It has a three layer coat which will protect the cat from the cold temperatures.
The Siberian comes in all colors.
It has a very bushy tail and in many respects the appearance of the Siberian bears a resemblance to of that of the Norwegian Forest cat.
The Siberian is a strong athletic cat.
This cat despite its size is known to be one of the best jumpers of the domestic cat world.
Cats of this breed are talkative. They do enjoy the company of other likeminded cats and two Siberians will do better than one living alone.
They are loyal cats and love to play fetch-games. Many say they have a somewhat dog-like manner.
This Cat is Hypoallergenic
The Siberian may be great news for anyone suffering from cat allergy.
There is a high probability that people with cat allergy will not react to this cat. The Siberian is considered a hypoallergenic cat.
Many believe it is the hairs of the cat that cause allergic reactions. This is not true. What causes cat allergy is a protein known as FEL D1.
This protein is in the cat saliva, also in the skin glands and urine. When a cat grooms itself the fur gets covered with saliva. When the saliva dies up, small particles are scattered into the air.
When a person with allergy tendencies, breathe in the air they will react. The FEL D1 protein is known to be sticky. Getting rid of carpets can be one way to reduce the amount of FEL D1.
We all are aware of the high level of frequency a cat grooms and with that knowledge you can understand how often FEL D1 is airborne.
People with allergies are advised to test their reaction to the cat before bringing it into the home.
The level of FEL D1 does vary and there is no guarantee that anyone with cat allergy will endure the Siberian cat. Mixed breeds will produce higher levels of FEL D1.
Another cat breed which is known to produce less FEL D1 is the Abyssinian cat.
Siberian Cat History
The Siberian is an old natural cat breed of Northern Russia. It has been so common there that for years no one seemed to take special notice of this beautiful cat.
In Europe and the United States not very many people were familiar with this cat breed.
That all started to change when two Siberian cats found close to St. Petersburg were brought to Germany for breeding purposes. The two cats were named Tima (male) and Mussa (female).
In Russia they now started to take the Siberian seriously and treat it with the great respect it deserves.
A system for cat registry of the Siberian was put in place at the Kotofej Cat Club in St. Petersburg in 1987.
The Siamese cat is a cat of absolute royalty! This cat is one of the oldest cat breeds we have.
It has its name from Siam, the old name of Thailand.
Many will tell you that at one time the Siamese was considered a sacred cat.
Stories are told that only the monks, aristocrats and royalties were permitted to own this elegant and beautiful cat.
The Siamese cat was mentioned in the “Cat Book Poems” probably written in the 1500’ in Ayudhya, the old capital of Siam.
No one is completely sure exactly when it was written. In this book the Siamese cat was called Vichien Maat. Vichien Maat means “Moon Diamond”.
Appearance
The Siamese cat has gorgeous blue eyes. It is a slender cat. This is an athletic cat with long legs.
The tail can be kinked. Breeders today do try to avoid the kinked tail.
This short-haired cat is easy to groom. The Siamese cats are healthy cats and have a lifespan of 15-20 years.
All Siamese kittens are born white. The color of the Siamese is connected to the body temperature.
The pigment will develop naturally on the body parts that are cooler, making the fur darker in these areas.
The parts of the body which are warmer will remain white or lighter because the pigment is unable to develop.
The color of the fur of a Siamese cat which for example suffers from fever will change to a slightly lighter color.
Siamese Cat Temperament
The Siamese cat is known to be very noisy. This truly is a vocal cat.
If you cannot stand loud meowing, please do not get a Siamese.
This is not a cat for someone who needs peace and quiet at all times.
The Siamese cats are extremely intelligent. They are loyal cats.
These cats tend to bond to a special person, they are somewhat a “one-person” cat.
They are highly protective and will defend their owner if they feel intimidated.
The Siamese cats are extroverts. They are action cats.
They love attention and love to play. It would be a great idea to get two cats, that way they will have a playmate if you should be busy.
Siamese Cat History
The Siamese go back a long time. An article in the London Daily Telegraph portrayed the cat in 1879; “couple of juveniles of Siamese extraction, with black muzzles, ears, feet and tail setting off a close yellowish drab coat…”.
The first documented Siamese cat in the United States was a female cat named Siam given as a gift to President Hayes’ (19th President of the United States) wife, Lucy Webb Hayes in 1879.
The cat was from David Stickles, the American Consul in Bangkok.
Unfortunately Siam died some months later in October 1879. She had fallen ill on her long journey to the White House which had started the previous year.
Siam was first shipped to Hong Kong, and then shipped to San Francisco and from there travelled by land to Washington D.C. Siam, the first Siamese cat in the White House did create quite a stir and people were absolutely amazed by this new exotic cat from Thailand.
The Siamese cat was to become very popular.
Pho and Mia – Sacred Cats?
The first documented Siamese cats to arrive in Great Britain were the two cats, a male named Pho and a female named Mia in 1884.
Pho and Mia were a gift from Edward Blencowe Gould to his sister, Mrs. Lilian Velvey.
Edward Blencowe Gould was Acting Vice-Consul in Bangkok. Stories were passed around that he had gotten these cats directly from King Chulalongkorn (he ruled from 1868-1910).
He was offered to choose anything he wished from the palace as a farewell gift. He chose a couple of beautiful Siamese cats.
The King was shocked as these cats were sacred to the palace, but kept his word and let Edward Gould take the cats. Many dismiss this story as a tall tale.
Pho gave birth to three kittens named Duen Ngai, Kalahom and Karomata. These cats were shown at cat the Crystal Palace Cat Show in 1885.
They won the “Best cat in the show” and “Best short-haired Cat”.
Mrs. Velvey then started to import more Siamese cats to Britain. This had become an easier task. Her brother had in the meantime started a cattery in Bangkok.
A debate started about the Siamese cats.
Many people argued that all the romantic stories about the Siamese cats being sacred Royalty cats were utter nonsense.
Even so the stories about the Royalty cats of Siam have been kept alive by cat lovers throughout the years.
In January 1901 the Siamese Cat Club was established in England.
Siam and Sally: First Siamese in the United States
In the United States Mrs. Clinton Locke from Chicago, also known as the “Mother of American Cat Fancy” formed the Beresford Cat Club in 1899.
The first two Siamese cats to be registered here were the male Siamese named Siam and the female named Sally.
Many British breed Siamese cats were sent to the U.S. and preferred by the wealthy. They were quite expensive.
In 1909 the Siamese Cat Society of America was formed.
Over the years the appearance of the Siamese cat has changed. Earlier it was not uncommon to see cross-eyed Siamese and Siamese cats with kinked tails.
This is no longer a preferred trait. The first Siamese cats had a rounder shaped face. Over the years breeders have produced a slimmer cat.
Today many Siamese cats have a more narrow-shaped head, are more slender and have longer legs and long slender tails.
The Siamese Cat Legends
The magnificent Siamese cats have their origin in Siam, which is the older name of what is now Thailand. There are legends about how the Siamese cat got a kinked tail and blue eyes.
Why the Siamese Cats have Blue Eyes
Once a temple where some Siamese cats resided was ambushed. The attackers drove the monks away and mistakenly thought they were free to rob the sacred alter from all its valuables.
As the raiders approached the sacred alter they discovered the cats sitting guard in front of it.
The cats threatened them with by showing their sharp teeth and claws.
The sight was enough to frighten the raiders and they fled the temple in a hurry empty handed.
When the monks returned to the temple they saw that the courageous cats now had blue eyes, the heavenly color.
These heroic cats would forever reflect through their eyes that they had defended the sacred alter and thus saved the heavenly treasures.
Why the Siamese Cats have squinted eyes and a curve on their tail
A pair of Siamese cats resided at a temple. Unfortunately the priest at the temple was no good. He was constantly drunk.
His job was to guard the sacred golden goblet once used by the Great Buddha. The priest did a poor job and had a tendency to disappear for days.
The cats could not stand the situation anymore. The priest had again disappeared and the cats decided to take action. The male cat left the temple in search of a new holy man.
The female cat stayed behind to guard the sacred goblet.
The female cat stared continuously at the goblet, taking her assignment quite seriously.
As a result her eyes got a permanent squint. After a while the female cat was exhausted.
She then took the goblet and rapped her tail around it to keep it safe as she fell asleep.
When the male cat returned with a new priest, they found the female cat still protecting the goblet with her tail.
To their amazement they also found she had given birth to five kittens.
All the five kittens had squinted eyes and a curve on their tail.
The Scottish Fold can come in any color. There are both short-haired and long-haired Scottish Fold cats.
All Scottish Fold kittens are born with “normal-looking” ears.
After about 25 days you may see the shape of the ears change.
In other cats the cartilage starts to harden, making the ears stand upright.
This does not happen in the Scottish Fold cat breed. Their ears will simply fold forwards. The degree of the folding ears varies.
Lifespan
These cats are healthy cats with a lifespan of 12+ years.
There is one exception.
That is if two Scottish Fold cats with folded ears are mated.
In this case all the kittens will develop folded ears, but may also have serious defects and health issues, such as skeleton problems.
It is of vital importance that a cat with folded ears is only mated with a cat with normal ears. This will keep the kittens free from defects.
Not all the kittens will develop folded ears, making the ones with folded ears very special.
Does the Scottish Fold have hearing problems?
Some may claim that these cats have a hearing problem. This is far from the truth.
The hearing ability of the Scottish Fold is equal to that of any other cat.
Of course white cats with blue eyes are more inclined to be deaf; but that is the case of all white cats no matter what breed they are.
Temperament
The Scottish Fold cats are very social, playful and loyal cats. They get along great with kids and other pets.
These cats are very loving, indeed. If the cat is left alone all day while the owners are off to work, it will get lonely.
These cats do need a playmate and it is recommended to get a second cat for that reason.
Scottish Fold Cat History
The first known Scottish Fold cat was discovered on a farm in Perthshire which is in the Tayside region in Scotland in 1961.
A shepherd named William Ross noticed a white female cat on a farm belonging to Mr. and Mrs. McRae.
The ears on this cat were folded in a strange way.
This white female cat with the folded ears was named Susie. William Ross asked the McRae couple if they knew the history of the cat, which they did not.
Susie later gave birth to two kittens which also developed folded ears, a male and a female.
The male kitten was given to a neighbor. This cat was neutered.
The female kitten was given to the shepherd and his wife, William and Mary Ross. They named the cat Snooks.
Sadly three months later Susie was hit by a car and died. William and Mary Ross had a keen interest in pedigree cats and were absolutely fascinated about the prospect of a new cat breed.
They acquired a white British Shorthair cat which was mated with a son of Snooks. At first they called these cats with folded ears “Lop-eared”.
The Ross couple got help from a cat breeder with special interests in genetics. Her name was Pat Turner. She borrowed a male cat with folded ears named Snowdrift and started a breeding program.
Snowdrift became quite a celebrity appeared in the news and on television. Snowdrift had 76 descendants in just three years, 42 of these descendants had folded ears.
Pat Turner suggested they change the name to “Scottish Fold”.
The Russian Blue is a strong proud cat. This cat is friendly and very lovable.
This cat has a thick double blue-gray coat. It is short-haired and easy to groom. The cat has beautiful green eyes.
Russian Blue Cat: Temperament
The Russian Blue are very quiet cats. They are loyal to their owners if they are well cared for.
These cats may be a little reserved to strangers. They do need some time to accept new humans as trusted friends.
This is completely different from the outgoing Cornish Rex which will approach anyone eagerly without a second thought.
Once the Russian Blue has accepted you as an ally, they will tend to feel the need to be close to you as much as possible.
They need to know you are nearby and within easy reach.
These are indoor cat, but do require a little bit a space as they are known to be very fast runners.
The Russian Blue is very affectionate, a gentle loving cat. This is one of the few cat breeds that may be trained to walk on a leash successfully.
This cat breed likes to play, but hate to be teased.
These are one of the most intelligent cat breeds around and need to be treated with respect.
This is a healthy cat breed. It does not have any specific health issues and has a lifespan of 14+ years.
History
The Russian Blue is an old natural cat breed. Many believe this cat originated in Archangel in Russia.
In earlier times this cat is said to have been hunted for its pelt.
No one can say for sure how and exactly when the Russian Blue came to Western Europe. By the end of the 19th century the Russian Blue was to be seen at cat shows in England.
During the Second World War most of the Russian Blue cats disappeared from Europe.
Fortunately a British cat breeder named Marie Rochford had managed to keep the Russian Blue going and pure.
The first officially recorded Russian Blue to arrive in the United States was a male cat by the name of Blue Royal.
There may have been other Russian Blue cats before Blue Royal, but they have not been recorded.
The Russian Blue is with good reason a favorite among thousands of cat lovers.
The Russian Blue certainly was the favorite cat of Nicholas I. His Russian Blue was named Vashka.
Vashka enjoyed the privilege of have his own personal chef who only prepared very best of gourmet food for this precious Russian Blue cat.
