Saturday, March 7, 2009

Culture Lesson - Class #1005

Welcome, culture lovers. It's time again to explore the wonderful world of Cat Breeds.

Using this
site, which lists various cat breeds, we come to the fifth in our series.

American Wirehair


(picture taken from this site)

History

American Wirehair originated as a spontaneous mutation in the do mestic cat population in 1966. The first American wirehairs were born to ordinary barn cat parents on small farm in Verona, New York. Breeders petitioned the Cat Fanciers' Association (CFA) for getting the breed recognized. In 1967 the CFA accepted the American wirehairs for registration and in 1978 granted championship status.

Appearance
American Wirehairs are medium to large in size, strong and well muscled with strong legs and firm full paws. The head is round with prominent cheekbones and a well-developed muzzle and chin. The ears are medium size and slightly rounded, and the eyes are large, round, and set well apart. The medium length tail tapers to a rounded tip.

The coat is the characteristic that separates the American Wirehair from all other breeds. Each hair is crimped, hooked or bent, including the whiskers and the hair within the ears, giving this breed a unique coat that's short, springy, resilient, coarse, and very dense. Significant variation exists in the texture and length of the individual coats.

Personality
American Wirehairs have a sweet, loving Personality. They crave human attention and affection. They are active without being hyper, and affectionate without being clingy. Wirehairs generally dislike being held and cuddled.

Craving attention, but disliking being held? That's a cat all right. mrrrooowww
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5 comments:

Lisa said...

Wirehair, doesn't sound very flattering!

I was watching an info show on HBO On Demand today and I learned that the Savana can jump 7 feet! They are lovely cats. Some states won't allow them. (MA, where I live, is one of them)

Bevie said...

Do you know why they're not allowed?

Lisa said...

They said because they believe that if they manage to escape that they'll wreck more havoc on the wildlife. I know NY was another state that didn't allow them, and some state south.

Bevie said...

That's probably true. But they've brought in so much other flora and fauna does it matter anymore? A lot of the plants and animals we associated with our country really aren't native to it.

Did you hear about the lionfish along the coast waters of Florida? They believe a hurricane caused some to be released into the ocean where they have become a dominant fish.

Lisa said...

I hadn't heard about the Lionfish problem in Florida.

Yes, I think the reason to ban Savana's is pretty lame and it would be a horrible shock to someone who has one and decides to move to state that has banned them. I hope they find out before they move!

Music to Make the Cats go Wild

Just a love song.

Musical Cats



Our Theme Song

Kitten of the Month - August

Kitten of the Month - August
Tara
Tara - Nick name 'ity-bit' because she's so tiny - just over 6 pounds. She's the most skittish of all my babies and even when being petted has the 'pet me, no don't pet me' look

Kitten of the Month - July

Kitten of the Month - July
Amelia
Amelia - Nickname 'Bratelia' since she gets into every draw, cabinet that she can put her paws in.
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Kitten of the Month - June

Kitten of the Month - June
Sethra

“She’s got tuna. I know she’s got tuna.”

“Shut up, Sethra. Stay on mission.”

“What’s the mission? I thought the mission was to get tuna.”

“No, you stupid fluffbrain—it’s to escape and become outdoor cats, walking by ourselves, on our wild lone, waving our tails.”

“Oh, yeah? And isn’t it you, my dear stripy sister Aliera, who keeps pushing the FEED button on the printer and waiting for tuna to come out?”

“That was when I was much younger. Anyway, she’s at the computer—yes, eating tuna casserole—so we can go into the bedroom and see if we can knock the window screen out.”
“You do it, Aliera. I’d rather mess with her stuff.”

“Will you GET OVER that fixation on her wristwatch?”

“I like the feel of the Velcro on my paws. Hey! That reminds me. We’ve been declawed. How are we going to survive as outdoor cats?”

“New plan coming up….”

“What’s the big deal about being outside cats? Even StalkerCat, who used to hang around and chat us up, is a house cat now and loving it. We’ve got it made—food, petting, toys, valet service for the litter box, and we get to sleep on her bed twenty hours a day. And we can stick our noses up to the window and smell anything interesting going on outside. Why ruin a perfect situation?”

“Sethra, have you no sense of adventure? No curiosity? No cattitude? We were meant to live wild and free, to stalk and slay our prey, to be mistresses of the night!”

“Look, we’re cats. We were meant to rule the world, but that doesn’t mean we have to WORK at it. You can if you want, but I don’t need to. After all, I’M beautiful!

“Did I mention she’s got tuna?”

Kitten of the Month: May

Kitten of the Month: May
Caitlin
Kitten Close-Up.

Kitten of the Month: April

Kitten of the Month: April
Mikey
At 8, you'd think Mikey would understand that he's a carnivore. But, no, he's rather fond of the shrubbery! At 20+ pounds, the veggie-enhanced diet is likely mitigated by a love for long naps on a warm comforter, wet cat food, begging at the table, and a nice lap to drape himself upon in the evening. And he drools when he's happy, which may or may not mean there's a Siamese ancestor lurking in the old dna.

What? Green teeth attract mice!

Kitten of the Month: March

Kitten of the Month: March
Geoff
Who needs a wickerwork basket when you can hop on a cushion and bask?

Kitten of the Month: February

Kitten of the Month: February
Rufus
Rufus is clearly a cat to be reckoned with.
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Kitten of the Month: January

Kitten of the Month: January
Firestar
Firestar is a tough cat. He has to be, living in Minnesota. He takes care of his family: wife, husband and their son. This was recently proven by his daring capture of yet another mouse in the house. Foolish rodents. They never learn. When not engaged in derring do, Firestar naps, looks out the window and sleeps. Firestar was born in April of 2006.
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