Cat Breeds

Birman Cat Breed

The Birman cat is also called “The Sacred Cat of Burma”.

All Birman cats are easily recognized by their pure white paws. It could seem as they are wearing white gloves.

The Birman cat has blue eyes.

This beautiful cat usually has a creamy and golden fur with dark points much like that of the Siamese cat.

All Birman kittens are born completely white.

The color of the fur changes as they grow. The change of color is completed after two years.

Their bodies are often large and stocky. They have short, strong legs. The head is rounded.

These cats are calm and loving. They love to be around people and may tend to follow you around.

This is a loyal cat just begging for affection.

Birman Cat History

The Birman was brought to France shortly after the First World War. They became quite popular and loved in France.

Sadly after the Second World War there were only a very few Birman cats left.

A couple of cat breeders in Germany managed to save the Birman. Some years later the Birman cat again became increasingly popular.

The first Birman cat arrived in the United Sates in 1959. The first Birman cat arrived in Britain in 1964. Birman Cat breeders often have a special system for naming the kittens.

All the kittens born the same year will be given a name starting with the same letter of the alphabet.

In the year 2002 all Birman kittens had a name starting with the letter Z.

In 2003 all kittens were given a name starting with the letter A and so on.

The Birman is a true family cat. It is impossible not to fall in love with the Birman cat.

Legend of the Birman Cat – The Sacred Cat of Burma

Long ago before the time of Buddha there was a temple in Burma where one hundred pure white cats resided. These white cats all had yellow eyes. The temple was known as the sacred Khmer temple and was located on Mount Lunh in Burma.

These beautiful white cats guarded the most sacred and valuable image of the blue-eyed goddess named Tsun-Kyan-Kse.

The power of this goddess was of utmost importance to the priests of the temple.

When a priest died it was the goddess Tsun-Kyan-Kse who ordered the soul of the dead priest to be transferred to one of the cats. It was believed the soul had to pass through a temple cat before it was able to continue the journey to heaven. This was only pathway to paradise.

At one time the temple was threatened by barbarians from Siam. Mun-Ha was at that time the high priest of the temple.

He was old and resting in front the golden image of the goddess in company of his favorite cat named Sinh. He was dying.

At the moment of his death the cat Sinh had his paws on the head of the high priest.

The other priests who were present were totally stunned as they witnessed the miracle in from of them.

The color of the Sinh’s eyes changed from yellow to blue.

The color of the cat’s fur changed from pure white to an earth-color, with the exception of the paws.

The paws had been resting on the white hair of the high priest and remained white. The soul of the high priest had truly passed on and entered the cat.

The priests of the temple then observed that this change had not only inflicted the cat Sinh, but every single cat at the temple.

All the cats had suddenly changed as Sinh had. This was the miracle they needed to give them the courage to drive off the barbarians from Siam.

The cat Sinh stayed close to the dead high priest for seven days. Sinh refused to eat and died one week later.

The other cats then came in and formed a circle around a priest named Liao. There was no doubt about it. The sacred cats of the temple had appointed Liao to be the next high priest.

Only for the Passionate Cat Lover

The Bengal Cat is precious, exquisite cat. It certainly has that “wild-look”.

The Bengal cat is only suited for devoted cat lovers with experience.

This cat is extremely active. The cat loves to run, play and jump.

The Bengal cat enjoys climbing up on high places.

A Bengal owner needs to stock up on cat toys.

These cats are in much need of entertainment.

Because of their high level of activity, the Bengals need lots of space.

A cramped apartment would be torture for the Bengal. The Bengal cats are quite expensive. If you are considering a Bengal cat, you need to be very careful about which breeder you choose.

The high demand and the selling price have unfortunately resulted in some unethical breeders.

The Bengal cats are large and muscular.

Their coat may be either spotted or marbled.

These cats are very intelligent. They are easy to groom.

Many Bengal owners have reported that their Bengal loves to play with water.

Health wise the Bengal cat seem to be immune to feline leukemia.

History of the Begal Cat

The Bengal cat is a cross between a wild Asian Leopard Cat and a domestic cat. It is a hybrid.

Normally hybrids are infertile, but in this case only the male offspring was infertile.

The female offspring was not infertile and was used to develop this new breed.

Geneticist, Jean Sugden from Yuma, Arizona crossed a black short-haired domestic male with a female Leopard Cat in 1963.

She had gotten the Leopard Cat from a pet store and named him Malaysia. A female kitten was given the name: Kinkin. Kinkin was later crossed back with her father.

Kinkin could have been the matriarch mother of the Bengal cats.

Unfortunately Jean Sugden became a widow and under the circumstances did not continue her project of developing this new breed.

Sometime later in the 1970’s another geneticist named Willard Centerwall was working on a project to study feline leukemia.

As part of his work in the program he crossed the wild Asian Leopard with domestic cats.

Jean Mill applied for hybrid cats

In the mean time Jean Sugden had remarried. Her name was now Jean Mill. She had moved from Arizona to California.

When Jean Mill heard about the project Willard Centerwall was working on, she contacted him.

She applied for some of these female hybrid cats and her wish was granted. This was in 1981. Jean Mill was back in business!

A cat from Delhi and a cat from Los Angeles

Jean Mill went to India in 1982. At the Delhi Zoo she spotted a red feral cat in a rhinoceros disclosure.

The cat was sent back to the U.S. and crossed with a female hybrid.

She also obtained a brown, spotted tabby cat from a cat shelter in Los Angeles. This time around a new cat breed was developed.

Others have also crossed the Leopard Cat with a domestic cat. Gregg Kent was successful in his project of crossing a Leopard Cat and an Egyptian Mau.

The Bengal cat sold as a pet should be least four generations (F4) away from the Leopard Cat.

The “foundation cats” from the first three filial generations of breeding (F1–F3) are usually kept back for further breeding. The F is short for “filial”.

The name “Bengal” comes from the Asian Leopard Cat; Felis bengalensis.

Appearance

The Balinese cat is known for its elegance and gracefulness. Many call the Balinese cat “the fashion model of the cat world”.

The Balinese have clear blue eyes and a long straight nose. The ears are pointed.

The head is long and wedge shaped.

Their legs are long and slender. The Balinese have long tails

History

The Balinese is basically a long-haired Siamese cat. This breed started sort of by mishap.

Some Siamese kittens started from time to time to appear with longer hair than they were supposed to.

In the United States a woman named Marion Dorset took a keen interest in these long-haired Siamese kittens that no one else cared about.

Taking a closer look at these long-haired Siamese, she was quite enthusiastic about the prospect of a whole new cat breed.

In the 1950’s her breeding program was established. In the 1960’s she was joined by another breeder named Helen Smith.

They were successful and a new breed of long-haired Siamese cats had come to stay. Helen Smith suggested naming this new breed “Balinese”.

The name “Balinese” was chosen because these cats are a reminder of the elegant dancers from Bali.

The name could be slightly misleading. They are not from Bali, this cat breed originated in the United Sates.

Temperament

The Balinese cats are not as noisy as the Siamese, though they do tend to be more vocal than other cat breeds. They do love to play and are quite affectionate.

The Balinese do not appreciate being alone for long. They are social cats. It would be a good idea to get two Balinese cats, as they would love to have another cat to play with.

The Balinese are great family cats and get really well along with children.

The American Shorthair comes in 80 different colors. The silver-tabby is probably the best known. They have short, pointed ears and a muscular body.

The American Shorthair was earlier called “Domestic Shorthair. The name of these wonderful cats changed in 1966 to American Shorthair. The reason for the name change was to give these cats a higher status, as they very much deserved.

When these cats were called the “Domestic Shorthair” they were far too often associated with the non-pedigree domestic cats.

History

This cat breed emigrated from Europe and is thought to have come with the pilgrims on the Mayflower in 1620.

They were working cats, employed as mousers. The Domestic Shorthair had a solid reputation for being the best rodent hunters ever.

During the 19th century the Domestic Shorthair cats were selling for $50, which was quite a large chunk of cash at that time.

The cats were especially popular with people going to California during the Great Gold Rush.

The first Domestic Shorthair to be registered as a pedigree cat and a home-bred, true American Domestic was a male cat named Buster Brown owned by Jane Cathcart. This was in 1904.

The Domestic Shorthair increased in popularity and started winning prizes.

As of 1966 the Domestic Shorthair was officially renamed and is now known as the ever popular American Shorthair.

Temperament

The American Shorthair is just about the perfect cat.

These cats are very friendly.

They are truly great family pets, getting along with children as well as other pets.

The American Shorthairs are social, active and intelligent cats.

They are rumored to be easy-going.

Like all cats they need love and affection from their owners.

These are known to be healthy cats.

They have a lifespan of 15-20 years, which is equivalent to 76 – 96 cat years.

The grooming requirements are minimal, though they should be brushed every once in a while.

All in all the American Shorthair cat is a great family pet.