American curl cats: features, rules for feeding and keeping

For several millennia, a cute fluffy animal with a freedom-loving character has been living next to a person - a cat. A sacred animal, the guardian of the hearth and the defender against evil forces, the cat is appreciated by many peoples for its mysterious disposition. For many centuries, humanity has been working on breeding new breeds of pets. Among them is an American curl.

In 1981, in California, a married couple had a good-natured cat with a strange shape of ears. Wide at the base of the rounded ears at the ends slightly turned back. This mutation would remain a fleeting phenomenon if the two kittens born to this cat did not acquire exactly the same ears. A new shape of ears was passed on to the next generation of kittens. People liked the new interesting shape and it was decided to fix the mutation.

A few years later, felinologists became interested in the new breed. As a result of various tests, a unique gene was identified that is responsible for the unusual shape of the ears. Since the mutation does not affect the cat's health, it was decided to continue the development of curls and the breed standards were adopted. In order to reduce the time required for the recognition of a new cat by the international community, the Curls did not cross with other thoroughbred species, using ordinary cats to fix the species characteristics.

The uniqueness of this cat breed lies not only in the unusual shape of the ears, but also in the fact that this is the first species recognized in two varieties. To date, two varieties of breed have been registered with the International Organization for Breeding and Breeding New Cat Breeds FIFe and the World Cat Federation WCF:

• long-haired (FIFe) or semi-long-haired (WCF);

• short-haired.

The first time you see a curl, you can not confuse it with any other breed of cats. A slightly elongated wedge of a rounded head smoothly passes from the tip of a straight nose to the nose and forehead. One-third wide, high and vertically set ears consist of dense cartilage, similar in structure to the cartilaginous tissue of human ears. The tips of the round ears are smoothly, without creases, twist backward, bending at an angle of 90-180 °.

Due to this scatter of curl options, it is impossible to find two identical cats. At the base, the auricles are adorned with fluffy tufts of outer hairs. The soft tips of the ears adorn lynx-like brushes. American Curl kittens are born with straight ears. Characteristic features of the breed appear after a few days, and the auricle takes its final shape by four months.

The wide-set eyes of the slightly elongated circle form slightly beveled towards the bridge of the nose. The color of the cornea of ​​bright and clean eyes can be any that is not associated with coat color. The exception is colorpoint cats, their eyes should be blue. A strong proportional body with developed muscles rests on straight parallel legs, creating the impression of strength, grace and health.

A strong, thick tail at the base, tapering smoothly to the end, is equal in length to the torso of a cat. Curls with long hair are distinguished by the presence of a fluffy “collar”, “panties” and a shaggy tail. Their coat has almost no undercoat and is loose in structure. Shorthair cats can boast of smooth hair, which you just want to stroke. The color of a cat can be anything: plain, spotted, striped, as there are no specific standards.

The American Curl cat has the best character, suitable for living next to a person. Affectionate, friendly purr is very attached to the people around him, and at the same time knows how to be unobtrusive. Like many cats, the curl loves to be petted, responding to the caress with a low purr. His voice is pleasant for hearing, but the cat itself is not very talkative and will not bother the owners with constant meowing. To inform the owners about their desires, the cat will purr or quietly “grunt”.

Cats of this breed easily adapt in a new place, without showing aggressiveness and anxiety. They like to choose unexpected places for relaxation, located quite high above the floor. Curl owners should be prepared for the fact that a loving purr will sleep on your bed, sit next to you when you work, and it can sit on your desktop. None of your classes will be left without cat's attention and all possible assistance. Curls need attention and communication, so they try to be close to a person.

The curl friendliness extends not only to people, but also to other petsbe it a dog, cat, rodent or bird. Curls retain children's playfulness for most of their lives, and they actively involve in the game those pets with whom they have developed friendly relations. The complaisant character and quick wit make the cat suitable for keeping in families with children.But it’s better to limit contact with very young children, since such babies can easily harm the fragile tips of cat ears.

Curls are very smart and easy to train. They also like to perform in public, so you can learn a few tricks with them, and curls will be happy to show what they have learned to your guests. Also, a smart cat quickly understands what is possible and impossible, easily perceives prohibitions and does not repeat prohibited actions. It is not recommended to let the cat out on the street alone, even if you live in your house. But they easily get used to the harness and calmly walk on a leash.

Curls have no specific species, since any color of silky coat is acceptable for both varieties of the breed, be it black, red, striped or speckled, but The following colors are most common.

• Cakes or tortie. It is characterized by a white breast and solid colored spots throughout the body.

• Tabby. It is rather a type of pattern (tiger stripes; classic rings on the tail and legs, spiral stains on the sides, stripes on the ridge and spots on the abdomen; simple spots that form stripes or are randomly scattered; the body is of the same color, but there are stripes on the muzzle).

• Bicolorwhen a dark cat has some white or light spots: “socks” on its legs, spots on its head or several spots on its body, light breast. All this in different combinations or one thing.

• Colorpoint means that a light cat has dark legs, ears and a muzzle. Of the colors characteristic: gray, brown, red-red, coffee with milk, blue or striped.

• A la Siamese cats. One of the varieties of colorpoint, allocated in a separate group.

• Solid colors.

From a young age, a kitten needs to be accustomed to cosmetic procedures so that then there are no problems. It is important to care for the hair: combing and bathing, cutting the claws; brushing your teeth and ears. Caring for the hair of cats of this breed is very easy, as their undercoat is very rare. You need to comb the curl with a metal brush with cloves ending with a rounded top. Longhair cats are combed twice a week, and for shorthair this procedure can be carried out only once every 7 days.

You need to bathe a purr every month, but not more than once, so that the sebaceous glands do not disturb their work. The claws are sheared every week, as they grow back very quickly, removing up to 3 mm of the claw using a clipper. To brush your teeth, you can use a special toothbrush worn on the finger. Toothpaste is best picked up by a veterinarian and it should be soft in taste.

Cat ears are cleaned as necessary, using special napkins, cotton pads and a cleaner for this. During the procedure, do not pull and straighten curls, as the cat will have painful sensations. Active curls need to spend a lot of time outdoors to fulfill their need for outdoor games. At the same time, such a walk helps the cat to satisfy the desire for closer communication with his beloved owners.

An active and healthy American Curl cat is not prone to obesity and overeating, so you can not be afraid that she will eat more than expected. For proper feeding, breeders advise using premium ready-made feeds that are appropriate for age, lifestyle and breed variety. Feed can be dry and wet. They contain all the necessary vitamins and minerals to make your cat live a full life.

But if you do not want to give the cat ready-made food, then you can use boiled lean meat, offal, fish and vegetable products to feed the curls. It can be vegetables, grains and fruits. You can give egg yolk and add vegetable oil. All products must be of high quality. But salt, sugar, spices, fats and milk from the diet of a cat is better to exclude, so feeding curl from your table is not recommended. To improve the palatability and increase the usefulness of food prepared on its own, various vitamin and mineral supplements are added to the food.

The life span of a healthy cat is about 14 years. Since the breed of American Curls descended from ordinary purebreds, they inherited the good health of their ancestors and resistance to the diseases characteristic of other purebred cats. But this does not cancel visits to specialists and preventive measures.

Once a month, the cat needs to be treated with anthelmintic drugs and once a year an examination is carried out by a veterinarian. Also, a doctor should be consulted to monitor the female during pregnancy, especially if this is your first pet or, conversely, a cat is already at an advanced age. If the owners do not plan to breed cats, then experts recommend castration or sterilization of the animal after it reaches the age of:

• 7-9 months for cats;
• 5-7 months for a cat.

The later this operation is performed, the greater the likelihood of serious consequences for the health of the pet. It is also necessary to constantly examine the condition of the ear holes, especially if the cat has too narrow an ear passage. Such an anomaly leads to inflammatory processes inside the ear, so regular visits to the veterinarian will help prevent the development of the disease. Of the injuries most commonly found in Curls is damage to the thin ear cartilage due to improper handling.

For those who want to engage in breeding purrs with unique ears, obtaining offspring is not difficult, since there is no need to look for a partner for mating the same breed. A distinctive feature of curls is that thoroughbred kittens can be obtained by mating cats of the same breed or one of the partners refers to ordinary purebred cats. In the first case, all offspring will have ears typical for Curls, in the second half of all born kittens will be thoroughbred.

When choosing a mating partner from ordinary cats, you need to pay attention to the exterior of the animal. It should be as close to breed standards as possible except for the shape of the auricle. Interestingly, the shape of the curl does not depend on the parents. It happens that a pair of curls - prize-winners give birth to kittens with faint curls, suitable only for home maintenance.

The first time the animal is mated not earlier than the cat is one year old, even if this is not her first estrus, choosing an experienced partner, since the same newcomer can get confused and there will be no result. Mating should always be carried out on the territory of the cat, so that the male is not distracted by the examination of a new place. When preparing animals for mating, it is necessary to carry out all preventive measures:

• give the necessary vaccinations on time;
• gobble up 2 weeks before mating;
• groom the animals, but in no case wash them so that the smell characteristic of a flowing cat is preserved.

The cat is brought to the cat for a couple - three days before estrus and left for up to 5 days. If everything goes well, then in 9-10 weeks, Murka will bring healthy offspring. Curl breeders begin evaluating kittens when they reach the age of 3-4 months. By this time, the auricle is already fully formed in the babies, they become quite independent, have all the necessary vaccinations and are trained in the necessary skills. After this, the kittens are ready to move to a new place of residence and participate in shows.The minimum age for show kittens is 4 months.

There are 3 degrees of ear curl.

• Weak or curl of the first degree. Cats with this shape of ears are suitable only for keeping in the family.
• The second, stronger, degree of curl transfers its owners to the category of manufacturers and is characteristic of most curls.
• The deepest curl of the third degree allows cat owners to participate in various exhibitions, showing off their pet and earning rewards.

Most of the breeders of curling are living in the United States of America. Curl breeds are quite popular at home, while other countries have not yet fully appreciated the whole charm of the breed and the affectionate nature of cats. Russia also has its own connoisseurs of curls. Therefore, there is no need to look for a kitten across the ocean, when you can contact one of the nurseries located in the country. The most popular of them are:

• in Moscow: Charmingcurl and Primecurl;
• in Sochi - Americancurl;
• in Yekaterinburg - Scarlet;
• in St. Petersburg - Vinnimur.

The price of one kitten varies from 3 thousand to 60 thousand rubles. The price is affected by the degree of curl, the quality and color of the coat, the parents of the kitten and the opportunity to participate in exhibitions. A healthy, playful kitten with an unusual shape of ears will grow into a beautiful cute cat, which will become your faithful friend and beloved pet.

All about the American Curl breed, see the video below.