5 Unusual Cat Breed

Cats have been associated with humans for at least 9,500 years, and are currently the most popular pet in the world. Cat owners know both how sweet and how mean they can be, but the cat world is more than squealing over kittens. Here is some most unusual cat breeds. Take a look.

Teacup Persians

Teacup Persians are a breed that has become quite popular recently. Many people have moved into smaller houses and apartments, and because of the space restrictions, the demand for teacup Persians has exploded. Teacups are not a strange genetic mutation, but rather the result of selective breeding of smaller-sized Persians.

Munchkin

The Munchkin is a relatively new breed created by a naturally occurring genetic mutation  that results in cats  with abnormally short legs. However, the shortness of their legs does not seem to interfere with their running and leaping. They are capable of running and climbing as well as a normal sized cat.   The gene responsible has been compared to the one that gives Welsh Corgis and Dachshunds their short stature. Fortunately for Munchkins, though, they don’t suffer from the many spinal problems that are typically associated with those types of canine breeds   and that is because cats’ spines are physically different from those of a dog, therefore making the Munchkins more suited to the short legs. The spine of a Munchkin cat is usually indistinguishable from that of other cats.

Pixie-Bob

The Pixie-Bob is a breed  of cat claimed by breed founder Carol Ann Brewers to be a progeny of naturally occurring bobcat hybrids. Later DNA testing failed to detect Bobcat marker genes  and these cats are considered wholly domestic for the purposes of ownership, cat fancy registration, import and export.

Minskin

Minskins are one of a set of breeds known as “dwarf breeds”. They are created by breeding a Munchkin with other cat breeds. Minskins are the result of a Devon Rex Munchkin being bred with a Sphynx cat. They appear simply to be incredibly small Sphynx cats, and require the same grooming. The Minskin is an incredibly new breed, and has only been around since 1998.

Sphynx

The Sphynx (also known as Canadian Hairless ) is a rare breed of cat known for its lack of a coat.The pictures of hairless cats come to us from ancient time proving that this natural mutation has occurred from time to time on the past. The contemporary breed of sphynx (known also as the Canadian sphynx, distinct from the Russian sphynx breeds – Peterbald, Don Sphynx) started in 1966, when in Toronto, Canada, a hairless kitten named Prune was born. It was crossed with its mother, which produced one more naked kitten. Together with a few naked kittens found later it became the primogenitor of the breed. The first sphynx breeders faced a number of problems. The genetic pool was very limited, breeders had rather vague ideas about sphynx genetics, many kittens died. The naked male Epidermis born in 1975 to short-haired mother provided new material to sphynx fanciers and new genes for further breed development. In the early stages of the breed crosses with devon-rex were used, but later this crossing was frowned upon because it caused health problems and devolution. Now the Canadian Sphynx is a breed with a sound genetic pool.