Cat Breeds: The Australian Mist

The citizens of Australia have always wanted an Australian breed of cat. As far back as the 1890's, attempts to create such a breed were started, but none were successful.

In the mid 1970's Dr. Truda Staede of Nintu Cattery in Australia submitted an idea to the Royal Agricultural Society of New South Wales (NSW) Cat Control (this body was later replaced by the Cat Fanciers' Association of NSW, which is a member of the Coordinating Cat Council of Australia) to develop a breed of cat that would be truly unique to Australia.

She submitted an Experimental Plan outlining her idea to use Burmese cats, Abyssinian cats and the common domestic cat or “moggy.” The Burmese was chosen for its relaxed nature, general size and shape, the colours brown, blue, lilac and chocolate and their pattern, particularly their ghost spotted pattern. The Abyssinian was chosen for its intelligence, colour pattern and to obtain the ticking (agouti) gene to develop the tabby pattern. By crossing them with domestic tabby cats, she ensured the tabby pattern and also their strength and rigour.

The breeding plan was very successful and in 1978, the new cats turned out to be what was planned. They were named the “Spotted Mist” cat. However, occasionally cats were born with a marbled pattern. It was determined that this pattern occurred when two cats with the masked classic gene were bred to each other. It was decided that both the spotted and the marbled patterns should be included in the breed, but the name “Marbled Spotted Mist” was too awkward a name, so the name was changed to “Australian Mist.”

The Australian Mist is a medium-sized, short-haired cat with a round head and large expressive eyes in shades of green. Its coat is either spotted or marbled. The base or ground colour is cream (any other base colour, including white, means that the cat is not a purebred Australian Mist). The delicate pattern colour is one of seven colours: blue, lilac, brown, chocolate, caramel, gold or peach. Random ticking in the solid colour areas gives it an appearance of being covered by a misted veil, hence the name. The nose, chin and whisker pads are broad, giving the face a generous open look, with delicate tabby markings. Legs and tails frequently contain rings of the pattern colour.

These cats are hearty eaters, so care must be taken that they don't overeat and become obese. Their short, dense hair is easy to care for and only requires a weekly brushing, They will shed their hair, and during this time, more frequent brushing is required.

The Australian Mist is a very healthy cat and it is very unusual for one to have a health problem. Their life expectancy is 15 to 19 years. Breeders of this species of cat keep meticulous records and every single cat's lineage can be traced back to the original base group. As a result, prospective breeders are thoroughly screened to ensure that they will keep the breed pure and that all documentation is factual and complete.

As kittens, Australian Mist cats are very lively, and even as adults they enjoy playing. They can be trained to fetch and walk on a leash. Nothing much perturbs them as they are very laid back in temperament. They love people and will plunk themselves down on any empty lap, whether they are invited or not. They prefer company, so make excellent pets for invalids and house bound seniors. They make perfect pets for children of any age, even very little ones, as they enjoy being handled and are not inclined to scratch.

The Australian Mist is very easy to show as they enjoy all the attention. Because of their mild manner and fantastic appearance, they frequently win the coveted “All Breeds Supreme in show awards.”

At the current time Australian Mist cats are being bred in Australia and Great Britain. There are some neutered/spayed Australian Mist cats in the United States and several breeders there are attempting to sign agreements so they can breed these fabulous cats.

So, if you want a loving, beautiful cat that can be taught tricks, you may want to consider the Australian Mist as your next feline companion. One word of caution though, they are very pricey and you will have to undergo a rigorous interrogation by the breeder to ascertain if you would be a suitable owner. You should also know that if you are purchasing a companion cat, that it will be spayed or neutered prior to being sold to you. This prevents any unauthorized breeding from taking place. As noted above, very strict rules apply to this particular breed of cat.

Until next time,

Teia

Cat Breeds: The Abyssinian

The origin of this cat is unknown, although many stories exist about it. Unfortunately, none of them have any hard evidence to back them up, so they just remain stories. In fact, one story has it originating in Egypt, but DNA testing has revealed that it likely originated near the Indian Ocean.

The Abyssinian cat has a very distinctive ticked coat as exhibited in the above picture. The Abyssinian is one of the most popular short-haired cats in the United States. This cat's body is medium in length and lithe, with well developed muscles. Its tail is broad at the base and slowly tapers almost to a point. The legs are slender and fine boned; the paws small and oval shaped. Its eyes are nearly almond shaped and can be green, gold, copper or hazel in colour. The head is broad and wedge shaped. If you view a profile of this cat, you will see that the nose and chin form a vertical line. The Abyssinian's ears are broad and cupped at the base, tapering to a rounded point at the tips. Most Abyssinians have hair tufts on their ears, a must have feature for show animals. A “M” shaped marking often appears in the forehead hair, above the cat's eyes, which has led to it being referred to as “frown lines.”

All Abyssinians have a darker shade on the backs of their hind legs and the pads of their paws. The original Abyssinian's coat was a warm, reddish-brown with black ticking, however, over the years, other colours have been developed. New colours are Sorrel, which is a cinnamon (yellowish-brown) base with chocolate brown ticking, paw pads and the back of hind legs. Fawn Abyssinians have a light-cream base with darker cream ticking, pads and backs of hind legs. Blue Abyssinians have a light-beige base colour with blue ticking, paw pads and backs of hind legs.

A separate group among Abyssinians is the Silver Abyssinian, which is not recognized by the Cat Fancier's Association, even though this colour has be around for a long time. Silver Abyssinians have a silvery-white base colour, with tickings of black, blue, warm dark cream or cinnamon.

Rare colours include Red, Cream, Tortoiseshell, Lilac and Chocolate, which are bred on a small scale in Great Britain and Holland.

Abyssinians are very active and playful. They can become depressed without daily activity and attention. As a result, Abyssinian cats should not be considered as “lap cats,” because they have to be doing things. If allowed outside, they are great hunters as they are physically capable and intelligent animals.

If you are interested in a cat that is active, good looking and loves to play games, then an Abyssinian is a cat that you should consider.

Until next time,

Teia

Cat Breeds - Bengal Cats

Bengal cats are a hybrid variety of cats which are friendly, very intelligent and alert, but they have a very wild appearance. Their distinct features include markings such as spots and rosettes. This type of cat closely resembles the Asian Leopard Cat and from its taxonomic name the word “Bengal” was derived. Although breeders around the world are attempting to make them look like little tigers, they have no actual relationship with the Bengal Tiger.

Bengals have an average build. Males weigh up to fifteen pounds and females weigh up to ten pounds. The two horizontal lines on the sides of their face, which start from above and below the end of their eyes and go up to the back of their neck, are known as mascara. Their bodies have spotting which is usually rosette in shape, although some have a marbled pattern. Bengals with spots and with more than one colour are the ones which are in greater demand. The colour of spots varies from rust to chocolate brown to cocoa to gray and to black. Their tail, hind legs and fore limbs have symmetrical stripes. Bengal cats win championships in most of the competitions held to award the most exotic pet, because of their looks, intelligence and friendly nature.

Bengals are the result of years of selective crossbreeding techniques. Jean Mill of the United States developed Bengals in the 1970s. They originated by crossing the small Asian Leopard cat with several different types of domestic cats. This gives them the wild and exotic look and the friendly nature. Breeders are still working to develop more qualities in this breed. They are attempting to do this by crossing them with other breeds of domestic cats like the American short-hair, Egyptian maus, Ocicat, Abyssinian and other short-haired cats.

The foundation generations of the filial are the first three generations of Bengals. Most of the males of these generations didn’t have the ability to reproduce. However, the females were able to. The fourth generation produced fertile males and after the fifth generation, they was no need to crossbreed. Instead, breeding was done between two Bengal cats.

Currently there are three kinds of Bengal cats available as pets, the Cheetoh, the Toyger and the Serengeti cat. The Cheetoh is a hybrid cat derived by crossing Ocicat and Bengal, to get a breed of spotted cats. The Toyger is a hybrid cat which is produced by crossing Bengals with domestic cats that have stripes. (The hope here is to develop a cat that resembles a tiger in its markings). The Serengeti cat has been produced by crossing Siamese or Oriental cats to get a cat that looks like an African Serval.

Based on their patterns, Bengals can be named as brown-marbled tabby, brown-spotted tabby, seal mink-marbled tabby, seal mink-spotted tabby, seal sepia-marbled tabby, seal sepia-spotted tabby, seal marbled lynx point and seal spotted lynx point. Other than the aforementioned colours, Bengals also come in blue, grey and black, but these colours are still awaiting worldwide recognition.

Unlike other domestic cats, Bengals are fascinated by running water and are easy to bathe. They are attracted to showers and will instantly jump inside bathtubs.

Bengals are quite vocal so they can “converse” with their owners. They are good at sports and play hide and seek and also learn other games easily. Young ones need human attention and can become bonded to you if you spend at least an hour each morning and evening playing with them. Bengals are attention seekers and always try to be involved in human activities. They will follow you around, but do not like to be placed on laps.

People who have decided to keep Bengals as pets should be aware that they have to spend lots of time with this cat, otherwise it will get bored. And, if the cat gets bored, it can get into a lot of trouble. Bengals have a very high energy level so they need a lot of activity to burn this energy off. Owners who do not have a lot of time to spare should certainly keep Bengals in pairs, so that they can play with each other.

If you do have two Bengals, then ensure that both of them are given equal attention, otherwise the neglected one tends to become jealous of the other and fights can develop.

Until next time,

Teia