breed standards

Is a Maine Coon, Savannah mix possible? Yes and no.

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Maine Coon Savannah cat mix is possible physically and biologically but it's not allowed per cat association rules

Is a Maine Coon, Savannah cat mix possible? That’s the question and there are two ways to answer it. The answer depends on whether you comply with the cat associations breed standards or not. Maine Coon breed standard disallows outcrossing The reason for that is simple. The Maine Coon breed standard states unequivocally that …

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Turkish Angora breed standard – illustrated summary

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Turkish Angora

I use the CFA Turkish Angora breed standard as my guide in writing this summary. I also use my own words, which are less formal and I don’t make an attempt to cover the entire standard as this is meant to be an overview of the cat and how she should look when looked at …

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‘Modified wedge’ terminology used in the cat fancy (infographic)

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NFC (Norwegian Forest Cat) head is an equilateral triangle

This is an infographic on the well-used cat fancy phrase ‘modified wedge’. It is used all the time in cat association breed standards. I see it used a lot in the Cat Fanciers’ Association (CFA) breed standards and I’ve extracted some examples for the infographic below. The cat fancy administrators were drawn into using the phrase ‘modified wedge’ because they had to find a way to describe the head and face shape of their registered cats. Fundamentally, the wedge shape fits the feline head shape but only in a very general way which is why it is ‘modified’!

Modified wedge terminology used in the cat fancy breed standards explained in an infographic.

The Persian Nose Job (cat!)

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Flat-faced Persian versus standard cat muzzle

The Persian nose job is a ‘feline rhinoplasty’. Any wiser?! Yes, it is the enlarging of the nostrils to allow the flat-faced Persian to breath properly. It is ironic that the Persian cat breeders are working against health while some veterinary surgeons are correcting unnatural anatomical features surgically. It is breeders versus vets! Strange …

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Are Bengal cats big?

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Bengal cat

This is a focused, single question which must result in a response along the same lines. Your typical F5 Bengal cat, which is the default standard Bengal cat in people’s homes will be the same size as an average domestic cat. The breed standards for this breed should guide us as to what the …

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Extreme flat-faced Persian cats are like humans suffering from coronal craniosynostosis

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The more extreme flat-faced cat has an abnormally dome-shaped skull compared to both the Domestic Shorthair plus other severe problems of size and shape causing a severe health issues

Extreme flat-face Persian cats are, according to a research paper carried out in 2017 by German scientists, equivalent to children suffering from a condition called coronal craniosynostosis. This is a rare condition where a baby’s skull does not grow properly causing an irregular head shape. I would suggest in fact that the abnormality of …

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American Burmese cat – evolution and comparison with European Burmese

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American Burmese cat

Pointed cat with hard-to-see points The Burmese cat is a pointed cat meaning that it has darker extremities than the areas in the middle of the body. However, the pointing may be difficult to see except in full sunlight. And, for example, the stable Burmese has dark brown points and a dark brown body …

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Cat Fanciers’ Association (CFA) should revise breed standards as the Kennel Club has done for the French bulldog

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The Cat Fanciers’ Association (CFA) has been under pressure for decades to revise the breed standard i.e. the guidelines, for the flat-faced cat breeds namely the Exotic Shorthair, the Persian and the Himalayan. I hope that the pressure has been ramped up on the news that the Kennel Club has revised its guidelines for …

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