Cat Breeds

From wild cat to domestic cat: The history of our domestic cat is relatively recent, because its domestication took longer than with our other domestic animals. It is true that on Jericho, on the year of 7000 B.C. they had cats, but only as domesticated wild animals. It was on the new empire of Egypt, somewhere around the year of 1500 B.C., when grayish African cats came near to human company, attracted by the plague of rodents that infested the provisions of cereals and rice. At the same time, they got used to men and were exalted by them as protector gods of barns. There is another peculiar aspect of cats, and it is that they joined humans by their own choice.

Domestic cats did not arrive to central Europe until the Carolingian era, that is, towards the year of 800 A.C., and mixed with its indigenous co generics in a savage state. From their savage origin they have kept many characteristics. That creates a brotherhood with their non domesticated relatives. In fact, the feline family (felidae) constitutes a very homogeneous focus group.

Any cat, big or little, is recognized immediately and can never be mistaken with any other specie.

Arising of breeds: As in the case of the other domestic animals, there has been in the process of domestication several mutations (sudden changes in the hereditary substance that are transmitted from generation to generation), that has transformed color, hair and aspect. At first, men started experimenting as if it was a game. Nature compensated him, for example, with the Turk Angora which name comes from the city of Ankara. This is one of the oldest breeds. Due to unknown conditions, nevertheless, Turk Angoras cannot be bred except among their own race. This way some characteristic features of the breed could fix themselves so as to become the oriental long hair cat. When these specimens arrived to England and France from Turkey on the XVI century, they were appreciated by their silvery and silky hair. When the preference came upon the compact complexion and dense and smooth fur, the beginning of the breeding of Persian cats began.

Systematic breeding is has been practiced in the entire world since some 100 years ago., and with it came several things:

• Men stopped giving priority to the use of cats, and favored more its aspect and beauty.
• For the fixing of breeds, they took characteristics that differ one cat from the other, such as hair, color of a determined shape of head or body.
• By this epoch the Austrian monk Gregor Mendel discovered the hereditary laws. From there on breeders that until now had almost no idea of transmission of color, could proceed in consequence.

What is a standard? One can define standard as a description of an "ideal" animal of a determined breed. Standards are fixed by the International Judges Committee for Cat Breeding Associations. Today one may find around fifty breeds, whose standards in Europe are judged and prized at the exhibitions with a determined criteria by the continental FIFE (Fedération Internationale Féline d'Europe) and the British GCCF (Governing Council of the Cat Fancy). Each breed and color variety accepted by associations, has an assigned number valid for all the countries members of the FIFE. Then, for example, number 27 defines a Burmese cat, while the additional letter A is applied to the blue variety. They are classified and valued by the color, head, body, eyes, skin, physical condition and the tail until one adds up a maximum of 100 points.