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Domestic Cat BreedsSkookumOne of many domestic cat breeds the Skookum is a recognised breed. However, the type of recognition differs from country to country and from registry to registry. This is in contrast to some cat breeds which are recognised and registered accross borders and registries. This is probably because there is some disagreement about this breed both in terms of the breeding and it seems the name of the breed. As one of the domestic cat breeds, Skookum cats where developed by crossing LaPerms and Munchkins. As you are aware the Muchkin is a dwarf cat and the LaPerm has a "permed" (curly) coat. The coat has a "soft light airy texture" (Wikipedia). The Skookum has a bit of both; short legs and curly ringlets. The coatA skookum's coat should not be overly dense and it should stand away from the body on fuzzy ringlets and curls. The curls should spiral randomly away from the body.They can be long or short haired. The skookum should have prominent curly whiskers and eyebrows. They have low shedding and low maintenance coats which are matting resistant. They are out-going, fun loving, kittenish and like humans. What are the issues surrounding the breeding of a Skookum?The original breeding was carried out by Roy Galusha in the '90s. The Skoookum is currently recognised as an experimental breed by Independent European Registries, The Dwarf Cat Association and the registry Catz Inc in New Zealand. The Skookum is registered with The International Cat Association (TICA) as an experimental variety (Feb 2006)However, the the use of the breed name "Skookum" has not it seems been approved by the TICA. Apparently this is because the TICA required information indicating that the name didn't have negative connotations. This seems to be an unusual request in the registration of one of the domestic cat breeds. (The middle cat in this picture is a Skookum kitten.) What is the origin of the name?Who better than the person who founded one of the more interesting domestic cat breeds to explain what happened. Roy Galusha's has kindly provided me with his story as to how he created the name. You can see the full story by clicking on this link and scrolling down the new page.Please read Roy Galusha's story (it's a good one) about the how he created the name and the breed and make your own mind up about the registration of this breed. Roy believes that the TICA will not allow any more short legged breeds as a breed for a good number of years, maybe even a couple of decades.
Roy kindly provided me with this picture of Winky a skookum that he bred. He says this about Winky, "Attached is a picture of Winky. He is more what a Skookum is suppossed to look like. Many Skookums look very much like their LaPerm ancestors, but should not. TICA accepted for registration both the LaPerm and Munchkin breeds. However, it seems (and if any reader knows better please tell me) that breeding a LaPerm to a Munchkin is a non-allowed out-cross for both the LaPerm and Munchkin. The author at the website www.laperm.info/skookums.htm says that "Skookums at one time were recognized in registries of other countries and a few of the lesser known registries here in the USA, but they have now been dropped. This may change at some time in the future."
The author at www.laperm.info also states that: "When the LaPerm Breed Committee sought championship status, it was very clearly stated that Munchkins and LaPerm should not be crossed, nor should any of the other rexed or hairless breeds. Non-Standard cats (that is cats that look like LaPerms, long legged and curly coated) that are being produced from the crossing of Munchkins and LaPerms should NOT be bred to LaPerms!!" In response to this Roy makes it clear that the Skookum was already started before the LaPerm breed committee made this decision. The first Skookums were born well into the infancy of the LaPerm breed. Do you have a comment to make on this topic about one of the more interesting domestic cat breeds? If so email me (use the form below. Sources (information and photos):
Breeder listhttp://www.the-dwarf-cat-association.com/Breeder_Links.html http://www.laperm.com/http://cudlkty.net/ Return from Domestic cat breeds - Skookums to the Home page
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The CFA recognizes one of the well know domestic breeds, LaPerms, but it does not recognize Munchkins as a breed.