Page 119

The American Shorthair is the most popular breed of cat in the United States. The breed is believed to be descended from English cats (the forebears of today’s British Shorthairs) brought to North America by early European settlers to protect valuable cargo from mice and rats.

American Shorthair. The most popular breed of cat in America.

American Shorthair cats are medium to large sized, with powerful legs and strong paws. Their muzzle is squarish. Their coat is short, with the fur being thick, dense, and stiff to protect them from cold, moisture, and superficial skin injuries. Their coat thickens up in the winter and sheds in the spring but still remains lighter and slimmer than its close cousin, the British Shorthair.

American Shorthairs are very affectionate, long-living, and disinclined to behavioral problems; they get along well with other family members, including dogs. The American Shorthair is also an excellent hunter, but its sunny and gentle disposition makes it ideal for families with small children. Shorthairs tend to get overweight very easily.

An American Shorthair is not considered fully grown until 3-4 years old, when it attains the true strong athletic proportion of its breed. Males are usually larger than females and whole males have definite jowls. It is perfectly happy as an indoor or outdoor cat.

American Shorthairs come in over 100 different varieties of colors (blacks, whites, silvers, creams, reds, browns, blues, bicolors, tabby or solid), but their eyes, pad color, and nose will always match their coloring. Their tail tapers to a blunt tip and has no kinks.

Grooming for an American Shorthair is extremely easy, all they require is regular brushing and a wipe over with a damp chamois will make the coat shine. During shedding seasons using a good shedding comb weekly helps prevent hairballs.

The American Shorthair makes a great pet because of its gentle temper, and because it gets along well with other family members, it makes a great pet for small children.

Link to one of many American Shorthair websites

The Bombay is two distinct breeds of cat (please see below). These are muscular yet agile cats with a black coat. The heads of Bombay cats are rounded and wide with a short tapered muzzle. The eyes, which are of golden or copper color, are rounded and set wide, and their ears are broad, slightly rounded and medium sized and, like the eyes, set wide.

American Bombay

The Bombay has a coat that is short, satiny and tight to the body. Bombay cats do not require grooming, although petting the cat will keep their coat shiny and will also remove dead hair. A rubber brush can help when the cat sheds larger amounts of fur (uncommon). If the cat is fed a balanced diet, the coat will shine and the cat’s naturally energetic personality will become evident.

Personality

Bombay cats crave human affection like most felines. The Bombay appreciates affection and purrs loudly. Bombay cats are quiet and watchful and prefer living indoors. They can be affected by loud intrusive noises as loud noises make the Bombay nervous. A symptom of this nervousness is that they lose fur from their belly and near their tail. One remedy for this is to simply keep the cat indoors or away from loud noises and make sure they have somewhere to hide. Some convenient locations where a cat can hide are behind chairs, cupboards and almost anywhere that it is difficult for a predator to gain entry, including spaces behind TVs, inside cabinets and underneath small tables.

While Bombay cats will tolerate other breeds of cat, they may tend to dominate other cats. Bombay cats seem to get along well with dogs. Dogs are pack animals and have a pecking order which the Bombay will take advantage of.

Like most cats that have been raised properly, Bombay cats are smart, agile and inquisitive. They will often seek out human interaction. Bombays will investigate packages and will commonly chew through bags and containers to get at food. This can lead to problems if they eat chicken bones which can injure the cat’s throat.

Bombay cats are by nature lap cats. They seek heat and will jump up on their owner’s backs and rest around their neck for comfort and reassurance.These cats are head-bumpers and nose-rubbers, Some can be very “talkative” (meow loudly) and have distinct “voices”. The Bombay will often “fetch”, and takes on other dog-like characteristics. These cats love nothing more than to be held and fussed over. Sensitive, reserved and intelligent, the Bombay is suited to life in a quiet home, where it is affectionate to the whole family. Both males and females are excellent pets.

Bombay cats enjoy being around anyone, but may select someone specific to pay the most attention to. They are wonderful for families with children but may be at first annoyed with a new cat in the house.

Bombay cats are rumoured to have sometimes unusual diets as lap cats. They may actually eat not just sour cream, but baked cookies or beans if the situation arises. Like many other species of domestic cats, they are rather sneaky and creative at the kitchen table.

British Bombay
The British Bombay cat is the name given to black cats of the Asian group. It is a cat of Burmese type with a black coat, toes, nose, and copper to greenish eyes.

American Bombay
The American breed called Bombay was created in 1958 in Louisville, Kentucky, when Nikki Horner of Shawnee Cattery deliberately bred an American Shorthair with a Burmese for the purpose of creating a domesticated cat that resembled a wild panther (also known as baby panther). The offspring of this breeding did indeed resemble the black leopard of India. The name came from the Indian city of Bombay (now Mumbai). Horner called her creation the “patent leather kid with the new penny eyes.”

Welcome to Moggyblog…

Well, what a difference a few days can make! One minute our feline friends are melting in their fur coats, sprawled across the coolest bit of paving they can find, and the next they’re eyeing up the door, wondering whether it’s worth venturing out into the wind, rain and cold (sometimes a visitor has to be put out – but not into a storm or on the 5th for certain – If owners cant look after ’em then we will).

Fireworks aside, do foxes go for domestic cats – that – is the question? I rather hope not, except perhaps in the direst of circumstances. The last thing we need is a neighbourhood turf war between our ginger toms, the black & white cats, tabbies, tortoiseshells, calicos, tuxedo cats, silver tabbies, Siamese, Persians, Ragdolls, Maine Coons, Bengals, British Shorthairs, Russian Blues, Burmese, Norwegian Forest Cats, Sphynx cats, scruffy strays, fluffy felines, posh pedigree pussycats — and those (beautiful) foxes!

Thankfully, the heatwave is long gone. Perhaps we’ll find our furry friend curled up in their favourite armchair, conducting important inspections of the duvet (under the chair covers, anyone), or gazing disdainfully through rain-streaked windows at the dreadful state of the garden.

So, what mischief are your moggies getting up to in this blustery, wet and decidedly un-catlike weather – is yours a brave explorer, or is she/he firmly in the ‘if it’s comfy then curl up‘ camp, refusing to budge until spring returns?

Pull up a chair, pour yourself a cuppa, and join us for a bit of feline frivolity. After all, whatever the weather outside, there’s always room for a cat story, a little mischief and a good old moan about the rain!

As regular readers already know, the articles and pictures herein are for fun and entertainment only, however we hope that you find ‘Moggyblog.com’ contains useful information about the myriad types of feline found in the world today, in addition to our common or garden moggies.

Cats are one of the most fascinating creatures on the planet (wouldn’t you agree). So whether you have a new mog on the block or an old faithful, please read on here… Introduction to moggyblog.

M	T	W	T	F	S	S
						1
2	3	4	5	6	7	8
9	10	11	12	13	14	15
16	17	18	19	20	21	22
23	24	25	26	27	28	29
30