Female lilac European Burmese

European Burmese bred in Russia

This is a lilac, European Burmese bred by Юлия Ланцова who lives in Moscow, Russia. It’s a very good picture and I think it illustrates this cat breed nicely. It also emphasises the fact that there is a difference between North American and European Burmese cats. I’d like to discuss that briefly. Gloria Stephens …

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Pictures of cats: A chubby-cheeked bicolor Exotic Shorthair cat

Picture of a chubby-cheeked bicolor Exotic Shorthair cat

This is a very interesting looking Exotic Shorthair cat. The standout feature other than the classic flat-face is the extraordinarily large chubby cheeks. They remind me of the cheeks of Russian bred British Shorthair cats. Why are the cheeks of this cat so large and rounded? We have to read the breed standard to …

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Why are Maine Coons so big?

Maine Coon on white

Maine Coons are big because (1) people want them to be big and (2) the cat fancy allows them to be big or demands it. But the number one cat association in America, the Cat Fanciers’ Association (CFA), state that this popular cat should be “medium to large” in size, which may surprise some …

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Are Ragdoll cats good with dogs?

Ragdoll meets large dog for the first time and gets along because they are socialised to the other species of animal

People thinking about adopting a purebred cat want to know whether Ragdoll cats are good with dogs and the answer at root comes down to whether an individual Ragdoll cat is socialised to dogs in general. What I mean is whether an individual Ragdoll is used to being around dogs because they were introduced …

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Thai cats – describing their place in the Siamese cat family

People have different points of view about Thai cats. And it is quite a complicated history. I will present my views and try and simplify the history. Although I expect someone to disagree with me. Thai cats are a relatively new form of Siamese cat. It is probably politically incorrect to describe Thai cats …

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You can selectively breed hypoallergenic cats

Genuine Siberian cat in Siberia. Photo by Alla Lebedeva

I have just written about a study in which the scientists found that individual cats are hypoallergenic (the link opens in a new tab). They refer to cat breeds but I don’t have access to the study details. I don’t believe that specific cat breeds other than the Siberian are hypoallergenic but breeders would …

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The meaning of “lines” in cat breeding

Line breeding

The goal of cat breeders should be to found (establish) a line of healthy cats which excel in reference to the breed standard of the cat association at which their cats are registered. The word “line” in cat breeding comes from the word “bloodline”. Bloodline means an animal’s line of ancestors with particular reference …

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