Author: Yugansk
18 January 2022 21:48
Tags: animals cats photos
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Cats have conquered the whole world! Why do we love them so much? Maybe because they are always nearby? People invented the cat so that after hard working days they could relax their souls on a soft sofa under the quiet purring of their pet. She will treat you, give you a massage, and tell you how lonely it was without you. Look at the selection of charming cats and once again remember the statements of famous people about our pets. Enjoy watching!
1.
Egyptian Mau
By the name it is easy to understand where this cat breed came from. We can say that the Egyptian Mau is the most Egyptian of all modern cat breeds. These spotted animals bear a striking resemblance to those depicted in ancient Egypt. And this breed was worshiped many centuries ago.
The breed was almost exterminated during the Second World War. The Russian princess saved the Egyptian Mau breed. This is the only domestic cat that has been spotted naturally. They are the fastest of all domestic cats, reaching speeds of up to 50 km per hour.
Color options
Breeders spent many years and effort trying to develop a cat with the perfect blue color. The main quality of this shade is the absence of red pigment. This coat color is extremely rare. A lilac color with a warm tint is allowed only for some breeds.
The so-called shaded gray looks like this: a third of the hair goes gray, the rest is white. Chinchilla color - 1/8 of the hair is gray, the rest is white.
Chinchilla color
Interestingly, gray coloring is not found in many native breeds. An attempt to fix the blue tint in Siberian cats led to the fact that the coat changed both color and structure. Therefore, they decided to stop further breeding work.
Gray color is typical for British cats. Their fur is often blue in color and can also be light gray or dark gray. There are also gray-blue “British” cats with evenly colored fur of a rich blue hue. Any color impurities and stains are rejected.
The blue color is combined with a striped, spotted, marbled pattern. Interspersed with red, cream, white, peach, and black colors are allowed.
Possible eye colors
The blue shade of the coat goes well with green, orange, and amber eyes. Siberian and Angora cats have silver or blue irises.
How to choose the right kitten
Chinchilla Persians are not very rare, so the search for a kitten usually does not take much time. To become the owner of a healthy animal, it is recommended to purchase it from officially registered nurseries. When choosing a Persian chinchilla kitten, it is advisable to pay attention to the following factors:
- availability of metrics and veterinary passport;
- health status;
- conditions of detention;
- compliance with the breed standard;
- behavioral features.
On a note. A healthy kitten should be active and moderately inquisitive. If a small chinchilla is hiding and avoiding contact, it is better to pay attention to another candidate for pets.
Kitten care
Responsible breeders send chinchilla Persians to new homes no earlier than the kittens are 3 months old. By this age, children will have grown up and become stronger, will have received all preventive vaccinations and will have mastered basic self-care skills.
To make the process of adaptation to new conditions easy, it is recommended to ask the breeder for something with the smell of the native “nest”. And to prevent the Persian chinchilla kitten from getting injured, all potentially dangerous objects are removed from it in advance: electrical wires, medicines, ornamental plants, detergents and small fragile trinkets.
Scottish Shorthair Scottish Fold
Plush Scottish Fold kittens (Scottish short-haired fold breed) resemble fluffy balls from childhood. These kittens are also called bear cubs. They are perhaps the most prominent representatives of this phenomenon, which everyone calls the words “teddy cat”. The brightest ones are because, in addition to this quality, they also have ears folded along the skull, which is why the head becomes completely round.
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MORE ABOUT THE BREED
Care and maintenance
Persian chinchillas easily adapt to any conditions. Therefore, they can be kept both in city apartments and in private cottages. Due to the special structure of their muzzle, chinchilla Persians need regular eye care. And the fluffy fur of these cats requires careful combing.
Otherwise, caring for Persian chinchillas is no different from caring for representatives of other shaggy breeds.
To keep cats looking neat, they are regularly subjected to simple hygiene procedures:
Exotic health, life expectancy
The lifespan of any cat, including exotics, depends not only on genetic predisposition, but also on the animal’s nutrition and living conditions. On average, representatives of the exotic breed live 15 years, but in the absence of genetic diseases and ideal maintenance they can live longer (up to 20 years).
With proper nutrition and care, exotics can live more than 15 years
Most of the diseases that plush pets are prone to were transmitted to them from the Persians. Thus, exotics may suffer from the following diseases:
- Polycystic kidney disease. Signs of polycystic disease appear already in an adult animal (age 3–10 years). It is impossible to get rid of this problem, but with timely treatment, you can improve your pet’s well-being and slow down the development of the disease. Improvements can be achieved with the help of special therapy and nutritional adjustments. A cat that has this disease begins to lose weight and exhibits disturbances in the functioning of the digestive system (vomiting, loss of appetite). In some cases, cats can become aggressive due to the disease.
- Diseases of the respiratory system. The flattened small nose not only makes these cats look very cute, but can also cause tear duct blockage. This manifests itself in excessive lacrimation in the animal and the development of a runny nose. Exotics often suffer from colds.
- Dental diseases. Exotics often suffer from the appearance of tartar. If you do not pay attention to the problem, it can lead to the development of gingivitis. Gingivitis can manifest itself as acute pain and the development of ulcers on the oral mucosa. It is not difficult to notice a problem in a pet. The cat will refuse food and a foul odor will be heard from the mouth. With gingivitis, the gums are severely inflamed, and the animal experiences excessive salivation.
- Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy. Such heart disease can even lead to sudden death in young kittens. Animals with this disease are very lethargic, refuse food, and quickly get tired after active activities. This condition of the body is associated with a lack of taurine. Males are more susceptible to this disease than cats.
Chausie
This breed was created by crossing the Nile cat with domestic breeds. Chausie cats have been found in several ancient Egyptian temples, indicating that the Egyptians valued them even before they were bred into the Chausie we know today.
This is one of the largest breeds of domestic cats, sometimes weighing up to 11 kg. This is one of the few cat breeds that love water. In 2013, the International Cat Association finally registered the breed.
Cats in the history of Ancient Egypt: their meaning
Ancient Egypt was famous for its grain harvests; mice and rats posed a serious threat to the economic well-being of the country, so cats, who actively exterminated potential “ruiners” and carriers of infection, were treated with respect and great respect.
Often mustachioed hunters destroyed snakes, of which there were plenty on the lands of the great Nile. Grateful residents left fish for the cats, and so gradually the wild predators became accustomed and became inhabitants of Egyptian homes.
The patroness of women, love, fun and fertility, the goddess Baset was depicted with the head of a cat. Before the popularization of domesticated animals, she was represented as a lioness. Individuals with black fur were especially revered; they were believed to have a connection with the Moon.
God Ra in the Book of the Dead reincarnates as a red cat, swimming across the underground Nile every night in order to illuminate everything with his life-giving light in the morning. Killing an animal for a noble Egyptian resulted in a large monetary punishment - vira, but for a mere mortal it cost his life. It was prohibited to take the animal outside the country. The house where the cat was kept was considered rich.
Appearance of an Egyptian cat
The ancestors of the domestic purrs of ancient Egypt are considered to be:
Images and figurines found by archaeologists really depict cats of that period as sophisticated, graceful animals with light bones, an elongated muzzle, and high paws. With fur of a single color, predominantly sandy, brown, black, or covered with dark small spots on a red background.
The Egyptian Mau, a breed dating back more than 3 thousand years, gives the most complete picture of the appearance of cats that lived with the pharaohs.
Character of Egyptian cats
The lifestyle formed an inquisitive, but cautious character. Constant attention did not contribute to the habit of meowing; why ask when everything was already brought and done by default.
Favorably accepting signs of attention, the cats did not see competition in each other or dogs. They developed sympathy for their caregivers, often becoming attached to them with all their hearts.
Cats in ancient Egypt: education and training
Sacred animals were allowed everything. They gave way to them, for fear of causing physical harm, and did not disturb animals sleeping in places inconvenient for people. A special servant was appointed to court the cat tribe living at the temple.
The position was inherited, and women and men were allowed to occupy it. Unlike dogs, cats are reluctant to train, but it is known that some ancient Egyptian hunters were accompanied by cats trained to catch fish and birds in the dense grass thickets that framed the banks of the fertile Nile.
Care and maintenance of Egyptian cats
Some plots of land “belonged” to the cats; all income received from cultivating the field and harvesting covered the costs of maintenance and food. The Egyptians expressed their reverence for cats by the fact that after prayer in the Baset temple, citizens cut off the hair from the heads of children (in whole or in part), handing it to the priest for weighing.
An amount of silver equal in weight to them was supposed to be given, for which the servant fed the cats. In ponds near sacred buildings, fish without scales were bred for feeding the animals.
The priestly caste constituted the elite of the Egyptian people; the servants of Bast and cats held the most important government posts. The temple cats were always attended by attendants who monitored not only the nutrition and hygiene of the divine creatures, but also entertained them with games and music.
Health of Egyptian cats
Cats were allowed to roam freely around the city, enter any premises, other people's houses. The special position of the animals gave them the opportunity not to be afraid of injuries received from people, however, fights for the heart of a lady, territory, of course, occurred.
Natural selection filtered kittens and adult animals, leaving the strongest, strongest individuals with strong immunity alive. Not far removed in evolution from their wild ancestors, the Egyptian “Leaders” were physically hardy, agile animals, capable of living well without human care, obtaining food, and taking care of themselves and their offspring.
In case of illness of a pet, the owner went to the temple for a sacrifice. To pay for the services of priests asking the gods for healing, they gave away cattle and family food supplies. To bring a small part of property as a gift meant to offend the supreme beings and their servants. Therefore, after seeking “veterinary” help, the Egyptian became significantly poorer.
