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Rarer Cat Breeds Profile – May

:: American Wirehair ::

General Description:
The American Wirehair is very similar to its relative the American Shorthair in may ways, except for the American Wirehair’s coat’s wiry qualities featuring fur that is hooked, bent or crimped, which is a dominant trait in the breed.

History
The American Wirehair was developed in New York, USA, and it all began with a spontaneous mutation in a litter of upstate New York farm cats back in 1966. As of 2003, the breed has become more well known, yet still not quite as popular as others.

"A spontaneous mutation is an uncommon, although not rare, happening. As it has occurred among cats in the past, two ordinary cats came together and as a result of their mating, a kitten unlike its parents or littermates was born. The progeny of the original mutation, Council Rock Farm Adams of Hi-Fi, are now in all areas of the United States. What is interesting and unusual about this particular mutation is that it has not been reported in any other country thus far."



Appearance:
The coat is the characteristic that separates the American Wirehair from all other breeds. Just as there is a wide variety of texture in Persians or Exotics, there is also considerable variation among the Wirehairs. As this is a dominant mutation, approximately half of the kittens will be wirehaired at birth. The most readily apparent wiring is that of the whiskers and ideally, the entire coat will be wired at birth. If the coat appears to be ringlets, it may be too long and may wave or straighten with maturity. Some of the lightly wired coats may continue to crimp during the early life of the Wirehair. The degree of coarseness depends upon the coat texture of the sire and dam. To produce the best wiring, both parents must have a hard coat.

The breed standard accepts all colors and patterns, except those showing evidence of hybridization, resulting in chocolate, lavender, the colorpoint pattern or those combinations with white.

The eyes are described as "brilliant gold" except for white cats which are allowed to have either gold or blue eyes or one of each which is referred to as being "odd-eyed".



Personality:
The American Wirehair is said to have a balanced temperament and personality identical to its cousin the American Shorthair and are said to be generally quiet yet playful and active and very people-oriented.



@ cfa.org   

Fanciers Breeder Referral List
American Wirehair Breed Standard @ cfa.org
FBRL - American Wirehair Cat Breeders

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Rare Breeds of 2012:

March: Khao Manee
April: Singapura

Previous Rare Breeds from 2011:

August: Selkirk Rex
July: Siberian Forest Cat
June: Toyger
May: Nebelung

Group Rules & Guidelines | Best of CatCraze | Feline Info Links | Rarer Breeds Profiles | Cat Articles

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Update: Renewed since it seems some of our members are a bit unclear on our expectations.

New Folder Addition - Cat Adoptions

We now have a brand new folder for currently available shelter cats that are needing a new home and that you would like to promote!

Rules for submission:

Photo only please
Limit one photo per cat
Photo must be taken by you or someone you know
Cat must be up for adoption from a legitimate rescue organization
Brief details about cat & link to rescue website should be included in Artist Comments
Only currently available cats that have not been adopted yet that you would like to promote
MUST be sent to the correct folder for consideration! If you are unsure, PLEASE just ask any of us here.

Any questions you might have, please be sure to contact our group via Notes or to myself, ~cKyfan7788. Thank you.

The new folder is located here-> [link]