The smallest cats in the world

For all ages, people have suffered from many problems with mice and rats, which suffered dangerous diseases and could destroy huge stocks of grain in a barn in a short time. Fleeing from the invasion of rodents, people sheltered at home their natural enemy - a wild cat. Where and when a person first let a wild cat into his house - still remains a very big mystery to scientists.

Archaeologists believe that a cat, as a pet, lives with a person under one roof for almost ten centuries. In a tomb found in Cyprus, dated 7500 BC, a cat skeleton lies next to the human skeleton. In the prehistoric times, cave paintings and murals also speak of the close proximity of cats.

Dwarf cats, like most new species in zoology, were discovered quite by accident. It all started with ordinary kittens who, for no apparent reason, “did not want” to grow to their normal size.

Many experienced cat lovers recall the loud hype in magazines and television broadcasts, which in 2004 was caused by an adult cat standing upright on its hind legs in an ordinary glass of water.

There are kittens of such large breeds as Maine Coon, which during the year from a small fluffy lump that fits easily in the palm of your hand, turn into a huge adult cat weighing up to 10 kilograms.

And there are miniature breeds, which despite the age in appearance and size can hardly be distinguished from small kittens.

Currently, there are 3 hypotheses of the origin of dwarf breeds of domestic cats.

Rarely enough (on average, one case per 100 thousand) in the genetic apparatus, as a result of random events, a gene mutation occurs, and the kitten stops growing. If this random mutation is stable, it will be inherited, and the animal will be viable - there will be a new breed of dwarf cats.

The emergence of a new breed of cats is the result of a targeted selection of felinologists and nursery workers to breed a new breed. Mating cats and cats that stopped growing at an early age, they translate the “wrong” gene, which determines the cessation of growth, into a dominant state.

The emergence of a new breed occurs as a result of exposure to the germ cells of cats with radioactive radiation, a laser and chemicals. Genetics alter the sequence of genes in a DNA strand that control growth and development. If successful, the modified genes are inherited, kittens are born, which after some time after birth stop growing.

Small purls, due to their small stature and some features of the anatomical structure of the body, have moments which require increased attention from the owners:

• paws and pads of cats in the winter should be protected from the cold;
• You can not play with a Lilliput cat when it is at a high altitude (more than 50 centimeters), in the event of an accidental fall, it will not have time to take the correct position for soft landing (grouping with its paws down) and can seriously injure its paws or spine;
• in accordance with the recommendations of the veterinarian, in winter and spring you can give your cat vitamins and green grass;
• in the process of walking with a purr on the street, you should carefully monitor the environment, traffic and dogs, since short legs will not allow the purr to quickly escape from danger.

Dwarf cats in captivity require a lot of attention from the owners for a number of reasons:

• due to structural features of the spine in dwarf cats, in the absence of care, the development of heart and lung diseases is possible over time
• the diet in pets should be balanced, otherwise the development of rickets and destructive changes in the musculoskeletal system is possible;
• dwarf cats can climb into places where it will be very difficult to get them out (crevice under the bathroom, narrow gaps between standing furniture);
• dwarf cats reach puberty somewhat later than usual (usually by 1.5-2 years);
• it is advisable to cover the floor in the apartment with a thick carpet, since due to structural features of the skeleton (short paws and a smooth bend of the spine), if a cat falls on the floor, it can get a serious spinal injury or a broken leg;
• to maintain the health of dwarf mustachioed pets, it is advisable to regularly give the vitamin complex recommended by the veterinarian, as well as fresh greens (a balanced intake of trace elements and vitamins in the body of the purring pet helps strengthen skeleton bones, prolongs life, reduces the likelihood of developing cancerous tumors);
• for winter walks on the street, you need to buy a warm coat in your store or sew on your own, which completely covers the trunk and legs, it is not recommended to walk the mustached pet without warm clothes so that it does not freeze the pads on the limbs.

Surely every person at least once in his life had to meet with Lilliput people. Adult men and women with this genetic disorder resemble 10-year-old children in height and size of clothing.

Similar genetic metamorphoses are found among the baleen companions of humans. The names of the breeds of miniature cats are well known to felinologists, owners of cat nurseries and owners with whom a furry companion lives under the same roof:

• toy bean dwarf cats;
• dwarf cats munchkin;
• dwarf cats Minsk;
• Singapore Dwarf Cats;
• dwarf cats Napoleon;
• dwarf rusty cat;
• dwarf african black-footed cat;
• dwarf sand cat;
• dwarf cat bambino.

The breed is the smallest shorthair dwarf animal in the world, resembling a Thai cat. Bred in Rostov-on-Don by artificial selection from a Thai cat in 1983-1994. The eyes of animals of this breed are resistant to blinding by daylight. Adult males and females weigh from 0.9 to 2.5 kilograms, in their appearance and weight correspond to a 4-month-old kitten of an ordinary cat.

They have a calm disposition, do not show aggression towards a person, they are easily trained and amenable to training. They like to sit upright on a short tail. Kittens of this breed can make sounds similar to dogs barking. A short tail and a large rounded head give the impression of strength and confidence.

The breed originated through natural selection. The first lilliput kitten of this breed with short curved paws was discovered in Louisiana in 1983 (USA). This new breed of cats received official recognition only in 1991. Male cats of the Munchkin breed are distinguished by a dense muscular body, elongated hind legs, and a strong skeleton.

Cats and cats of the Munchkin breed, which are proportional to the body length when running, are held vertically upward. Short legs have a slight curvature to the inside. The weight of munchkin cats is in the range from 3 to 4 kilograms, the weight of cats is from 2 to 3.6 kilograms.

Miniature cats without hair. In appearance, they are similar to sphinxes, however, they are much smaller. A new breed appeared by artificial breeding at the turn of the XX-XXI centuries in the United States.

Smart and courageous Minsk people understand a person perfectly. They can be taken with you to the cottage, on vacation at sea and on a business trip. They easily adapt to new conditions, get along in the same room with dogs, parrots, rabbits and hamsters.

The first cat was found on a street in Singapore in the mid-70s. She made a great impression on the specialists who immediately started the procedure for registering a new breed. The shape of the head and ears found in Singapore, a cat very much resembled a Thai breed. When finding out the pedigree of a cat from Singapore, its “genetic twins” were found in America.

This breed was bred by crossing manchkina and a Persian cat. Genetically, Napoleon is a dwarf Persian. The breed was bred in 1995 by an American Joe Smith. The International Cat Association (TICA, USA) has registered a new breed. In Russia, the selection association with the Napoleon breed is engaged in the Assolux Association and its partners.

The word "bambino" in translation from Italian means "baby". The creators of the breed initially wanted to breed a furry kitten, which remains small all the time, with good health and good character. The breed arose as a result of repeated mating of Manchkin and the Canadian Sphinx. The breed was dealt by an Italian breeder.

Dwarf cats also exist in the wild:

• rusty lives in India and Sri Lanka, the weight of an adult of this breed does not exceed 1.5 kilograms;
• African black legged this wild cat from the Red Book lives on the African continent, at the age of 1 year it reaches a weight of 1 kilogram;
• dune, a small cat with paws covered with thick fur, lives in the desert, feeds on birds, spiders, rodents and snakes, moves along sand dunes at a speed of up to 40 km / h, attracts representatives of the opposite sex with loud cries like a dog barking.

The smallest cat from the Guinness Book of Records is a cat named Tinker Toy. This Himalayan cat lived in a Forbes family in the USA. He weighed 680 grams with a body length of 18 centimeters and a height of 7 centimeters.

In 2004, the Guinness Book of Records recorded the smallest cat in the world. An adult cat named Mr. Peebles in his 2 years in size and weight corresponds to the level of development of a two-month-old kitten (1300 grams with a body length of 15 centimeters). Genetic anomaly, due to which the cat stopped growing, does not affect its health.

Next in weight and size is the miniature kitty breed of the Kinkalow breed, which is the result of the crossing of an American curl and manchkin. A small purring lump of wool of this breed weighs from 1.3 to 3.1 kilograms.

About the smallest cats in the world, see the next video.