Minskin Cat

This cat is a relatively new breed (1998) of dwarf cat. He/she was developed by outcrossing the Munchkin with the Sphynx (developed originally in Canada and sometimes called the Canadian Sphynx), Devon Rex and Burmese cats.

Origin

Paul McSorley founded the Minskin Cat. The breed began in 1998 in Boston, Massachusetts (the photograph above is courtesy and copyright Jim Child, Cat Show Photographer). By 2000 a Minskin of the type desired and envisaged by Paul McSorley had been developed. The name is derived from Min (miniature legs) and skin (a coat that is almost like skin). In 2005 there were about 50 dwarf Minskins (remember there are long haired Minskins as well).

Appearance/Character

The coat is interesting. It feels like cashmere and has a sheen like satin. The coat is thin and sparse with fur point extremities. The cat therefore feels warm to touch (like the Sphynx). Sphynx cats lose heat faster than haired cats and the same probably goes for this breed. You can expect therefore that this cat eats a lot to make up for the heat loss. Coat shedding is minimal. They have a stocky appearance with a small, cute and round face. They are agile, strong, good climbers and they like to play. Their jumping ability is somewhat reduced by their short legs but they are able to jump very athletically nonetheless. They have good “road holding” being low to the ground. They retain their kitten like appearance throughout their life.

Please read about the potential health issues of all dwarf cats before leaving this website and breeding information (of dwarf cats) may also interest you.

They have great personalities:

• Outgoing
• affectionate
• friendly
• intelligent
• love company, especially children
• get along with other cats and dogs
• good hunters
• playful
• not destructive in play

The Minskin makes a nice cat companion. This breed is registered with TICA as an experimental breed. Obviously, the Dwarf Cat Association and breeders are very keen to progress the status to full recognition. There are a number of breeders in the USA and UK. A good starting point would be The Designer Cat Association based in the USA (the link to their website is broken at 21st Oct 2016. They may have a different URL). This is a rare breed and there are very few photographs readily available. Most photographs are by the founder of the breed Paul McSorley.

Russian Minskin male

I don’t have any information about the origin of this Minskin except that he is a Russian bred cat.

Russian female Minskin

Please click on the image to see some details about the cat.

Sources:

• Dwarf Cat Association
• Messybeast
• Breeder sites
• http://www.geocities.com/purfectkittens/MinSkins.html

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