California shining cat: breed description, character, care and maintenance

2024 Author: Priscilla Miln | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-16 00:21

California Shining is a very rare cat breed. She was bred specifically to show mankind that wild animals are not an object of hunting fun, not a toy and not a trophy. They are part of nature and should be touched with love and respect.

The radiant California cat bears a striking resemblance to a small leopard. If you dream of having such an exotic animal at home, but you are afraid of not being able to cope with its wild temper, this is just for you. There is nothing "savage" about her. She is sweet, gracious and completely safe.

A bit of history

The appearance of a radiant California cat can make full-fledged dramatic pictures. Moreover, she owes her appearance to one of the American screenwriters.

Being filming on the African continent, Casey was simply dumbfounded by the cruelty with which poachers destroyed leopards. And all because of the chic skins of amazing colors. Being literally in shock from what he saw cruelty, he returned to his homelandand shared his impressions with a familiar anthropologist Louis Leakey. Together they came to the conclusion that if you make people see in these animals not only fur coats and coats, but also loyal friends, then you can stop the extermination. As a result, it was decided to breed a special breed of cats, the fur coat of which would repeat the colors of leopards. After all, if a person has such a pet at home, he is unlikely to want to buy a leopard coat.

For the planned breeding project, as many as 10 different breeds of fluffies were involved. Among them are Abyssinian, Manx, Angora, Siamese and some others. The icing on the cake was an Egyptian street cat, who was also involved in the experiment.

It took 11 generations and years of breeding work to get a new breed of pussy purring on the lap of researchers.

Why is she shining?

Description of the California shining should start with deciphering its name. With the first part, everything is clear - she was born in California. But what about the second part? Each "decent" breed has its own legend. Shining cats have it too. Its essence is that the ancestors of this animal traveled together with gold diggers, their owners. Particles of golden dust settled on the fur of pussies, because of this, she began to shine. Over time, shining hairs have become an integral part of the skin. This feature was inherited. Hence the name.

Most likely, this is just a beautiful fairy tale. But here is the fact that the spotted coat of kittens of this breed is surprisingly smooth andgleaming - really true.

Another interesting feature of the breed, bringing it closer to its wild brothers leopards, is flexibility and mobility. Pussies are very active and rarely sit in one place. This is a fairly large breed, so the pet will need a lot of space.

Character

For all its spring "wildness", the purr has a kind and sympathetic disposition. The nature of the California Radiant is very friendly, sociable and affectionate. She loves children and quickly finds a common language with her. She is especially kind to kids.

Not afraid of the cat and strangers. This cat will never hide when guests come to the house.

Young pussies very quickly and strongly become attached to the owner, literally follow him. At the same time, they are rather silent and will not give a voice just like that. California cats get along well with other representatives of the feline world, but dogs are not very favored. The friendliest behavior they can do in this case is to simply ignore the dogs.

If there are birds, rabbits, ferrets, fish or various rodents in the house, the owners will not have time to come to their senses, as the kitty will demonstrate its hunting instincts. The cat is perfectly trainable, easily remembers the rules of behavior and is perfectly accustomed to the bowl and tray. Can execute multiple commands, smart and non-conflict.

Exterior

The radiant California cat looks incredibly like a mini leopard. Her body has the shape of a pronounced rectangle. Strong build, musclessuperbly developed. These are quite large animals. The weight of some individuals can reach 8 kg. The average weight is just over 4 kg.

The tail of these animals has an equal thickness along the entire length and does not have light marks on the tip. This is a very important feature that you should pay attention to when evaluating.

Rounded head with a convex frontal part set on a fairly long and flexible neck. The ears are medium-sized, set high and have rounded tips. The eyes of the "Californians" stand out especially. They are large, almond-shaped and blend harmoniously with the color of the coat. Along the lower eyelid is a little white "eyeliner". The coat is short, soft and smooth, tightly pressed to the body. May be slightly longer on the tail and tummy.

The most important thing that distinguishes the Californians is their way of moving. They literally creep along the ground, as if sneaking up on prey. This is due to the structure of the front paws, in which the radius and humerus are located at right angles. At the same time, the paws themselves are small, rounded.

Colours

The colors of the California shining can be very diverse. Paws, tummy and muzzle are usually slightly lighter than the main part of the body. The fur coat of the California cat is its main we alth. Breed standards recognize as many as 8 colors: gray-anthracite and black, red and golden, blue, bronze, silver and brown. The similarity of the fur coat with the skin of a snow leopard is also welcome.

It is noteworthy that kittens of this breedare born completely black and only as they grow older acquire one color or another.

Spots appear with age. They can be of different types and sizes, can be grouped into chic patterns or in bulk. The main thing is that they do not take the form of fish scales. Ring spots or crescent-shaped marks are also not allowed. Dark stripes are likely to appear on the head, chest or legs.

If you put pictures of a wild young leopard and a homemade California shining pussy side by side, the differences will be minimal.

Features of care

The care and maintenance of the California shining does not require any special skills. Regular trimming of claws, combing fur coats and rubbing the eyes is habitual for them and does not cause resistance.

The main thing that the "Californian" needs is the opportunity to throw out her "wild" energy. They love to jump, run, climb all sorts of stairs and passages. It is best to give the animal as much space as possible to play and equip a special corner according to the principle "the higher the better." Shelves, ladders, drawers and transitions between them are what these fidgets adore.

If the house already has any living creatures, it is better to move it to another room. Otherwise, a beloved hamster can become a delicious breakfast for a young hunter.

"Defective" kittens

Animals, like people, are not always born beautiful and he althy. If you are going to participatein a show, you must know the criteria for which a California Shiny may not qualify. This does not mean that you will love her less or that she is somehow sick. No. It's just that there are certain standards that, if not met, can prevent your pet from becoming a wonderful specimen for reproducing quality offspring. By the way, when buying a kitten, keep in mind that the cost of "defective" kittens is much lower than the "original". Therefore, if you are offered a baby at a clearly underpriced price, then it is likely that something is wrong with him.

Among the parameters for culling are the following:

• too big body;
• very round muzzle;
• light spots on the fur coat;
• green eyes;
• pointy ear tips;
• white fur at the tip of the tail;
• presence of spots of irregular shape (sickle, scales, ring).

The presence of such qualities in no way indicates that the cat is sick. It just showed the genes of ancestors that did not meet the standards invented by people. The animal will still love you and delight with its presence for many years, but it is not suitable for breeding.

He alth and possible diseases

California shining cat breed boasts amazingly good he alth and excellent immunity. This breed is quite young, a little over 40 years old. The breed has not gained much popularity and therefore is not bred by nurseries on an industrial scale. It is ratherexclusive animal. They have absolutely no genetic defects and diseases that can be inherited. Your pet will be alert and active until the very old age.

If you take care of the animal correctly, visit the veterinarian regularly for prevention and fully feed, a radiant cat can live up to 20 years. The basis of a he althy lifestyle for this breed is movement. So you need to make sure that the cat has a lot of space for games and walks. On average, shining Californian pussies live 13-15 years.

How much and where to buy

Worth a real shining kitten very well. Moreover, in order to buy an animal, it must first be booked. This service is paid, and the cost is determined by the breeder himself.

The price of a California shining cat can reach 120 thousand rubles. A cat will cost you about 30 thousand rubles. cheaper.

This is such an exclusive breed that it is only bred in the USA. Nowhere else in the world there are nurseries for breeding shining kittens. So if you were offered to buy a cat in Russia, Belarus or Ukraine, most likely this is a scam.

In order not to run into an unscrupulous seller, require the breeder to provide a full package of documents. You are required to issue a metric and a veterinary passport. They will confirm the purity of the breed, as well as the he alth of the baby. Many catteries provide a lifelong pussy escort service. This means that at any time you cancontact them for advice on any matter relating to your purr.