lol

I was thinking of introducing Fluffy to water by leaving the bathroom door open when I'm having a shower...but then I'd have to have a tepid shower just in case he joined me...hmmm..not really appealing.

THE ORIGINS OF THE CHINCHILLA PERSIAN

The Chinchilla Longhair, also known as Chinchilla Persian, is the oldest man-made breed of cat. There is a strong controversy as to whether the Chinchilla Longhair is a variety of the Persian breed or not. Some defend that the Chinchilla is not a separate breed, but rather a colour variant of the Persian, while others sustain that the existing differences, though subtle (such as less stout in body type and slightly longer nose) justify its classification as a unique breed.The origin of the breed is, however, well documented, and started in England, in 1882 through selective breeding of the offspring of a Persian female (Chinnie) mating to a male of unknown origin, suspected to be a tabby. In fact, althouth the appearance of modern Chinchillas have little resemblance with their ancestors, Chinchillas kittens are still born almost black with heavy tabby markings, which disappear, as they get older, making way for the pure white coat colour. One of the Chinnie’s descendants, the grandson Ch. Silver Lambkin, born in the late 1800’s, is generally regarded as the first Chinchilla. This cat became quite famous, winning most of the major awards at the Crystal Palace Show in London in 1888.

This breed was named after the South American rodent known as the Chinchilla, which also has similar tipping to its fur. The Chinchilla Longhair is a striking breed, considered one of the most beautiful longhaired cats worldwide and is probably best known as Blofelds cat in the James Bond films and also from the Kosset carpet ads, as well as many other 'glamour Puss' roles.

The Chinchilla Longhair is a gorgeous, elegant cat, with a long, thick, silky fur, a round face and large, piercing, emerald or blue-green eyes. Although the first impression is of a solid white cat, the black, silver or gold tipping on a pure-white undercoat makes them look as if they sparkle when they move.

The body is medium in size, short and cobby (less sturdy than that of a Persian), with short, thick legs and large, round and tufted paws. The head, set on a short neck is persian in shape, round, broad, with a slight muzzle, a broad, firm and well developed chin and a nose medium in length, broad with a slight break in profile. The nose is slightly longer than that of a Persian.The expressive eyes are large, round in shape, set wide apart and emerald or blue-green in colour with black or dark brown eye rims which gives the impression of the cat wearing eyeliner. The round-tipped ears are medium in size, set well apart and well tufted inside.The tail is short, well furnished and with a rounded tip.

The Coat is long, and dense, fine, soft and silky in texture, glossy in appearance and standing away from the body bushy on the hind legs giving a trousered appearance. The coat is lightly tipped with black on the back, flanks, head and ears evenly distributed on a pure-white undercoat, giving the breed its unique sparkling silver appearance.

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The Egyptian Mau

The Egyptian Mau is a subspecies of the African Wildcat, felis silvestris lybica, and are the cats that are depicted in ancient Egyptian artwork. The Mau can still be seen in Egypt today, but they are wild cats that hunt in dust bins for food with little veterinary care, and are thought of as little more than pests; often being poisoned. This is a far cry from how the Egyptian Mau was regarded in ancient Egypt or indeed how they are considered throughout the rest of the world in modern times. The Romans are likely the ones responsible for taking Maus from Egypt to Italy - and possibly to other places in Europe and the Near East - not long after the Roman rule on Egypt, as Roman mosaics and murals depict Egyptian-looking cats. This was probably due to the Romans bringing the advent of Christianity, so sacred animals of Egypt, like the cat, were not restricted to be taken from Egyptian land, therefore the Romans were free to take these exotic animals away with them for pets or in use of barter and exchange. The fact that cats were often taken aboard ships during these times to help control the vermin, no doubt helped in the spread of the Egyptian cat, too. In the early 1950’s an exiled Russian princess called Nathalie Troubetskoy was presented with a female kitten that was silver-spotted by a young boy that had gotten it from a diplomat working in an embassy of the Middle East. Finding this kitten very fascinating, the princess sought to find out more about its origins. Her research showed her that it was an Egyptian Mau, and she decided to promote the breed in America in hopes of saving the Mau from extinction. She took with her to the USA, in 1956, three Maus (two females and one male) and set up a cattery to breed them. The Egyptian Mau was first officially introduced to the United Kingdom by Melissa Bateson in 1998 when she brought home five Maus (three queens, one stud, and one neuter) after spending two years working in the USA. Now there are a handful of catteries throughout the UK that breed the Mau for showing and as pets.
This short to medium haired breed is medium-sized - at around ten to fourteen pounds for males and six to ten pounds for females on average - and very graceful with a cheetah-like walk; their body is medium long with prominent shoulder blades and a loose skin flap extending from the flank to the hind-leg knee which enables them to jump around seven feet high fluently and run over thirty miles per hour. The Maus high movablity and speed is also down to them having longer back legs than the front, which can give the impression that they are walking on tippy-toes. Random spotting covers their back and sides, and they also have a spotted waistcoat on their underside. They come in three registered colours: bronze, silver, and smoke. Adult Maus have gooseberry-green eyes. They're known to like water, love shoulder-riding, and been particularly wary of strangers.

I currently own one cat, an Egyptian Mau, but I also find the Egyptian Mau Shirazi (long-haired Mau that was created when the Persians came to rule Egypt in ancient times), Abyssinian, and Somali interesting, and would love to adopt or buy these in the future.

More here!

Attached Images

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wow that's fascinating, thanks for sharing

Foreign White(Angel)

Seal Point(Rosie)

Chocolate Point(Naobi)
The Siamese are a pointed cat..the ears,legs,mask and tail only pointed cats have blue eyes,they are super intelligent,very talkative,demanding,naughty and full of energy actually quite radged at least ours areThe females are typical females in that they have moods good and not so good,can be bossy,bitchy and know what they want,how they want it and how to get it and also very loving,boys are playful.cheeky and also very loving and again at least with ours,tend not to bother with the bitching..clever,they use other tactics if neededThey are ultra clean and are exceptional company to be with. The ladys when not spayed are mostly regular callers/screamers when they are in heat/call..they are very,very loud and some get louder and more intense,boys also answer the girls call,some as loud and regular,some not so.Angel and Rosie are a modern type Siamese with the slender body,big ears and tapered tail,Naobi is a modern Siamese with her grandma's body,who was an old style Siamese with an applehead,short chunky body,small ears with brains that would seriously have given einstein a good sprint..i kid you not!

Quizzy,Mays first lady of the Mazpah home,a traditional Seal point Siamese and without whom our love affair with meezers may not have happened for she entrusted and blessed us with Rosie and Pearl who blessed us with Naobi and Trinity:

Very interesting this thread. Anyone got a Sphinx? I'd be interested to read about them...