Rarer Cat Breeds Profiles - July

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:star: Rarer Cat Breeds Profile - July: :star:

:: Siberian Forest Cat ::



General Description:

The majestic Siberian is a strong, powerfully built cat with strong hindquarters helping them jump exceptionally high. They are a slow-maturing breeding reaching full magnificence at about 5 years of age. Siberians are large cats with a substantial rounded body reminiscent of a barrel and heavily boned legs to support the substantial body structure. Their paws would do a heavyweight boxer proud! But for all their powerful strength, these are gentle cats that enjoy playing and clowning around with their families.

History:

Siberian cats have existed for a long time. The earliest know reference is from 1000AD. In the 1870s they appeared in the first cat show and we also find a reference to Siberian cats at the 1884 show in Madison Square Gardens. Noted cat fanciers mention them in their books in 1889 (Harrison Weir: Our Cats) and 1898 (John Jennings: Domestic & Fancy Cats) along with the first photo of one in 1900 (Helen Winslow: Concerning Cats). But while we find early references to the early Siberians, there is little documented information about them. The 1980s saw the rise of the cat fancy in Russia and records began to be kept. Kotofei Cat Club in Moscow created the first standard and used 2 cats as the model for it: Mars-a blue lynx point and white--and Roman--a brown tabby and white. At the 1989 All Union Cat Show there were 12 Siberians entered. In 1990 Elizabeth Terrll (Starpoint) imported three cats to the USA: Ofelia, Naina and Kaliostro. In 1997 Dana Osborn (Willowbrook) imported the first colorpoints Ustin El Magrib of Willowbrook (seal lynx point male) and Roksana Babyan of Willowbrook (seal tortie point female) and in 1998 the first color point litter was born. TICA accepted them into the New Breed program in 1992 and in 1996 granted them championship status.

Personality:

Siberians use their incredible intelligence to solve all kinds of problems-like determining to how to open a door to be with the owners they adore, how to get to the cat food for an extra meal, or how to recover the favorite toy their owner thinks they have so cleverly hidden out of reach! They are powerful agile cats that can leap great distances and heights, sometimes appearing to fly through the air, but despite their size, they are adept at negotiating obstacles in their path without knocking them over. At the same time, they love to play and will entertain you with their clown-like antics. They adore their human families and their visitors-with children holding a warm spot in their hearts. They have a wonderful depth to their purr and talk to you with a chirping sound, particularly when they are coming to greet you when you have been out.

Traits:

While considered a semi-longhair, the Siberian's coat varies with the season. In the winter, it will have a thick, rich, full, triple coat that would have protected it from the elements in its native Russia. In the summer, they shed the heavy winter coat for a shorter, less dense coat. They come in a wide variety of colors and patterns, including pointed, with deep intense colors and rich patterns that make them a dramatic stand out from the everyday cat.

The Siberian is a large, strong cat with heavy boning and a powerful musculature that takes up to 5 years to reach full maturity. They have rounded contours to the body resembling a barrel and rounded, gentle contours to the modified wedge head. Their eyes are almost, but not quite, round and will appear rounder when the cat is alert or startled. Their hind legs are slightly longer than their front legs giving them the powerful lift they need to get to those high places they just have to reach! The overall impression of the mature Siberian is one of the balance, circles and roundness.



Breed Standard:

SIBERIAN (SB)

HEAD . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40 points
Shape . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
Ears . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
Eyes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
Chin . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
Muzzle . . . . . . . . . . . 10
Profile . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
Neck . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2

BODY . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35 points
Torso . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
Legs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
Feet . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
Tail . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
Boning . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
Musculature . . . . . . . . 6

COAT/COLOR . . . . . . . . 15 points
Length . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
Texture . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
Pattern . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
Color . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2

OTHER . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10 points
Balance . . . . . . . . . . . 5
Condition . . . . . . . . . . 3
Temperament . . . . . . . 2

CATEGORY: Traditional and pointed.

DIVISIONS : All.

COLORS: All.

PERMISSIBLE OUTCROSSES: None.

HEAD:

Shape: Modified wedge of
medium/large size with rounded
contours, in good proportion to the
body. The head is broader at the top
of the skull and narrows slightly to a
full-rounded muzzle. The
cheekbones are neither high set nor
prominent.

Ears: Medium-large, rounded,
and tilt slightly forward. The ears
should be set as much on the sides
of the head as on top. Ideal position
is one to one and one half ear width
apart. The hair over the back of the
ear is short and thin. From the
middle of the ear, the furnishings
become longer and cover the base of
the ear. Lynx tipping allowable.

Eyes: Large, almost round, with
the outer corner angled slightly
towards the base of the ear. The
eyes should be set more than one
eye’s width apart. There is no
relationship between eye color and
coat color/pattern.

Chin: The chin is well-rounded
but not protruding, and is in line with
the nose.

Muzzle: The muzzle is short in
length, full and rounded. There is a
slight muzzle curvature, but the
transition between the side of the
head and the muzzle is gentle and
inconspicuous.

Profile: The top of the head is
almost flat, with a slight nose
curvature of a gentle slope from the
forehead to the nose and a slight
convex curvature before the tip when
viewed in profile.

Neck: Rounded, substantial and
well-muscled.

BODY:

Torso: The body is medium in
length, and well-muscled with the
back arched slightly higher than the
shoulders, with a barrel-shaped, firm
belly giving the sensation of solid
weight (which appears with age).

Legs: Medium in length. The
hind legs are slightly longer than the
front, and should have substantial
boning.

Feet: The feet are big and
rounded, with toe tufts desirable.

Tail: The tail is medium in length,
wide at the base, tapering slightly to
a blunt tip. The tail should be
somewhat shorter than the length of
the body.

Boning: Substantial.

Musculature: Substantial, powerful.

COAT/COLOR/PATTERN:

Length: This is a moderately long
to longhaired cat with a triple coat.
The hair on the shoulder blades and
lower part of the chest being thick
and slightly shorter. There should be
an abundant ruff setting off the head.
There is a tight undercoat (in mature
cats), thicker in cold weather. Allow
for warm weather coats. The hair
may thicken to curls on the belly and
britches, but a wavy coat is not
characteristic.

Texture: Varies coarse to soft,
varying according to color.

Pattern: Clear patterns are
desirable, but secondary to type.

Color: All traditional and pointed
colors and combinations are
accepted with or without white.
White or off-white allowed on chin,
breast and stomach of tabbies; white
allowed in most areas. Strong colors
are desirable, but secondary to type.

OTHER:

Balance: Well-proportioned.

Condition: Excellent health in
good overall condition.

Temperament: Must be unchallenging.

GENERAL DESCRIPTION: The
Siberian is a medium-large cat with
the overall appearance of excellent
physical condition, strength and
power, modified by a sweet facial
expression. The general impression
of the body is one of circles and
roundness. Siberians are slow to
mature, taking as long as 5 years to
reach full maturity. Females are
considerably smaller than males, and
allowances should be made when
comparing females and young cats to
the standard. Size is secondary to
type.

ALLOWANCES: Because the
Siberian is a slow maturing breed,
coat and physical structure should be
taken into consideration when
judging kittens and young adults.
Buttons, spots, and lockets.

PENALIZE: Straight profile, narrow
muzzle, long tail, delicate boning,
non-muscular, long body, almondshaped
eyes, very long legs.

WITHHOLD ALL AWARDS (WW):
Evidence of illness, poor health,
emaciation, visible tail fault.

Revised 05/01/05 Siberian Breed Standard, 05/01/2005

* From TICA.org


Siberian, Sasha no. 3 by Mischi3vo Bandit, Siberian Cat no. 7 by Mischi3vo Siberian cat by SaNNaS

:bulletgreen:Where to find a Siberian:
FBRL
Siberian Cat Breeder
Siberian Cat World Breeders
Petfinder

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June: Toyger
May: Nebelung
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