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Napoleons

The Napoleon (Nap) breed is a hybrid, developed by Joe Smith. The historical details of the breed are generally
believed to be that in 1995 Mr. Smith crossed a member of the Persian family (Persian/Himalayan/Exotic) with a
Munchkin. The results were astonishing and they are fast becoming a much sought after cat. A Nap is characterized as
having the beauty and wonderful laid back temperament of the Persian family, along with the social playfulness and short
legs of the Munchkin. But, it is important to recognize that this is a true hybrid. They should be instantly recognizable as
not a Persian and not a Munchkin. While they take particular attributes from both, they are indeed a breed all of their
own. Because these cats tend to have small litters, along with their quality and uniqueness, they tend to be quite pricey.
They are worth every penny as they steal the heart of everyone who sees them. Mr. Smith dropped out of the breeding
of Naps and left in his wake several grateful and committed breeders to carry the torch for these wonderful cats. A
Standard Nap is short-legged and a Non-Standard Nap is long-legged. The Non-Standard kittens do not have the
Munchkin gene. The Non-Standard kittens are also very reasonably priced. For someone looking for an old fashioned
or "doll faced" Persian, but are hesitant to pay the high prices, a Non-Standard Nap is an excellent alternative. Both
Standard and Non-Standard kittens make rare and exceptional pets and are highly prized. They are very beautiful and
come in every color and coat you can imagine. Napoleons are accepted and registrable with the same organizations as
the Munchkins, however they are not yet Showable. At this time, TICA is being petitioned to advance the breed to
Showable status. It makes it so very important for every person who purchases one to register their Nap with TICA. We
need to prove how popular the breed is to continue it's advancement. Because of their extraordinary beauty and
temperament, when these cats hit the Show scene, they are sure to dominate. As a member of the Napoleon Breed
Committee, I am committed to the furtherance of this breed and my breeding program is slowly evolving to breeding only
Naps and working towards Show Quality kittens.

Munchkins

Munchkins (Mk) as a breed make wonderful pets. They are petite and have great purrsonality. They are very loving,
sweet cats and always very playful. They will continue to provide you with the amusing antics of a kitten throughout their
lives. They come in a variety of colors and coats, and they are a very happy and healthy breed.

The history of this cat is a bit fuzzy, but in general understood to be the following. In 1983, Sandra Hochenedel of
Rayville, Louisiana found two pregnant cats. They both had what she called 'baby legs'. She named them Blackberry
and Blueberry. She kept Blackberry and found a home for Blueberry. Blackberry's litter had half of it's kittens born with
'baby legs'. Blackberry is known as the mother of the Munchkin breed. Sandra was in love with these tiny cats and
attempted to research what could have caused the short limbs. She gave one of the male kittens to her friend Kay
LaFrance of Boscobel Cottage (also known as the LaFrance Plantation) in Bosco, Louisiana. Kay named the kitten
Toulouse and he is known as the father of the Munchkin breed. Sandra then bred Blackberry to her neighbor's black and
white house cat named Mr. Gales and was pleased to find more 'baby leg' kittens. She finally contacted Dr. Solveig
Pflueger, a cat geneticist, in the early 1990's. After speaking with her she sent her one of the kittens.

Dr. Pflueger researched any prior mention of cats with very short legs. The earliest record of these cats was reported in
1930 and 1931 in England by Schwangart and Grau. It is supposed that the gene was passed on until it fell into obscurity
until 1944. A dynasty of short-legged cats was documented by Veterinarian Dr. H. E. Williams-Jones. He noted the
existence of four generations of short-limbed cats. He documented an 8 1/2 year old female who lived a normal and
healthy life with short limbs. In this case only the front limbs were effected. The back legs were of regular length. He
described their gate as being similar to a ferret. When the cats sat back they gave the appearance of a kangaroo and
were dubbed the Kangaroo Cat. Unfortunately, the line died out during WW II.

What has been dubbed "The Flatbush Mutation" was a local variety found in Brooklyn, New York in the 1950's in the
Flatbush neighborhood. The cats were feral, but were described as short-legs, short tail, small body, low slung, and a
narrow slightly flattened head with short ears. This was probably a highly local, spontaneous trait that was lost due to
new blood arriving in the area from strays and unneutered pets.

In 1956, in "Zoologischer Anzeiger" author Max Egon Theil of Hamburg, Germany, described a cat that he had seen in
Stalingrad in 1953. The cat had unusually short legs and was playing with it's normal size litter mates. He saw it sit on its
hind legs with its front legs in the air, so he called it the "Stalingrad Kangaroo Cat". Nothing else was ever noted on this
siting.

Kangaroo cats apparently disappeared in Europe, but the trait cropped up again in New England in the 1970's and then in
Louisiana in 1983. Dr. Pflueger did her research and took the breed to the ASPCA in New York. They determined the
cat to be sound and healthy and that the short limbs were a naturally occurring trait and determined to name the breed.
Dr. Pflueger called Sandra and asked what she wanted to name the new breed of cat she was purposely attempting to
maintain. She was shocked and put on the spot and the first thing that came to her mind was the Wizard of Oz and the
tiny people there called Munchkins. These tiny cats have also been called the Louisiana Creole Cat.

While there is controversy regarding the breed's health, it has been recognized and is registrable by several cat
organizations, such as The International Cat Association, Southern Africa Cat Council, and Waratah National Cat
Alliance in Australia. The Cat Fancier's Association does not recognize the breed so far. But, after all of these years of
scientific testing and monitoring, no specific health problems have been noted with the breed. Some say that the breed
is more susceptible to Lordosis, which means it has a swayed back. This condition can be mild and cause no specific
problems or can be severe causing illness and/or death. This condition is extremely rare, but should be watched for and
any kittens born with the condition in the severe form should be altered immediately. Those breeding Munchkins,
including myself, will argue that these cats have no more or no less incidence of Lordosis or other health issues than any
other breed and time has proven them to be correct. The Munchkin has a life span similar to any other breed of cat.

Because the gene that results in the short legs can only come from one parent, breeding two Standard Munchkins usually
produces smaller litters. If the embryo gets the gene from both parents it will not survive and the embryo will be
absorbed by the dam. If you breed a standard to a non-standard (long-legs) Munchkin your litter sizes will be normal.
Either way, you will end up with approximately half standards (short legs) and half non-standard (long legs) kittens.

Both Standard and Non-Standard kittens are registrable as Munchkins, but only the Standards can be shown
competitively. The Non-Standard kittens do not carry the Munchkin gene, but still make wonderful pets. The
Non-Standard kittens are also very reasonably priced and can be extremely valuable to a breeding program due to their
color, coat, temperament, etc.

These wonderful cats make the Naps possible. They provide the short legs, the playful, funny, and kittenish behavior.
They also bring to the Naps the rare colors and coats. Without them there would be no short haired Naps. As our
program continues to evolve to Naps only, we will no longer be breeding Munchkins, but we are greatful to all of the
Munchkin breeders past, present, and future for these extraordinary animals.

Persian/Himalayan/Exotic Short Hair

Bred in a profusion of colors the Persian is an integral part of the Cat Show scene. They are greatly prized by pet
owners and usually fetch the highest prices of all the breeds. They have appeared regularly in cat shows for the past 100
years. It is believed that their origin is probably Asia Minor, and were first seen in Europe in the 1870's. Persians were
introduced to North America at the end of the 1800's. A good Show quality cat is massive and spectacular. They boast
a large cobby body, low on the legs, with a broad round head that has a short nose, full cheeks, large round eyes and
small rounded ears, and the most distinguishable trait being a long, silky, full coat. Persians are known for their placid,
gentle temperament, and their ability to adjust to new environments, making them ideal exhibition cats. They have quiet,
melodious voices and tend to be undemonstrative, but maintain a close relationship with their owners. The adults require
daily grooming so that their hair does not become matted, but the Persian seems to enjoy this one on one time with their
owner. Persians tend to have small litters.

Himalayans were originally bred to attempt to correct some genetic problems within cats in 1924. Then in 1930 they
were purposely bred to get the Siamese color points with the Persian body type and coat. Himalayans were called Color
Point Long Hairs in the early days and then American breeders gave them the name Himalayans. Characteristics of the
breed combine the temperament of the Persian and Siamese. They seem to be more enterprising and active than the
Persian, but not quite as boisterous and demonstrative as the Siamese. Himalayans are instantly recognizable with its
wide head, small ears, short legs and tail, short nose and soft silky coat. They have creamy colored bodies and come in
many differing color points.

Exotic Short Hairs are the short hair Persian. Many find their personalities to be exactly the same, but with a tad more
energy and curiosity. For the Persian lover that does not have the time or energy to maintain the long coats, the ESH is
the perfect solution.

The Persian Family brings to our Naps their softer side. Naps are extremely loving and when you are ready to cuddle,
you will find the laid back wonderful temperament of the Persian lap kitty. The Persian Family also brings to the Naps
their roundness. While the Show Quality Persian Family cat is immediately distinguishable from a Nap due to the short
high nose, you can definitely see where the Nap gets the round face and head, with those great round eyes. When Mr.
Smith chose to breed the Persian Family to the Munchkin Family, he created a great jewel for the cat world.

BREED HISTORY