The history of the breeding of the Australian Mist breed, the standard of appearance, character, health, basic tips for caring for the Australian Mist cat at home, the acquisition of a purebred kitten. The Australian mist cat or the Australian mist cat are representatives of the feline world, which can be called a relatively young breed, but despite this, in the shortest possible time, these cats became popular and in demand around the globe. Today the Australian Mist Cat is a very elite breed due to its originality and rarity.
These animals can be called indigenous Australians without a grain of doubt, as well as ideal pets. They combine all the best qualities: they are beautiful and graceful, sociable and unobtrusive, friendly and self-sufficient, they have royal demeanor, but at the same time they do not require special care for themselves and are content with the very little that is offered to them.
If you have made the decision to get a kitten and you are interested in an Australian smoky cat, do not even doubt that this pet will be able to win your love and affection from the very first minutes of your acquaintance.
History of the origin of the breed of Australian smoky cats
Around the middle of the last century, more and more unique breeds of cats began to appear in the world, the fame of this cat boom did not pass by the inhabitants of distant Australia. Australian breeders set to work, they decided to try to breed their native breed of cats, but their first attempts were not entirely successful.
The famous Australian doctor Labor Straid took part in one of these programs. It was she who, in 1977, came up with a certain standard for the future breed and began her individual breeding activity. To create a new unique breed of cats, Truda Straid selected, in her opinion, those representatives of the cat world who carried all the necessary characteristics of their appearance. From the Burmese cat, the future Australian breed had to borrow a specific coat color, which can be presented in chocolate, blue, brownish and lilac shades. The Abyssinian cat was also necessary for selection, as it showed the correct alternation of dark and light stripes along the entire length of the hair. In addition to these two purebred cats, ordinary courtyard cats were also involved in the project of forming new purebred cats; they had to pass on their beautiful patterned pattern on a fur coat by inheritance to Australian cats.
But the success of this business was not immediately noticeable, for ten long years the breeder worked on her plan. The first kittens born did not fully meet the invented standard. When there were enough representatives of the experimental breed, they were crossed among themselves and even then the result of selection was visible. Only in 1986, local felinological organizations recognized the result of Dr. Streid's activities as very successful and officially registered a new breed called the Australian Spotted Mist.
Since that time, the Australian mist cat has conquered the inhabitants of Australia with its consummation, but the popularity of these cats did not spread beyond the borders of their homeland. Breeders and members of local organizations have repeatedly written to international felinological organizations asking them to consider their local breed, but all these efforts were in vain. Only 12 years later, in 1998, these cats were recognized as purebred, and they received official confirmation of this from the WCF (World Cat Federation), then they were given their current name - Australian Mist Cat or Australian Mist.
Members of the WCF commission approved this breed in two colors at once - spotted and marbled. But from such an authority as TICA, these seals from Australia received their expected recognition only in the spring of 2015. This organization has approved a single standard for the appearance of representatives of the breed.
Description of the appearance of cats of the Australian Mist breed according to TICA
Representatives of this breed are animals of medium size, with the correct body proportions, you will not see any prominent parts in their physique. The approximate body weight of an adult Australian Smoky cat is about 6-7 kg, for a cat - 3.5-4 kg.
- Head Australian mist cat has a wedge-shaped configuration, relatively wide. All the lines of the skull are smooth and soft. The cheekbones are rounded. If you look at the cat in profile, you will notice a slight hump on the bridge of the nose and a small bulge along the forehead.
- Eyes not too large, but not medium in size. Set on rather wide, slightly sloping towards the nose. The upper eyelid is straight, the lower one has a certain curvature. The color of the iris varies in all shades of green.
- Auricles larger than average in size, tapering from a wide base to a rounded tip. In their arrangement there is a slight turn and a slight forward tilt.
- Nose wide, not too long.
- Torso Medium-sized in length, the Australian Misty cat can boast not only beauty and the correct proportions of the body, but also strength and sturdiness. Their muscle tissue is more than well developed. The shoulder girdle is wide and well developed.
- Limbs differ in strength and stability, one cannot fail to notice that the hind legs are slightly longer than the front ones. The brushes are small and round.
- Tail. Its length is in harmony with the length of the body, rather thick, there is a narrowing from the base to the tip, but it is not significant. The caudal process is well pubescent.
- Wool on the body of Australian myst, though short, but very thick with strong hair. In the sun it shimmers with a characteristic shine, like gloss.
- Wool color - this is the main attraction of the breed, which includes three main components: the base tone, the pattern in dark shades and the haze or sepia effect, which is formed by ticking the hairs of the background color.
A smoky cat from Australia can be colored lilac, golden, peach, bluish, brown, caramel, chocolate, cinnamon and fawn. Small kittens have a faded and inconspicuous color, but upon reaching the age of two, the color "matures" and the inherent reddish tint on the face may become more characteristic, even with a light color. The pattern on the cat's body is not saturated, even somewhat blurred, but it is clearly visible against the main background. The components of the ornament can be of different sizes and configurations, the main condition is that they must be arranged symmetrically. In marble-colored cats, dark spots on the body are often separated by blotches of lighter colors.
The temperament of australian clouded cat
Nature has endowed these cats with a unique temperament. They have everything in moderation, when necessary, he can be calm and restrained, he can run and frolic. The Australian mistress from the first days becomes attached to a person, while these cats are not a pet of one owner, his love and devotion are always enough for all members of his family.
At a younger age, these cats are more active, they can sometimes be mischievous, but as they grow up, they seem to transform and become calm and even somewhat mannered. Families with small children can easily have such a pet, they are kind and completely disinclined to aggression. If the child plays too much and accidentally causes any discomfort to the cat, then the animal will not bite and scratch, but will simply leave, but at the same time not much offended. After a while, the cat can again play with the baby merrily, not remembering the past grievances and troubles.
Australian Smoky Cat Health
By and large, these cats are famous for excellent health and good immunity, which must be supported by timely vaccination. The most common problem of these pets is overweight, since they are still lovers of food, no matter how much food you put them, they will eat so much, so it is better to feed them often, but in moderation.
Also, they are in no way protected from all diseases that cats of other breeds are susceptible to, so if your pet's behavior changes or any alarming symptoms appear, you should not delay the trip to the veterinarian.
In the event that your pet is sick and you need to take care of him at home, it would be better to familiarize yourself with some of the rules for caring for a sick cat. During this difficult period, the animal's body requires an increased amount of liquid, it can be either ordinary drinking water or warm, but not hot, broth. It may be that the Australian mist cat will refuse water due to reluctance or simply due to lack of strength, then in this case you need to arm yourself with a pipette or syringe (without a needle) and gently pour the liquid into the cat's mouth. Usually, seals prone to illness try to hide from bright light, so they try to find a shaded place for themselves, but you will need to equip this place with some kind of soft and warm bedding so that your pet is comfortable and comfortable.
All food is mechanically processed, if a cat does not have the strength to drink water, then it is unlikely that she will have enough strength to gnaw dry food. Canned food is used, but from manufacturers of quality cat food or porridge with minced meat. The diet should be high in vitamins and minerals.
Caring for a cat of the Australian Mist breed at home
The fact that these cats are ideal pets is by no means a myth, it's true. They are smart, clean, well-mannered, in addition, they feel quite comfortable in the conditions of the apartment, so you do not need to walk with them every day, moreover, this is how they can live their whole life.
- Bathing. In principle, Australian smoky cats take care of themselves quite well, but in order for your pet's fur coat to look well-groomed and tidy, it is still recommended to wash it. Since a cat is able to wash only surface dirt on its own, it cannot cope with an oily sheen without the help of water and shampoo. They do not particularly like this procedure, so it is better that two people help your puss with taking a bath.
- Hygiene of eyes and ears. The kitten's eyes must be wiped at least once a week with a cotton swab dipped in tea leaves or herbal broth. This frequency is suitable for animals that do not have abundant eye discharge, simply for the purpose of general prevention and disinfection. In the event that there is too much discharge, or they are of an unusual nature - purulent or just white (normally, the discharge from the eyes of cats is transparent or brown), then this procedure should be carried out daily. Ears should be examined for sulfur deposits at least once every three days and cleaned with a regular cotton swab as needed. Liquid paraffin is perfect as an excipient.
- Hair care. All that is needed in order for the Australian mist cat's coat to be beautifully styled is a comb. There is no particular need to comb them out too often, with the exception of the shedding period, as they know how to keep their fur coat in proper shape. When a cat sheds, it is better to help him get rid of excess hair, this will add cleanliness to your house and protect the cat from the possibility of swallowing his own hair. It is better to give preference to a brush of medium hardness, since the hair of smoky Australians is quite dense.
- Claws. The scratching post is an integral attribute of the interior of the house where the cat lives and the Australian smoky one is no exception. His claws grow quickly and the kitten needs to get rid of them in some way, if you do not teach them to scratching, the pet will use improvised means, for example, upholstery, which will be much more unprofitable for your budget. It happens that cats do not perceive the scratching post, then you can resort to clipping the claws. This procedure requires special attention and scrupulousness, since one wrong step and your pet has a painful shock. You can cut off only the transparent part of the claw, it is devoid of all blood vessels and nerve endings. For a cat's manicure, you can use both ordinary nail scissors and special tweezers that can be bought at any pet store, they will be the best option if you have no experience in such a business.
- Toilet. It is necessary to train a kitten to the litter box from early childhood. Due to the fact that cats of the Australian Mist breed belong to the category of intellectuals, they have no problems with training. If your pet relieves itself outside the tray, you can scold him a little, but in no case should you raise your voice too much, and even more so use force. The cat can develop a certain fear of the toilet and then he can wean himself from the litter box for a long time. Such oversights usually occur when an animal has limited access to its latrine, for example, if it is accidentally locked in a room or if its toilet is not cleaned. When cleaning the place where the cat went to the toilet, it is advisable to treat it not only with a detergent, but also with citrus juice, so that your pet does not have a desire to reuse this corner as a restroom.
- Nutrition. Australian smoky cats are very fond of eating, because of this, they rarely go through food. They will be happy to eat industrial feed and at the same time they will never refuse a piece of sausage from the master's table, but whether it will bring any benefit to the animal, except for extra kilocalories is another question. If you decide to feed your purr with commercial food, make sure that its food is of high quality and fresh. As for natural products, the Australian cat can be offered everything that other cats eat - lean, heat-treated, meat, offal, sea fish, dairy products, cereals, vegetables, eggs. The main thing is not to overdo it with the quantity, since they love to eat very much. Do not neglect additional feeding in the form of vitamin and mineral complexes, for animals they are extremely necessary, especially if your pet is in the apartment all the time.
- Leisure. Australian mist cat never suffer from a lack of attention, leaving them alone at home, these pets will not die of boredom and will always occupy themselves with something, but such independence in no way implies that they do not need to be paid attention. Like all cats, smoky Australian cats love to be scratched behind the ear, stroked and played with them. When bringing an animal into the house, try to develop the habit of spending at least half an hour a day playing with the cat every day. A pet is not an interior item, but a full member of the family and, like all household members, needs love and attention.
Australian Smoky Kitten Buying and Price
The representatives of this breed have one significant disadvantage - there are very few of them, so buying an Australian Mist kitten is difficult and very expensive. The price of such a pet from novice breeders starts at $ 600 and can reach $ 1,300-2,000. The whole point is where and why you buy your pet. Titled individuals from elite nurseries, as well as seals for breeding, are valued at two, sometimes three times more.
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