Breeding the breed, the standard of appearance of the minskins, the temperament of the cats, the health of the pet, the features of care, the cost of the kitten-minskin. Minskin are representatives of a very young, but already very popular and demanded variety. If you are looking for a unique pet, be sure to pay attention to the minskin, this cat with short legs and suede leather will not leave you indifferent.
History of the origin of the breed minskin
This very amazing and original breed appeared in our world relatively recently, around 2000-2001. The homeland of these peculiar cats is considered to be the United States, namely, to be more precise Boston. It was there, one of the cat breeders Paul McSorley in 1998, came up with an unusual idea. He set out to breed a completely unique breed with short legs and extraordinary beauty of the coat.
As soon as the idea of a new breed of cats visited the head of an American breeder, he immediately began to bring it to life. To breed new pets, he began to breed naturally short-legged fluffy cats, the Munchkin breed with practically hairless sphinxes, in which, as is known only in some parts of the body, individual tufts of hair can be seen. Soon, the breeder concluded that in order to create a completely unique, peculiar kitten, crossing of two breeds was not enough. Therefore, it was decided to add Devon Rex and Burmese blood to this mixture.
After two long years of work and waiting, the first baby was born, which in all respects corresponded to the idea of Paul McSorley. The kitten was given the name Rory, and for another five years the population of cats of the new breed of Minsk numbered more than 50 representatives.
As soon as the number of these purebred seals began to increase and it became clear that they were showing considerable interest in these cats, then the question of how to achieve official recognition of new animals was raised. This case was not long in coming, and already in 2005 the minskin was officially recognized by some felinological organizations, one of which is TICA (International Organization of Cats). It was this organization that set a certain standard for the minskin breed and continues to control the breeding and development of the breed to this day.
Minskin's appearance
Representatives of this breed are small seals with short limbs and body weight not exceeding 2-3 kg.
- Head in minskins it is wide with rounded outlines, no flat lines are visualized on it, their muzzle is relatively wide and short, and a strong developed chin. Also, one cannot help but pay attention to the cute embossed pads on which the antennae flaunt. These purrs have a beautiful neck, although it is not very long, it is very well developed and rather flexible.
- Auricles representatives of the Minskin breed are large, well open, it seems that they are always alert. The tips of the ears have a certain roundness, in the projection of the base there is a tendency to expand. There are times when cats' ears are completely devoid of any hair vegetation - the breed standard allows this.
- Eyes in relation to the size of the head, they are relatively large, have a regular rounded shape. The eyes of the minskins are located at a relatively large distance.
- Nose small in size, you cannot call it even, but there is no hump on it, only a slight bend near the tip.
- Vibrissae cats of this unusual breed are not their main attraction, by nature they are very rare, they can be broken or simply absent.
- Torso The minskins visually seem rather big, but this is just a kind of optical illusion due to the unnaturally short paws, in fact, it is also miniature, like the cat itself as a whole. But the body of these murziks, although small, is strong with well-developed muscle tissue.
- Limbs these not quite ordinary cats are a separate topic, they are rather short, the hind ones are slightly longer than the front ones. Their main characteristic is that the patella divides the cat's limb into two parts that are absolutely identical in length.
- Tail process its length is equal to the body of a cat, sometimes it happens that the tail grows even more than the length of the body. At the base, it is wider, gradually tapering towards the tip. The end of the tail is slightly blunt.
- Wool - this is the business card of the cat. Depending on the abundance of the "fur coat" and its presence on the cat's body, in principle, the minskins are conventionally divided into 3 groups: naked, woolen and semi-woolen. At the expense of hairless, it is clear that the body of these cats is completely devoid of wool, or there are small lumps of hair on certain parts of the body. The category of woolen pets includes those pets whose bodies are completely wrapped in short soft fur. As for half-woolen, this description includes cats that have a thick, but short hair, soft in texture on their head, ears and paws. On the body of half-woolen minskins, the fur is approximately the same length, but much less often. It feels very similar to cashmere to the touch. Regardless of what category of cats of the Minskin breed will be discussed, there is one important requirement for the breed standard - it is that the tummy of these seals must be naked.
- Coloration fur can be the most, that is, varied, there are no longer any barriers and restrictions.
- Folds - this is another adornment of this breed, which they inherited from the Sphynxes, although they are less pronounced in the minskins, they are clearly visible in kittens.
The nature of the minskin cats
Looking at these purrs, at first glance, one can conclude that, due to their small size and short paws, these cats are all that can lie and sometimes walk to a plate of food, but the first opinion, as they say, may be wrong. In fact, by their nature, these seals are quite active and mobile. They love to play and run, and this is necessary for them, because if this cat has a hypodynamic lifestyle, it is fraught with serious problems with the spine. But most of all they like high heights, for example, in an apartment they can be attracted by the top of a cabinet or refrigerator, to which they, of course, cannot get out from one jump, but believe me, the pets will figure out how to solve this problem.
By temperament, the Minskins are very cute and gentle and expect the same from their owner, they really love affection and attention. These short-legged cats will be in seventh heaven from any minute given to them on your part. Animals in general are very strongly attached to humans, so it is not recommended to leave them alone for a long time.
Also, these cats know how to get along with other pets without any problems, so if you have, for example, a dog in your house, you don't have to worry and feel free to get such a cat - most likely they will soon become friends.
Possible health problems of minskin
As for some hereditary diseases, today there is not enough studied information about this, since this breed is not more than 20 years old and there are simply not many offspring to draw conclusions. According to some sources, some minskin kittens were born with problems with the spinal column, such as curvature of posture in the transverse region, as well as deformity of the chest. But these cases are isolated, so it is impossible to say with certainty that this is a genetic disease or may be a birth injury.
In general, these cats are quite persistent "tin soldiers", subject to the vaccination calendar and with proper care and maintenance, the average life expectancy of pets is 13-15 years.
Caring for a minskin cat at home
Even at first glance at this cat, you can come to the conclusion that he is special, and accordingly, caring for him is also far from the average, but do not be afraid, there is nothing supernatural in this. In addition, minskins have many positive differences from cats of other breeds, for example, wool, which either does not exist or is very small, which means that your house will always be clean and tidy.
- Skin care. Since the minskins have very little or no wool, it is necessary to take care of their sensitive skin first of all. These cats received a tendency to sweat as a reward from the sphinxes, and there are many glands on their skin that secrete the so-called "protective secret", therefore, all these substances must be removed from the skin of the animal in a timely manner in order to avoid inflammation, rashes, and just to your cat looked nice and well-groomed. Some recommend daily wiping the pet's skin with a damp soft sponge or wet wipes that do not contain alcohol, you can use baby wipes. But another category of experts advises to simply bathe the cat as needed. As for bathing, it is important to use quality products for this procedure. You can buy a special complex shampoo and cream conditioner brand ALL SISTEM, designed for sphinxes, but it is not everywhere, and it is quite expensive. An alternative to professional products may well be good quality baby shampoos and conditioners. It is important to carefully monitor that the shampoo does not dry out the already dry skin of the cat-minskin. When the bath is complete, wrap your kitten in a towel and wipe dry, you can blot the skin of the animal with a paper towel, so all excess moisture is absorbed, this will prevent your pet from hypothermia. If we talk about hypothermia, then it should be borne in mind that these cats are prone to rapid freezing, so walks in the fresh air can be done only in the warm season. They love to lie in the sun, this may change the skin color a little, cats also have a tan, but in no case should sunbathing be abused, as this can negatively affect the health of your pet.
- Eyes. Since these purrs practically do not have cilia, there is nothing to protect their eyes from dirt and dust particles, so this concern lies on the shoulders of the owner. It is recommended to wipe the eyes of your minskin every day with a cotton swab dipped in a decoction of chamomile, calendula, furacilin, tea leaves or just boiled water. Every cat has discharge from the eyes, normally it is either transparent or brown in color, if you notice white or yellowish discharge - go to the doctor, this is a sign of infection.
- Ear care. The ears of the animal very quickly become clogged with brown secretions, so your cat will have to clean his ears at least once a week. To do this, you can use ordinary cotton swabs, do not use substances that contain alcohol as additional agents. Also, you should not carry out deep cleaning of the ears, as you can easily injure the cat's auditory organ, which can lead to mechanical otitis media.
- Claws. For the comfort of your home minskin and to preserve your furniture, he needs to trim his claws regularly. Otherwise, he will grind them on your sofas, he can do this not out of malice, but out of inevitability. Many are afraid to cut their claws so as not to hurt their pet. This action really requires accuracy and attention. This is done as follows. The paw of your purr should be gently squeezed, then with the help of small tweezers, cut off the transparent edge, but in no case more, but even less the first time. Since where the transparent part of the claw ends, the nerve endings already originate. Do not forget about the scratching post, it will also not be superfluous in the house where the cat lives, due to the fact that the minskins are very smart, he will quickly figure out what to do with it.
- Teeth. Taking care of your kitty's teeth is just as important. In order for your pet to have no problems with gums, tartar, plaque and unpleasant odor from the oral cavity, it is necessary to regularly brush his teeth with a soft toothbrush. In most cases, cats are not very fond of this procedure, so it needs to be taught to brush your teeth from a very young age. If your pet, under no pretext, does not agree to brush its teeth, there are specialized food for cleaning teeth, for example, Royal Canin Dental, you can buy it at almost any pet store at an affordable price. If you do not feed your cat with ready-made food, then, as an option for cleaning your teeth, boiled chicken necks can be, as practice shows, they are also quite effective.
- Tail. As strange as it may seem, you will have to take care of the tail of the minskin. The thing is that every representative of the feline world has sebaceous glands on the outside of the tail process. In most cats, these glands are hidden under a layer of fur, but in the minskin, everything is in sight. Therefore, you will need to regularly wipe the tail on the outside with the help of some kind of degreasing agent, but in no case use alcohol-containing substances, since your kitten's skin is very delicate and vulnerable, it is easy to burn it. In the event that acne begins to appear on the skin of the tail, then they must be removed mechanically.
- Tray training. Due to the fact that minskin kittens have quite an extraordinary intellect, it will not be difficult to teach them to relieve themselves in a certain place. To do this, it is good to use a special spray for training cats to the litter box, it is on sale in all pet stores, and it is inexpensive. Only your task is to monitor the cleanliness of the toilet, since by their nature minskins are very clean and tidy and may not even want to approach a dirty litter box. In this case, they choose a corner where it is cleaner and there is no unpleasant smell, then do not be offended, it is not out of malice.
- Nutrition kitten-minskin. If we talk about the correct diet of minskins, then we can say with confidence that special dry and wet premium or super-premium food is perfect for them. With regard to natural food, this question remains open. The fact is that Americans are of the opinion that if there is food, then why feed anything else, so these cats are fed mainly with food. But if you look at his relatives Munchkin and the Sphinx, then his appetite and not capriciousness in food should have been inherited by him. Therefore, you can try to offer your pet boiled lean meat, fish, cottage cheese and vegetables, both in boiled form, and sometimes they can feast on raw vegetables and fruits, the main thing is to let them taste. In winter, do not forget about vitamins and minerals.
The daily food rate for minskins is no different from other cats, but they should be fed much more often, since they do not have additional heating, the energy is processed faster.
Minskin price
Since there are very few of these kittens, the price for them is not low, about $ 500-700. It is best to buy a cat in the USA, one of the catteries is kept by the founder of the breed Paul McSorley, probably this will be the most reliable seller.
You can find more useful and interesting information about minskins in the following story:
