Monday, September 28, 2009

What Is A Munchkin Cat?

By Moses Wright

Munchkin cats are best known for their incredibly short legs. This cat breed was developed from a natural genetic mutation. The Munchkin cat breed is one of the newest cat breeds.

The beginning of the Munchkin cat breed was the discovery of the female short-legged cat named Blackberry in 1983. The existence of short-legged cats have been documented as early as the 1940s, but the munchkin cat breeds not begin with those cats.

The Munchkin cats have been accepted as a championship breed in The International Cat Association (TICA), they have not yet been accepted into the Cat Fanciers? Association (CFA). Some people say that the popularity of Munchkin cats is increasing which could assist in their acceptance by the Cat Fanciers? Association.

Munchkin cats are described as playful and people-oriented. A Munchkin cat seems to enjoy being handled more than many cat breeds.

The Munchkin cats have eyes that are spaced widely apart and walnut-shaped. The color of the cat's coat is not related to the eye color of Munchkin cats like it is for most cat breeds. There are no restrictions on eye color by the breed standard.

A Munchkin cat has ears with slightly rounded tips. The medium-boned Munchkin cats should have muscular bodies. The shortness of the legs does not seem to impede the cat's ability to be active.

Some people are against the breeding of Munchkin cats and consider the short legs as a deformity that is not advantageous. Munchkin cat breeders defend the soundness of the breed by touting the cat breeds general health and lack of susceptibility to diseases.

The coats of Munchkin cats can be longhair or shorthair. Dense and plush, shorthair coats are medium to short in length. Solid colored shorthair coats may be less dense than other color patterns. The long-haired coats are semi-long and silky.

People who are knowledgeable about pets but not specifically about Munchkin cats may be concerned that Munchkin cats may suffer from the same spinal problems that corgi and Dachshund dogs are prone to. This is not the case since cat spines do not have the same susceptibility to spinal problems due to short stature.

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