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Hullo! Now I remember saying before, I could do entire posts on different types of cats, and someone said, sure, why not? To me that counts as a challenge, and since we've had one for dogs already, today's and Monday's post is going to be the equivalent. Today we're showcasing just a very tiny few breeds of domestic cats, and tomorrow we take a look at wildcats. I'm going to try to showcase a few lesser known breeds. It's not that I don't love Maine Coons or Ragdolls or Scottish Folds (unfolded or not) or Persians, but lesser seen cute- why not? Can't possibly go wrong! I hope.
Before we start, a somewhat related note- if/when considering getting a pet, be it a cat or otherwise, I'd really urge you to always consider shelter adoptions first. Many shelters do house purebreds, and in many cases animals coming in outnumber animals going out. That said, if you do want to get a pet and don't want it to be from a shelter- please do look into finding a reputable breeder! Good breeders take things like an animal's pedigree, possible genetic diseases, traits and a number of other things into account, and also usually socialise their pets with other people and animals from a young age.
Many of them care greatly about what the breed is and preserving it as well as making sure that the animals they sell to people go to deserving homes and are also in tip-top shape. They're usually also certified by whatever the local association for the animal you're interested in is. There are definitely reasons to adopt from shelters and to get pets from breeders, it'd depend a lot on what you're looking for in a pet and what you expect to come from owning one. Whatever you decide, research is your friend.
CHARTREUX
First up is this lovely breed! The Chartreux sadly isn't seen as a breed in the UK due to the association there considering it to be too similar to the blue British Shorthair, but the rest of the world's cat associations does consider it to be one. Its main distinctive feature is its unique colouring- a uniformly blue grey coat and bright orange eyes. You can also tell the age of one from the year it was born in, since most of them follow the French naming system. The cycle changes every 20 years, but all Chartreuxes in that year have names that start with the same letter- for instance, 1993 was an 'I' year, and 2011 was a 'G' year.
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SELKIRK REX
An American breed, this sweet, friendly cat bears the same curly-looking coat that its cousins, the Devon Rex and Cornish Rex do. The main difference is that these cats have coat lengths that go from normal to long, and look like fuzzy fluffballs. They're quite solidly built and come in a variety of colours- but if you're sensitive to cats, be wary about them! Lots of dander here.
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SIBERIAN FOREST CAT
For all those of you who are allergic to cats, here's a breed that you could maybe possibly be around! It's a powerfully built cat with a very friendly temperament, and is surprisingly agile despite its bulk. The Siberian is also said to produce less of the protein that people who are allergic to cats react to. This doesn't mean it's totally hypoallergenic, but is less likely to trigger allergies in people and easier to get used to with time compared to many other breeds. Be mindful, though- they still shed a ton.
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SINGAPURA
There are plenty more breeds I'd love to feature, but alas there's only so much space I have. As such, here's a little known breed- the smallest out of all of the four cats here, the Singapura is a bit controversial as a breed, mostly because its original origin story as a Singaporean cat is honestly a bit bunk. They're more likely related to Burmese cats, in truth. Also, they only come in one accepted colour and to get an idea of their size, a full grown Singapura would only be about a third (or slightly more) of the weight of a full grown Siberian.
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And now...
I know most people probably wouldn't, but I tend to think of spiders as sort of similar to eight legged cats that eat flies and get rid of pests. Many of them are also curious and inquisitive- I've featured jumping spiders before, and they also seem to have an odd tendency to get water drops on their head. Thanks to surface tension and also being very small creatures, pictures like the following few ones can come about.
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Before we start, a somewhat related note- if/when considering getting a pet, be it a cat or otherwise, I'd really urge you to always consider shelter adoptions first. Many shelters do house purebreds, and in many cases animals coming in outnumber animals going out. That said, if you do want to get a pet and don't want it to be from a shelter- please do look into finding a reputable breeder! Good breeders take things like an animal's pedigree, possible genetic diseases, traits and a number of other things into account, and also usually socialise their pets with other people and animals from a young age.
Many of them care greatly about what the breed is and preserving it as well as making sure that the animals they sell to people go to deserving homes and are also in tip-top shape. They're usually also certified by whatever the local association for the animal you're interested in is. There are definitely reasons to adopt from shelters and to get pets from breeders, it'd depend a lot on what you're looking for in a pet and what you expect to come from owning one. Whatever you decide, research is your friend.
CHARTREUX
First up is this lovely breed! The Chartreux sadly isn't seen as a breed in the UK due to the association there considering it to be too similar to the blue British Shorthair, but the rest of the world's cat associations does consider it to be one. Its main distinctive feature is its unique colouring- a uniformly blue grey coat and bright orange eyes. You can also tell the age of one from the year it was born in, since most of them follow the French naming system. The cycle changes every 20 years, but all Chartreuxes in that year have names that start with the same letter- for instance, 1993 was an 'I' year, and 2011 was a 'G' year.
source
source
source
SELKIRK REX
An American breed, this sweet, friendly cat bears the same curly-looking coat that its cousins, the Devon Rex and Cornish Rex do. The main difference is that these cats have coat lengths that go from normal to long, and look like fuzzy fluffballs. They're quite solidly built and come in a variety of colours- but if you're sensitive to cats, be wary about them! Lots of dander here.
source
source
source
SIBERIAN FOREST CAT
For all those of you who are allergic to cats, here's a breed that you could maybe possibly be around! It's a powerfully built cat with a very friendly temperament, and is surprisingly agile despite its bulk. The Siberian is also said to produce less of the protein that people who are allergic to cats react to. This doesn't mean it's totally hypoallergenic, but is less likely to trigger allergies in people and easier to get used to with time compared to many other breeds. Be mindful, though- they still shed a ton.
source
source
source
SINGAPURA
There are plenty more breeds I'd love to feature, but alas there's only so much space I have. As such, here's a little known breed- the smallest out of all of the four cats here, the Singapura is a bit controversial as a breed, mostly because its original origin story as a Singaporean cat is honestly a bit bunk. They're more likely related to Burmese cats, in truth. Also, they only come in one accepted colour and to get an idea of their size, a full grown Singapura would only be about a third (or slightly more) of the weight of a full grown Siberian.
source
source
source
And now...
I know most people probably wouldn't, but I tend to think of spiders as sort of similar to eight legged cats that eat flies and get rid of pests. Many of them are also curious and inquisitive- I've featured jumping spiders before, and they also seem to have an odd tendency to get water drops on their head. Thanks to surface tension and also being very small creatures, pictures like the following few ones can come about.
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