From Russia with love

Long body, wide-set green eyes, long and dense fur, and mild disposition – that’s how a Nebelung kitty is!

The origin…

The Nebelung cat is a breed from Russia – a variety of semi-longhaired Russian Blue. The word Nebelung means ‘creature of the mist’. This is a rare breed, some breeders can be found in the Netherlands, Belgium, Poland, Canada, Germany, France and more recently in Great Britain.

The physical traits…

The body is long and elegant. Well-muscled without any heaviness, he can appear more sturdy than truly is due to density of coat. The slightly upturned corners of the mouth give him a sweet smiling expression. The eyes are walnut shaped, rather large, vividly green and set wide apart. The ears are set at an ear-width; the outside is covered with short and fine hair. His legs are long and slim, proportionate to body while feet are small and relatively round.

The disposition…

The Nebelung cat is lively, playful, affectionate, intelligent and good company. He lives very well indoors. Like his cousin, the Russian Blue, he prefers a quiet house. Nebelung cat is aloof with strangers but participates actively in the life of the family. If he is very attached to his pet parent, his human is indispensable.

Play, play and more play…

As all cats, his games are mostly hunting games. He is tireless. Races are endless, which are punctuated by long naps as well...

Being social…

With young children, be careful, they don’t like loud noise. With guests, he will wait a moment to come and see the guests but if it is too noisy he will stay in his place. With other pets, he is quite tolerant.

Grooming…

Weekly brushing is enough and he loves it! He does not lose his hair too much. He is free of genetic diseases.

(Virginie Leroux, AIME Secretary, is a young breeder of Nebelungs)

Purring love – Tonkinese

Part puppy (following their pet parents around the house), part monkey (in their antics) and part elephant (the sound they can make while running through your house) - the colourful, warm and loving personality of the Tonkinese makes them an ideal addition to a feline loving family.

The Tonkinese is a stunning feline who has attracted attention not only for their exceptional good looks but also for their engaging personality.

The lineage…

Tonks were developed in North America in the 60s and 70s from Siamese and Burmese to get a more moderate breed than the extremes of the two parent breeds and they wanted new mink colours with aqua eyes.

The physical traits…

Tonkineses are medium-sized, surprisingly heavy and muscular cats. They have short, soft silky fur that is easy to care for and feel wonderful to pet. A weekly brushing with a small rubber brush will keep the shedding to a minimum and give them a shiny coat. Tonkineses come in four base colours and three coat patterns for a variety of 12 different looks. The base colours are Platinum (frosty gray), Champagne (medium brown), Natural (dark brown) and Blue (slate gray). The coat patterns vary in contrast between the body and the face, ears and tail. Each coat pattern has a corresponding eye colour. The three patterns are Point (high contrast with blue eyes), Mink (medium contrast with aqua eyes) and Solid (low contrast with green to yellow green eyes).

People cats…

People-oriented, social, active, playful and loving, the Tonkineses and their affectionate ways are impossible to ignore. They quickly endear themselves to family and visitors. In addition, the Tonkinese gets along with children, other breeds of cats and dogs. They just don’t like being ignored or left alone. They love to invent games to play with their pet parents or other family pets. Two of their favourite games are fetch and hide & seek.

They often climb or leap on people’s shoulders just to give a hug or a kiss. In doing this, they seldom use their claws. They also insist in sleeping in bed with their pet parents and usually will be found under the covers.

Although kittens are great fun, the Tonkineses tend to remain kittens throughout their life. What’s even more amazing is that Tonks love to talk to their pet parents. They talk in sentences and paragraphs when they have something to say, not just to hear their own voices.

Health…

Tonkineses are relatively a healthy breed with no known genetic inherent health issues.

(Nancy Mikita has been breeding and showing Tonkinese in CFA since 1993. She is an active member of the Tonkinese Breed Association, which is an intentional CFA Tonkinese Breed Club).

Toygers: Mini tigers to love and cuddle

Those who are enchanted by tigers can bring home a Toyger with looks of a tiger but size like a toy and a heart of gold

Dressed to kill

Toygers were created to look like Toy Tigers. They are short haired, completely domestic cat derived fromcarefully selected domestic shorthairs and pedigreed cats like the Bengal. Medium-sized, Toygers are strong with long and muscular tail. Their coat is short and thick and soft to touch. Their colour is orange/tan background with dark stripes that reminds us of beautiful and athletic tiger.

The recognition

Toygers were recognised in TICA (The International Cat Association) for registration only in 1993 and worked up from Preliminary New Breed, Advanced New Breed and finally Championship status in May of 2008.

Extremely lovable

They are very lovable and get along well with children and dogs. They are very intelligent and make wonderful companion animals. They love to play, love lap time with their humans and enjoy social activities such as fetch and tug-of-war. They are athletic and love to run, climb and play with their human companion as well as other animals and children.

Kitty care

They are easily trained to walk on a leash if started at an early age. They must be kept indoors as they might find someone else to go home with or may be a bit hard on wildlife with their excellent hunting skills.

Grooming needs

Toygers are very sturdy, healthy breed of cat who require minimal grooming. Most Toygers enjoy bath time since they love to play in water. Their shiny (glittered) coats feel silky and plush to the touch.

Breeder tip

I would highly recommend a Toyger to anyone looking for a loving, playful companion. They may not be for everyone since they are very active and playful. They also love to talk and will carry on a complete conversation with you. They are an absolute joy to live with and the most amazing cat I have ever owned!

(Kim Chenault is TICA – LH/SHJudge in training and she owns a cattery – www.KCsJungleBabes.com)

Havana Brown: beautiful cat you can love and admire!

Beautiful brown coat with striking emerald green eyes…Havana Brown is an intelligent cat… a perfect kitty for your home!

My gracious Havana Browns are the best buddies I have; she often helps me while I’m at my computer (they are quite gifted) and you won’t have to worry about getting cold while lying on the couch, as they are excellent substitutes for a blanket. However, they consider ‘me’ their favourite pillow…nevertheless they are the best companions I have. This is a perfect breed for someone who is looking for an interactive, intelligent, and extraordinarily beautiful cat to love and admire. 

Beautiful me

The most striking characteristics of Havana Brown are their beautiful brown fur and their brilliant emerald green eyes. The head of the English ‘Havana Brown’ has a long straight line from the top of the head to the tip of the nose whereas the head of the American ‘Havana Brown’ has a distinctive “stop” at the level of the eyes. The English Havana Brown has ears that are strikingly large, pointed, and set wide at the base as opposed to the ears of the American Havana Brown which are large, round-tipped, cupped at the base, and tilted forward. The English Havana also has a long neck and a tubular body like a Siamese or Oriental Shorthair whereas the American Havana Brown has a medium neck and a medium muscular body type.

My persona…the best

This gentle breed has a charming personality and they quietly demand attention and affection from their people. One of my Havanas likes to play fetch and their inquisitive nature makes them so pleasurable to watch. Their favourite place is your lap or close by as this breed does not like to be left alone. The best way to describe their personality would be as “dog like” because they are very interactive with people and truly depend on human companionship. If you are a busy professional who spends lots of time away from home for days at a time, perhaps you should consider a different breed. I cannot overemphasize how dependant they are on their people for companionship and they will not thrive if left alone for extended periods of time. 

They are moderately active which is a definite plus and means you won’t have to child-proof your home or put away all your breakables. Their voice is softer than a Siamese yet has a deeper resonance than most breeds which is very pleasing to the ear and they usually aren’t talkative unless it’s dinner time.

Having a second cat is highly recommended for this breed. By having a feline companion, it helps to ensure they are never lonely and they get the proper exercise and play.

I am low-maintenance

Havana Browns are very low maintenance. All they need are their humans for love and companionship and the company of a second feline. Very little grooming is needed because this is a shorthair breed. A weekly brushing will do very well.

Keeping such a rare treasure indoors, neutering or spaying and providing acceptable surfaces (e.g. scratching posts) for the natural behaviour of scratching (we disapprove of declawing or tendonectomy surgery) are essential elements for maintaining a healthy, long and joyful life.

Dont hate but love me as i love you

If the cats can... they would have whispered these words to everyone. The mindset of people is different from one another. Some may love cats, some may be indifferent to them, while a few may be scared or even hate them. Most of the fear and hate, that cats have to face from humans, come from baseless superstitions that associate them with bad luck and evil. Your heart breaks when you witness your beloved ones to be chased, shouted at or abused by somebody. So it is important for the cat lovers to take the responsibility for spreading good things about cats - their love, companionship and cat-human relationship. They are independent but unobtrusive. They should not be discriminated but be loved.

As a cat owner, I have realized that when confronted by negative behaviour towards my pets, getting on the defensive does not help. One needs to gently change attitudes and get more people converted into the catfold! I have eight felines and I try and allow as many people, especially children to interact with them. The children learn that if they are gentle and still, the cats come up to them to make friends. Even their mothers treat them with respect and dignity. Sure, love dilutes hatred!