"Poodle Kittys" New Trend Amoung Cat Collectors

Tue Dec 04, 2012 1:02 am » by **Kinninigan**

Poodle cats could be the new rage for feline fans
By: Shannon Dybvig

In 1987, a mutant kitten was born in Montana with hair like a poodle. Named Miss DePesto, this kitten grew up and birthed curly kittens of her own. As the curly cat family tree grew, Miss DePesto's descendants eventually became recognized as a new breed: the Selkirk Rex.

Now, 25 years and about nine kitty generations later, researchers at the University of Veterinary Medicine, Austria, have confirmed that these felines are genetically distinct from previously known breeds, making Selkirk Rex the fourth curly-haired cat breed known.

The genetic quirk that makes a Selkirk Rex's hair kink is a dominant trait. This makes the trait easy for breeders to retain even while crossing breeding to maintain genetic diversity. Selkirk Rex is usually crossed with Persians or British Shorthairs, making it a particularly laid back cat.

And while the Selkirk Rex is one of four curly-haired cat breeds, it easily has the best hair. Devon Rex and Cornish Rex are breeds with curly, downy, super-short hair, prone to balding, while the unimaginatively named LaPerm breed has curly hair of average length hair -- but not nearly as plush and thick as Selkirk Rex. Miss DePesto would be proud.

Check out some of these good looking mutant kitties below... :look:

Free Poodle-Kitty Avatar:

http://www.grindtv.com/outdoor/blog/402 ... line+fans/

:peep:

Tue Dec 04, 2012 9:12 pm » by **Kinninigan**

I bumped the poodle-cats, its like a new post, no one commented yet!

:idea:

Tue Dec 04, 2012 9:30 pm » by **Kaarmaa**

I hate Poodles. I'd shave those cute cats. :mrgreen:

Tue Dec 04, 2012 9:32 pm » by **Kinninigan**

Kaarmaa wrote:I hate Poodles. I'd shave those cute cats.

those cats will have fur problems in the butt region...aka "dinkle-berries" in their fur! :mrgreen:

Tue Dec 04, 2012 9:49 pm » by **Kaarmaa**

Kinninigan wrote:
Kaarmaa wrote:I hate Poodles. I'd shave those cute cats.

those cats will have fur problems in the butt region...aka "dinkle-berries" in their fur!

What!?

Ok, those cats like cereals :flop:

Tue Dec 04, 2012 10:09 pm » by **Dagnamski**

Never trust an Austrian who wants to breed!
:shock:

Sat May 11, 2013 2:30 pm » by **Kinninigan**

New designer pussycats to hit the market....

:shock:

House Cats Bred with Wild Animals Sell for $35,000

The ancient Egyptians domesticated cats some 4,000 years ago, but a modern taste for all things exotic is working to undo that with the introduction of half-wild cats. Breeders bored with mixing plain old domestic mousers for new designer blends (hello, poodle cats) have taken to mating house cats with medium-size wild cats to create new animals that will prowl your shag carpet as if it were the grasslands of Africa.

According to The International Cat Association (TICA), the first effort to breed a wild cat with a domestic feline was in 1963 when Jean S. Mill "invented" the Bengal by crossing a house cat with the Asian leopard cat to create an animal with, "the loving nature of a favored fireside tabby and the striking look associated with leopards, ocelots and jaguars."

Since then, a whole menagerie of "living room leopards" has been spawned, including the Bristol (domestic cat/margay), the Chausie (domestic cat/jungle cat), the Cheetoh (Bengal/ocicat), the Jungle-bob (Pixie-bob/jungle cat) and the Pantherette (Pixie-bob/Asian leopard cat).

And perhaps the most popular of all, the Savannah - half domestic cat, half African Serval.
The first known Savannah was born April 7, 1986, when a female domestic cat gave birth to a kitten sired by a Serval, an African wildcat that weighs up to 50 pounds and eats everything from birds and hares to deer and gazelles. TICA accepted the Savannah breed for registration in 2001, and the Savannah was accepted for Championship status by TICA in 2012.

Joyce Sroufe is generally recognized as the founder of the Savannah breed, and her cat-making business, A1 Savannah Cattery, is not only the world's first Savannah cattery, but also the one responsible for breeding the largest domesticated house cat documented in the Guinness Book of World Records.

The Savannahs are classified by percentage of Serval; "F1 Savannahs" are at least 53 percent Serval, and a female can cost up to $35,000. On the lower end of the scale are "SBT Savannah" kittens, which are "pure" Savannahs that have only Savannahs as parents for at least three generations; these kittens cost up to $9,000 a pop. A1 recommends the SBT type for a family with other pets and children because, "their personality and size are better forseeable [sic] and the temperament is predictable." Which is important, presumably, when one is bringing wild animals into a home with children.

Even with such exorbitant price tags, the half-wild kitties continue to increase in popularity. However, a recent article in The New Yorker notes that the proliferation of domestic/wild cats is controversial beyond the cost. PETA denounces the practice, the article says, and inbreeding causes complications. In New York, among other places, it's not even legal to own a Savannah, unless it's at least five generations removed from a wild cat.

Yet catteries continue to pump out the newfangled felines and ship them around the world. As one breeder, Judy Sugden, says of her product, "I am an artist! … And I have designed and built a cat."

Big Cat Rescue, the largest accredited sanctuary in the world dedicated to abused and abandoned big cats, says on its site about hybrids, "We have had a bunch of them that were former pets. We have had to turn away many, many more because most of them cannot run free outside and have to have the same cages as bobcats and cougars." It goes on to note that they all spray urine incessantly, they bite, and they "want to eat your other pets and they don't care if it's a German shepherd - they are going to be constantly looking for a way to take the dog down."

Not an organization to mince words, they add, "Allowing the private possession of wild cat/domestic cat hybrids is like strapping a nuclear warhead to the feral cat problem."

http://shine.yahoo.com/author-blog-post ... 00274.html

:peep:

Sat May 11, 2013 2:57 pm » by **Webcat**

Thanks for bumping this Kinni - I missed the 'Poodle cat' thread first time round. :flop:

They are all just lovely!!! :love:

"Pyscho cat approves of cross breeding!"

:cheers:

Sat May 11, 2013 3:04 pm » by **Kinninigan**

your welcome...i have a new kitten coming next week...my black cat sabrina passed away a few weeks ago..she was 14..she had a bad liver infection

my new kitten is black and white and its a girl...ill post some pics when she comes next week

now i have to "kitten-proof" the house...like not leave my guitar laying around...it might become a scratch post!

i did not have to pay 35k though, my kitten is free!

:peep:

Sat May 11, 2013 3:06 pm » by **Vulcanic**