A Cat Breed With BIG EaRS and More...

The Cornish Rex

I could get used to this cat breed quite easily

The Devon was discovered by Beryl Cox in Buckfastleigh, Devon in the UK 1960, in with a litter of kittens near a disused tin mine. This odd breed was, at first sight, thought to be a link with the Cornish Rex; test mating proved another story altogether. Cats in general have three hair types: guard, awn and down. The Devon Rex sports a coat that has little guard hair. What they do have is a curly and very soft short coat so they are not as naked as they first appear.


The curl found in Devon Rex fur has its origin in a different mutation and gene than those of Cornish Rex`s and German Rex`s; when breeding a Devon with either of those breeds you will get a cat without rexed or curled fur. 

Devons are medium sized and referred to as "pixie" or "alien" cats because of their highly unusual appearance. With uncommonly large ears set low on their wide heads, their eyes are large and the noses slightly upturned - they are definitely attention getters. They have whiskers that are short and often curled to the point where it appears as though they completely lack them altogether. Distinctly lightly built body types with long, sturdy legs that are very well suited for long leaps, they end in unusually large toes. Devon Rex`s come in different colors with ears that are large and slightly rounded.


Devons are highly active, mischievous, playful, and very people-oriented. They have been described as a cross between a cat, a dog and a monkey or more famously as "monkeys in cat suits". These cats are high-jumpers and will attempt to cram themselves into any space large enough to admit them. With this very strong trait you will often find them in the odd nooks and crannies of a half closed closet, a slightly vacant shelf or half full laundry basket. They have a preference for high places and will go to almost any lengths to reach the highest spot in any room. Most Devons chose a central person to whom they will devote their love. They playnip but they don`t bite to cause harm. 

Highly intelligent, the typical Devon Rex can be leash trained, taught to fetch or to perform a host of tricks usually associated with dogs, like jumping on command, to heel when walking and playing tag.
As a typical show of affection they possess a particular penchant for being up close and personal, especially circling round the head and neck of human companions; they can often be found mounted up top of a shoulder or nestled into the cranny created by the neck and shoulder when one is prone. Devon Rex cats are faithful companions who will usually stalk the object of their affection from room to room awaiting the opportunity to leap onto their arms, lap or shoulder for attention and affection.

Colored Devon

Devon Rex grey kitten

Yep, I could definitely find a place for this darling breed of cat, couldn`t you?


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

Mr Sneakers, the Newfoundland Mouse, meets Moggy

Mr Sneakers had free run of the house when the human wasn't looking of course. He'd been silly enough to be seen the last time when he had paused from his mad dash about the place to clean his paws and she spotted him, commenting to her friend that he was cute she dubbed him: Mr Sneakers.
Miss Z’s confidant warned that where there was one, others would follow. How do they know these things? After that the conversation turned frightful; the companion suggested a CAT and knew a neighbor who had one to spare. ‘No’ came the answer, then she'd have to look after kitty!
When Mrs X visited again a week later, she found Miss Z hiding little traps all over the house. A few in the basement, a couple upstairs, several in the attic. Mr Sneaker found them all and cautioned is mates to avoid them.

“What on earth...” stammered Mrs X.

A troupe of mice were rampaging full tilt across the attic floor.

“Oh, state the obvious.” Miss Z remarked at the doleful expression of her cohort. “The traps are humane and I’m sure to collect them all and put them back outside where they belong very soon now.”

Looking doubtful, Mrs X suggested again that a small furred animal was the answer to the herd now amassing in the attic and mumbled again, ‘Where there was one...’

A loud knock came to the door and Miss Z responded. ‘Hello to the neighbor’, at least it would have been if he hadn’t brought Moggy with him. As it was cold outside and he couldn’t very well stand in the doorway allowing a draft to invade so she shooed him in.

“I heard you had mice so I brought Mog over to help out, he’s an awful good mouser.”

Ears attentive to the small scuttling coming from overhead, Moggy hit the floor and bounded straight up the stairs in a flash. Silence ensued. The three in the living room followed the sound of the creaking floor boards as the rodents were hunted. The wait seemed interminable until that wily tabby came slinking down into the room again as if nothing had happened. Indeed, there was some confusion as to whether anything was amiss in the attic so Mr. Neighbor volunteered to take a peek for the sake of the ladies wits. Cautiously he crept the narrow stairwell that led to the dimly lit chamber above and hesitated at the top. In the distance, toward the back of the alcove, an army of dormice were gathered. There seemed to be at least ten. Mr Neighbor duly informed the ladies.

Mr Neighbor positively insisted to Miss Z that it was absolutely no trouble at all for him to part with Moggy, then he was gone. Mrs X smiled in satisfaction.

After that Moggy was always about the house hunting Mr Sneaker and his accomplices; the tabby had a habit of lurking that would startle Miss Z every time she walked into a room. It was a deadly game of old fashioned cat and mouse but Mr Sneakers was clever; when the cat was searching the attic, he would led them into the basement and when Mog padded into the furnace room, the gang would sprint to the upper story. This continued, to the discomfiture of Miss Z, for over a week until she could not tell where the two parties actually were and at times both mice and cat seemed very confused themselves. Then one afternoon a series of wild little squeaks resounded from the cellar.

Miss Z took an awful start at the unexpected sound, hurried to the stair and snapped on the light. As she carefully descended Mog was right behind her tiptoeing all the way. There, in the corner, where she had left two open traps were the mice. Five in each humane trap, very agitated and jumping at the sides. They quieted at the stealthy approach of Moggy.

Miss Z stooped and raising the cages remarked, “Well, that’s that then. Outside you go.” And outside they went.

That very day Miss Z proudly announced to both Mr Neighbor and Mrs X when they came by to check on the situation, that the little rodents were decamped from her home. Moggy boastfully entwined all their legs as they listened intently to Miss Z’s telling of her story. She gave the impression that both factions had become baffled concerning who was where in the house in their efforts to either avoid altogether or to catch and eat; Miss Z summed up her tail expressing her sentiment that Mr Sneaker had become so confused that he led the rest to enter the traps by mistake to the happy conclusion of the whole episode.

Catspaw

Bereavement and Loss

It was a warm day in early October of 2010 when we prepared to set out on our cross Canada road trip to Prince Edward Island, where we were to live with Merrill’s ninety something mother. I had been packing for a month when we finally got everything we were taking crammed in. We said our goodbye’s to our friends and loaded the two cat cages in my van. 

We set out from Penhold, Alberta this fine, sunny morning with two overloaded vehicles and an almost bursting trailer with a handmade box hitched to Merrill’s van. The three noisy and complaining cats; Boo, Molly and Sassy, were none too pleased to be locked inside their carriers; Molly and Sassy were small enough to share. Actually it started out ok but then Boo decided he did want to play road trip anymore he started with a yowly complaint which got his companions doing the same. Have you ever been cooped up with three caterwauling, wailing cats that just want to go back home?  For a week no less! 

We stopped in Hannah, Alberta where little Molly got away on us and we had to gain the assistance of a kind gentlemen in a local lumber yard to use her leash to pull her out from under a huge lumber pile that look as though it could have collapsed on her, otherwise she would have become a permanent resident of that little town!  The whole scary scene was not lost on Sassy or Boo and after that, all three of them balked at the very notion of leaving the sanctity of their carriers; for the rest of the six days we were on the road they had to pulled out just to clean their confines. 

It was a blessing that the rest of the trip was largely and in seven days, we arrived. It was like another planet to them as they cautiously crept out of the carriers and into the room we were to call our own; they didn’t know what to make of the change. 

During the next two years they learned where home was when they were outside and usually stayed close other than investigating the only neighbor we had who lived across the road from us in large home with its expansive yard or the massive field behind the house where the owners grew potatoes. Sometimes I’d see them out in the small cemetery next to the house, catching mice. I could always call them in and when they hesitated, a shake of their treat bag never failed. They got used to being outside again and I never had any real problem with getting them in but lately Merrill’s mother was getting very forgetful and letting Boo out at night. Usually all my cats were indoors before the sun went down but I was working nights and Merrill usually got home late. He had absolutely refused to come in when called. 

The phone was for me that morning. Through a fog the neighbor was telling me she saw a black cat that she thought was dead just outside her yard… this sent me flying out the door and running across the road. It was Boo. 

My baby Boo and his brother Greymalk; I had found them both one winter in a freezing barn on a farm we were living on in Alberta. The mother was skin and bones and all her other kittens had died, their little wasted bodies strewn around the snow crusted yard. A visitor to the farm took the mother cat to a cattle and horse auction where she apparently found a home and did well. Her two tiny kittens, one completely grey with a little white mark on his head; the other black with a little white under his chin, were left screaming in the barn. The tiny black kitten, whose eyes were sealed shut from neglect, came screaming towards any source of noise hoping to find his mother and survival. That day he found me. 

I bundled them up and took them home, nursed them back to health and they became our first pets in Alberta. Some years before our move to the island and before Sassy’s time I lost Greymalk, now I had lost Boo as well. There was little to console me. Boo was a very special animal and I missed him dearly. It turned out that Sassy had a surprise in store for us that would honor her friend and companion Boo and help heal the wounds of losing him.

Catspaw