#breedingcats

The stories about the creation of the name come from the person who created the breed and invented the name. Fittingly, sometimes the name, just like the dwarf cat, is a hybrid itself. Genetta: This is a dwarf cat created and named by Shannon Kiley of Pawstruk Cattery in 2006. Genettas are being registered as an experimental breed with the International Cat Association (TICA). Shannon came up with the name "Genetta" as the breed is "being modeled after the African Genet and part of the scientific name for a genet is 'genetta'. So I thought that would be very fitting and unique" (Shannon Kiley). The African Genet is catlike in appearance and habit but not a cat. It has a longish body and widely spaced black spots. It is a member of the family Viverridae, which includes mongooses. To achieve the look Shannon developed the Genetta using breeds such as munchkins, Bengals, savannahs, DSH, and Oriental Shorthairs. Skookum: This dwarf cat breed was developed by Roy Galusha through the intentional breeding of the Munchkin to the LaPerm. When I asked him how he arrived at the name for this dwarf cat breed he gave this full and interesting answer, which is reproduced here with his permission: "I can tell you the answer on the Skookum since we created the breed. When the breed was first started (our first accidental cross), we (not just us, several people in our circle who knew about them), jokingly referred to them as LaMerms (taking the M from Munchkin and replacing the P in the LaPerm. ) When we sought recognition as a breed, we wanted to find a good descriptor of the breed and considered the name "Poco Chino" which means short and curly in Spanish. However, someone in UFO who knew Spanish pointed out that that also means "Little Chinese", so we scrapped that. After doing a lot of talking and brainstorming, we decided to give it a Native American name. My wife is part Cherokee, so we researched Cherokee names; However, the descriptor names did not have a good flow. We then decided to go with a local NorthWest Native American name (since we were living in Washington State). We looked at quite a few names and researched the meanings. A local Native American word that comes from the Chinook language and was part of the Chinook Trade Language was Skookum (pronounced Skoo Kum). The word Skookum means mighty, powerful or great. It is also used to signify good health or good spirits. If someone really likes something, they might refer to it as being really skookum ("Boy that apple pie is skookum") or if you really like a horse ("that is one skookum horse). So we figured that was the perfect name for the breed. Certain TICA officials used the name to object to it being accepted as a breed claiming that the word Skookum means a scary monster such as a bigfoot. This is partially correct in the fact that the spelling Skookum is also used to describe Big Foot, the pronunciation is completely different. Below is the explanation from Tony Johnson, Cultural Committee Chair for the Chinook Tribe. "As per our conversation this morning, the Chinuk Wawa language has two words differing only by their stress that have been popularly written as" skookum. "We write these two words the same, except for their stress:" skunk "for something that is strong, tough, brave or impressive, and "skookum" for something scary or a "monster." Typically English speakers stress the first syllable of a word, and your spelling (which is typical historically) reflects that. The word "skookum" for your users both not "demonic," and is in fact appropriate. Further discussion of the word "skuku've seemed unnecessary in that it is not the term you are using. As I noted, the word you are using also can be used in a context to mean something like English "healthy." In this case, it basically means your (the body is) "strong." I hope this helps you, and I can see where this confusion would come from. The confusion is entirely based on the problematic nature of people writing Native words and then other people reading them who have never heard actual pronunciation. In our language, you could never confuse these two words or their associated meanings. " hayu masi (many thanks), Tony A. JohnsonCulture committee ChairChinook Indian Tribe / Chinook Nation The person who I believe started all the flack in TICA about the name Skookum would know the difference as her husband is one of the leading experts on bigfoots nationwide, and I understand that he has written several books and manuscripts on Big Foot, to include a passage about the use of the word Skookum in Chinook language and how it pertains to Big Foot. They would know the correct pronunciation for Big Foot as used by the local natives and would know the differences in the meanings; However, they used that to side rail the registration process. The Skookum has also been referred to as the Shirley Temple cat because it is short and curly. That was a marketing strategy when Cat Fancy first allowed us to advertise them. We came up with that slogan as the best descriptor of the cat. If you have any questions, feel free to ask. " I can't add a thing to that! Great answer. Napolean: This little dwarf cat was developed by the intentional mating of the Munchkin to the Persian or exotic shorthair, by Joe Smith. Napoleon is currently registered as Experimental with TICA but recognized as a breed with TDCA (The Dwarf Cat Association). I confess that I have yet to get an answer to my inquiries about this name. However, a bit of rational and logical thought leads me to this conclusion. This cat is a dwarf cat that is short of stature. Napolean Bonaparte (the French general during the French Revolution) was short of stature by the standards of today (5 feet 6 inches). Also, most of the napoleons that I have seen are white and Napoleon Bonaparte rode a white horse (is there a connection there?). There probably is no connection there and the name simply originated from the short stocky compact profile of this dwarf cat which mirrored Napolean Bonaparte. Kinkalow: The kinda low dwarf cat results from the mating of an American Curl to a Munchkin. Terri Harris developed this breed and says this about the name: "The Kinkalow name was decided on while I was at Kinkos getting some copies to make. The Kinkalow has kinky ears and low legs, Kink + low = Kinkalow". Although Terri doesn't mention this there is a cat-like animal called a Kinkajou (a Honey Bear or Cat Monkey) and I wonder if this name influenced her decision. Dwelf: This is simple! It is a mixture of dwarf cat and elf. Being a Cross between Munchkin, Sphynx and American Curl. This dwarf cat is short, hairless and ears that curl back at the tips. Munchkin: In 1983 music teacher Sandra Hochenedel discovered two cats hiding under a vehicle. She rescued them; both had short, stubby legs. She called them Munchkins after the little people in The Wizard of Oz. This is the founding dwarf cat. Bambino: Stephanie and Pat Osborne of the Holy Moly cattery organized this dwarf cat breed. As Pat is of Italian extraction and as the cat keeps its kitten-like appearance and character throughout its life they named it "Bambino". Lambkins: A straight dictionary definition, I think, provides the answer. Lambkins means "very young lamb". Lambkin cats are a new dwarf cat breed that comes from the cross of a Munchkin and Selkirk Rex to produce curly-haired kittens, just like a little lamb. Knook: A Knook is a type of immortal being or fairy in the work of L. Frank Baum. Knooks are the guardians over the animals. They had a crooked appearance. (source: Wikipedia). I confess I research on the name of this dwarf cat breed produced nothing. However, if a knock is a fairy that gives the clue. A fairy is delicate and small. A knock is a Kinkalow with a LaPerm / Skookam-type curled coat and that means this cat is going to be pretty delicate and small... Source by Michael Broad Read the full article

The stories about the creation of the name come from the person who created the breed and invented the name. Fittingly, sometimes the name, just like the dwarf cat, is a hybrid itself. Genetta: This is a dwarf cat created and named by Shannon Kiley of Pawstruk Cattery in 2006. Genettas are being registered as an experimental breed with the International Cat Association (TICA). Shannon came up with the name "Genetta" as the breed is "being modeled after the African Genet and part of the scientific name for a genet is 'genetta'. So I thought that would be very fitting and unique" (Shannon Kiley). The African Genet is catlike in appearance and habit but not a cat. It has a longish body and widely spaced black spots. It is a member of the family Viverridae, which includes mongooses. To achieve the look Shannon developed the Genetta using breeds such as munchkins, Bengals, savannahs, DSH, and Oriental Shorthairs. Skookum: This dwarf cat breed was developed by Roy Galusha through the intentional breeding of the Munchkin to the LaPerm. When I asked him how he arrived at the name for this dwarf cat breed he gave this full and interesting answer, which is reproduced here with his permission: "I can tell you the answer on the Skookum since we created the breed. When the breed was first started (our first accidental cross), we (not just us, several people in our circle who knew about them), jokingly referred to them as LaMerms (taking the M from Munchkin and replacing the P in the LaPerm. ) When we sought recognition as a breed, we wanted to find a good descriptor of the breed and considered the name "Poco Chino" which means short and curly in Spanish. However, someone in UFO who knew Spanish pointed out that that also means "Little Chinese", so we scrapped that. After doing a lot of talking and brainstorming, we decided to give it a Native American name. My wife is part Cherokee, so we researched Cherokee names; However, the descriptor names did not have a good flow. We then decided to go with a local NorthWest Native American name (since we were living in Washington State). We looked at quite a few names and researched the meanings. A local Native American word that comes from the Chinook language and was part of the Chinook Trade Language was Skookum (pronounced Skoo Kum). The word Skookum means mighty, powerful or great. It is also used to signify good health or good spirits. If someone really likes something, they might refer to it as being really skookum ("Boy that apple pie is skookum") or if you really like a horse ("that is one skookum horse). So we figured that was the perfect name for the breed. Certain TICA officials used the name to object to it being accepted as a breed claiming that the word Skookum means a scary monster such as a bigfoot. This is partially correct in the fact that the spelling Skookum is also used to describe Big Foot, the pronunciation is completely different. Below is the explanation from Tony Johnson, Cultural Committee Chair for the Chinook Tribe. "As per our conversation this morning, the Chinuk Wawa language has two words differing only by their stress that have been popularly written as" skookum. "We write these two words the same, except for their stress:" skunk "for something that is strong, tough, brave or impressive, and "skookum" for something scary or a "monster." Typically English speakers stress the first syllable of a word, and your spelling (which is typical historically) reflects that. The word "skookum" for your users both not "demonic," and is in fact appropriate. Further discussion of the word "skuku've seemed unnecessary in that it is not the term you are using. As I noted, the word you are using also can be used in a context to mean something like English "healthy." In this case, it basically means your (the body is) "strong." I hope this helps you, and I can see where this confusion would come from. The confusion is entirely based on the problematic nature of people writing Native words and then other people reading them who have never heard actual pronunciation. In our language, you could never confuse these two words or their associated meanings. " hayu masi (many thanks), Tony A. JohnsonCulture committee ChairChinook Indian Tribe / Chinook Nation The person who I believe started all the flack in TICA about the name Skookum would know the difference as her husband is one of the leading experts on bigfoots nationwide, and I understand that he has written several books and manuscripts on Big Foot, to include a passage about the use of the word Skookum in Chinook language and how it pertains to Big Foot. They would know the correct pronunciation for Big Foot as used by the local natives and would know the differences in the meanings; However, they used that to side rail the registration process. The Skookum has also been referred to as the Shirley Temple cat because it is short and curly. That was a marketing strategy when Cat Fancy first allowed us to advertise them. We came up with that slogan as the best descriptor of the cat. If you have any questions, feel free to ask. " I can't add a thing to that! Great answer. Napolean: This little dwarf cat was developed by the intentional mating of the Munchkin to the Persian or exotic shorthair, by Joe Smith. Napoleon is currently registered as Experimental with TICA but recognized as a breed with TDCA (The Dwarf Cat Association). I confess that I have yet to get an answer to my inquiries about this name. However, a bit of rational and logical thought leads me to this conclusion. This cat is a dwarf cat that is short of stature. Napolean Bonaparte (the French general during the French Revolution) was short of stature by the standards of today (5 feet 6 inches). Also, most of the napoleons that I have seen are white and Napoleon Bonaparte rode a white horse (is there a connection there?). There probably is no connection there and the name simply originated from the short stocky compact profile of this dwarf cat which mirrored Napolean Bonaparte. Kinkalow: The kinda low dwarf cat results from the mating of an American Curl to a Munchkin. Terri Harris developed this breed and says this about the name: "The Kinkalow name was decided on while I was at Kinkos getting some copies to make. The Kinkalow has kinky ears and low legs, Kink + low = Kinkalow". Although Terri doesn't mention this there is a cat-like animal called a Kinkajou (a Honey Bear or Cat Monkey) and I wonder if this name influenced her decision. Dwelf: This is simple! It is a mixture of dwarf cat and elf. Being a Cross between Munchkin, Sphynx and American Curl. This dwarf cat is short, hairless and ears that curl back at the tips. Munchkin: In 1983 music teacher Sandra Hochenedel discovered two cats hiding under a vehicle. She rescued them; both had short, stubby legs. She called them Munchkins after the little people in The Wizard of Oz. This is the founding dwarf cat. Bambino: Stephanie and Pat Osborne of the Holy Moly cattery organized this dwarf cat breed. As Pat is of Italian extraction and as the cat keeps its kitten-like appearance and character throughout its life they named it "Bambino". Lambkins: A straight dictionary definition, I think, provides the answer. Lambkins means "very young lamb". Lambkin cats are a new dwarf cat breed that comes from the cross of a Munchkin and Selkirk Rex to produce curly-haired kittens, just like a little lamb. Knook: A Knook is a type of immortal being or fairy in the work of L. Frank Baum. Knooks are the guardians over the animals. They had a crooked appearance. (source: Wikipedia). I confess I research on the name of this dwarf cat breed produced nothing. However, if a knock is a fairy that gives the clue. A fairy is delicate and small. A knock is a Kinkalow with a LaPerm / Skookam-type curled coat and that means this cat is going to be pretty delicate and small... Source by Michael Broad Read the full article

Breeders can be found all over the world, including Canada and the United States that offer exotic big cats for sale. They have absolutely no regard for the animals in their care, the animals they breed or for the owners of the young cubs bought. Make no mistake - they are not animal lovers. They only love money. And they have discovered an easy way to part idiots from their money. The Fate Of These Pets Both the big cats and their owners often face a miserable life in some sort of cage. The owners are caged by the animal's need to eat pounds and pounds of very expensive fresh meat and have some sort of care. They can't go out for a walk like a dog because of the panic that would ensue. Inevitably, they cannot control or care for an animal that weighs hundreds of pounds. Even if they have been declawed and defanged, the animals are still dangerous. But it's the big cats themselves who suffer the most. They are raised in an environment that they were not evolved to live in. They need to wander miles each day and have some degree of independence in order to be happy and healthy. Once the acute phase has worn off, and the owner suffers his or her first hospitalization spell, the big cat is doomed to spend the rest of their lives in a tiny cage, without any contact or cleaning. Don't Fall For It Governments of the world barely care for their people, let alone their animals. It is up to individuals in order to stop the cruel and illegal breeding of exotic big cats for sale by stopping the flow of cash to the breeders and sellers. If you see an ad for a cute lynx, puma, lion or whatever, don't contact this person. Contact your local animal control center for advice. If there is any legislation coming up in your community about banning the ownership of wild animals for pets, please vote for it. And put out the word that this unnecessary cruelty must come to an end. Source by Lucy Bushman Read the full article

change just as a normal adult cat would and they often loose many kittenish ways. The inbreeding used to create these breeds can lead to other health issues. These range from neurological conditions and cardiovascular problems to physical deformities and even a reduced lifespan. Caring and professional breeders are very careful about their pairings to produce healthy cats but there are unscrupulous breeders simply seeking to make money from a trend. Therefore, only purchase from breeders registered with one or more of the big cat registries to ensure the quality of the kittens as well as their adorable looks. Source by Angela Tempest Read the full article

Not all cats advertised as miniature are teacup kittens. Be aware that the standard size female cat will weight about 11 to 14 pounds. The standard size male cat will weight about 12 to 17 pounds. A teacup size female cat will weight about 3 to 6.5 pounds and the teacup size male will weight about 3 to 7.5 pounds. This is a good rule-of-thumb to keep in mind when shopping for a teacup. Some unscrupulous breeders will try to sell you a cat under ten pounds as a teacup when that weight falls within the normal weight range for a standard cat. When shopping for a teacup do not be fooled by a breeder that will try to sell you a runt or tell you that any cat less than ten pounds is a miniature. Teacup kittens come in a variety of breeds. These cats are bred to be small by inbreeding. The smallest cat of one breed is mated with the smallest cat of another breed progressively in each generation and with each mating a miniature or teacup cat is born. The result of this type of breeding results in dwarfism. There are two forms of dwarfism where teacups and other miniature animals are concerned and they are achondroplastic where the dominant gene will, through mutation, affect the hormones that control bone growth, and the primordial which occurs naturally. At this point let's cover the most common breeds of miniature (teacup) cats. The most popular of the teacup kittens is the combination of Persian and Exotic. The MiniPer, a combination of Persians and Exotics was developed in California by Cher Simmitt. The MiniPers are primordial dwarves and their bodies are proportionate in every way except that they are smaller than the standard Persian and Exotic. The MiniPaws are a hybrid and carry the genes of both the achondroplastic and primordial dwarfism. They are small in proportion and have shortened legs thus, causing the legs to be somewhat deformed. They are a good example of the mutation of the dominant gene and its affect on the hormones that control bone growth. . The Napoleon was developed intentionally by mating a Munchkin with a Persian. They have long coats and beautiful big eyes much like the Persian. The Napoleon is the newest of the teacup breeds. The Lambkin was developed by cross breeding a Munchkin with a Selkirk Rex. They are called Lambkin because of their soft curly coats that resemble the coat of a lamb. Most of the miniature or teacup kittens are cross breeds of Persians and Exotics and are the most popular and sought after of all of the miniature breeds. Many people want the teacups because they're cute and resemble kittens. They are easy to hold and carry and most of them are lap cats. However, be forewarned, they may be kittens when you buy them but like all other cats they grow up and lose their kittenish ways. They are after all, cats and cats do not stay kittens forever. Source by Wendy Pan Read the full article

Not all cats advertised as miniature are teacup kittens. Be aware that the standard size female cat will weight about 11 to 14 pounds. The standard size male cat will weight about 12 to 17 pounds. A teacup size female cat will weight about 3 to 6.5 pounds and the teacup size male will weight about 3 to 7.5 pounds. This is a good rule-of-thumb to keep in mind when shopping for a teacup. Some unscrupulous breeders will try to sell you a cat under ten pounds as a teacup when that weight falls within the normal weight range for a standard cat. When shopping for a teacup do not be fooled by a breeder that will try to sell you a runt or tell you that any cat less than ten pounds is a miniature. Teacup kittens come in a variety of breeds. These cats are bred to be small by inbreeding. The smallest cat of one breed is mated with the smallest cat of another breed progressively in each generation and with each mating a miniature or teacup cat is born. The result of this type of breeding results in dwarfism. There are two forms of dwarfism where teacups and other miniature animals are concerned and they are achondroplastic where the dominant gene will, through mutation, affect the hormones that control bone growth, and the primordial which occurs naturally. At this point let's cover the most common breeds of miniature (teacup) cats. The most popular of the teacup kittens is the combination of Persian and Exotic. The MiniPer, a combination of Persians and Exotics was developed in California by Cher Simmitt. The MiniPers are primordial dwarves and their bodies are proportionate in every way except that they are smaller than the standard Persian and Exotic. The MiniPaws are a hybrid and carry the genes of both the achondroplastic and primordial dwarfism. They are small in proportion and have shortened legs thus, causing the legs to be somewhat deformed. They are a good example of the mutation of the dominant gene and its affect on the hormones that control bone growth. . The Napoleon was developed intentionally by mating a Munchkin with a Persian. They have long coats and beautiful big eyes much like the Persian. The Napoleon is the newest of the teacup breeds. The Lambkin was developed by cross breeding a Munchkin with a Selkirk Rex. They are called Lambkin because of their soft curly coats that resemble the coat of a lamb. Most of the miniature or teacup kittens are cross breeds of Persians and Exotics and are the most popular and sought after of all of the miniature breeds. Many people want the teacups because they're cute and resemble kittens. They are easy to hold and carry and most of them are lap cats. However, be forewarned, they may be kittens when you buy them but like all other cats they grow up and lose their kittenish ways. They are after all, cats and cats do not stay kittens forever. Source by Wendy Pan Read the full article