All about chinchilla cats

Chinchillas, thanks to their adorable muzzle, huge sad eyes and thick fur, look like plush toys. However, by nature they are real aristocrats, and excessive gripping and other "calf tenderness" are alien to this breed. Affectionate and smart chinchillas themselves come to the owner when they need affection. The rest of the time they rest imposingly in a comfortable armchair or on a soft couch.

Chinchilla cats belong to one of the oldest breeds, and therefore can boast of excellent health and stable psyche. The country of their appearance is considered to be England, although scientists from other European countries also participated in the breeding process.

The breed was finally formed at the end of the 19th century, but the standard was adopted only in 1980. The first mention of the breed dates back to 1890, when a kitten of an unusual color was born to a Persian cat. The baby was named Shin, his mother was a Persian cat, and his father was a smoky Briton. The unusual baby attracted the attention of breeders, and experiments began to breed similar kittens.

To implement the plan, the crossing of British and Persian individuals began. The result was a breed with a long, iridescent coat. First, kittens with dark fur were born, with their color reminiscent of the gray-blue British. However, then individuals were bred with a light pearl-silver hue.

However, Shina did not receive any kittens from the first offspring (or there is no official information about this). The first officially registered individual of a chinchilla was kittens born as a result of mating Betta's kitten with a smoky male.The cat was given the nickname Silver Lambkin (1889) and they began to consider him the ancestor of the chinchilla breed.

Difficulties also touched the shade of the animal's eyes. When mixing Persian chinchillas with classic Persians or silver British kittens were born with yellowish eyes. But after the introduction of green-eyed tabby into the pedigree, the kittens got bright green eyes.

At first, only a chinchilla with silver (blue) fur was considered purebred. A little later, a golden variety was bred on the basis of a stabilized silver cat. In 1980, this type of chinchilla was also recognized as a breed standard.

The representatives of the breed owe their name to Princess Victoria (granddaughter of the Queen of Great Britain), who became interested in the unusual appearance and kind nature of animals. With her light hand, the breed received exactly this name. Several devoted fuzzies lived in her palace at once.

Individuals of the chinchilla breed visually seem to be quite large, but this is only because of the voluminous coat. The average weight for males is 7 kg, for females - 5 kg. The animal has a strong, but soft body. The chest of chinchillas is quite wide, the back of healthy individuals is straight and even.

The body is supported by powerful and rather short legs with rounded pads. Tufts of fur usually stick out between the latter.

The head has a round shape, it is medium in size with a rather pronounced chin. The nose is small, flattened. The ears are also small, covered with thick fur from the inside, and if the individual is long-haired, then there are tassels.

The tail is the real pride of chinchillas. It is short, rather thick and covered with fluffy hair along its entire length. Its length is on average 1-1.5 cm longer than the hair on the whole body. Because of this, the cat should raise its tail - and it seems as if it is fanning itself with a real voluminous fan.

The characteristics of the breed necessarily include a description of the eyes. Large and expressive, they invariably attract attention. They have an unusual shape - round, slightly elongated at the corners and lowered. This gives the chinchillas a slightly sad and offended appearance. As a rule, chinchilla eyes are bright green, although there are individuals with gray-blue eyes.

Cats have a long and thick coat with an undercoat. The amazing shimmering effect of the coat is due to the color of the animal. At the base, closer to the body, the hairs have a lighter shade, gradually darkening towards the tips.

Chinchilla cats can be called noble aristocrats. They have a soft, docile nature, attach themselves to the owner and get along with children - they endure, even if they pull their tails. But whenever possible they try to leave the nursery as soon as possible. Left alone with itself, the animal will prefer special toys, and not the master's furniture.

As already stated, cats are human-oriented, and therefore require increased attention to their person. Their favorite place is on the lap of the owner. Loneliness is contraindicated for representatives of this breed - they experience stress, yearn, and may even get sick. At the same time, chinchillas are self-sufficient and do not like it when they invade their personal space. If the cat does not want to be touched and stroked at the moment, she will make it clear.

As kittens, animals can spend hours playing games, running after toys or rustling with candy wrappers. However, as cats grow older, they play less and less, as if demonstrating that they are representatives of the royal breed. An adult cat will prefer bliss in some warm and soft place to games. At the same time, it is still important to play with your pet, since a sedentary lifestyle is a direct path to obesity and disease.

Representatives of the breed are distinguished by their delicate character and quick wit. Cats are clean, easy to train. The owners also note that chinchillas are great lovers of "talk". They respond to affection with numerous purrs, they can meow to the owner when they are bored, or they are worried about something. The usual "meow" and "moore" in their "lexicon" have many intonations.

Chinchillas live on average 12-15 years. Life expectancy depends primarily on genetic characteristics, absence of diseases and care.

It should be remembered that these individuals tend to be overweight, which can shorten their life. That is why it is important to monitor your pet's diet and keep it active for quite a long time.

Representatives of the breed have come a long way of development before breeders managed to breed pets with unusual, and most importantly, fur resistant in offspring. Today, there are 3 types of chinchillas.

Classic color for this breed. Ticking all over the body. The coat has a thick undercoat. Almost the entire length of the hair is white and only at the tip 1/8 of the part is black. This provides a beautiful shimmery silver shade. Black ticking is more pronounced on the tips of the legs, back and tail, which makes it feel like a veil has been thrown over the animal.

The cat has dark paw pads, always contrasting. The nasal speculum, eyes and mucous membranes have a soft black outline, as if they were painted on with a cosmetic pencil.

This species has a subspecies of chinchilla point. The latter has a lighter shade of hairs and undercoat, which makes the pet's coat look snowy white. From the silvery appearance, she got an amazing pearl shimmer.

The guard hair is already 1/3 black, which makes this look darker than silver. Considering that the animal's undercoat is snow-white, and black ticking intensifies on the legs and tail, it seems that the pet has like blurry stripes. In this case, the darker areas gently flow into the lighter areas. As such, the shaded variety has no stripes. They have dark hair between the toes.

This species appeared relatively recently. Cats have a peach-honey shade of a fur coat, and black ticking prevails on the sides and on the tip of the tail, so it seems that a light haze envelops the cat. Sometimes the undercoat can be bright peach in color, and the ticking at the tip of the coat is blue. This is also considered the breed standard. The main thing is that the overall color of the cat is uniform - without spots and stripes.

Today, the breed is considered not fully formed, so new varieties appear - marble, chocolate (brown). The differences are based on the difference in shade of the ends of the cat's hair. They can be more silvery (blue), peach, cream.

Most kittens in the first 2-3 months have a pronounced tabby color (stripes), however, as they grow older, the shade becomes more and more shaded, becoming even.

Depending on belonging to a particular breed, chinchilla cats can be of several types.

• British chinchilla. In Russia, these cats are known simply as "British", and the cat is also known as English. The classic representative of the chinchilla.

• Scottish shorthaired chinchilla. These cats are also called plush - for their very thick, pleasant to the touch and short fur.Scottish cats can be straight and fold.

• Persian chinchilla. Another classic representative of its breed. The owner of the longest and fluffiest fur of all chinchillas.

The cat's long and fluffy fur requires daily grooming. You need to comb it out at least once a day, it is permissible to do this once every 2 days. Otherwise, tangles cannot be avoided. First, the animal is combed according to the growth of the coat, then against.

On the face and cheeks, the wool is combed towards the face, that is, against the growth of hair. Do not worry that the animal will behave restlessly during these manipulations. Chinchillas love to be brushed. Even against the grain.

Like most felines, chinchillas are small swimmers. In addition, their fur can turn yellow from frequent bathing. This can be avoided by using a special whitening shampoo. You should bathe your cat no more than once every six months, and you should be prepared for the pet's inappropriate behavior. It is important to be careful not to get water and foam from the shampoo in your cat's eyes and ears.

After water procedures, wrap it in a warm towel and let it dry a little like this. You can dry your pet's fur with a hair dryer, setting the mode to warm air. Brushing the wet coat is undesirable.

Pay attention to the fur between your toes when brushing and checking your cat's body every day. It can also be combed out, if necessary - trimmed. Otherwise, the wool in these places will get into a ball, rubbing the delicate pads.

An alternative to water and washing can be dry shampoo. It does not require rinsing with water, but simply combed out of the wool. First, you need to comb the fur coat, and then rub dry granules into the fur. After a while, the fur is combed out again. Dry shampoo should be applied every 14-17 days. From this, the fur of the animal will become fluffy, shiny, excess fat and dirt will be removed.

There is no need for special care for the ears; it is enough to clean them with a cotton swab once a week or less often, as it gets dirty. Only the visible part of the ear is cleaned. Trying to penetrate deeply, especially with a cotton swab, is dangerous for the animal.

But for the eyes of cats, as well as for wool, constant care is required. The fact is that individuals of this breed are prone to increased lacrimation, so the eyes should be wiped every day with a soft damp cloth or damp cotton pad.

Another kitten should teach the chinchilla to a scratching post, and at the same time, once a week, trim the claws with special tools. You only need to cut off a third of the claw, but if you cut most of it, then the blood vessels passing in this part of the claw will be damaged.

As for walks, they are pleasant for the animal, but not necessary. If you live in a private house, then you can let the cat go for a walk in the garden. Naturally, making sure that he is not in danger there, as well as putting on an antiparasitic collar. In the city, it is better to walk your pet on a harness.

It is important to keep the tray clean by regularly changing its contents. It is permissible to use any filler that is convenient for you. If you adhere to these simple rules, then there will be no unpleasant smell in the house, and the animal will not shit outside its toilet.

This breed of cats, like any other, can be fed according to one of two dietary patterns:

• natural food;
• zoo feed.

If we talk about home / natural food, then the diet should include a number of must-have foods.

• Meat - rabbit, turkey, chicken, sometimes other types of meat. It should be finely chopped and raw.You can pre-freeze the meat (for 10-12 hours), and then scald the pieces with boiling water. This will decontaminate them.
• A fish - it is enough to include sea fish (and only it) in the diet of a fluffy pet 1-2 times a week. Fish can only be given boiled.
• Dairy products also give no more than 1-2 times a week. It is better if it is low-fat cottage cheese, sour cream, fermented baked milk.

Periodically, you can add carrots or finely chopped boiled cabbage to the chinchillas diet. However, a particular cat may not tolerate vegetables well. If the animal is underweight, it is worth giving it bran or buckwheat porridge cooked in water once or twice a week.

Adults of this breed are fed 2-3 times a day, kittens - 5-6 times a day. Due to the unusual structure of the jaw, chinchillas are not able to chew large pieces of food, so the food must be chopped.

Before participating in exhibitions, 10-14 days in advance, it is recommended to feed the animal with kitten food. The latter is enriched with proteins and minerals, due to which the animal's coat will be especially shiny and silky. Some products can cause discoloration and deterioration of the animal's fur, these include:

• egg yolks;
• milk;
• brightly colored fruits and vegetables;
• butter.

It is important to control the vitamin and mineral composition of chinchilla food. So, with an excess of vitamin A in the body, a darkening of the animal's fur is observed. Vitamin deficiency also negatively affects the health and appearance of the individual.

When eating homemade food, it is imperative to include vitamin and mineral supplements in the diet of fluffies. If the animal eats food, then there is no need for this, since the zoo is enriched with everything necessary. In the winter-spring period, it is useful to give the cat a special herb. Better to grow it yourself and periodically "walk" the cat on the windowsill. Let your pet nibble on the correct amount of grass.

If you decide to feed the animal with ready-made food, preference should be given to dry premium or super premium products. Today in stores you can find food designed specifically for cats of Persian and British breeds. For chinchillas, these are suitable. The calculation of the daily dose of food is made according to the formula - for 1 kg of cat's weight, 70 kcal of food is required.

Breeding chinchillas is not an easy task, even for experienced breeders. This process is a kind of alchemy, the main difficulty is obtaining a stable characteristic color.

If you do not plan to take part in exhibitions, then a pair for a chinchilla can be selected from Persians or British, who have a golden or silver color.

If performances are planned, then only a purebred chinchilla with an ideal pedigree and fully meeting the standard can become a partner of the animal. In this case, it is better to choose a pair by contacting experienced breeders.

Mating can be started after the onset of the first estrus, usually this is an animal at the age of 1.5 years. Opinions were divided on the frequency of mating. Someone thinks that mating can be done every estrus. However, experienced breeders remind that estrus can begin as early as 4-5 days after giving birth. If a cat is nearby at this moment, it can be dangerous for newborn kittens. The optimal period between mating, according to these breeders, is 4 months.

The evidence of a successful mating is the calm, relaxed state of the cat.She begins to sleep more, in young cats (up to 3 years old) the nipples swell and turn pink. A month after mating, the cat's tummy is rounded. Pregnancy lasts 9 weeks.

After this time, kittens are born. If they have a pedigree, then after 1.5 months you should contact a specialized club. There the kids will be examined and given passports. This will allow selling pedigree kittens and participating with them in the future at exhibitions. It is better to give or sell kittens no earlier than three months. Until that time, the "child" should be next to mom - this is one of the guarantees of adult immunity and a strong psyche of an individual in the future.

If you do not plan to "nurse" the offspring, you should take care of the castration and neutering of the animal. There is a misconception that neutering is for cats and neutering is for cats. This is not true.

Castration is an operation to remove the gonads. In cats - testes, in cats - ovaries. Sterilization means a more gentle procedure. The vas deferens are tied to males, the fallopian tubes are tied to females. During sterilization, the animal does not lose sexual desire, but they cannot have offspring.

After the operation, the animal is forbidden to feed for the first 6-12 hours (to avoid vomiting, which is dangerous during this period), only water can be given. After returning from the veterinary clinic, the cat should be placed in a warm place on a flat surface. Do not place the animal on a raised platform, as disorientation is observed after anesthesia. The pet may fall and be injured. As a rule, cats recover the very next day after surgery, cats wear a blanket that protects the seams for several days.

The health of an animal consists of two factors - heredity and characteristics of care. By nature, chinchillas got a fairly strong immunity, but the breed still has characteristic diseases.

With this pathology, the renal parenchyma is replaced by cysts. Those put pressure on the organ, due to which the functionality of the kidneys decreases, nephritis and nephrosis occur. It is almost impossible to determine the disease at the initial stage. Polycystic disease is diagnosed when the cysts become already large, bring pain, and the cat's abdomen increases in size.

If the cysts are palpable well, unfortunately, it is no longer possible to save the cat - the kidneys actually stop working, and instead of the kidney tissues - cysts. At this stage of life, the animal is either euthanized, or a certain diet is kept and medication is given to the cat to alleviate its suffering.

With this pathology, the walls of the ventricle of the heart muscle thicken. This provokes heart failure, thromboembolism and even sudden cardiac arrest of the animal. It is possible to diagnose an ailment only with the help of an ultrasound scan. Shortness of breath and rapid fatigability of the pet can be a signal to the need for it.

The disease is the death of light-sensitive receptors located on the surface of the retina. Alarming signs of the disease are night blindness (decreased visual acuity at dusk and dark time of the day), greatly dilated pupils, increased glitter of the eyes. With a mild form, the animal begins to see poorly in the dark, while a severe form threatens the complete blindness of the individual. There is currently no effective treatment.

It is important to follow your vaccination schedule. Representatives of this breed are vaccinated against the following diseases:

• rabies;
• rhinotracheitis;
• feline distemper;
• calcivirosis.

After the first injections, revaccination follows at 2.5-3 months. Then vaccinations are given once a year. As a rule, the veterinarian himself selects the appropriate drug. In most cases, "Nobivak", "Trikat" and "Quadricat" are used as compounds that are most favorably tolerated by the animal's body.

For the British chinchilla, see the next video.