Golden chinchilla cat: characteristics, selection and conditions

Chinchilla cats are of English origin, they were first bred artificially in the 80s of the XIX century in England. The concept of "chinchilla" defines two components: color and breed. The chinchillas include Persian, British, Scottish breeds, as well as exotics and burma. The crossing of the Persian breed with a golden gene and the British with a silver color resulted in delightfully beautiful golden chinchillas.

A cat of the Golden Chinchilla breed is very beautiful and cute, when meeting with her, there is always a desire to stroke her and caress. The wool has a characteristic golden color, although in general it is heterogeneous, and has a smooth overflow (tipping). The undercoat ranges from pale apricot to golden hue. The hair on the ears, chin, chest and abdomen is red. On the head, back, sides and tail in a common golden color there is tipping in black or brown.

If the hairs are 1/3 dark, then the color is called shaded, and if 1/8 - chinchilla. A ticked coloration is also highlighted - it is of a darker golden tone, while on each hair there is not one black strip, but more than two.

Color point occurs when the full color is hidden under the Siamese color. The hair of a cat has a light golden hue, only the ears, paws and muzzle look darker.

Distinctive features of the breed:

• large physique, wide chest, straight straight back;
• short legs having rounded pads with tufts of wool between the fingers;
• medium-sized head, chin soft;
• the nose is small, slightly flattened, pale pink or brick;
• eyes are large green or copper in color, with dark eyeliner and slightly slanted outer corners; chinchilla point has a blue eye color;
• the tail is fluffy, short and straight;
• weight 5-7 kg.

Features of golden chinchillas.

• British (English). Cats are longhair and shorthair. Their coat is dense, shiny and thick. The ears are neat, upright, straight or rounded.

• Scottish breed There are two subtypes: Scottish fold (fold) and Scottish straight (ears are usually erect). Wool of medium length, reminiscent of plush to the touch.

• Persian. It has a long thick coat. The tail is like a fan, very magnificent, whose hairs are 2 cm longer than the hair on the body.

Chinchillas are beautiful in nature, although there are differences in the behavior of different species.

• British Very calm and sociable. For communication with owners uses meow and purr. He loves personal space and protests against excessive tenderness. She gives pleasure to stroke herself, but cannot stand the grip, it is impossible to hold in her hands or on her knees for a long time. Cats have a well-developed intuition, they feel the role of a person in the house, and on the basis of this they build their behavior with one or another member of the family.

• Scottish. It is distinguished by kindness and peace-loving character. Very attached to the owners. If other animals live in the house (for example, a dog or representatives of birds), then it gets along well with them. He loves children, loves to play outdoor games with them. Loneliness is tolerated calmly, but when the owners return home, they meet them with wild joy and follow them literally on the heels, demanding that they stroke. Meows rarely, quietly and unobtrusively.

• Persian. Very affectionate and cheerful kitty. She loves to be the center of attention, she likes tenderness and a prolonged lying on her owners' lap. Prone to laziness and obesity, so you need to play with it more often. Like fun with paper candy wrappers and toy mice. Very capricious, with other animals that are in the house, she gets along badly, does not seek to establish friendly relations.

Choosing a golden kitten, you need to decide on the following points:

• character traits of which breed are more impressive;
• the kitten is purchased only for an adult or for a family with a child;
• readiness for everyday care;
• whether the chinchilla is expected to live with other representatives of the fauna in the house.

For adults, in whose house there are no other pets, of course, you can choose any kitten that you like based on suitable characteristics and your preferred color. Families with young children or other animals available should choose the Scottish breed.

It is better to start a Persian chinchilla for those families where children have reached 10 years of age, since in relation to small children she behaves wary. If suddenly the baby will persistently show attention to the cat at that moment when she has no mood, then she can show aggression: frighteningly hiss, scratch or bite. When acquiring, it is important to find out if there are vaccinations, if possible, examine documents related to the pedigree.

In addition, one should take into account the fact that babies up to 3 months old may be tabby, but as a cat or cat grows older, it will become more uniform. Therefore, many responsible breeders do not sell kittens under the age of three months, but give them the opportunity to stay longer with their mother so that they finally develop their color, healthy psyche and immunity.

The main thing in caring for a cat of this breed is hair care. It needs to be washed and combed regularly. Combing has its own characteristics: First, you should comb the hair growth, and then against the hair. This procedure can be performed for a British and Scottish cat once every 2 weeks, as their hair is plush and springy and less prone to rolling into lumps. But the Persian chinchilla needs to be combed twice a week, in this case the coat will be smooth, no tangles will appear on it, and the cat will always feel great.

To prevent pets from spoiling the furniture, need to accustom to the claw point from childhood. Once 2 weeks you need to carefully trim one third of the upper part of the claws, using special claws. It should be noted that of all the representatives of chinchillas the most heat-loving - the Scots, if the temperature in the house drops below 20 degrees, then they immediately become uncomfortable. therefore It is important to monitor the temperature regime so as not to freeze, especially if the pet has to spend time alone for a long time.

In addition, when leaving for work, it is necessary to provide with toys and the presence of sufficient space for movement (not to leave only in one room), then the animal easily experiences the absence of owners at work or study. If there is a desire to walk a pet, then in a city it would be advisable to use a harness. When a cat lives in a private house or if the family has a suburban area, it is better to walk in the garden.

You can feed the animal with special feeds or natural food. Of the usual foods, the following foods are preferred.

• Finely chopped chicken, turkey or rabbit meat. It can be boiled or raw, but scalded with boiling water. It can be given daily.
• Boiled sea fish. It is better to feed 1-2 times a week.
• Dairy products: yogurt, kefir, low-fat cottage cheese. Give no more than 2 times a week.
• Quail eggs - 2 times a week.
• Buckwheat porridge cooked on water - 2-3 times a week.
• Bone flour. It must be used as an additive. Required dose: 1-2 teaspoons 2-3 times a week. Flour is best mixed with meat.

The following foods are prohibited for chinchillas:

• sweets (chocolate, sweets, caramel);
• raw cow's milk;
• smoked meats;
• pickles;
• spicy dishes.

With natural nutrition, special vitamins should be given. When using the finished feed, you can do without them, since they are already included in its composition. Properly selected diet guarantees excellent appearance and well-being of the pet. The coat will always be silky and shiny, and the behavior will be active.

Chinchillas, like most cats, do not like to swim, so they need to be washed in their entirety only when necessary and infrequently. For washing, you can use special shampoos, making sure that the foam does not get into the eyes and ears. The frequency of hygiene procedures depends on the breed.

The British (British) are more tidy, very often wash their paws and tongue. Owners need only once a day to wipe their eyes with a cotton swab, leading it from the outer corner of the eye to the nose and remove the lumps formed from them. The ears of the British beauty can be wiped once a month with a cotton pad moistened with warm boiled water.

Persian and Scottish chinchillas need more frequent care from the owners.

If necessary, contaminated dirt should be removed from the muzzle and paws carefully with a damp cloth.

It is advisable to brush your favorite teeth once a day, you need to be accustomed to this procedure as soon as possible. It is much more difficult to accustom an adult cat to toothbrushing than a kitten. Toothbrushes can be purchased at the pet store. It is important to keep the tray clean. The choice of fillers is diverse, there are those that completely absorb the smell. If the cat’s toilet is always clean, the animal will always use it and will never harm it outside of it.

The health of cats directly depends on heredity, immunity is transmitted from parents. In general, chinchillas are in good health, but a tendency towards certain diseases may occur.

• Retinal atrophy - damage to light-sensitive receptors in the retina. Symptoms are dilated pupils, eye gloss and sudden onset of night blindness. The animal ceases to see in the dark, and in a neglected case it can completely lose sight. Unfortunately, there is no effective treatment for atrophy. It is important to observe eye hygiene so that they do not accumulate contamination.
• Caries. For prevention, it is important to brush your teeth, and in case of caries, contact your veterinarian immediately.
• Hypertrophic cardiopathy - A heart disease in which its ventricular wall thickens. May cause heart failure or thromboembolism in cats. You can only detect with an ultrasound scan. At the beginning of the disease in the animal, shortness of breath and rapid fatigue can be noticed. Timely diagnosis and treatment started on time guarantee a favorable outcome.
• Polycystic kidney disease - A disease of the genitourinary system in which cysts appear in the kidneys. It is very difficult to recognize the manifestations of the disease at the initial stage, but nevertheless, if it is possible, then surgical removal of the cyst is performed. But most often the symptoms become noticeable only when the formations greatly increase in size, and the cat has pain. If cysts are detected by simple palpation of the abdominal cavity, then the operation is meaningless. It is already impossible to save the animal, since the kidneys cannot function normally. Relieve suffering can only be a special diet and drug therapy prescribed by a veterinarian. They will be able to extend the life of the pet.

Breeding of golden chinchillas is not very simple, even for experienced breeders. The main difficulty is the key to obtaining the desired color. It’s not easy to select a partner. If the plans are only breeding, without participating in exhibitions, then you can mate a pet with an individual of the opposite sex of any chinchilla breed with silver or gold color. If participation in exhibitions is important, then you need to select the perfect pair. This should be a purebred cat of the same breed and color as the kitty.

The first age for mating a cat comes in about a year and a half. It can be carried out immediately when estrus appears. The interval between mating should be at least 4 months. After mating, the chinchilla sleeps a lot. With the onset of pregnancy, the tummy becomes noticeable after about a month, and its duration is 9 weeks.

If the pet has kittens with a pedigree, then after a month and a half you should contact a special club or organization that will reveal the pedigree of the kids and issue them special passports. This will serve as a kind of permission for the official legal sale of kittens. The price for kittens is different, ranging from 10,000 to 40,000 rubles, the purer the kitten and closer to the standards, the more expensive its price.Scottish and British gold chinchillas are more expensive, Persian are somewhat cheaper.

Reviews about the golden chinchillas are diverse. Contradictions, to a greater extent, are associated with character traits. The main thing is that it matches the nature of the owners. It is difficult to care for a cat or a cat of the Persian breed because of the long hair, prone to shedding. Many owners pay attention to the excessive cleanliness of chinchillas, so the tray filler, especially when a kitten is trained to it, is recommended to be changed after each visit to the toilet. In general, a bright color, a pleasant coat, tenderness, playfulness of a cat and its easy adaptation to a new place of residence, of course, give pleasant emotions to the owners.

More information about the care and maintenance of gold chinchillas at home is described in the video below.