Munchkin

 

Characteristics of Munchkin cats - character and behavior

Despite the unique body structure, short-legged cats are extremely mobile and playful. Munchies love to explore, climb furniture, play hide and seek. Shortpaws are quite purposeful animals. Having set themselves the task of climbing onto a windowsill or jumping onto a high chest of drawers, short-legged cats will certainly achieve their goal.

Short-legged cats are very smart and quick-witted, amenable to training. Munchkin can be taught simple tricks. Many representatives of this breed adore street walks on a leash.

Description of the breed

Compact animals with very short legs. Due to the shortened legs, the body visually seems to be stretched, for which the munchkin received the nickname dachshund cat. Due to the ability to sit on its hind legs for a long time, representatives of this breed are sometimes called kangaroo cats.

Appearance - what the munchkins look like

Representatives of this breed are distinguished by medium size, strong bones, and well-developed muscles. The skull resembles a triangle in shape, the muzzle is narrow. The ears are either well-developed, triangular, erect, or small, folded in half. Among munchkins, both lop-eared representatives and individuals with erect ears are allowed. Tassels on the ears are permissible in long-haired munchies. The eyes are shaped like a nut. The color of the iris is very diverse, so the harmony of eye color with coat color is optional.

The forelegs are strong and muscular, with the elbows turned slightly outward. The front legs bear the bulk of the load when walking, so the munchkins have a peculiar gait. The hind legs are also short, slightly bent at the joints. As a rule, the paws of understated cats are 2-3 times shorter than those of ordinary cats.

The size

The growth of an adult is up to 15 cm.

The weight

Adult cats weigh 2.5-4 kg, females 2-4 kg.

Wool

• Short-haired: The coat is short, plush, with excellent protective properties.
• Long-haired and semi-long-haired: the awn is pronounced, the coat is silky, with a healthy sheen.

Colors

In short-haired individuals, color-point coloration is often found, as well as non-uniform coloration with a pattern. In long-haired cats, silvery or smoky colors prevail, but short-haired cats with long hair are much less common than short-haired individuals.

Life expectancy - how many munchkins live

With proper care, short-legged cats can live up to 16-20 years. On average, short-legged cats live 11-13 years.

Are Munchkin cats hypoallergenic or not? How often do they shed?

To begin with, there are no completely hypoallergenic cats. Allergies can be caused not only by the fur of the animal, but also by its saliva, dandruff, and feces. If a family member is susceptible to allergies, great care should be taken when introducing a cat to the house.

When cats lose their hair, its particles float in the air for a long time. If a member of the family has an allergy to cat hair, he will suffer from this for quite a long time. Even if removed from the cat's home, the hair particles will provoke an allergic reaction for a long time.

Munchies shed moderately. As with other breeds, molt usually occurs in the spring.

Is the Munchkin a friendly breed?

Lovers of the breed often sing praises about the friendliness of the short-toed. Indeed, munchies are great for a large family - very accommodating and non-conflicting animals.

Attitude towards children

Despite the peculiarities of the structure of the body, the short-legged ones are active and nimble, they love to play. Fun and games with children like the sociable munchkin. Short-legged cats and cats get along well with children.

Relationship to other animals

Short-legged cats and cats are quite loyal to other pets. Dachshund cats live comfortably both in a large family and with other pets. The short foot is able to make friends with animals that live with it under the same roof.

Playfulness

Munchkins cannot be called slow and phlegmatic. They are active and mobile creatures who love to play. If the owner is busy, refuses to play with the short-toed, she is quite capable of frolicking on her own. A stolen cork from a plastic bottle, a piece of paper, a candy wrapper, a coil, a feather will suit the playful munchy for games. The short-legged will enthusiastically drive around the apartment not only a specially purchased toy for her but also any available light object.

How does loneliness endure

Munchkins are called "taciturn cats." Short-toes rarely meow, some think that munchies can't purr at all. When the owner returns home - this is the very case when his munchies "talk" to him. The outgoing Munchkin doesn't like being alone.

Potential health problems

Occasionally understated cats suffer from congenital back problems. Lordosis is a disease in which the muscles supporting the spinal column are weakened. The spine shifts into the chest, putting excessive pressure on the heart and lungs. As a result, breathing problems appear, and the load on the heart muscle increases.

Manches are prone to overeating, so feed your pets in moderation.

Kittens cost

The price of a kitten without a pedigree starts from 3-4 thousand Russian rubles. The cost of an underestimated kitten with a pedigree from show parents can exceed 40,000 rubles.

Munchkin nurseries

To be sure of the show qualities of the purchased kitten, the animals should be purchased from nurseries. Here is a list of the names of the kennels where the Munchkin breed is bred:

• Super Munchkin;
• Karapuz;
• Munchkineris - cattery of munchkin and minuet cats;
• Munchkineris;
• Angel Kiss is a rare breed cattery.

Need for care

Munchkins are easy to maintain and do not require complex maintenance. Short-haired individuals should be brushed once a week, long and medium-haired individuals twice a week. In grooming the coat, the main task is to prevent the formation of tangles.

Korotkolapok should be bathed no more than once every 3-5 months using a special zoo shampoo. You should clean the auricle carefully, do not go deeply. If the ears are healthy, then they are cleaned once a month. To avoid diseases of the oral cavity, at least once a month Mancha needs to brush his teeth. Cats change their claws, so you should get a scratching post.

Short-legged cats should not be allowed to walk on their own. Due to the peculiarities of the structure of the Mancha's body, it may seem to people or animals that the cat deliberately bent down, preparing to attack. Fear of attack can dictate responses to humans or animals.

Maintenance cost

Keeping a cat with short legs will not hurt the owner's pocket too much. The owners of short-legged animals spend 3-6 thousand rubles a month on food for their pets. The calculation of the cost of maintenance does not include the cost of vaccinations and services of a veterinarian.

Nutrition

Some owners feed their pussies with dry cat food. If the choice is in favor of dry balanced cat food, then it should be of high quality, premium class. If the animal eats dry food, the owner must provide free access to clean water.

If the owner chooses to feed the pet with natural food, meat should be the basis of Mancha's diet. The daily rate of meat and offal should be at least 60%. This can be beef, turkey, rabbit meat, plus offal. You can give finely chopped meat both boiled and raw. Another 30% of the daily diet should be vegetables, cereals - only 10%. Adults are fed 2 times a day, babies up to 6 times a day.

To avoid indigestion and allergies, homemade milk and sour cream should be given with caution. The amount of milk for an adult should be given at the rate of 15 ml per 1 kg of body weight.

Homemade milk for a kitten should be diluted in a ratio of 1: 3, sour cream should be given only as a treat, no more than ½ teaspoon. Instead of sour cream, it is better to give low-fat cottage cheese or cheeses. Also, many cats like yogurts, kefir, fermented baked milk.

It is better not to give your pet store-bought pasteurized milk at all, replacing it with low-lactose milk from the manufacturer of high-quality cat food.

If a cat or cat eats dry food, milk should be completely eliminated from the diet.

"Dring" should be washed down with water only. Trying to combine dry food with milk will contribute to the formation of deposits in the kidneys and bladder, as well as put additional stress on the liver.

Veterinary

Munchkin is a young breed that arose without the participation of breeders, its gene pool is constantly renewed and expanded, therefore congenital diseases in short-legged cats are a rarity. Lordosis occurs not only in short-footed individuals but also in ordinary cats. In general, short paws are distinguished by their vitality and good immunity.

Grooming

Taking care of your cat's hair is not that difficult. To prevent the formation of tangles in problem areas, such as the collar area, behind the ears, pants, it is enough to comb out the hair with a long-toothed comb and a slicker.

The services of a professional will only be needed if the pet is extremely neglected, its hair is matted, and tangles have formed that cannot be combed on its own. Then a professional groomer comes to the aid of the careless owner, who will be able to cut the mats, comb out the matted hair, and put the neglected animal in order.

Hiring a groomer for the fashionable trend of dyeing pet's fur in different colors is strongly discouraged. This completely unnecessary fun for the cat can cost the animal allergies and other health problems.

Exhibitions

The peculiarities of the breed are striking even for an amateur who does not understand cats at all, because one cannot fail to notice the too short paws of the Munchkin. But because of the "wrong" paws, the pet can be disqualified at the show. If the legs are strongly bent outward or inward, a cow-type supply of paws is noticeable, then the pet will not be allowed to the show.

Show defects in short-legged cats are considered to be a rounded head, a shortened body, a very long or chopped-off nose, protruding or overly round eyes, wavy hair.

Munchies are removed from the show with subsequent disqualification for signs characteristic of other breeds of cats, sagging croup, too concave back.

Show animals must not undergo the "soft paw" operation. At the exhibition, the amputated claws of the pet will be considered disqualifying by the judges.

Pros and cons of the breed

The pluses include cheerfulness, sociability, and playfulness of short-legged legs. They are lively, quick-witted, and loyal animals. Excellent immunity is another plus of munchkins. The appearance of these animals is unusual and recognizable - short-legged cats look cute and peculiar.

The disadvantages include only "magpie syndrome". Munchkins drag off their favorite items to hide in their "personal cache". Short-legged - desperate kleptomaniacs, drag tubes of lipstick, paper clips, pencils and pens, keys, even master's socks to the "secret treasure".

The owner of the Munchy should remember the axiom of the pet: “socks are not swans for you, they don’t live in pairs to death”. Lifehack - short-legged caches are most often arranged in secluded places, missing items should be looked for behind a chest of drawers or behind a sofa.

History of the breed

It is difficult to determine which country can be called the homeland of cats with short paws. In the middle of the last century, cases of the birth of kittens with extremely short legs were noted simultaneously in the USSR and the USA. In 1953, the Soviet media called such individuals "Stalingrad kangaroos", suggesting that such changes in animals occurred due to the hardships of the war and the difficult post-war life.

The ancestor of the munchkins was a short-legged pussy from Louisiana. The kind teacher was struck by the unusual appearance of the purr, the woman picked up a stray pregnant short-legged cat, later giving the foundling the nickname Blackberry.

Having released herself from the burden, the short-legged Blackberry brought kittens, half of the babies were born with the same short legs as their mother's.

The new owner of the Blackberry managed to interest the judge of the TICA association with the unusual dachshund cats, which made it possible for the subsequent development of the Munchkin breed. Dr. Pfluger examined the strange pussies, it was possible to find out that a recessive gene was the cause of the short feet.

So a cat of unknown origin became the ancestor of a new modern breed.

Interesting facts about Munchkin cats

TOP-7 interesting facts about dachshund cats:

1. The structure of the Mancha's body allows for a long time to sit "in a column" on its hind legs. this position, strange for ordinary cats, is called "kangaroo".
2. The name of the breed is taken from the book "The Wizard from the Land of OZ". The munchkins in this work were called the little aborigines of the magical land.
3. The term "kangaroo cat" was the first to come up with the Germans.
4. The homeland of the "Stalingrad Kangaroos" is considered to be the United States.
5. The second name for the favorite pose of the Munchkins is “rabbit stance”.
6. Munchy's body structure does not provoke spinal problems in them.
7. Munchkins are the only representatives of the cat family in the world who can sit for a long time in the "kangaroo" position.

Owner reviews

The owners note the ability of pets in training, quick wits, playfulness, cleanliness, friendliness.

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• Minuet (Napoleon).
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• chartreuse.