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Munchkins

Munchkins as a breed make wonderful pets. I describe them with the three P's. They are petite,
playful, 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.

In 1983, Sandra Hochenedel of Rayville, Louisiana found two pregnant cats under a truck trailer.
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 Pfueger, a cat
geneticist, in the early 1990's. After speaking with him she sent him one of her kittens.

Dr. Pfueger 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.

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 mutation 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 mutation cropped up again in New
England in the 1970's and then in Louisiana in 1983. Dr. Pfueger did his 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 natural mutation and determined to name the breed. Dr. Pfeuger 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. Dr. Pfeuger wasn't impressed with the
name, but let it stand. 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 as they feel the gene mutation is a health issue. But, after all of these years 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 will argue that these cats have no more or no less
health issues than any other breed and time has proven them to be correct.

Because of this dwarf gene breeding two Standard Munchkins usually produces smaller litters. If
you breed a standard to a non-standard (long-legs) Munchkin your litter sizes will be normal. Either
way, there is a 50/50 chance you will end up with some standard and some non-standard kittens.

Both Standard and Non-Standard kittens are registrable as Munchkins, but only the Standards can
be shown competitively. The Non-Standard kittens have the same personality as the Standards
and make wonderful pets. The Non-Standard kittens are also very reasonably priced.

Napoleons

The Napoleon (Naps) breed is a hybrid, developed by John Smith in 2002 who crossed a member
of the Persian family (Persian/Himalayans/Exotics) with a Munchkin. A Nap is characterized as
having the beauty and wonderful temperament of the Persian family, along with the social
playfulness of the Munchkin. Because these cats tend to have very small litters and are still a new
and rare breed, they tend to be quite pricey. They are worth every penny as they steal the heart of
everyone who sees them. Again, a Standard Nap is short-legged and a Non-Standard Nap is
long-legged. The Non-Standard kittens have the same personality as the Standards and make
wonderful pets. The Non-Standard kittens are also very reasonably priced. 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. Because of their
extraordinary beauty and temperament, when these cats hit the Show scene, they are sure to
dominant.

Persian/Himalayan

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.

Designer Kittens for
Discriminating Owners

RESQME FARMS CATTERY

BREED HISTORY