Aegean cats are very freedom-loving, love fresh air and free, unlimited spaces. If you keep such a cat in the house, then you need to provide it with freedom of movement and regular walks. However, despite the love of freedom, this breed quickly adapts to the lifestyle of its owner: it sleeps and wakes with him at the same time. Aegean cats are distinguished by their extreme intelligence and devotion to their owner. Thanks to their roots, Aegean cats are excellent hunters. Those individuals that live on the seashore become excellent fishermen.
Representatives of the Aegean breed stand out for their strength and endurance. They get along well with other animals and are very friendly with people around them. When interacting with children, Aegean cats show restraint and patience, never releasing their claws. They are very affectionate with strangers and can be the first to make contact, allowing themselves to be petted.
Aegean cat photo
Origin of the breed
These cats originally appeared on the islands of the Aegean Sea. The breed appeared independently in nature and is widespread mainly in Greece.
Wild representatives of the Aegean breed still live on the islands. There they feed on fish, which they themselves catch in the sea. The cat was brought to the mainland by sailors. So it spread throughout Greece.
Scientists paid attention to this breed in the 90s of the last century. At the same time, Greek breeders began breeding it. A purebred Aegean cat is very difficult to buy or even just see outside its native country. It is not common in Russia because of its color. You cannot buy such a cat in Russia, because no one breeds them.
Advantages and disadvantages
Before making a decision and buying such a kitten, it is worth comparing all the positive and negative aspects of such an acquisition. The advantages include:
- Complaisant disposition
- Friendliness,
- Unobtrusiveness,
- Love for affection
- Unpretentiousness in everyday life,
- Good health, absence of genetic diseases,
- Playfulness, activity, independence, talkativeness,
- Love of hunting and ability to destroy pests.
But there are relatively few disadvantages:
- Peculiar appearance
- Difficulty in purchasing due to the lack of nurseries in the country.
Main features
Usually, purebred cats require exceptional care and guardianship from their owners, and these sissies rarely go outside, spending their lives in the house, lazily lying down and touching their owners. The Aegean cat will not be able to sit at home all the time. She needs space and fresh air. These cats require no more care than purebred cats.
Unlike most cats, Aegean cats are not only not afraid of water, but also love to bathe and swim. Washing her will be no more difficult than washing a child.
The favorite food of Aegean cats is fish. They faithfully wait on the shore for their fishermen owners with prey, and sometimes they can bring it themselves.
Photo with Aegean cat
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Appearance
Aegean cats look very similar to ordinary yard cats.
The coat color combines several colors. The main color is white. Additional colors are black, cream, red, blue, gray and brown. There can be two or one additional colors. Most often, colored ears, paws, back, head and tail. There is usually two or three times more white in color than the others.
Eyes can be any shade from yellow to green. They are large, oval in shape and their outer corners are raised up. The head is triangular in shape, the muzzle is elongated, and the nose is straight.
These cats are medium-sized, strong and robust. The body has an elongated shape, the legs are long and large. The coat does not have a dense undercoat, but cats still do not freeze in the cold season. It has medium length and fluffiness.
Exterior
The climate has hardened this breed in terms of endurance and survival with a small amount of food, so the size of these seals is quite small. The weight of a sexually mature individual is in the range of 2-4 kilos, females are not much smaller than males.
In general, Aegean cats stand out for their perfect features and vitality. Genetically determined diseases are not observed. Since the official standard has not been approved, the characteristics are based on the appearance of the murkas living on the streets of Greece:
- The body is strong, sinewy, with well-developed muscles.
- The neck is not particularly long, powerful, but flexible.
- The shoulder girdle and sternum are quite extensive.
- The limbs are strong, in harmony with the torso.
- The claws are large and curved, especially on the hind legs.
- The tail is in harmony with the body, but the fur on it is much more luxurious.
- The head resembles a regular triangle with graceful features.
- The nose is consistent in size, expanding from the tip to the bridge of the nose.
- The eyes are wide open, reminiscent of almonds, with eyeliner. The gaze is thoughtful and significant.
- The ears are long, rounded, set at a great distance and look slightly to the sides. The ears are almost entirely draped with fur sticking out to the sides.
Interestingly, living in a harsh natural environment causes Aegean cats to have lightning-fast reactions. Ear hairs help the senses. By moving its ears, the animal detects the movement of air currents and the range of sounds.
The fur of Aegean cats is short, dense, and has no undercoat at all. The range of colors of these creatures is diverse, but there is one nuance: the background color is invariably perfectly snow-white.
The other color of a two-color suit can be absolutely anything: black, silver, blue, red, peach, fiery, chocolate, gray. This is also true of the point pattern, which comes in stripes, ticking and solid markings.
It should be noted that if an all-white Aegean has a broken tail, hereditary problems with the eyes and ears, an awkward structure, or too weak paws, then such an individual is rejected from the selection process and subjected to sterilization.
Character of Aegean cats
These cats are active and playful; they cannot sit in one place. They love to hunt, perfectly protect the house from rodents, but they pose a danger to small pets.
They are very smart, understanding, love communication and affection, but do not impose themselves. Children are treated patiently and do not scratch. Aegean cats love and try to protect small family members. They are not subject to training.
Aegean cats are as loyal to their owners as dogs, but they are not jealous and easily share affection with other pets and people.
If you talk to this cat, she will answer, in her cat language of course. They love it.
Cats will not tear up wallpaper and furniture, dirty everything around them and ignore the comments of their owners. They are not inclined to misbehave and disobey.
Cats love to be outside, running and playing in the fresh air. Sitting constantly in a house or apartment, they will feel bad and sad. For this cat, the best option would be a private home. If she lives in an apartment, then, if possible, the cat should be allowed to go outside at her own request or be walked daily for a long time, preferably without a leash.
Caring for Aegean cats
Mandatory care for cats of this breed consists of several mandatory procedures:
- Vaccinations and vitamins;
- Combing fur during shedding;
- Bathing;
- Feeding;
- Treatment as needed.
Like ordinary cats, Aegean cats develop various parasites, and their ears and eyes become inflamed. They catch colds and get injured. Treatment of all these diseases is carried out by a veterinarian and does not require special rare medications. Prevention can be carried out with ordinary antiparasitic drugs, vitamins and good nutrition.
During shedding, the fur should be combed once a day with a wide comb or a special soft brush so that the fur does not gather in clumps and lie all over the house. At normal times, it is not necessary to brush your cat.
You need to bathe an Aegean cat just like a regular cat, if necessary or desired. It does not require mandatory washing. These cats like to bathe, so you can do this to please the animal.
A cat's diet must include fish. This is their common food in the wild and is essential for Aegean cats' health and development. In addition to fish, Aegean cats can eat special dry food and homemade food. It is undesirable to feed your cat very salty, spicy and sweet foods. An unbalanced diet can lead to brittle bones and lack of muscle elasticity, affecting the cat's appearance and activity.
Aegean cats do not have genetic diseases or predisposition to them.
The average lifespan of such a cat is 10 - 15 years.
Nutrition
These cats have a fishy soul
Aegean people are fish lovers. They originated where there was a lot of it and, for many centuries, they fed only on it on the shores of Greece. There is no need to exclude fish from your diet. However, feeding exclusively fish delicacies can result in trouble for the animal’s health.
The simplest and most popular way to feed this breed of cats is dry balanced premium, super-premium and holistic food. Dry granules are better absorbed and help clean teeth from dirt. The food should contain the right amount of proteins - most of them, as well as fats and carbohydrates. Also, the diet should be rich in vitamins and microelements necessary for the health of pets.
Twice a week you can include fish. Raw fish is dangerous to feed a cat due to the possibility of it containing parasites. It is advisable to use sea fish, boiled and without bones.
