The smallest cats in the world

People throughout all ages have brought many problems to the mouse and rat, which endured dangerous diseases and in a short time could destroy the huge reserves of grain in the barn. Escaping from the invasion of rodents, people sheltered in their 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 for scientists.

Archaeologists believe that the cat, as a pet, lives with a man under the same roof for nearly ten centuries. In the tomb found in Cyprus, dated 7500 BC, a cat's skeleton lies next to the human skeleton. Cave paintings and frescoes also tell about the close proximity of a cat in prehistoric times.

Dwarf cats, like most new species in zoology, were discovered quite by accident. It all started with the usual kittens, which for no apparent reason "did not want" to grow to normal size.

Many lovers of cats "with experience" recall the loud hype in magazines and television programs, which in 2004 was caused by an adult cat standing tall on its hind legs in a regular 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 into the palm of your hand, turn into a huge adult cat weighing up to 10 kilograms.

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

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

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

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. By interbreeding cats and cats that stopped growing at an early age, they put 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 sex cells of cats with radioactive radiation, laser and chemicals. Genetics change the sequence of genes in the DNA chain that control growth and development. If successful, the modified genes are inherited, kittens are born, which some time after birth stop growing.

Small purrs 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 time to protect from the cold;
• you cannot play with a midget cat when it is at a high altitude (more than 50 centimeters), in case of an accidental fall it will not have time to take the correct position for a soft landing (grouping with its paws down) and can severely injure the paws or the spine;
• in accordance with the recommendations of the veterinarian, in winter and spring you can give the cat vitamins and green grass;
• in the process of walking with a purr on the street one should very carefully observe the environment, traffic and dogs, as short legs will not allow the purr to quickly escape from danger.

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

• due to the structural features of the spine in dwarf cats in the absence of care over time, the development of heart and lung diseases is possible;
• the ration of pets should be balanced, otherwise the development of rickets and destructive changes in the musculoskeletal system is possible;
• dwarf cats can climb into places from which it will be very difficult to reach them (a gap in the bathroom, narrow gaps between standing furniture);
• dwarf cats reach sexual maturity somewhat later than usual (usually by 1.5-2 years old);
• it is advisable to cover the floor in the apartment with thick carpet, since due to the peculiarities of the skeleton structure (short legs and a smooth spinal curvature), in the event of a cat falling on the floor, a spinal cord or a paw fracture may be seriously injured;
• to maintain the health of dwarf baleen pets, it is advisable to regularly give a complex of vitamins recommended by a veterinarian, as well as fresh greens (a balanced supply of trace elements and vitamins to the purring pet helps strengthen the skeleton bones, prolong life, reduces the likelihood of developing cancer);
• for winter walks on the street, you need to buy in a store or sew a warm coat on your own, which completely covers the torso and paws; it is not recommended to walk the mustache pet without warm clothes, so that it does not freeze the pads on the limbs.

Surely every person at least once in their life had to meet people-Lilliputians. Adult men and women with this genetic disorder are similar in size and size to 10-year-old children.

Similar genetic metamorphoses are found among baleen companions of man. The names of the breeds of miniature cats are well known to felinologists, cattery owners and owners, with whom the hairy companion lives under the same roof:

• toy bob dwarf cats;
• dwarf munchkin cats;
• dwarf cats Minskin;
• Singapore Dwarf Cats;
• dwarf cat Napoleon;
• dwarf rusted cat;
• dwarf African black-footed cat;
• dwarf velvet cat;
• dwarf bambino cat.

Breed the smallest in the world of short-haired dwarf animals that look like a Thai cat. Bred in Rostov-on-Don by artificial selection from the Thai cat in 1983-1994. The eyes of animals of this breed are resistant to glare by daylight sunlight. 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, are easy to learn and are amenable to training. They like to sit upright on a short tail. Kittens of this breed are capable of making sounds similar to a dog barking. A cropped tail and a large, rounded head give the impression of strength and confidence.

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

When running, the tail proportional to the length of the body, Munchkin cats and cats, is held vertically upwards.Short paws have a slight curvature in the inner side. The weight of munchkin cats is from 3 to 4 kilograms, the cats weight is from 2 to 3.6 kilograms.

Miniature cats without wool. In appearance they look like sphinxes, however, they are much smaller. There was a new breed by artificial breeding at the turn of the XX-XXI centuries in the United States.

Smart and brave Minskin understand a man from half a word. They can take with them to the country, 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 the street in Singapore in the mid-70s. She made a great impression on the specialists who immediately began the procedure of registering a new breed. According to the shape of the head and ears, the cat found in Singapore very much resembled the Thai breed. When figuring out the pedigree of a cat from Singapore, its “genetic twins” were found in America.

This breed was bred by crossing the munchkin and the Persian cat. According to genetic characteristics, Napoleon is a dwarf Persian. The breed was bred in 1995 by American Joe Smith. The International Cat Association (TICA, USA) has registered a new breed. In Russia, Assolux Association and its partners are engaged in breeding work with the Napoleon breed.

The word "bambino" in Italian means "baby." The creators of the breed originally wanted to bring shaggy kitten, which always remains small, with good health and good character. The breed arose as a result of repeated matings of the Munchkin and the Canadian Sphynx. The breed was bred by an Italian breeder.

Dwarf cats also exist in the wild:

• rusty lives in India and Sri Lanka, the weight of an adult individual of this breed does not exceed 1.5 kilograms;
• black-legged african this wildcat from the Red Book lives on the African continent; at the age of 1, it reaches a weight of 1 kilogram;
• dune, a small cat with thick fur-covered paws, lives in the desert, eats 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 similar to 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 kitten (1300 grams with a body length of 15 centimeters). A genetic anomaly, due to which the cat has ceased to grow, has no effect on his health.

Further, in terms of weight and size, there is a breed of miniature pussies of the Kincalou breed, which is the result of the crossing of an American curl and munchkin. A small purring lump of wool of this breed weighs from 1.3 to 3.1 kilograms.

For the smallest cats in the world, see the following video.