is caused by a dominant gene that affects the spine and that, in some specimens, can cause serious alterations. Breeding in the Manx breed is difficult. By crossing two tailless specimens, the result is a litter of deformed kittens that die before or shortly after birth. For this reason, specimens without a tail must be crossed with specimens that are provided with one to avoid problems.
There are currently two types of Manx breed cats; American and English. The first is short, square and robust, while the second is much more delicate and long.
The Manx cat’s head is broad and round, with prominent cheekbones. The ears are medium in size, open at the base and taper slightly at the tip. The eyes are large, round, in harmony with the color of the coat.
The body of the Manx breed cat is solid ending in a rounded croup. The posterior members are taller than the previous ones. The tail is the real difference in this specimen and its pedigree shows it a space at the base of the tail, where the thumb must fit.
The coat is short and thick with the presence of a soft and dense undercoat. As for the hair color, it exists in a variety of solid, ombre and striped colors.
Regarding their character, Manx breed cats are usually balanced and intelligent. It is a house cat, but it also behaves like a good hunter, with excellent reflexes, so the game should be included in its daily routine.
The Manx breed cat also has a very peculiar behavior and it is its way of running, which is very similar to that of rabbits. It is considered a long-lived cat.
Devon Rex: Singular, noble and playful.
The Devon Rex is one of the most unique feline breeds thanks to its peculiar fur called Rex fur, silky hair, very short and curly and its very large ears.
The first specimens appeared in the 1960s in the British county of Devon, in the United Kingdom. Its characteristic coat is due to an initial natural genetic mutation from straight to curly hair.
The Devon Rex is a medium-sized, long, skinny but muscular cat. The eyes are oval in bright colors and the ears are very large. The hair is short, fine and curly with a touch of peach.
It comes in all colors and shades. The tail is long, thin and covered with curly hair.
Devon Rex cats are noble, playful and calm cats. They stand out for their intelligence and independence, although they really like the company of both other cats and their own owners, resulting in a very sociable cat.
Despite its delicate appearance, it is perfectly suited to both outdoor and indoor life. He is a happy cat, very vigilant and his meow is very soft.
For their care, it is not necessary to pay too much attention to them, it is advisable to pass a flannel glove from time to time to remove dead hair and maintain the shine of their fur.
A sporadic bath is also convenient to remove excess fat from the coat. The ears also need some attention to avoid the accumulation of earwax and thus avoid diseases.
It is a strong cat that usually enjoys a long existence.
Oriental Shorthair: “The Greyhound of Cats”
The Oriental Shorthair cat has its origins in Thailand and due to its slender and elegant body it is known as “the greyhound of cats”. There is another variety of Oriental cat that is called Oriental Long Hair and that corresponds to the cross between an Oriental Short Hair and a Balinese cat.
It is a cat with pure, harmonious and subtle lines, with an elongated face and ears that are more widely separated than a European cat. The characteristic of these cats is their audacity, intelligence and elegance.
The Oriental Shorthair cat is the traditional representative of the oriental family and the unicolor relative of the Siamese cat. Along with the Persian, they are the architects of many of today’s breeds.
It is a medium-sized cat, with a slender and delicate body and long limbs. Like the rest of the oriental breeds, its head is triangular with a fine muzzle and long nose. The ears are large and pointed. Its tail is long ending in a point. The eyes are almond-shaped in different shades of green. The hair, short and shiny, attached to the body. It comes in a great variety of color in its mantle.
Their health is good and the only anomaly that can appear is a case of strabismus, which is the alteration of the optic nerve produced by the cs gene and very common in oriental breeds.
As for his character, he is a very stable cat who usually shows great poise. They have an affectionate and communicative character and therefore love company. It adapts perfectly to life inside, although you will enjoy a getaway to the fullest. Its meow is powerful, perceptible almost from its earliest childhood and reaches its maximum expression in mating season.
The care of the Oriental cat does not have to be too meticulous, you just have to brush it regularly to maintain the shine of its coat and drag dead hair.
Sphynx or Sphinx Cat: Calm and affectionate.
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This breed of cats is surprising because they seem to be hairless. However, they have a light layer of very fine hair that can hardly be perceived but that protects them, although they are very sensitive to low temperatures.
The origin of this peculiar breed dates back to the 60s in Canada and was the result of a genetic mutation, as well as the work of serious breeders who decided to fix and maintain its characteristics while giving it a unique and particular type and structure to make up a race.
The Sphynx is a medium-sized, elongated, and muscular cat. Angular head, with protruding cheekbones. His ears are large and separated. The short nose and large, lemon-shaped eyes. Their skin forms folds on the muzzle, ears, shoulders, and legs. The fur is limited to a very fine hair almost imperceptible to the touch.
The Sphynx produces, from its origins, the same degree of affection as rejection. For his detractors he is a strange cat; with the head of a serpent and the ears of a bat. His fans, on the other hand, value him as an eccentricity of nature.
It is a calm and affectionate cat that needs a lot of physical contact. He is very playful, he loves to jump and climb. At home, it will adapt perfectly to family life, it does not usually have problems with other animals and it will be patient with children thanks to its practically lack of aggressiveness. They are sweet-tempered cats,
curious and intelligent, who seek calm and tranquility. They love warm places, as well as staying indoors during the winter season since they are very sensitive to changes in temperature.
The Sphynx, due to the absence of a coat, will need constant grooming as its skin produces a lot of oil when perspiring. It is advisable to bathe him a couple of times a month with a specific shampoo. Your skin, on the other hand, does not need special attention to solar radiation as it reacts like humans, the most pigmented parts can darken and even show freckles.
Today the Sphynx shares, together with the Peterbald and the Don Sphynx, the exclusivity of being one of the only three breeds that are bare or hairless.
American Curl: Intelligent and gentle.
This feline is the cat with curved ears. It is characterized by having small ears, which at 10 days old begin to bend backwards.
It is a very young breed, the first crosses began in 1980. It is very popular in the United States.
Everything indicates that the breed comes from different crosses with “Shulamith”, a stray cat with long hair and curved ears that some breeders in California found by chance in 1981. The CFA recognized the breed in 1991 and the FIFE in 2002.
They are usually medium-sized cats. Wedge-shaped head, ears with the characteristic backward curvature and topped with tufts of hair that stick out from the inside. Its tail is long and feathered. Regarding the fur, two varieties can be distinguished; semi-long and short, although the former is more common. It comes in all shades with the exception of chocolate and/or cinnamon with its full range.
The American Curl is an affectionate and gentle cat. Its great intelligence makes it a charming and fun animal, easy to live with as a family. They adapt well to any space, although they appreciate access to the outside. Combine the cunning of stray cats with the docility of purebred cats.
· The American Curl is usually a robust and healthy cat that does not need special attention, it is enough to brush it frequently to prevent the hair from becoming knotted.
· The ears require frequent cleaning since serosity tends to accumulate at the narrow base of these due to their characteristic curvature.