Cat Hybrids - Elf Cats

I just KNOW you think I'm the 'cutest' thing you've ever seen!

Ok, just keep an open mind here.  

The Elf cat is a very new, extremely rare hybrid breed created by Karen Nelson and Kristen Leedom. They started this breed by crossing the Sphinx and the American Curl. What an idea! 
Aside from inheriting the hairless appearance of the Sphinx, they also have the curled ears of the American Curl. Like the Devon Rex, Elves are not hairless as short fine hair can be found on feet, ears, nose and tail; this is more like down fur and comes in different colors. Obviously they hardly shed and believe it or not, you DO have to groom them on a regular basis but this is more to remove sebaceous secretions that develop on their skin that can become sticky to touch and can lead to the development of skin difficulties. So its necessary to sponge bathe from time to time; its good to know elves tolerate their baths well and some grow to really enjoy them.

Of course with any engineered breed, its very important to limit an elf's exposure to the great outdoors, especially in extreme weather;  cold and overexposure to hot sun are hazardous to this breeds health. But overall Elf cats are healthy and remarkably free of genetic defects.

Baby, tabby elf kitten - Love the EaRs!

Elf's have athletic and muscular bodies similar to that of the Sphinx. Sharing an almost lack of fur with their hairless ancestor, Elf cats have very prominent cheek bones and whisker pads. The whiskers and eyebrows are so sparse and short you'd think they lack those as well. Their skin is intensively wrinkled in the shoulder area, their ears and muzzle, though this is especially obvious in the kitten stage. Ears are curled backwards which is a trait inherited from the American Curl. Unique ears together with hairless appearance make up the most recognizable features of the Elves and the long tail tapers into its tip. They weight in at between 10 to 15 pounds.

Elves were originally bred to retain the best qualities of their parent breeds; this makes them highly intelligent, very friendly, intensely social, outgoing and ever so affectionate. Lively and active but gentle best describes this new breed of cat; they literally thrive on human attention and love. Together with being loyal and often be found by your side or on your lap, they also have a mischievous side. Lovers of high perches to climb on and playing with absolutely anything within their immediate grasp, lots of toys are a necessity, especially hanging ones and a must have if you are the owner of an Elf cat. Providing them with a few high shelves or other high locations in your home will prepare their new environments for their homecoming. Highly adaptable, Elf cats can fit themselves into almost any home situation easily and readily. They also adjust to other animals remarkably well so they are social with people and other cats and dogs. It's not recommended to leave your cat alone all day long unless you have things that will stimulate their interest while you are gone. So aside from getting a companion for your Elf  you might also consider building a more elaborate cat tree system ~ any cat would enjoy that!

My name is Helios and I have noticeable fur!

My husband is planning a reversible cat tree this time. Made in two separate sections that come together and can be taken apart one way to make it up in another. I also want a runway system that goes up the wall and across. There will be little sitting nooks, boxes and niches for our four to play on, sleep in and explore. 

Elf's are pretty pricey and not for the average cat owner with kittens starting at two grand each ~ this price includes first vaccination, deworming, one vet exam before it leaves for your happy home and TICA registration papers.  Kittens also exit they breeders place with a written comprehensive health guarantee. Why the expense? Seems they are not the gold mine one might think. 
Back Yard Breeders and pet shops make their money selling the kittens, most legitimate breeders don't even make enough to cover their own costs. So it’s a very expensive hobby. Most breeders can only hope they can just about break even but usually fall short of that goal. What looks, at first, to be a gold mine can be a financial pit if these breeders aren't careful. Going through the expenses involved limits turning a profit for a authentic breeder. They do it for the love of cats and their new breed, not for the money.

This is a parent elf for breeding 

These cats are easily show cats and can earn some of their expense back for their owners if so inclined. For more information check the Official Elf Cat Foundry Breeders Group and I am including the website of the Cattery I got this information on (www.elfcats.com) in case someone wants more info. I, like the owner of said site, believe that any animal, be it cat, dog, bird or fish, should be a pet first and foremost and they are NOT disposable! If you have an animal, they are part of your family and entitled to all the benefits that their human families can provide. Its just plain wrong to throw them aside because they become 'inconvenient' should you move or something else comes up. 


I hope you enjoyed meeting and getting to know the Devon Rex and the Elf Cat ~ there's more to come. 


Catspaw

There Really is a Breed of Cat Called Munchkin!

A Munchkin is a breed of cat with very short and small legs! They were first observed in the 40's, then disappeared off the proverbial map after World War Two. When they resurfaced, not one but two, munchkin cats were rediscovered in the 1980's when they were bred. Lucky thing they were male and female - what are the odds! Their extremely short legs are not a handicap to these totally unique cats; they are as active as the rest of the feline race. 

Lets face it, when it comes to strange cats, as usual the Egyptians have outdone the rest of the world. Not only was their god Bast a cat woman but they even have a cat called Sphinx! I simply don't agree with what most people consider ugly; these are hairless cats, now whether this is a natural breed or they've been deliberately bred this way I don't know, but they are the same as any other cat with the exception of requiring special care. Obviously they didn't need cats with fur in a country as hot and arid as Egypt if they were bred to have no fur. They still have the coloring though; I wonder if they sweat?

The beautiful Norwegian Forest cat has very long, thick fur to insulate the animal and help it survive the freezing cold winters of Norway. We can credit the Vikings for their being with us today, as they brought them over when the cats accompanied them on their ships when they sailed round their part of the world. Apparently they have been found to be very loyal pets; owners have to give them a great deal of interaction. They excel in hunting and may, on occasion, bring home dinner.

One of my favorites is the Scottish Fold. This cat is a totally unique darling of the cat world and its all due to its ears. They don't grow much from kittenhood on and never stand up but instead, fold down when the kitten is three weeks old. They are basically adult cats that still have that adorable kitten look about them and they keep that throughout their natural lives.

The American Curl got its name also because of its ears. The cats ears actually curl backward and down; this happens in this particular breed of cat only. Now get this, to qualify for professional cat shows, the ears cannot touch the cat's skull. They can only curl like this kitty's ears; this specialty breed was bred to be this way from the 1980's and has gained its fair share of popularity and notoriety in the world of cats.

Catspaw

The Tale of a Cat Collar With Bell

Boo

He was a pint-sized black kitten with a touch of white; a blind, small, slight creature when I first rescued him that dark winter day in the cold barn. When, months later, he regained his strength and a little more growth, I gave him his very first cat collar with bell. Boo loved it and would shake his little head just to hear his cat collar with bell jingle. Many years later I was to find out that he was a Tuxedo cat and considered by experts to be very clever. Boo was indeed cagey enough to achieve the removal of his cat collar with bell and not a couple of times, to lose it as well. Of course this sent me searching the entire trailer for his cat collar with bell and scrutinizing each blade of grass outside for it. I usually managed to find the cat collar with bell for him again. 

Poor Boo, he genuinely missed his cat collar with bell the few times he lost it; so much so that he'd follow me out of doors to help look for it. As he grew older I had to extend his cat collar with bell for him. Boo didn't care for this because he wasn't wearing it and he insisted on having his cat collar with bell close by so he'd play with it and grab it out of my hands. Later, when another of our cats would try to play with his cat collar with bell, Boo would give them a whack and take it back. The cat collar with bell was his and his alone; no one was allowed to touch it! He was certainly not about to part with or share his cat collar with bell; that was just understood. After we'd had him for several years, Boo traveled with us on that memorable seven day road trip across Canada, that I'd like to forget, when we moved from Alberta to Prince Edward Island. I had the cats in my van so I was privileged to listen to a constant barrage of complaining and his cat collar with bell whenever he moved or shook his head, which was often! 

Boo was very disdainful of his bath time since it meant separation from his favorite toy, his cat collar with bell for the period of the bath; a long interval for him. It typically happened that he would reach over with one paw (his dry paw) and snatch the cat collar with bell when I was otherwise occupied. He'd drag it into the water and play with the cat collar with bell while I shampooed him. Well at least it kept him busy so he didn't mind as much. It quickly proved quite impossible to separate him from his darn cat collar with bell when it was sopping wet and set to dry on the register; he'd sneak in and steal it! Before long I'd hear the jingle of the cat collar with bell and discover Boo playing with and dragging it about the house. 

On occasion I had to mount a reconnaissance when they roughhoused in the basement and a loud, angry yowl would go up; Boo got the cat collar with bell off again but one of the other cats had absconded with it. My retrieval missions for the cat collar with bell were routinely successful and Boo was, to his great delight and to the peace of the rest of the house, was happily reunited.

After we lost him a year ago, I kept his cat collar with bell as a living reminder of a very special cat who once graced us with his special friendship and shared our lives for awhile. I miss hearing his cat collar with bell. So much so that every now and again I almost think I hear his cat collar with bell dinging faintly through the house. I still go looking for the sound only to find his cat collar with bell still hanging right where I left it. I miss you, Boo.

Here is to one of our best friends, our unique Tux cat Boo; in memory of him and his cat collar with bell.

Catspaw

A Readers Narration

A visitor to my blog told me this story and I wanted to share it with you, verbatim:

Quote: “I don't really have much of a story, we had a white color mini poodle who died then we got three cats from the SPCA . :) We got a Maine-Coon that was about 10 years old, she seemed lonely. :)
So we got a Tux Boy that was only about 1 year old but he was too much energy for the Maine-Coon :)
And then we got a several month old ginger Tabby to play with the Tux as he is very high energy. :)
Our Tux cat is like a dog, he is smart and he nods his head at you to say hello. :) He always gives you a double head nod as a way to say hi. :) It's funny, as he's like a person since people often nod too. :)” End Quote

I decided to see if I could find some pictures of a Maine-Coon and a Tux Boy, here's what I came up with. A Tux is a Tuxedo cat and I didn't realize it but I believe Molly and Boo were Tux's! Go figure, the things you learn huh! 

Pictures of Maine Coons

Pictures of Tuxedo cats

Picture of Boo, the baby I lost just last year was definitely a Tux Cat!

Molly, Tux Cat!

Catspaw

Introducing Zoomy a.k.a. Moggy

I got the story of Mr Sneakers and Moggy from friends of ours but was not informed of the cat's 'real' name, now so enlightened I will share it with my readers, in:

Mr Sneakers, the Newfoundland Mouse Meets Moggy... 

Mr Sneakers actually met Zoomy. I thought I'd better correct this oversight as I met Zoomy today at my friends place. 

Introducing Zoomy... one of the featured characters in the story.

Zoomy a.k.a. Moggy

Please let me know if you liked the story of Mr Sneakers and Zoomy as there could well be a sequel or two. 






Catspaw

Disclaimer to the Coming Story

Mr Sneakers, the Newfoundland Mouse, meets Moggy is based on a true story, with permission to share it with my faithful readers. 
The names and personalities have been changed to protect the innocent.
No mice were harmed in the telling of this story. 


Story to be posted January 31st. Please come back, enjoy the story and leave a comment. 

Catspaw

And Then Came…

And then came… Winston. Once again Sassy and this time Molly graced us with little ones. Now there were eight kittens and three cats in our family. Emmy was curious about them but highly concerned lest they take the attention away from her. I assured her this would not happen and she was happy, though she remained suspicious of them until they grew older and she realized, they were her personal animated ‘toys’. She was never too rough with them as they made a good job of nipping her if she did.  

I had found homes for them on one of the more popular classifieds engines online and as each one found a home, I found I had one left, a little tabby male with a darling personality. Compared to the three females he is mild and calm and half the time couldn’t figure out what all the ruckus is about with the sparing between Molly and Sassy. Winston is Molly’s baby; it seemed that people wanted females instead of males so we kept him for ourselves.

He’s a beautifully colored dark stripped tabby with a line of color that extends under his chin making him look as if he’s wearing a white bib. He is the calmest of the four and rarely gets excited about much, being more cautious about new things whereas Emmy will dive right in, regardless of the consequences. 

Being of an age now to be aggressive in play, a fact Emerald distinctly dislikes since she can be somewhat of a bully at times, their play can get quite yowly at times. Winny is strictly an indoor cat at this time, the one time he did venture outside he wasn’t impressed; he’s decided it has to be the right temperature for him to grace the world with his presence. He prefers to look out the window instead.   

Now that I have introduced them all, the intention of this blog is to not only share cat stories but to endeavor to offer other information from my own personal experiences with these unique animals and share them with my readers. In upcoming articles I will write about practical things like how to write successful ads that get immediate results when finding homes for kittens and cats, especially online; naturopathy that I have used for cat health and well-being, raising kittens, saving strays and throwaways; how to help farm and feral cats.  

I hope you will stay tuned for these upcoming articles, stories, quotes, ideas, names and even a cat food or treat recipe or two. Thank you for stopping by. 

Catspaw

As It Happened,

As it happened, Boo’s death coincided with Sassy’s birth of a single calico kitten. We christened her Emerald because we were moving to a hamlet of that name within a few weeks. Molly seemed lost without Boo, she’d wander the house and basement calling for him; she searched outside and Sassy would join her going to all the places Boo usually went. My husband and I weren’t the only ones mourning the loss of our dear friend. It was part of the reason we decided to keep Sassy’s baby, as a balm for all of us and in remembrance of Boo. 

Now older and wiser, Emerald lives in a world of her own where she, exclusively, rules and everyone else is her servant! A beautiful creature with semi long fur in calico colors, she spends her time preening and demanding treats. Highly competitive, she has to get her treats first because she will steal them from the others. Every morning begins the same with Emmy up on her hind legs, almost dancing to grab the treat bag out of my hands with her paws. Like Molly, she is very clever at getting what she wants. She uses her paws, usually with claws out, to steal food from dishes, hands and to gingerly pull treats away from the others.

Since the move she’s gotten used to going outside but demands re-entrance by getting up on her hind legs and in Grand fashion, furiously paws the outside of the patio door. She’s aggressive when she plays and is always the first to do everything. Though she doesn’t like to be picked up and cuddled unless it’s her choosing, the morning or evening crazies find her terrorizing the entire household while everyone tries to stay out of her way. Frequently she has almost successfully gone for a headlong nosedive down the narrow basement stairs. I swear there are invisible brakes on that cat!

Catspaw