Humans like the appearance of "jewel like" animals and these sweet,
very small cats are
certainly that.
The primary source
of information for this page
comes courtesy Sarah Hartwell, general research and the PocketKittys
cattery (http://www.pocketkittys.com/).
A link is not in place at 31-1-10, as this site has be
classified
as dangerous by Google. I have had a link for over 2 years until now.
The situation might well change.
The photographs
(except for Pete) also come
courtesy the PocketKittys
cattery, who have kindly agreed to allow me to publish their
photographs on this page.
Teacup cats are simply small miniature cats (meaning a size smaller
than the category of cat called "miniature cats"). Miniature cats are
usually about one third to one half the size of normal size cats of the
same breed. As a guideline teacup Persian females weigh 2-4 lbs while
the males are 3-6 lbs.
At least one
cattery sub-classifies by referring
to "Palm Sized Pocket Persians" as well. Female palm sized weigh 3.5lbs
or less and males 4lbs or less.
They are normally
less than 9 inches tall or less
when mature. Miniature kittens are more vulnerable than normal sized
kittens. Being miniature poses health problems to pregnant cats so the
breeding females must be 4-8 lbs in weight and breeding males are 4-10
lbs. It seems that they are friendly (to humans and dogs!) cats.
There
is a
nice story on the internet about a person called John Antrobus, who
used to breed teacup cats (he may still do it but a search proved
fruitless).
He first discovered
miniature cats in Argentina.
He says that he found them surviving in a refuse dump, in a back alley.
He decided to bring 7 home to Canada and 6 survived the trip (one died
due to the sedative needed for the journey).
He bred them
successfully. He says that a "trade
off" for the small size is that they are short lived (although this
probably only applied to the breed he was dealing with).
Note:
The above
story about John Antrobus is I am told a joke.This is a message left by
a visitor who wishes to remain anomymous - thanks for the contribution.
Can anyone confirm?:
You do
realise the
John
Antrobus story was an April Fool joke?
Due to their small
size it seems that it is
impractical to home them before 5 months old. Otherwise they are normal
healthy kittens. Sarah Hartwell, an expert on cats and particularly cat
genetics, says
that you should take care when acquiring very small cats.
This is
because not all teacup cats are in fact miniature cats or dwarf cats
(although a dwarf cat is readily distinguished by his/her short legs).
A cat's normal size is around 7-12+ pounds. So, some normal cats at the
bottom end of this scale may have the appearance of a miniature cat but
will not be because the cat's genetic make up is not that of a
miniature cat but a normal sized cat.
It seems that some
unscrupulous breeders (and
remember breeders are in this for commercial gain ultimately) pass off
normal/small cats as miniature cats as miniature cats being rare can
fetch higher prices.
A genuine teacup cat has been bred small by the selective breeding of
those
cats with the miniature trait.
This fixes the genetic make up. Or the genetic make up is already fixed
through genetic mutation and this cat is then bred for profit.
A good breeder (and
I have no reason to know that
PocketKittys cattery is not a good breeder) limit the number of litters
to ensure that the queen stays healthy and makes sure the gene pool is
wide to avoid inbreeding (damaging the immune system) resulting in
health problems and defects in offspring.
Teacup cats are great pets
but ensure that you get the following when you buy:
Health
Certificate stating that the kitten is
free of diseases, that they have had their "shots" (FVRCP), that they
have been dewormed and defleaed, that they have been spayed or neutered.
Micro chipping so that you can identify them if and when they get lost.
a
signed contract which ideally includes a health guarantee that your
kitten is free from congenital defects (no genetic problems).
get your kitten
checked by a vet within 72
hours of purchase.
after one year
ensure that you get booster
shots to those given by the cattery. After that no more shots for 3
years particularly if the cat is an indoor cat. Shots can apparently
contribute to the occurrence of cancer, it seems.
Update
29th May 2009: There is a
little Teacup Himalayan Kitten called
Melvin (I think he is also called Mouchois) who is becoming a bit of a
star on the internet mainly because his human companion has started a
blog about him and posted a video to YouTube about him. He also kindly
shared some of his thoughts about the health issues that can accompany
such small cats. Here are the links and the video:
The Blogger Blog about this cat can be seen here: Mouchois
And the post submitted by Melvin's human companion can be seen
here.......: Melvin
My Teacup Himalayan Kitten.
Thanks for sharing, we appreciate it.
1
Have A Great Story About This Topic? Would you like to adopt a teacup cat or perhaps you live with one? We'd like to hear from you.
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