Cats are loved by people for their unique appearance and special grace. A cat with long legs always looks especially impressive. Sometimes unusual individuals appear among these pets. One such animal is a cat named Quend from Australia. She is considered to have incredibly long legs. Abnormally long limbs do not prevent her from living a full life.
The cat came to the shelter from the street, but what happened to it before and whether it had owners could not be established. Soon this black girl the house appeared with a white tie. Her new owners showed photos of their leggy beauty online. It only took a day for the number of views of this post to reach 68 thousand. Not a single user remained indifferent. This cat's fur, tail, ears, body and eyes are no different from those found in ordinary cats. Her breed is unknown.
Quenda, despite her unusual build, does not look strange, but simply because of her proportions she looks more like a dog than a cat. This feature does not prevent the animal from leading an active life and also does not affect its well-being.
It cannot, of course, be said that Quend is the cat whose paws are the longest. Perhaps there are other cats with unusual limb structures whose owners simply did not devote Internet posts to their pets. Of the publicly known cats, this one is the most interesting regarding its paws.
Breeds that have long legs
If the Australian cat is distinguished by its particularly long paws, then there are breeds that have longer limbs compared to others. If you want your pet to have graceful, high paws, you should pay attention to the following breeds:
- Abyssinian cat - has an unusual brown color and is slender. Her legs are long and slender. With good care, this short-haired cat can live up to 20 years. Average duration life 18 years. The animal has certain health problems, and therefore, when choosing such a kitten, you must take into account that veterinary expenses may be required. Some pets will have a short lifespan without treatment;
- Angora cat is a snow-white fluffy beauty with a long and bushy tail. Her paws are high and strong. This cat with long legs and tail is extremely beautiful. Despite its refined and sophisticated appearance, such cats cope well with their hunting purpose, easily catching not only mice, but even rats. The cat of this breed is quite large, and this must be taken into account when buying a kitten. The fact is that big cat needs space;
- Bengal cat - this pet is similar in color to leopards and jaguars. A strong and muscular body and long legs make the similarity with wild relatives even greater. Despite its menacing appearance, the pet will not show aggressiveness, but it will require constant attention from humans. A special feature of the breed is its love of water and the ability to easily catch fish, which is why, if there is an aquarium in the house, it must be closed very securely so that the four-legged pet does not swim in it or go fishing.
Cats with long paws are always distinguished by their special grace and elegance, which is why they are especially loved by people. You can find no few breeds that have long paws, but outbred cats will also always delight their owner with their beauty. A unique cat with very long legs is a special rarity.
VETERINARIAN CONSULTATION REQUIRED. INFORMATION FOR INFORMATION ONLY. Administration
The cat's body is so perfect that it is rightfully considered one of the wonders of living nature. This superpowered animal can lengthen and shorten at will. A cat can shrink, spread out, bend in an arch, or curl up into a ball to sleep. Every movement shows extreme flexibility. A cat's skeleton has more bones than a human's (288 versus 206). In addition, like us, she has more than six hundred muscles to turn in all directions with precision and confidence.
While falling, the cat keeps its eyes open. In her inner ear there are small pressure-sensitive tubules that constantly indicate her position own body. In 9 cases out of 10, the cat manages to find the right position and land on its paws. But the fall should not be very long: with increasing speed, the weight increases, and a height of more than 5 floors can be fatal for a cat.
An unsurpassed acrobat!
- The cat's chest is narrow, and the shortened collarbones allow the front legs to be brought very close together in order to squeeze into the tightest places.
- The paws touch the ground only with the tips of the toes so that the cat can walk silently and softly.
- The front legs can also spread widely: this is very useful for grasping objects or striking prey.
- The hind legs are more powerful and longer than the front legs. By pushing off with its hind legs, a cat can jump far.
- To turn over in the air, a cat turns its hind end.
- A cat has more than 20 bones in its tail alone. The tail, curving like a snake, serves as an excellent balancer.
Cat in numbers
When an adult male is stretched to its full length, the distance from the front to the rear tips of the paws is approximately 50 cm, and the length of the tail is 25-30 cm. The average weight of cats ranges between 3.2 and 4 kg, but the largest known individual weighed 19.5 kg!
Born Huntress
Your cat has spotted its prey. She begins to quietly creep up, presses herself to the ground, compresses herself into a spring and makes a jump, extending her claws out. Ay! It was your finger sticking out from under the blanket! Just don't punish her. Even when a cat is playing, its hunting instinct is the main “key” of its nature.
Hiding in a shelter or on a branch, a cat can wait motionless for hours. And suddenly, deftly and accurately, she jumps and falls simultaneously on her hind and front outstretched paws in order to grab and, if possible, strangle the victim.
When a cat is hungry, it kills its prey immediately by biting the back of the head. When she wants to play, on the contrary, she is content with lightly biting the victim, and then pretends to let her go. But this is just a game, if the victim tries to run away, they catch him in one jump. Sometimes the cat even licks the wounds of its victim. But let's not be fooled: her rough tongue only causes more bleeding. An attack does not always lead to success. On average, a cat manages to catch one bird out of five and one mouse out of two. She is a predator and loves the taste of blood. In nature, cats' favorite prey is small mammals and birds. Insects and frogs will also not slip past her claws. But fish is an object of adoration. Sometimes a cat manages to catch a fish in the water with a powerful blow of its paw!
Click - click - click! What are these strange sounds? It is, sitting on the windowsill, that your cat begins to chatter its teeth, imagining how it would bite its prey, which it sees through the window. With such clattering she satisfies her imagination.
Cat weapon
- The cutest cat can turn into a machine of destruction at any moment.
- Large sharp teeth cats are fangs. They are curved inward and therefore hold prey well.
- The premolar and molar teeth serve the cat to quickly tear and chew the body of the victim.
- The cat's claws retract inwards. Protected by the paw, they are released thanks to tendons and ligaments. Throughout a cat's life, a cat's claws constantly grow and remain sharp!
What does the cat see?
The cat's eye is an amazing creation of nature! People have long noted the acute vision of cats and their ability to see in almost darkness. It is no coincidence that the ancient Egyptians called cats “mau”, which translated means “sighted”. Cats often have to hunt at dusk, or even at night. It is not surprising that their eyes are adapted to work perfectly in such very low light.
RECORD SIZE
Cats don't have the best big eyes compared to large animals. However, if you calculate their relative sizes, it turns out that cats have the largest eyes of all mammals! In the dark, a cat's iris opens wide. The diameter of the pupil opening through which weak light passes reaches almost 1.5 centimeters. By the way, a person’s pupil diameter does not exceed 8 millimeters, so don’t stare your eyes in the dark. Consequently, in twilight, a cat perceives several times more light than a person does.
In cats, there is a layer of cells behind the retina in the eye that acts as a reflector. It helps to perceive those crumbs of light that enter the cat's eye in almost complete darkness. It is thanks to this layer that the cat's eyes seem to glow in the twilight. In fact, a person sees light that first hit the cat's eye and then reflected from its bottom.
It was previously believed that cats see the world in black and white, perfectly distinguishing all kinds of shades of gray. It has now been proven that cats can still distinguish some colors, although they are far from the richness of human color perception.
Two eyes in one
At night
the pupil is dilated to catch maximum light. A thin reflective film located behind the retina reflects light rays and increases the sensitivity of the eye in low light.
A cat can detect light that is 6 times weaker than the weakest light visible to humans. But in complete darkness, contrary to the misconception of some people, cat eye doesn't see anything at all!
During the day
her pupil shrinks and becomes as thin as a ray of sunshine to protect her eye from too much light. Now it is a narrow, vertical, barely noticeable crack.
The constricted pupil allows the cat to endure light 5 times brighter than the human eye can withstand without harm.
BLUE EYES
All kittens have blue eyes at birth. And only by the age of three months their color is finally determined: blue, orange, green (or “hazelnut”) and amber.
Cats often have different colored eyes (2 different colors). But this does not create any interference with vision. Attention! Some breeds of white cats have an ear on the side blue eye, sometimes affected by deafness!
Panoramic vision
A cat's binocular vision covers 130° (a dog's - 83°). But the cat is also able to observe everything that happens on the sides! Her visual field is 287° compared to our 200°. The extremely flexible head rotates in all directions and allows you to keep your gaze straight at all times.
What does the cat hear?
Was there a noise on the street? They immediately begin to move and stretch out like little antennas. They're so flexible and delicate that you can almost see them picking up sound... For many hard-of-hearing people, one look at their little companion's ears is worth it all hearing aids peace.
When a cat hunts, its hearing is amazing! She hears the rustling of a mouse several meters away. The predator is able to distinguish this sound among many others and detect it with an accuracy of a few centimeters! The same thing happens and at home she hears before anyone else how my brother goes up the stairs, or how the elevator makes noise, in which our guest is riding. It is useless to call her over at such moments. Attracted by an interesting sound, the cat remains completely deaf to everything else: like a dog, it obeys its “sentinel” instinct.
Do ears speak?
- When the ears are straight and motionless, they are resting, but are ready to move at the slightest suspicious noise.
- A cat reacts to an unexpected sound 10 times faster than a dog.
- The flattened ears are protected from the blows of the enemy's claws. The cat's intentions are clear: she is preparing for battle.
- Ears stretched back indicate that the animal is afraid. But beware, his actions are unpredictable!
- The ears can be directed independently to two different sound sources. Your pet expresses its feelings by moving its ears, and you yourself should carefully study this language.
Typically, a cat will flatten its ears when it is about to attack another, but representatives of the Scottish Fold breed are born with curled ears. When such a cat meets another, he may think that an attack is being prepared on him and will begin to behave aggressively. It’s not easy for us to be extraordinary!
Superantennas
The ears, which are very large in relation to the head, are equipped with a dozen muscles that are able to orient them in all possible directions. The human ear picks up 10,000 vibrations per second, and the cat's ear picks up to 30,000, which allows it to hear ultrasounds.
Touch everything!
The world is full of movements and fluctuations. It is filled with strange objects, hard and soft, smooth and rough. The cat is interested in everything, so it tries to touch any unusual object.
AT THE TIP OF THE PAW
Unlike a dog, which is in a hurry to sniff everything that is nearby, a cat is more distrustful. Seeing an unknown thing, she will first touch it, scratch it, thus receiving the first information, and only then, if everything goes as it should, this great adventurer will risk sniffing the object of her curiosity, then touch it with her nose.
REAL ANTENNAS
The most sensitive parts of a cat are the eyebrows and the famous whiskers - vibrissae. Never trim your cat's whiskers! You will make her helpless for a long time and unable to sense nearby objects. Compared to other hair, it is longer and coarser. The vibrissae are located above the eyes and lips and respond to the slightest contact or pressure. When a cat moves at night, these hairs also protect its eyes, which automatically close as soon as the whiskers touch an obstacle.
THICK FUR
If you have a cat, look carefully: there are probably cat hairs left on your clothes. There are 200 of them per square centimeter on the animal’s body! A cat's coat consists of a delicate soft undercoat and tougher guard hairs. Well-groomed and clean fur provides good protection from cold and heat and forms, together with the skin, which has a thickness of 1 to 3 mm, a very good barrier that protects against temperature changes.
Very developed sense organs
A cat's sense of smell is 10 times more sensitive than ours. Important role The so-called Jacobson organ plays a role in the perception of smells - two thin tubes located at the base of the nasal septum and equipped with 200 million sensitive cells.
Advertising does not deceive: the cat is a real gourmet. She distinguishes four tastes and will resolutely refuse to eat something that does not taste good to her. Usually pussies like salty and sour more than sweet and bitter. But there are exceptions; some pets will eat anything.
SOMETIMES "HIGH"
The cat cannot stand the smell of alcohol. But some smells drive her crazy. For example, when inhaling the strong aroma of catnip, a cat becomes motionless, while its gaze is directed into emptiness, as if it had swallowed drugs. The chemical equivalent of this smell is often applied to cat toys: the effect is 100% guaranteed!
HOW MANY FEELINGS ARE THERE?
A cat has at least nine senses! In addition to the five ordinary senses (sight, taste, smell, touch, hearing), she also has a sense of orientation and atmospheric pressure! A cat can sense an earthquake and find its way to a house hundreds of kilometers away.
Cat ID
By excreting urine in strategic places, rubbing against tree trunks or rocks, the cat leaves its own clearly defined “signature” that other cats recognize. The label reflects gender, age, condition You have already noticed that your cat always stubbornly strives for a source of heat. She can feel a difference of 3-4 degrees a few meters away! health and degree of readiness for reproduction.
STRANGE SMELL
A cat's anal glands emit a strong odor that is not detectable by humans. When animals meet, they sniff each other's anal area to get to know each other. Scientists noticed that cats deprived of their sense of smell due to a virus could hardly distinguish a cat from a tom!
"METEO CAT"
No, it doesn't rain every time your cat scratches behind its ear! But it does have greater barometric sensitivity. Before a rainstorm, even if nothing indicates it, she becomes restless and instinctively seeks shelter.
Claw diseases - Claws- These are dead horny formations at the ends of a cat's fingers. Cats, like humans, have five toes on their front paws, but only four on their back paws. The claws on the front paws are covered with folds of skin.
Typically, a cat hides its claws and releases them when necessary. If the cat is elderly or has developed claw disease, it will be difficult for her to keep them hidden. Most often, a cat is bothered by broken claws or too long ones.
Symptoms of claw disease in cats.
If a cat has too long or broken claws, then these symptoms are visible to the naked eye. But sometimes diseases occur when the symptoms are not visible, so the signal is the cat’s lameness or the cat does not allow touching the paw or paws.
Causes of claw disease in cats.
Long claws grow on a cat if she does not sharpen them enough.
A cat's claws, like people's nails, grow constantly. The cat grinds them down, they constantly break off little by little and become sharper.
A normal, active cat that spends time outside and climbs trees will have its claws ground down to the desired length and pointed at the ends.
A domestic cat also wears down its nails using special devices (claw clippers). But the claws on the hind paws wear down during movement and play.
Too long claws grow in a cat that is sedentary or does not have suitable conditions for the point of the claws.
There are owners who punish a cat if it sharpens its claws on furniture or doorways, but do not purchase equipment for sharpening its claws.
How serious is this?
Too long claws prevent cats from leading an active lifestyle. They cannot walk (lameness occurs) or climb trees. But it is also very important that too long claws can cause injury, for example.
If they are not sharpened, the claws will curl and grow into the pads, which leads to infection, not to mention causing severe pain to the cat.
Infection of the soft tissues surrounding the claw most often occurs when the claw is damaged.
Your actions:
♦ If your cat's nails are too long.
If you find that your cat's nails are too long, ask your veterinarian or professional cat groomer to examine them. If your suspicions are confirmed, the specialist will immediately trim your cat’s claws.
If your cat cannot cope with the growth of its claws, grinds them down at the wrong time, or the claws grow too quickly, then ask them to teach you how to cut them correctly.
♦ If the cat has a broken claw.
If the tip of the claw breaks, but does not come off. And if there are no noticeable abnormalities (no blood, the claw does not look sick), then you can simply cut it off. Although this is a painless procedure for your cat, still have someone help you hold your cat.
If the claw is too damaged, especially if it is bleeding, bandage the cat's paw and seek help from a veterinarian as soon as possible.
Treatment of claw disease in cats.
In cases where the claw is severely damaged, then veterinarian will remove the damaged piece or the entire claw (this depends on the degree of damage). If in those around him soft tissues An infection has developed, in which case a course of antibiotics is prescribed.
Aftercare.
Try not to let your cat go outside for several days. Your veterinarian may suggest bandaging your pet.
Prevention.
When regularly examining your cat, be sure to pay attention to her claws. Give your cat the opportunity to sharpen its claws naturally, and if you do not let it go outside, be sure to make a special device for sharpening its claws at home.
Health to you and your pets.
Munchkin is the name given to a breed of cat with short legs. Distinctive feature All representatives of the line are short and squat, which is associated with a reduced length of limbs compared to ordinary fluffies. Behind characteristic feature The constitutions of animals are often compared to dachshunds.
Origin story
Munchkins resemble dachshunds in appearance.They first started talking about munchkins in the 30s of the last century, when in different litters and from different cats Animals with short legs began to be born. Then they were nicknamed kangaroos for their amazing ability to stand on their fifth point, copying the posture of a marsupial mammal.
A few years later, 4 more generations of short cats were registered in the UK, which were distinguished by excellent health. During World War II, no one cared about selective breeding and most of the animals were lost, but by the middle of the 20th century, reports of unusual pets first in Russia, and then in the USA.
In the Soviet Union, dwarfs were called kangaroo cats - all because their front legs were much shorter than their hind legs, which increased their resemblance to the Australian aborigine.
The development of the line began in 1983, when a teacher from the United States found two stray cats on the street, one of which had short legs. At first the woman thought that her unusual physique was due to poor nutrition, undermined health and those hardships of life that haunt all street unfortunates.
To the surprise of the owner, the newly-made pet gave birth not only to ordinary kittens, but also to “Lilliputians” just like her. Subsequently, it turned out that Blackberry (as the cat was named) is a carrier of the gene for short legs (more correctly, achondroplasia - shortening of the long bones of the limbs), which is inherited. Her son Toulouse became the founder of a new breed.
Local breeders, after conducting a series of studies and experiments, found that the entire new line is absolutely healthy and does not have any physical abnormalities in the structure of the joints or spine, which are usually observed in dogs with a similar physique.
Munchkins were first introduced to a wide range of cat lovers in 1991. This happened at the next TICA exhibition. But then the public did not express much rejoicing over the “small ones.” On the contrary, they became the subject of fierce debate:
- why breed freaks;
- can such pets live without humans;
- Will there be any health problems in the future?
Although all these arguments are meaningless: if the breed was suddenly left without human protection, then in the end it returned to the average appearance of the most common pets.
Despite all the doubts and disputes, cats moved to France, and then to Japan, where they gained great popularity. In 1995, the breed was finally recognized by the International Association, and a standard was developed during the same period.
In our country, the peak of popularity occurred in 2001. The babies came to Russia from a South African nursery.
Relatively recently (in 2014), the little cat Liliput was listed in the Guinness Book of Records as the shortest animal among its relatives. His height was only 13.5 cm.
The breed was named after the little inhabitants of the fairy-tale city of Oz (for those who don’t remember, there was such an American children’s writer Baum, who came up with the magical story). Kittens really look like little sunny gnomes, which make your soul feel light and joyful.
Appearance
These cats can have different colors. All dachshund cats can get into the gopher pose, sitting on their crotch and tucking their front paws, which looks very funny and comical. They can stand in this position for an indefinitely long time - this always causes a storm of delight and positive emotions among those around them.
Kittens with short limbs are born only if one of the parents has a special gene responsible for the length of the legs. The remaining characteristics of Lilliputians do not differ from those of cats of standard shapes and sizes: they have the same flexible spine, they are just as nimble and mobile.
Average weight 2.0-2.5 kg, height at withers no more than 15 cm.
- Against the background of short legs, the body seems elongated.
- The chest is wide and round.
- The muscles are well developed.
- The neck is also short and powerful.
- The head is wedge-shaped.
- The bridge of the nose is clearly defined.
- The eyes are usually slightly slanted, widely spaced, and may be small or big size. The color of the pupil can be any.
- The ears are rounded at the ends and wide at the base. Long-haired individuals may have tassels.
- The tail is of medium length.
- The legs are naturally short, while the hind limbs are slightly longer than the front ones, so the body of the animal is slightly tilted forward.
Within the breed there are pets with short and long hair. Typically, short-haired ones are plush, while fluffier individuals have a long, silky and shiny coat.
There is no specific standard regarding color. Munchkins can be of absolutely any color and color combination. Color-points are more common, but there are also tortoiseshell, smoky, black, and red.
A little about selection
Previously, it was allowed to cross short cats with any outbred cat. Usually in a litter from such a union half of the kittens were born with long legs, and half with short limbs. As a result of experiments, trial and error, munchkins received a rich palette of shades and good health. This also has its downside: there is no clear standard:
- nor in size (the weight of individuals ranges from one and a half to 3 kilograms);
- not by body proportions;
- nor in the shape of the ears, eyes, color texture.
Today you can see a variety of munchkins:
- curly (skukum) - the result of a connection with Laperm;
- kinkalow - crossing with an American curl;
- Mei-Toy - a dwarf hybrid of Ocicat or Singapura;
- – from mating with sphinxes;
- Munch beans – have not only short legs, but also the tail.
Such combinations are quite dangerous - it is difficult to predict how several mutated genes will behave in one bottle at once.
Currently, the infusion of “dirty” blood is prohibited, although mixing with domus is sometimes allowed for the development of the line.
A few years ago, enthusiasts decided to breed a new breed of short-legged dogs - Napoleon. They purposefully crossbreed munchkins with and exotics. Why they decided to name the new breed this way is unknown.
Breeders of the new breed are going to get taxoids with two types of coat: airy and long or slightly shortened. There is no work being done on color variations and there are no color restrictions. The standard for the odd breed is that it has short legs and a head shape like the classic Persian parents. Breeders are still afraid to go overboard with the extreme structure of the muzzle.
Character
Munchkins are curious. One can sing an ode to the wonderful temperament of little shorties endlessly: they are smart, sociable, kind, loving, curious, and playful. In a word, communicating with them is a pleasure; besides, cats of this breed adore humans with every fiber of their feline soul.
Despite their attachment to people, independence is not alien to them - if necessary, they can be alone. With other representatives cat family find quickly mutual language, often become the leaders of the domestic animal community.
Munchkins are unusually curious creatures, they have an inherent constant thirst knowledge of the world. And the more information they receive, the better they feel.
They have a calm and balanced temperament and almost never get angry. IN difficult situation With their calm positivity and gentle purring they will give hope for a better future.
Animals are not typically aggressive, but this does not mean that in the event of an unexpected collision with yard cats, they will not defend themselves. Possessing natural agility, flexibility and cunning, they easily trick the enemy around their finger and win a well-deserved victory.
People-oriented munchkins become strongly attached to their owner, adopting their mood, hobbies, and even character.
They are absolutely not worried about frequent changes of environment or constant movement by vehicle. Traveling with such pets is always a pleasure.
They get along well with children and enjoy participating in their pranks. They are not afraid of swaddling or rides on a toy dump truck - they endure any “bullying” stoically, without losing their cat’s dignity.
These seemingly clumsy pets are incredibly agile, flexible and active creatures. They do not walk, but sneak, as if they are always in the hunting stage. It is clear that they are not able to conquer the heights of furniture, but they can quite afford to climb onto a low chair or sofa.
They climb curtains and trees satisfactorily, not differing much in this regard from standard-sized cats.
They are graceful and harmonious in their movements, reminiscent of a mongoose in their demeanor and habits. They don’t really know how to jump, but they will always find an alternative, how to climb to the top using roundabout routes.
Care and maintenance issues
In principle, these do not differ from the standards that must be observed when keeping other breeds of cats:
- periodic combing: short-haired animals are scratched rarely, pets with rich hair are scratched more often;
- bathe no more than 2 times a year;
- wipe eyes as they become dirty;
- ears are checked once a week, and if necessary ears clean with cotton pads;
- cut the claws 2 times a month and install a scratching post, preferably horizontal, attached to the floor.
An amazing feature of cats is the need for personal space where pets can be alone with themselves. Anything is suitable for organizing your own apartment: landscaped cardboard box, host chair, wicker basket, purchased for the occasion cat house etc. But most likely, the pet will independently find a cozy nest for a relaxing time.
Pets also love to play, so it doesn’t hurt to stock up on gaming accessories: mice, balls, soft toys. By the way, munchkins love to hide all this in their own hiding places - this is how the “magpie instinct” manifests itself.
According to rumors, cats of this breed easily get used to a harness and are happy to accompany their owner on street walks.
Nutrition
We won’t reveal any secret if we talk about the need proper nutrition. It is problematic to give any specific advice.
- Firstly, all cats are different, even though they belong to the same breed, which means their taste needs and individual characteristics their bodies are different.
- Secondly, the owners different size wallet and not everyone can afford to buy expensive (by the way, not always good) ready-made food.
Therefore, when choosing an industrial product, they focus on the composition, and how to use it correctly has already been written more than once.
Munchkins are gluttons, so it is so important to control the amount of food they absorb, otherwise you can get a small barrel on short legs. And as you know, obesity is not the best friend of a cat’s health.
