BLUE POINT HIMALAYAN - Click for Pedigree - Photo by Helmi
"YODA" - Big "Brother" to Jack & Merlin, Spring TX
Cream & White Persian - LION CUT
My friend Sue who has Jack and Merlin also
has an older male Persian named Yoda. She sent me photos of him and I think his lion cut is adorable.
This is a solution for owners who find grooming their longhaired cat challenging and it's also a great
way to "beat the heat".
DECLAWING ALTERNATIVE
This is a testimonial from someone who adopted a kitten from
me,
regarding how well the nail
tips work as an alternative to declawing.
I thought that you might like to know that I have
the Soft Claw nail caps on Bonnie. (She was scratching everything and unraveling one of our rugs). She let me
put them on without a problem and has accepted them without any issue. She can even climb and is on the "top story"
of her cat condo as I type. Sooooo, if you ever have anyone who inquires about them, let them know that I have tried
them and they are working great. I even put them on all by myself.
The cat claw caps are a hit. Little Bonnie acts like she has had
them on all her life.
Ella - El Paso, Sept. 2010
QUESTION:
What is the difference between a Himalayan and a Persian?
ANSWER: Persians are an old breed
that originated in Persia, now modern Iran. They became very popular wtih royalty, especially in Great Britain under
the rule of Queen Victoria. They have remained one of the most popular and most beloved #1 or #2 cat breed.
The Persian is believed to have descended from a cat native to Africa or Asia.
The
Himalayan is a man-created
breed. Two Harvard scientists played around with cat genes to develop a cat with the color points of the Siamese but
with the long hair of the Persian. The result is the Himalayan. When the CFA first recognized them as a breed,
the Himalayan was registered as a separate breed unto itself. Since that time, the Himalayan is included in the overall
Persian category. They often exchange places with the Persian as the #1 most favoite cat.
Persians in general are prone to certain health issues, such as PKD. On Cats 101 on Animal Planet, when
they gave the profile for the Himalayan - they didn't specifiy that the Himalayan is prone to the same diseases.
Both "breeds" are easy-going, friendly, and make excellent family pets. I have both and generally
don't notice any difference in temperament.
QUESTION:
HOW SHOULD I GROOM MY CAT?
ANSWER: It is commonly stated that Persians and Himalayans are high-maintenance
in the grooming area. This really isn't the case. The problem is that most people brush their cats and still
get mats. They get frustrated and often shave the cat, losing the beautiful long coat they love the breed for.
The problem is "brushing". Brushing only removes the loose top hairs that would otherwise shed onto your clothes
and furniture. So, brushing is good for that. BUT to avoid mats in your cat's coat, you need a good metal
comb. If you use a metal comb and comb from the base of the fur out once a week, you should not have matting in your
cat's beautiful coat.
I'm frequently asked if two males can co-exist. If YOU
have ever wondered if two male cats can get along in the same household, please view these videos Beau's mom sent me of
Beau and his inseperable companion, Coty. Christine makes a lot of videos of her boys. They can be seen on You
Tube. Beau and Coty are ALWAYS together and in most of them Beau is grooming Coty. Coty must love it and he also
must be the cleanest cat on the planet! LOL
THESE
ARE SOME OF THE QUESTIONS I'M OFTEN ASKED
As a breeder of Himalayan & Persian
cats, I am frequently asked questions about feline healthcare. These discussions come up among breeders,
with people getting a new pet, and with existing pet owners with questions about the care of felines of
all ages. If you have a cat, dog or any other living thing - chances are at some point it will require
some level of healthcare.
The
therapeutic benefits of essential oils are meant for every member of the family, including pets. Whether your best friend
is in need of a bath, a mood boost, or suffering from minor skin irritation, Young Living has a pet-friendly solution.
ANSWER:THERE
IS NO SUCH THING AS A TEACUP PERSIAN! I get quite a few inquiries asking for "teacup" kittens and there are some
breeders "specializing" in breeding them and often asking high dollar for them. There is no purebred CFA
category classified as "Teacup". These are basically just old-fashioned "runts" given a cute
new label to make more money on them. Reputable breeders (those who show and are trying to improve the breed) are working
to breed away from this small size as a Persian should be a genetically sound medium to large cat. To perpetuate the
"Teacup", some breeders are breeding runts to runts to get more runts. This increases the probability for
genetic problems in the resulting kittens. There ARE some legitimate small cats - Munchkins, Napoleons, Exotics that
are smaller than regular Persians and are recognized by CFA & TICA. You never used to hear about anything
called a "Teacup" Persian or any of the other words being used like "Toy", "Pixie", etc.
However, I have actually had some kittens that were tiny, because they were the "runt of the litter" or in one
case it was a "premmie". However, they had a growth spurt in a few months and a year later were regular
sized cats. That's very possibly going to be the case with these "Teacup" kittens. This makes them
a bit of a "wild card" for me as a breeder to know what to expect from them as they grow up. So, just
be aware that the whole fad about "Teacup" kittens is misleading and that it's not healthy to be breeding
runts to runts, by whatever name you call them.
The
slideshow below shows what can happen with a so-called "teacup" kitten. MINKA was SO small that when she was
about 9 weeks old she was smaller than my hand. She was born in October 2009 and I didn't let her go to a new home
until almost mid-March 2010 so she could get a bit more size on her. I had actually named her "Elf" and her
new owner changed it to MINKA. She went from being a tiny, tiny kitten to the full-sized adult you see in the slideshow.
I've seen this happen with other tiny kittens once they hit their growth spurt.
INFO
ON FIP (Feline Infectious Peritonitis) It sounds like something
to do with teeth, right? Well, it's not. FIP is a mutation of the corona virus that is dormant in about 85%
of all cats. Perhaps less than 5% of felines with dormant, benign corona virus will mutate to the deadly FIP form, and
there doesn't seem to be any way to determine which cats will and which won't. Some cats are born with it and
other acquire it by inhaling or ingesting the virus - so it is contagious. The test for FIP is pretty useless as it
will identify the benign corona virus as potential FIP, which would rarely be the case given the statistics. This
can alarm a cat owner needlessly. There is a vaccine for FIP, BUT it is very controversial because it is a live virus
that can actually give the cat FIP rather than protect it against it. Most cat associations and vets, as well as breeders,
will advise against the vaccine for this reason. There is no cure for FIP and most cats with FIP ultimately die from
it. Here are some of the symptoms: weakness, depression, decreased appetite, fever, yellow skin, labored breathing,
a pot-bellied appearance, drinking and urinating excessively, stumbling, behavior changes, convulsions, unhealthy coat, and
bad breath. There is a "dry form" of FIP that affects many organs, including kidneys, liver, lungs, and eyes.
It can also cause central nervous system disease. The "wet form" causes fluid accumulation in the chest and
abdomen. I have known of a couple of cases where a vet alarmed a cat owner simply because the cat had diarrhea for a
longer period than usual and no cause could be found and the vet did a test for FIP, which picked up on the benign corona
presence and the vet had the owner thinking their cat was going to die. In neither case did that happen and both cats
made full recoveries from their diarrhea. So, in dealing with your vet regarding ongoing diarrhea in a feline, if the
FIP test is run and you are told your cat may have FIP and die, don't panic. Unless there are other symptoms as
listed above involved, the cat may be having IBS (irritable bowel syndrome) other other stress-related diarrhea. If
there has been any change in the cat's life, that is stressful for a cat. Think "any change for cat = stress".
Sometimes a probiotic like Bene-Bac or Forti-Flora will clear this up and/or use of products like Young Living DiGize.
Diarrhea alone is not a basis for concluding a cat has FIP, not even based on the FIP test. If the vet recommends
specific treatments and the cat improves, it is not FIP because there is no treatment or cure for FIP.
Sunday, September 18, 2011
WATER and Your Cat
Some of you may
not realize that your tap water and even bottled and filtered water may not be totally healthy for your
cat. I was shocked when I began researching this a year or so ago after seeing on my own local San
Antonio water quality report that our water at that reporting time had reportable giardia in it! Giardia
is the bacteria in water that causes what we refer to as Montezuma's Revenge. It's what happens to
tourists who get diarrhea from drinking water when traveling to other countries. Well, our cats may
not travel to other countries but they can be sensitive to the amount of giardia in our local drinking
water as it varies, when they move from one area to another, or when they drink well water. It use
to be that it was thought only cats that were outdoors and drank contaminated water got giardia, but that
doesn't seem to be the case anymore since indoor cats are sometimes experiencing giardia right from
our taps, wells, and even filtered water. Some breeders use only bottled water, but bottled water is just tap water
that supposedly has been filtered - so even that is not a sure thing. To add to that, a year or so
ago I decided to read the entire brochure on the new water filter I had purchased for my kitchen faucet.
It actually addressed the fact that giardia cysts are so small that they can pass through filters.
But the totally mindblowing thing was that the brochure that came with my new water filter stated that
the device was not intended to filter water!!!
Now,
on top of this, I received an email about other potential risks in our drinking water to ourselves and our
pets. You may want to read this:
QUESTION: I am interested in breeding/showing. What do I need to know?
ANSWER: The link below is a true story written by VIRGINIA KING of PRANCENPAWS CATTERY. Virginia is a long-time CFA
breeder and exhibitor. Some of my own pedigrees include her bloodlines. I was grateful to get all this information
in one succinct email because it addresses questions I am so often asked by novice breeders/exhibitors. I have been given
permission by the CFA Mentoring Program to post it on my website to share with other breeders and protégés. I
have no doubt you will find it very informative and helpful.
ANSWER: No. Males generally
spray to mark territory and out of anxiety, but it's not true that all males spray. It's also not true that
having an adult male that is already spraying neutered will stop the habit. Sometimes it might, but in some cases
it might not since it has become "habit". Neutering a male kitten before it reaches sexual maturity is a better
option. However, if you have a male cat that sprays, there is hope. My first stud didn't begin spraying until
he was about two years old, but he had a BAD spraying habit once he began. I was able to stop his spraying habit using
a product called Comfort Zone. It's available in pet stores and online. It works like a normal room air freshener
only the content is cat pheromones. We can't smell anything, but the cat does and the product calms the cat.
It comes with a starter kit and you can buy refills. I only had to go through one refill before my male had stopped
his habit of spraying.
FEMALE CATS CAN ALSO
MARK TERRITORY!!
THE ISSUE OF THE NOSE Most people have a preference as to whether
they prefer a doll-faced Persian, one with a "moderate" face, or the extreme-faced Persian. And some people
don't think it's a Persian if it doesn't have an extremely flat face, but this isn't true. The original
Persian did NOT have the flat faces seen on Persians today. In fact, until a couple of decades ago the Grand Champions
in the CFA Yearbook were doll-faced. In England, to this day, the extreme-faced Persian isn't allowed in a cat show,
as they consider the face we've developed in the US to be an abnormal face for the breed. Touchy subject.
So, the breed comes with a variety of faces and not even the two main registries for CFA - US and Great Britain - agree on
what the perfect face is. In purchasing a kitten as your pet, the only guideline that truly matters is the type of face
that YOU love and will enjoy looking at day after day for many happy years. Since we live in the US, the face does make
a difference if you plan to show - whether showing your pet feline or as a show breeder. Just keep in mind - the face
that wouldn't be allowed to show in the US might be a Grand Champion in Great Britain! So if it's a doll-faced
look you love, you may very well have a pet feline that in another country would be a show cat!
Sunday, October 2, 2011
Cats Lower Blood Pressure in Humans
We've
all heard that having pets is healthy for humans. Two of the kittens I've bred are used in a nursing
home on weekends for therapy for the elderly living there. This article talks about how cats lower
blood pressure in humans.
