Minskin

Minxin is an unusual cat breed that appeared quite recently and is recognized as experimental in TICA qualifications. It is believed that its founder is Paul McSorley. He came up with the idea of creating a dwarf short-legged cat. In 1998, he began work on creating a new breed of cat by crossing the Canadian Sphynx and the Munchkin. Then the Devon Rex and Burmese were added to these two breeds. Breeders wanted to create a miniature short-legged cat with velor skin like a sphinx and soft curly hair on the points like a rex. A kitten that met all of the above requirements appeared two years after the start of work, in 2000. Selection work to improve this breed is still being carried out. In 2012, there were just over 100 Minskin cats. Since 2008, this breed of cats has been allowed to participate in exhibitions. DescriptionCharacterCareFoodCost

Description of the breed

The external characteristics of Minskin cats include the average size of an elongated body, with developed muscles, a short and wide muzzle, well-defined whisker pads, a feature of wide ears is their location on the head, they seem to extend beyond its boundaries on the sides. Their oval eyes are also large and widely set. The chest is strong, the legs are short, the hind legs are slightly longer than the front ones, for this reason the body is located at a slight angle, the legs are rounded, the tail is small, the tip of the tail is narrowed. Color is not limited according to the standard. Very short, satin-like hair is found on the head, ears, paws and tail. Sparse hairs are found on other parts of the body. The skin of these unusual creatures feels like cashmere. But the stomach should be completely hairless. A feature of the behavior of minxins is their playfulness at any age. They are active, cheerful and mischievous. They move funny on their small, dexterous legs, and are sometimes compared to ferrets because of their fast movements.

Purchasing a Minskin kitten

Minskins are a rare and therefore expensive breed. On average, a short-legged kitten can cost from $500. Buying a baby of this breed is quite difficult, because in Russia there are no nurseries that professionally breed such cats. The only professional Minskin nursery is located in America (Boston) . Therefore, people who want to buy a small Minskin cat can do one of the following:

find a nursery for munchkins or sphinxes and buy a kitten that looks like a minskin;
go to America and choose a real purebred representative of the breed;
order a Minskin from Paul McSorley's nursery and hire a courier.

In the first case, you will simply get a kitten that looks like a Minskin, but even the external resemblance to the desired breed will not be absolute, not to mention the character. Minskins have a unique character; they are not as dependent on people as sphinxes. If you decide to go to an American nursery, then this will be the best option, although it will be expensive. A courier service will help you save time and money. This should be a highly specialized office that guarantees you the safety of the animal during transportation. In any of the proposed options, the main thing is the quality of the kitten.

There are no nurseries in Russia that professionally breed Minskins

Criterias of choice

Regardless of where you found the kitten or how you purchased it, it must meet the following criteria:

well-groomed appearance and high-quality exterior;
activity and health;
all necessary documents provided by the breeder.

If you order a baby remotely, you can ask the breeders to take photographs of all available kittens. They must be clean and tidy, without wounds or scratches on the body, with clear and clean eyes. Pay attention to the exterior. A kitten of any age should be recognizable as a representative of the breed - short wrinkled paws, large ears and short hair. If at least one of the kittens you see looks insufficiently well-groomed, then this should alert you.

These nuances are especially important if you are choosing a kitten from a little-known nursery. A weak or dirty kitten may indicate that the animals are poorly cared for. Such babies may turn out to be sick.

The characteristics of the breed must be “guessed” in the selected kitten

If the kittens look okay, you need to choose one of them. Let it not be the quietest kitten who modestly sits out in the corner. You can ask the breeders to make a video or show the kittens via video link. The most silent kitten may seem the most disciplined and sweetest, but may turn out to be simply “downtrodden”, intimidated or sick.

A nimble and lively kitten that offends others is also not the best option. Playfulness may turn out to be aggression, and problems will arise with education in the future. Choose the middle option: the kitten is playful, but not aggressive. In between pranks, the cat may yawn or meow tiredly.

You also need to make sure of purebred. It is better to ask breeders to show documents in advance. A pedigree with the seal of the nursery will be evidence that the kitten is truly purebred. Research the Minskin's closest relatives. His parents, grandmothers and great-grandmothers must also be Minskins. The pedigree will indicate all genetic abnormalities if they were present in the family. You can also find out about the baby’s health from his veterinary passport, which contains information about vaccinations.

Video: two Minskin kittens

The age of a kitten at which it is better to adopt it

The optimal age for a kitten to adopt is 3–3.5 months. The fact is that at 12 weeks the kitten is vaccinated. The animal's life depends on it. The cat must have immunity to the most dangerous cat diseases (before vaccinations, the kitten’s immunity is instilled by its nurse).

In addition, if a kitten is taken away from its mother too early, it can experience severe stress. There is a special psychological connection between a cat and its offspring; if it is interrupted, the baby will have health problems in the future. Also, early weaning of a kitten from its mother cat can lead to its maladjustment. The Minskin cat qualitatively teaches her cubs everything that she can do. If she is not allowed to do this, the kitten will not learn to use the litter box, eat properly, play or communicate with humans.

Care

For proper rest, they need a secluded corner, for this it is worth purchasing a special house for cats; a scratching post will not hurt, because, like any other cat, Minskins love to sharpen their claws. There are no special care requirements. Like other cats, they need periodic examination by a veterinarian, approximately once a quarter. Regular cleaning procedures are also needed, bathing should be 2-3 times a month, using a special shampoo for cats with short hair, ears should be cleaned on a weekly basis, and teeth should be cleaned at least once a month. Minskins' nails should be trimmed once every 3-4 weeks. Every day you need to comb the cat's fur and wipe the cat's body with a damp sponge. And of course, do not forget about proper nutrition of the animal. Among the diseases, allergies and diseases of the musculoskeletal system are more common in cats of this breed.

History of the Minskin breed

Minskin is a breed of domestic cat with short legs, which was bred in America. In the late 90s of the 20th century, Boston breeder Paul McSorley decided to create cats that would be short-legged and almost hairless. However, the first representative of the breed was born in the summer of 2000.

It was decided to “borrow” the length of the limbs from munchkins, and the short hair from sphinxes

One of the breeder's goals was to breed a sleek cat, not as wrinkled as the Sphynx. After many crossings, a cat appeared with characteristics close to ideal. To make the representatives of the new breed even more beautiful, McSorley included Devon Rex cats in the breeding program, and even later - Burmese.

When the number of short-legged dogs reached 50, the breeder decided to achieve recognition of the breed. In 2005, unusual cats were recognized by one of the largest felinological organizations - TICA, and later the breed was recognized by other organizations. However, today the breed is considered very rare; such cats are not even found in every country. TICA maintains a program whose purpose is to monitor the development of an unusual breed in comparison with others.

Recommended Diet

If you want to not only pamper your beloved cat with a delicious treat, but also ensure her excellent health, active life and daily tone, then it’s hard to come up with something better than Sanabelle special food. Sanabelle dry cat food contains only natural ingredients, selected fresh meat, and no food dyes. No product contains soy, corn or GMOs. Such food will be a real gift for your furry pet and the best evidence of a caring attitude towards him and tender feelings.

Sanabelle Kitten with bird

For kittens, pregnant women and

nursing cats

Sanabelle Adult with bird

For adult cats

Sanabelle Sterilized

For sterilized cats

History of the origin of the breed

This breed appeared only in 2000. The homeland of this species of domestic purrs is the United States, and more precisely, the city of Boston.

The first species of this cat appeared only in 2000

In 1998, an avid cat lover, Paul McSorley, wanted to breed a unique and completely new species. He immediately began making his dream come true. Paul decided to crossbreed a hairless Sphynx and a short-legged munchkin. Then he added Devon Rex and Burmese blood.

Photo gallery: ancestors of the Minskins

Short-legged munchkins were the result of a random mutation.

The first Sphynx kitten was born in 1966

Devon Rex fur is curly due to a gene mutation

Shorthaired Burmese are very popular in the USA.

The result of the selection work was successful. Of course, the experiment to breed such an unusual breed did not go unnoticed. Currently, the Minskin breed has received pre-recognized status from the International Cat Association (TICA), it is allowed to participate in exhibitions, but cannot receive titles. In some cases it is considered a separate breed, but sometimes it is considered a variant of the bambino.

Minskins have fur on their heads, ears, paws and tail. Apart from TICA, no one else recognizes this breed.

At the moment, there are only a little more than a hundred representatives of this breed in the world.

Care and feeding

The lack of fur makes the skin of these pets hypersensitive to bacteria, cuts, abrasions... and excessive sweating contributes to the appearance of rashes and even point inflammation. Therefore, in order for the Minskin to look well-groomed and feel good, you must regularly either wipe your pet with damp hypoallergenic wipes or bathe it with special shampoos (intended for caring for Sphynx cats). Of course, you can use baby detergents, but this can dry out your pet's skin, making it even more susceptible to infections.

Minskins love to sunbathe, but again, returning to the properties of the skin, this is not always beneficial for cats.

This pet will also require care for the cleanliness of its tail, on the outer side of which there are sebaceous glands.

It is imperative to look after the eyes of Minskins, and since everyone has clear discharge, you just need to wipe the cat’s eyes every day with a swab (moistened with boiled water, furatsilin solution or chamomile decoction). The appearance of yellowish/white discharge from the eyes indicates an infection; you should urgently seek veterinary help.

The Minskin's ears are large, they need to be cleaned at least once a week to remove brownish discharge. There is no need to “get” deep into the ear; superficial cleaning with a cotton swab is enough. Under no circumstances should you use solutions containing alcohol (so as not to dry out the ear mucosa).

Kittens are taught to brush their teeth from early childhood, since the procedure is unpleasant for cats. You can use either a soft toothbrush or special food with dento-additives - so that your teeth are cleaned of plaque, your gums are healthy, etc.

The litter tray, as well as all procedures for keeping the body clean, must be taught as early as possible. Minskins are extremely clean and quickly understand that they need to go to a strictly designated place to relieve themselves. You shouldn’t spoil your relationship with your cat or scold him for going to the most unexpected places (after all, the reason could be a tray that wasn’t cleaned on time).

In the diet of Minskins, the daily food intake is exactly the same as that of other cat breeds, but this cat needs to be fed more often (since energy loss occurs faster due to the lack of hair).

Choosing a kitten

You need to understand that this breed is almost impossible to buy in Europe or the CIS countries. Real Minskin can only be bought in the USA and only in Boston. Its cost will be no less than $400. Due to the rarity of the breed, you won't have much choice when choosing a kitten. If you find any kitten of this breed, then you can say that you are lucky.

When purchasing a baby Minskin, you should pay attention to the following points:

the kitten must have a well-groomed appearance;
he must have all the characteristics of the breed;
A Minskin kitten must have all the characteristics of the breed
the baby must be active and healthy;
the purchase must be accompanied by the issuance of all necessary documents provided by the breeder.

It is best to pick up a kitten from the nursery at three months, since by this age he will be vaccinated and receive basic knowledge and skills from his mother.

Dressed in satin and cashmere

The Minskin's fur is beautiful, silky, but very short and sparse. On the head, paws and ears it is denser, resembling satin. For this property, the fur on these parts of the body is called “fur points”. On the rest of the body, the fur is sparse and similar to cashmere, and the belly and belly are generally bare.

Short legs without any thickening or deformation do not prevent minskins from being mobile and dexterous. Cats are great at climbing trees and roofs. Such an animal can hide somewhere in the attic, and from there it will watch with large, wide-set and expressive eyes, so that it seems that it is not a cat, but a person who is looking. This is Minskin's look. The tail of cats of this breed is proportional to the body and narrowed at the tip. The body is strong, muscular with a wide, massive chest. The colors are very varied. From solid:

black;
chocolate;
blue;
white;
red and others.

Among the Minskins there are representatives of tabby, tortoiseshell, colorpoint, bicolor, etc. The eye color is very rare and original:

golden;
walnut;
green.

Minskin's character

The Minskin is a very sociable and friendly cat. She loves to be in the company of people, especially children, with whom she gets along well due to her easy-going nature. The Minskin will also find a common language with another cat or dog.

These are smart, purposeful and determined cats that, despite their body structure, can do absolutely everything that their larger brothers can do. Sometimes, in the most difficult situations, minskins can use their intellect to achieve the same result in a new way. These are truly thinking cats, they will amaze you with new and interesting solutions every day.

The Minskin is one of the most sociable and friendly breeds.

Short legs will not prevent the Minskin from climbing onto a cabinet or refrigerator - these kids love to watch everything from a height. Moreover, the way they will get there will be extremely inventive, and their determination will not allow the Minskin to stop at the first failures. Therefore, such a cat is very interesting to watch. Thanks to their intelligence, Minskins are highly trainable.

Another interesting feature of Minskins is that they are traveling cats. They are not afraid of a change of environment, can easily endure even long trips and, in general, are convenient to take with you on vacation.

You can safely take Minskins with you on a trip

The friendly baby Minskin is unusually playful and active. The cat looks very funny, especially when he runs around the house like a small radio-controlled car. The Minskin even needs movement - if the cat gets lazy and gains weight, back problems may begin. Well, in rare moments of calm, the Minskin will happily sit on his owner’s lap, as he loves affection very much.

The Minskin loves his owner very much and is attached to him and his family with all his heart. This cat needs communication like air, and specifically with a person. Therefore, if you work a lot and cannot devote at least 3-4 hours a day to your cat, a Minskin is definitely not suitable for you. This is a cat that seems to be created for life in a large family - patient with children, friendly with other pets, playful, intelligent, sociable and active.

Minskin needs a lot of movement and human interaction

Character and behavior

At first glance, it may seem that Minskins can only lie on the couch and purr. But this is not so: they are very active and simply adore tall objects in the apartment. Minskins are very gentle and cute. They expect affection and a significant amount of attention from their owner. They become very attached to family members and therefore cannot be left alone for long periods of time.

Minskins are gentle cats that do not like to be alone

These cats are very friendly to other animals and will quickly get used to any pets in your home.