The Science, Hobby, and Art of Cat Fancy

Can a Vegan Cat be Healthy?

love2lovecats — Sat, 18 Apr 2009 05:24:17 +0000

In the wild, cats are obligate carnivores, meaning that they will starve without meat in their diets and do not require plant matter to remain healthy. Unlike other members of the Carnivora order– such as dogs and bears– cats do not eat plant matter for nutrition and are unable to derive nutritional value from unprocessed plant foods. While house cats may occasionally eat plant matter to aid in digestion or induce vomiting, they lack the biological adaptations necessary to derive nutrition from a natural vegetarian diet.
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The World’s Cuddliest Cat

love2lovecats — Tue, 07 Apr 2009 03:07:05 +0000

If there’s a single cat in the world more snugglable than the Ragamuffin, I have yet to meet it.

Rare and Impossible Kitties

love2lovecats — Mon, 06 Apr 2009 21:24:23 +0000

Male calicos aren’t the only “impossible” cats.

Did you know that there is no such thing as a solid-red, or red self, cat? Gray cats and black cats can be solid-colored, but cream and orange cats always have tabby stripes.

Have you ever seen a blue-eyed cat that wasn’t solid white, and didn’t have “point” coloring like a Siamese? These stunning beauties are so rare that they are almost unheard of, and science can not yet explain their existence.

Read about why here.

How Much Money is a Male Calico Worth?

love2lovecats — Mon, 06 Apr 2009 21:14:50 +0000

A male calico cat is, biologically, completely impossible.

Surprised? There are a few cats who are born with XXY chromosomes, meaning that they are technically intersexed–neither male nor female. Occasionally, one of these special kitties might be calico or tortoiseshell.

Since these cats are extremely rare, some people believe that they are worth a significant amount of money. Want to know how much they are actually worth?

Click here to find out.

When is a Somali not from Somalia?

love2lovecats — Thu, 26 Feb 2009 20:35:36 +0000

The Himalayan cat isn’t Himalayan: it was created at Harvard.

The Abyssinian is from Southeast Asia.

The Havana brown is American.

The Bombay is from Kentucky.

…The list goes on. Most cat breeds with exotic names are actually given their names inaccurately. You can read more about this strange cat fanciers’ trend by clicking here.

Raising a Green Cat

love2lovecats — Wed, 25 Feb 2009 19:42:20 +0000

Most cat lovers care about the environment– after all, why would we become cat owners in the first place if we didn’t have respect for non-human life? Unfortunately, though, Smokey’s impact on the environment can be extreme if his owner doesn’t take steps to minimize his ecological pawprint.

These simple guidelines can help cat owners to minimize their cats’ impact on wildlife, as well as the ecosystem at large. In addition to steps like composting cat litter and keeping your cat indoors when groundnesting birds are hatching, there are other important focuses necessary for rasing a green kitty.

…And did you know that flushing cat poop down the toilet can kill dolphins? It sounds ridiculous, but it’s actually a very serious problem! Even if you can’t compost your kitty poo, at least throw it away rather than flushing it.

Neurotic and Anxious Cats

love2lovecats — Tue, 24 Feb 2009 19:40:21 +0000

Almost all of us have met, or lived with, a neurotic cat at some point. While many of these poor kitties end up being written off as “ill-behaved” without regard to their mental health problems, some anxious cats can become quite tolerable given sufficient special care.

The good news is that you don’t have to take your cat to the shelter just because she gets upset and urinates all over the carpet. Often, behaviors like this are the result of a pre-existing neurosis (caused, perhaps, by early kittenhood trauma or sudden changes in lifestyle), which can be fully treatable even for the most anxious of cats.

These tips can help you to care for your high-need, neurotic kitty.

The Bombay: A Porch Panther

love2lovecats — Mon, 23 Feb 2009 00:32:43 +0000

If you’re a fan of miniature wildcats, you’ll surely adore the Bombay, an American breed founded in Kentucky, distinctly intended to mimic the beauty and grace of a black leopard (also called a black panther).

These ebony beauties are full of personality. As a relatively new breed, having only gotten its start in the 1950s, the Bombay is an ongoing project in feline genetics and evolution.

If you’ve never met a Bombay, you’re missing out. The Bombay cat should be crowned king of the CFA.

Mini-Lions, and Toygers, and Bengals, Oh My!

love2lovecats — Mon, 23 Feb 2009 00:26:35 +0000

Don’t we all wish that we could have a pint-sized tigress or puma in our laps?
Okay, well, maybe not all of us, but I’ve certainly known my fair share of enthusiastic cat owners who would give anything for their very own lap lions.

A few breeds actually do come remarkably close to matching specific wild cat species. The toyger, perhaps one of the most well-known designer breeds, is an ongoing project to create the perfect yard-tiger.

Meanwhile, wild hybrids like the Bengal closely resemble mini-leopards, and Somalis (actually longhaired Abyssinians) could pass for lions if it were not for their miniscule size.

Read more about miniature wildcats here.

Strange Cat Colors

love2lovecats — Sun, 22 Feb 2009 00:18:14 +0000

Outside the cat fancier’s community, some cat colors are so rare as to be almost unheard of. Lilac cats often sound like the stuff of science fiction to people who have never seen them, but they are quite real and quite beautiful: luscious shades of pale gold-violet.

Lilac cats are actually just paler versions of chocolate cats, which were once extraordinarily rare but are now making their way into many CFA-recognized breeds. Chocolate cats are always charming and full of unique character traits!

The same gene that turns chocolate cats lilac can also turn a “red” (orange) cat cream or peach-colored. These creampuff beauties can sometimes be so peach-toned that they look pale pink in full sunlight.

Don’t believe me? Check out this article about rare cat colors.