Choosing an exotic cat: what you need to know

Origin story

Exotics appeared in the 50s of the last century in the USA as a result of a not entirely successful experiment to improve the American Shorthair breed as a result of crossing a cat of this breed with a Persian. This experiment was conducted without the approval of the CVA Board of Directors. It was decided to separate hybrids into a separate breed only in 1966 at the suggestion of Jane Martink.

Representatives of the Burmese cat and Russian Blue were used in the selection of the breed. The experiments were stopped only after the shorthair gene was firmly established in the breed. Matings of exotics have since been allowed only with Persians.

Metis or mongrel?

True purebred cats are significantly inferior in number to outbred and mestizo cats, the difference between which lies not only in color, but also in behavior and health. As a result of family ties that were carried out for improvement, purebred cats have numerous mutations and a number of congenital pathologies. Mestizos and outbreds are distinguished by stronger physical characteristics and immunity.

Outbred cats often have short hair, which helps with hygiene. The most common color is brindle, but tortoiseshell, blue, spotted and solid are also found. According to their external characteristics, yard cats can be divided into northern and southern types. Those living in the north are distinguished by thicker, lighter hair and stocky, large physiques, while those living in the south are darker, smoother and more graceful.

A mixed-breed cat is also a mongrel cat, but has the characteristic features of purebred cats. This is manifested in color and physique, character and health. Mixed breeds have a chance to get the breed. To do this, the owners need to breed offspring from a mixed-breed parent couple (not father and mother, but of the same breeds) and cross the offspring with each other. And only the fifth generation can become a contender for thoroughbred.

Breed characteristics

Standard

Ideal exotics are well-balanced, with heavy and powerful bones and rounded body lines. The dense, plush coat emphasizes the overall roundness of the cat's shape and softens the lines of the cat's body. Large round eyes complete the look.

The breed standard standards are as follows:

• Body: stocky, large or medium in size, with short legs, deep and wide in the chest, massive across the shoulders and rump. Muscle tone is good without signs of obesity. The middle part is rounded, the back is flat. Weight 3-6 kg.
• Coat: Plush, dense, standing away from the body due to the thick undercoat. The texture is soft. The length is average and depends on the undercoat.
• Color: all colors are accepted except fawn and cynamon. For tabbies, the points are divided into 10 for stripes and for color, for bicolors - 10 for white distribution and for color. Red bicolors are popular, as are tortoiseshell cats. Solid colors, such as pure black and white, are less common.
• Head: round, massive, well set on a thick short neck. The skull is wide with a convex forehead, full cheeks. The jaw is wide and powerful. The chin is strong, emphasizing the correct bite.
• Eyes: large, round, bright. Set far apart from each other, low on the head. Eye color corresponding to color.
• Ears: small, rounded, set wide and low on the skull, tilted forward.
• Limbs: legs short, thick, strong. The paws are round, large, with tufts of hair between closely spaced toes. There are five toes on the front legs and four on the hind legs. The tail is bushy, short, with a rounded tip, at a slight downward angle relative to the back of the body, without bending.

Health

The average lifespan of a cat is 12-15 years.

The following diseases are inherent in the breed:

• Breathing and sinus problems due to a thin nasal septum.
• Narrowing or complete obstruction of the nasolacrimal duct and, as a result, lacrimation .
• Dental problems – gingivitis, abnormal development of the lower jaw, periodontal disease.
• Obesity.
• Genetic predisposition to kidney disease, cardiomyopathy .

Character of an exotic shorthair cat

Exotics have a very friendly and peaceful character. Representatives of the breed are able to get along with all family members and other pets. However, to form connections in a new family, they need time - at first the animal observes everything that is happening, and then chooses the main person for itself - the owner, and demonstrates almost canine devotion to him.

Unlike their close relatives, the Persians, exotics are playful and curious, but at the same time very unobtrusive.

They can wait for hours for permission to climb onto their owner's lap or for a desire to play with them. They prefer quiet games, without actively running after a toy. In childhood they are more active, and as they grow older they become more balanced.

Belongs to silent breeds, will not bother household members with demands for food or attention. Prefers to attract attention to himself with long, inquisitive glances. Sometimes they may show persistence in the form of stroking with a paw or rubbing against surrounding objects.

Exotics are intolerant of loneliness; they always need company and the presence of their beloved owner nearby. They can easily endure trips and transfers. They are tactful and tolerant towards children, but can show displeasure when their comfort is disturbed too much. Hunting instincts are rarely shown.

The breed responds well to training and training. When raising, the main rule is the absence of aggression and harsh measures - the psyche of animals is very susceptible to physical punishment or raising their voices. Exotics easily remember the location of the scratching post and toilet, can learn simple commands and know prohibition words well.

Exotics are clean and often lick themselves , so it is recommended to buy malt paste for them to remove hairballs from the stomach.

Description of exotic cats

Before we begin to describe the cat, it should be clarified that exotics are included in the same subgroup with Persians and extreme cats, but these are three different breeds. Many people still consider the exotic cat to be a type of Persian. But even though the ancestors of the cat with a cute face are Persians, and their standards are very similar, we are talking about a separate breed.

Based on the accepted characteristics, you can easily determine the breed of a cat with a flattened muzzle.

This pet has a rounded head. A feature of cats is their snub nose with a “stop”, which is very short. The breed's cheeks appear full. The small ears have some slant. The eyes adorn the cats' faces: round and very large eyes make the expression of the face almost childish.

The neck looks short and thick.

Pets stand on thick, strong paws. The small skeleton is tightly knit, the body looks massive. The body appears stocky and squat.

There are tufts of fur between the toes on the rounded paws. The limbs are massive and strong.

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The tail is short and well-furred, the tip is necessarily rounded, and the tail is set low.

The fur of exotic pets is literally plush and fluffy, soft and short, the undercoat is very thick. Only homozygous short-haired exotics always give birth to the same cuties with short hair. Otherwise, the offspring may also include long-haired newborns, which, however, will turn into gorgeous adult fluffy cats.

The heir of the short-haired cat is included in the list of breeds that can cause allergies.

Exotic cat colors are variable and varied. Here are a few of the most common:

• tabby;
• bicolor;
• color point;
• white;
• blue;
• red;
• cream.

Slight variations in color shades are possible. The most popular animal of this breed is the cat Snoopy.

Dimensions and weight of exotics

Exotic cats look somewhat smaller than cats in length, size, and height. The weight of females is also slightly lower than the weight of males: on average, adult offspring of Persians and American females weigh from 3.5 to 7 kg.

How much an exotic animal weighs is not so important according to the standard: in any case, it is an animal of medium or large size if it is sterilized or neutered.
Exotic weight table by month

Care

Exotics are not the most demanding pets to care for, however, and they have their own subtleties associated with thick hair and undercoat, as well as the structure of the skull bones.

Wool

Despite the dense plush coat, caring for it is not a big problem. It is enough to comb the animal once a week, during shedding - 2-3 times a week. To do this, you need to use a special brush in the form of a metal comb.

Bathing an exotic cat is recommended no more than once a month using a special cat shampoo.

Important! Do not use personal shampoos, soaps or shower gels - they can cause allergic reactions in your pet.

After a bath, it is advisable to dry the animal’s fur with a hairdryer, since due to its thickness, the damp undercoat can mat.

Nutrition

The combination of a good appetite and “lazy” games makes exotic cats prone to gaining excess weight. It is necessary to accustom an animal to a balanced diet from a very early age. The basis of the diet should be protein products combined with carbohydrate foods - cereals and vegetables. When feeding natural food, it is worth adding vitamin and mineral complexes to the diet.

Advice! For feeding, you need to choose tall bowls with edges curved inward, which will protect the animal’s fur from getting dirty with food.

When using dry food, it is better to give preference to the super-premium class. They contain balanced nutrients, vitamins, macro- and microelements. It is acceptable to supplement dry food with wet food from the same company. The amount of food should correspond to the recommendations on the packaging.

Important! Exotics in any form or quantity are prohibited from fatty, fried, smoked foods, milk and fish products. It is also prohibited to mix industrial and natural feeds - only alternation.

An adult cat is fed 2 times a day, kittens under 3 months of age - 6 times a day. At the age of 6-9 months, the feeding regimen is 4 times a day, then switch to two meals a day. Clean water should be available to your pet around the clock.

Caring for ears, eyes and claws

The special structure of the muzzle requires certain care. The eyes and nose should be wiped daily with a damp cloth that does not contain alcohol or fragrance. The ears are wiped once a week with a damp cloth or a bandage soaked in water. The kitten is accustomed to these procedures from a very early age.

Claws are trimmed 2 times a month using a special guillotine or nail clipper. A good scratching post is a must in the house.

A necessary procedure for the breed is brushing its teeth. It is carried out once a week using a soft baby brush or a special cat brush. For kittens, during the training process, the brush is only moistened with water, and for those already accustomed to the procedure, tooth powder without flavors is added.

Walking your pet

Walking is not necessary for exotics - they are a typical resident of an apartment or house. If you wish, you can walk your cat on a harness, but in this case you need to accustom it to it from a young age. You cannot release an animal without accompaniment and supervision, even in a closed private area.

Cats of this breed can easily tolerate traveling and moving.

Breed card

Métis British

Mixed breed cats have always existed, and the British are no exception. The history of their origin began with the islands of Britain, where imported Persians were crossed with local representatives - English domestic cats. The new breed was called British. She combined English intelligence and Persian proud stubbornness.

To obtain new colors, breeders crossed this breed with their relatives, the Persians. As a result of their labors, a mixed breed of British and Persian was born. The breeding of such mestizos continued until 2003, after which it was prohibited due to signs of degeneracy in both breeds. Today, a kitten from a Persian cat and a British cat is characterized as outbred and does not receive places at exhibitions.

Also relevant were the matings of British and Scottish shorthair cats, which were used to breed Scottish Folds or Scottish Folds. Since lop ears are caused by a mutating gene, mating of two mutants is prohibited due to the risk of hereditary diseases and skeletal deformities incompatible with life in the offspring.

How to choose an exotic kitten

Kittens of the breed should be purchased only from trusted breeders and breed nurseries with a good reputation. A conscientious breeder will never sell an animal with defects or health problems, since they care not only about their reputation, but also about the health of their pets.

Signs of the breed become visible in kittens at the age of 3 months. This is the most optimal time to buy an animal. The main criterion when choosing should be the purpose of the purchase - a pet for home and family or an animal for breeding and exhibitions. In the second case, the selection criteria must be much more stringent.

Regardless of the purpose of buying a kitten, you need to pay attention to its condition - assess the cleanliness of the eyes and ears, bad breath, quality of fur, correct formation of the skull and limbs. It is advisable to observe the candidate for some time in order to understand the approximate temperament and character of the future pet.

The cost depends on the class of the pet, compliance with breed standards, pedigree, color, age and other factors. The price for kittens of an exotic breed ranges from 7,000 to 10,000 rubles without the possibility of breeding and from 80,000 rubles for future producers.

The result of mating a Maine Coon and a regular cat

The cat and the Maine Coon cat were bred naturally and all efforts of the breeders are aimed at preserving their character traits:

• friendliness;
• poise;
• agreeableness;
• caution;
• lack of aggression;
• loyalty.

A Maine Coon mixed breed, obtained as a result of mating a representative of the breed with an ordinary cat, loses its characteristic features or they are distorted. The color of the coat will not change much, because most outbred cats have a color similar to the Maine Coon, but genetic traits of their ancestors may appear. Eye color will depend on the dominant color of the father or mother.

Maine Coons have medium-length hair, and if the partner was smooth-haired, then the kittens will be born with short hair.

Character, weight and body structure are difficult to calculate. A Maine Coon mixed breed can combine the traits of both parents and have different characteristics. Kittens are more massive than outbred cats, but inferior in size to purebred cats, the same applies to their character: some are affectionate, others are more aggressive.

Breeding

To breed an exotic breed, you need to have not only the desire, but also documents permitting such activities. This must include pedigrees of the producers, membership in a recognized cat breeding society, and documents from the breeder.

The purpose of breeding exotics is primarily to improve the breed, and not to increase the number of animals.

Mating of exotics is allowed directly with exotics and Persian cats. The cat must meet all breed standards without a single deviation, just as the father must meet the standards of his breed. High-breed cats are allowed to mate at the age of 1 year. Mating more than once every 2 years is prohibited.

In newborn kittens, it is impossible to immediately determine the length of the fur. The first signs appear in babies only at 2-3 weeks of life - the tail of long-haired exotics resembles a panicle. The final length of the coat is visible only at the end of the second month of life - plush exotics look disheveled and awkward.

There are several nurseries in Russia that breed exotic kittens:

• ASSOREL - Eagle;
• LumiCat – Moscow;
• COLOROLLA – Severodvinsk;
• Belinka Cattery – Nizhny Novgorod.

Nyusha is being given into good hands

Nyusha is the offspring of Zhorzhik and Eli. They didn’t plan to leave her in the family, they gave her into good hands. But it so happened that she had to be taken away from her new owners a day later; they didn’t even take her out of the carrier. The cat was scared and exhausted.

Nyusha has grown up very timid and hides from strangers. Galina is looking for a new family for her that will show the cat care and attention and relieve her of fear.

Kittens are not for Nyusha. She gave birth once and did not show any special maternal instinct. But this cat will always delight its owners with its tricolor beauty.

Nyusha will delight new owners with her beauty.