Cats with curly hair: curly breed
We’ve learned that all cats coat smooth, fluffy or adjacent to the body, long or short, but always straight. Used so that you before curly kittens, which are born in all times, the owners often killed, believing that they are sick or can bring misery.
Fortunately, since the last century the situation has changed. These unusual kittens became the ancestors of new species, enriching the feline world. Short-haired, long-haired, with a neat vanaskie chaotic or unruly curls – they attract attention like no other.
Cats with curls
The Cornish Rex is One of the oldest breeds of this group. The first kitten appeared in a litter of ordinary cats in Cornwall, England. Unlike the four brothers and sisters, he was covered with a thin wavy coat, which evolved into the lungs adjacent to the skin of the wave.
To be the only kitty to create a pedigree line, breeders introduced new blood Siamese, Burmese, British Shorthair cats. The result is a small, lean cat with long and slender limbs, fine head, large ears and large expressive oval eyes. Her appearance is not too similar to privychnym cats, but this difference only adds to her charm. And good character: sociable, communicative, tied to its master – they will become a great friend and companion.
Now there are several subspecies: the European Cornish Rex and American, are so different that we face the question about their division into different breeds.
There are also several subtypes:
Si-Rex Cornish Rex with a great deal of Siamese blood.
Long-haired Cornish Rex. Breed only at a formative stage. In genetic standard the Cornish Rex is a recessive long hair gene, which periodically gives fluffy kittens. In the standard parent breed long coat is considered a defect, but some enthusiasts are working on a new variety.
This breed is quite close to the Cornish, by age (introduced in 1960) and in appearance. That’s only in the genotype they are different, as confirmed by the experimental matings, which were born from normal kittens with smooth smooth hair.
The first kittens of this line found in Devon, an abandoned tin mine. Now, after more than half a century, the Devon Rex is difficult to identify those waifs. They were small, but very elegant cats with long fragile limbs.
Their distinctive feature is the head: short, but broad, with large widely set ears and big expressive eyes. Wool almost has no outer coat or covering of the hair, limited curly, “Astrakhan” undercoat.
Another breed recovey group, for variety, emerged in Germany. According to various versions, it appeared in 1930 or 1958, from marriage and Angora Russian blue cats or some other, unknown, parents. In any case, 1983 was officially registered as a new breed – the German Rex. For breeding used several breeds, including European Shorthair.
The breed was going through hard times in the beginning of the century, when there were only a few its representatives. The selection was actually started first, what hair color and even partially – exterior, inferior by the wayside, if only preserved the characteristic texture of wool – containing only the undercoat, but very soft, with the characteristic swirls, similar to Karakul.
In the 80 years the breeders at the Persians from the Czech Republic were shocked when the litter came several curly kittens. But their look was so funny that the sign was decided to keep and fix. The result is a breed, like Persian, except wool: long, but consisting of explicit and rather chaotic curls.
It later turned out that such ornamentation, they should be grateful to the German Rex, and breeding which was used by the Persians. These are difficult ties of kinship.
One of the youngest and most interesting breeds of curly-haired cats. Their story began in 1987, when breeders of America decided to create a new breed by combining the best qualities of the Persians and wavy coat is found purebred cats.
The breed is officially registered now and has several varieties: longhair and Shorthair. They can have wavy hair (fold) and direct (state).
In the Soviet Union geologists and other scientists who study the Urals, told about a small village where all the houses were found amazing curly cats. Sorry to bring this souvenir is not guessed by anybody. As a result, aboriginal breed of cats with short hair and thick, a pronounced curl was officially registered only in 1988.
Literally, the name of this breed can be translated as “a cat with a permanent”. It’s really completely reflects her appearance, because her hair curled in many ringlets and spirals. This is another genetically distinct line, which appeared in America in 1982, when on one of the farms the cat brought a litter in which there were several curly kittens.
The breed is officially recognized by several federations, and its popularity is growing steadily. There are several sub-types: longhaired and shorthaired.
Now begins active work on creation of new breeds. For example, the charming skookum appeared when married to a Munchkin.
As you can see, there are many curly breeds, each with their own unique genetic line, appearance and character. It is not excluded that there will be new, giving us even more amazing and different from one another breeds. For example, right now there are some experimental:
Dakota Rex. Curly cat, bred in America, the state of Dakota.
Menks Rex. A random mutation in one of the litters of menksy spawned cats without a tail, but with curly hair.
The Maine Coon Rex. Curly-haired Maine coons – it’s hard to imagine, but the breeder is such a good imagination.
