by Michael
(London, UK)
The offspring of Milton a TICA champion Munchkin - photo by Terri Harris
Hi, I'd just like to add to this page by showing the best Munchkin cat jumping videos (and more) that I can find and there are certainly a healthy number of them. The first one shows a nice comparison, in size, between a normal sized cat and a Munchkin. There is quite a difference. Although in this case the normal leg length cat may be a big cat because Munchkin cats are generally of similar size (except for leg length) to normal cats:
This video has been removed because it no longer exists.
The next video hasn't been seen that much but it should have because it shows the appearance of the Munchkin really well and it also shows that this cat's leg length doesn't impair jumping ability that much (but it will invariable effect it a bit at least). In fact an overweight cat with normal length legs would be a less athletic jumper than a Munchkin, judging by this video (this black and white Munchkin is a bit of a star in Japan. His name is "Mac Mac"):
Now, talking about jumping, MiniCat is a medium long haired orange Munchkin who I think, it is fair to say, is a little bit overweight, which seems to have impaired her ability to jump to the seat of a chair, quite a low height:
The next video is interesting as it shows a ginger tabby Munchkin cat in a prairie dog position (on hind legs standing/sitting upright and looking). Munchkins are known for this because of their short legs. It is obviously more easy and feels natural for a Munchkin to stand in this position for a long time without discomfort. An interesting element in this video is the ear flaps of the cat. They are almost Scottish Fold like. This may be because the dwarfism is caused by the defective growth of cartilage and ear flaps are made of cartilage. it would seem that the defective gene that caused the dwarfism has had an effect on the ear flaps too:
The next video shows a Munchkin cat jumping but not in a purposeful way and note the ear flaps of this cat too. They are Scottish Fold ear flaps. Sometimes people breed Scottish Fold to a dwarf cat. This is wrong, I think, as you are combining two cartilage defects and may get a real health problem that was otherwise unknown:
This last video shows the typical Munchkin prairie dog position again. This gives them extra height and I wonder if, in part, it is a compensation for Munchkin cat jumping, which is a little less good than normal for obvious reasons despite what some breeders say. Take two cats of equal athleticism, one a dwarf cat and the other a normal leg length cat, and the latter will obviously be a better jumper. I love the Munchkin look, though.
Hi Barbara. The first place to ask will be the Dwarf Cat Association. If you Google that you’ll find them and you can go from there.
They are fairly rare so there may not be a breeder in your state. Good luck though.
I have fallen in love with these cats. Could you please tell me where in my area or State i can find one? Pineville, Louisiana.