Picture of a tiny, dark chocolate Oriental Shorthair kitten with huge ears and sharp claws sitting in a hand

Strange looking kitten

The Oriental SH is known for slenderness and long legs and, yes, large ears but this strange looking individual has really odd ears. The breeders have altered the anatomy of this cat to the point where the the animal looks unlike a cat as we know it. I know breeders want to take selective …

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How do Siamese cats get their colour?

Siamese cats from years ago showing different pointing

Siamese are dark cats with a pigment-inhibiting, temperature-sensitive gene which removes some of the darkness when the temperature is warmer. Yes, Siamese cats are dark coated believe it or not. But they have a gene which inhibits the pigmentation in the fur if the cat’s body temperature rises above a certain threshold. I guess …

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Six flat-faced Persians taken to rescue centre in one week for medical problems

Rucca a Persian cat who had his eyre removed because of a chronic infection

Six flat-faced Persian cats arrived at Battersea Dogs & Cats Home in one week because they required medical treatment for issues relating to the fact that they have been selectively bred in an extreme manner causing an unnaturally flat face. I would like to make this point first. It’s about time someone in authority …

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1930s Persian cat compared with 2000 variant (picture)

1938 Persian cat

The difference that 80 or more years of selective breeding makes to the Persian cat can be seen in the photo. The breeders decided in about 1930 that they needed to refine the appearance of the Persian cat. For some unimaginable reason they decided that refinement meant flattening the face to unnatural proportions and …

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Why are domestic cats all the same size but dog size varies a lot?

Small and large cats and dogs

Domestic dogs vary in size much more that cats because they have been selectively breed for a much longer time. With a head start of thousands of years the relentless selective breeding of dogs has forced their sizes to new upper and lower limits. Today, the lightest dog might be 1.5% the weight of …

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