My Chartreux Cat Sterling SilverPosted on May 25, 2012 by Michael

by Danette Lorch (Roswell, New Mexico)

Sterling and Pip

I adopted little Sterling from the Humane Society in Phoenix, AZ. He was 8 months old at the time and had just come from a foster home the day I adopted him. He had a broken leg and tail. I assume he had been hit by a car because every time he hears the sound of an engine he gets very scared! As soon as we saw each other it was an instant bond. He was the most unique cat I'd ever dealt with. He couldn't get enough attention when I took him home. I taught him how to play fetch within an hour one day. His favorite toys are rubber bands, bread ties, or anything fuzzy! He figured out how to open cabinets and drawers by himself.

He also listens very well to discipline. I just have to lower my voice and speak to him and he responds. Every time he senses something is wrong with me he is always right there to comfort me. He loves going for walks outside on a leash. But his favorite activity is a long car ride. He can't get enough of the wind blowing through his fur. He is an amazing little hunter! Nothing gets past him. He does

have some problems with balancing because of his kinked tail. Sterling loves everybody even if they don't like him at first. He has captured the heart of many cat haters with his sweet little smile and fun tricks. He loves a good neck or belly scratch anytime you want to give him one.

One day I brought home a tiny 3 week old kitten, Pip. Sterling immediately took him under his wing. He bathed the kitten and carried him around in his mouth and always kept a close eye on little Pip. Over a year later they are still best of friends. They also have a little sister named Daisy. Daisy came to us at 4 weeks and Sterling did the exact same thing with her. They all have a monkey see monkey do attitude. Sterling spends many hours a day grooming his long thick blueish silver coat. He got his name Sterling Silver because of the amazing shine on his paws and head. They literally shimmer like silver. In the sun the rest of his coat shines just like his paws. I don't think he is a full blood Chartreux but he posseses all the qualities of one. The only thing that separates him is his long coat.

Sterling is my number one man and my best friend. He has helped me through some tough times. He truly is a blessing and I look forward to the many years and memories to come.

Hi Danette I love your story. I am very impressed by Sterling Silver. He is a fine, intelligent cat. And a very handsome cat. You are both lucky to have each other. Or perhaps you deserve each other. I changed the title a bit to get the story found under Chartreux Cat. I hope you are OK with that....Michael PoC Admin.From My Chartreux Cat Sterling Silver to Chartreux Cat

Chartreux cat

The Chartreux is a breed of domestic cat from France and is recognised by a number of registries around the world. It is not recognised by the GCCF in the UK, ostensibly for being too similar to the British Shorthair, one of whose colours is a similar blue-grey. The Chartreux is large and muscular, with relatively short, fine-boned limbs, and very fast reflexes. They are known for their blue (grey) water-resistant short hair double coats which are often slightly nappy in texture (often showing "breaks" like a sheepskin) and orange- or copper-colored eyes. Chartreux cats are also known for their "smile": due to the structure of their heads and their tapered muzzles, they often appear to be smiling. Chartreux are exceptional hunters and are highly prized by farmers.

The first letter of the official name of a Chartreux cat encodes the year of its birth; all Chartreux born in the same year have official names beginning with the same letter. The code letters rotate through the alphabet each year, omitting the letters K, Q, W, X, Y, and Z. For example, a Chartreux born in 2011 would have an official name starting with the letter GThere is a legend that the Chartreux are descended from cats brought to France by Carthusian monks to live in the order's head monastery, the Grande Chartreuse, located in the Chartreuse Mountains north of the city of Grenoble (Siegal 1997:27). But in 1972, the Prior of the Grande Chartreuse denied that the monastery's archives held any records of the monks' use of any breed of cat resembling the Chartreux (Simonnet 1990:36–37). Legend also has it that the Chartreux's ancestors were feral mountain cats from what is now Syria, brought back to France by returning Crusaders in the 13th century, many of whom entered the Carthusian monastic order.

The first documented mention of the breed was by the French naturalist Buffon in the 18th century. The breed was greatly diminished during the first World War and wild populations (Helgren 1997:100-103) were not seen after World War II. A concerted effort by European breeders kept the breed from extinction. The first Chartreux were brought to the U.S. in 1971 by Helen and John Gamon of La Jolla, California. In 1987, the Cat Fanciers' Association (CFA) advanced the Chartreux breed to championship status (Siegal 1997:27). There are fewer than two dozen

active Chartreux breeders in North America as of 2007.

Historically famous Chartreux owners include the French novelist Colette, Charles Baudelaire and French president Charles de Gaulle.British Shorthair CatPosted on June 1, 2012 by Michael

Photographs of British Shorthair catEarl Grey © Helmi Flick

All the photos and text on this page are protected by “copyright ©” except where indicated. Violations of copyright are reported to Google.com (DMCA).

photos in this group of Earl Grey copyright © Helmi Flick

For visitors who live abroad and who are unsure, Earl Grey is a popular English tea. The blue coat is the classic Brit. SH look. See also Grey cat breeds (new window).

Introduction

It could be said that the British Shorthair Cat is as natural a breed as is possible today in that all registered breeds are now subject to human intervention. The breed originates from the British Domestic Shorthair or British Moggie, which has an extremely long history. Throughout its early history this was “the working cat of Great Britain”2. The American Shorthair is the USA equivalent and is founded upon the Brit. SH. The founder of the cat fancy, Harrison Weir, bred British Blues3.

A number of cat breeds are mutated “British Shorthair cats”; although before the cat fancy started they were thought of as simply “cats”, on farms and streets. An example is the Selkirk Rex, the mutated gene making the fur curly and crinkly.

Through selective breeding from the late 1800s the Moggie was transformed into a recognized breed; the British Shorthair. This is very definitely my kind of cat. Helmi Flick loves ‘em too (see Sky and Nox below).

The outstanding features are a quiet voice and a plush dense coat to combat the typical English weather and a semi-cobby body type. This is probably the most pleasurable of all purebred cats to stroke because of the feel of the coat! This breed has been described as the “teddy bear of the cat fancy”2. See also the British Longhair Cat, a stupendous cat that trumps the Persian!

Click here to see visitors’ submissions

History/Origin

At the time (early 1900s) that the British Shorthair cat started to gain some ground in the early days of the cat fancy the Persian was king. The rich and famous wanted to have a glamorous Persian cat or perhaps a Siamese cat. The

middle classes kept a Moggie, the Brit ish Shorthair to be. The Siamese was very rare and popular at the time and journalists reporting on cat shows would invariably end up enthusing about the rare and extraordinary Siamese cat.The British Shorthair today looks very similar to the English cat of 110 years ago. There would seem to be a slight difference, an enhancement of the concept of roundness and cobbiness that is so admired in the Brit SH and the refinement of its coat. This can be seen by making a comparison in the photograph below of a champion Brit SH taken at the end of the 1800s and the cats photographed by Helmi Flick on this page. Picture above: British SH late 1800s – see copyright

Bootsie, my British Shorthair, was lounging on the windowsill when suddenly, the phone began ringing. Almost immediately after and just as suddenly, Bootsie began making a strange sound. It sounded a bit like a telephone! Then, he batted the telephone out of my hand and yowled into it. My friend Steve, who was on the phone, laughed his head off when I got the phone back and apologized. Bootsie soon made it into a habit. People who didn’t know I had a cat were stunned, and I

was the one laughing my head off. Bootsie is SSOOOO cute!….Camilla (Keller, Texas USA)

Timeline

Date Event

Roman times British moggie to be is introduced into Britain by the Romans

Hundreds of years before 1871

British Shorthair (BS) existed as a “domestic cat”, what we now call a Moggie in the UK until the cat was turned into a formal cat breed through deliberate and selective breeding. Known as European Shothairs1.

late 1800s Selective breeding began

1871 Blue tabby won Best in Show at the Crystal Palace Cat Show. This was thefirst official cat show (I presume world wide)

1889 Written up in one of the first cat books

1918-1940s First and Second World War Years – severe decline in number of this breed. Breeders obliged to make outcrosses with other breeds including Persian cats causing a divergence from true BS type. The GCCF no longer allows out crossing to Persians.

1950s Breed had almost died out. Dedicated breeders “who exported stock to Ireland and throughout the British Commonwealth”3 revived it.

1901 First BS exported and registered in “Americas”

c.1910 Exportation of Brit. Shorthair breed to USA

1980 CFA granted Brit. Shorthair championship status

1988 First CFA national win for this breed (3rd Best Cat in Premiership)

current Recognized by all N.American cat associations and the GCCF in the UK

See some more on the history of this cat breed in comparison with both the American and European Shorthair cat breeds.

Read a narrative version of the history of the British Shorthair cat.

It is a shame that mankind decided to create a breed called the British Shorthair and then through his activities (wars leading to outcross breeding) over the following decades consciously diverged from the standard that was previously set.

Blue British Shorthair – Sky. Sky lives with Ken and Helmi Flick. Photograph copyright © Helmi Flick

Appearance/Character

The British Shorthair is a placid, easy going and calm cat, which makes this popular cat suited to people who rush around a lot. Their stable and balanced character makes them suitable for indoor and apartment living. Nonetheless, like all cats they are playful and alert when they want to be.

They are a sturdy looking cat, muscular and strong it is said2. I am not entirely sure that this is accurate. The British Shorthair cats that I have seem are

beautiful but of average size and strength. The head is “broad and round”. The muzzle and nose is short but it should not be exaggerated as is the case for the Persian or Exotic Shorthair. I feel that there is a tendency to over do the shortness of the face in a desire to achieve the chubby cheeked “chipmunk-like appearance”2.

This is a very popular cat breed, currently at September 2010, ranked 7th out of 66 cat breeds in a long running PoC poll of over 3400 visitor votes. This breed of cat takes about 5 years to grow to adulthood. This means that it performs well at cat shows into what might be considered old age. At 11 1/2 years of age a BS received her Grand Premiership at a 1994 show.

Ralph copyright © Helmi Flick

They continue to “thicken up” until 4 years of age and are on the heavy side being 12-18 lbs for male cats apparently (15 lbs or so would be about the top end). They are heavier than average I think it fair to say. Click the link to see comparisons ondomestic cat weights.

The British Shorthair Cat has a noticeably dense coat. The coat “cracks” when the body is flexed. This means you can see into the fur as it parts. You can see clearly that Earl Grey’s body is sturdy and cobby (stocky). His face is rounded with sweet chubby checks and round copper colored eyes. The British Shorthair is a sturdy, solid looking cat.

The coat can be in almost any color and pattern. “It is shown in all colours and all divisions of the traditional category”2. The Brit. SH is thought of as an intelligent breed of cat and has appeared in films, on TV and on cat food packaging (Whiskas and Sheba). Research (although to be honest it is not great research) indicates in fact that the British Shorthair is in the mid range of cat breed intelligence. The Sphynx cat is meant to be the most intelligent under informal testing.

The British Shorthair Cat is relatively quiet, in line with the cat’s personality, which seems to be a little like my cat (a Moggie/Norwegian Forest Cat hybrid) in that they prefer to be near and with you rather than on you. This may be due to overheating when on you as their dense coats provide a high level of insulation. The difference in the characteristics of female and male British Shorthairs, I think, mirrors human differences. The males are less serious than the females and less particular. The British Shorthair is a very popular show cat being as it is relatively easy to maintain in preparation for the show and the easy going character help cope with the stresses of competition.

There is a semi longhair British Shorthair cat. There is breed is that is called theBritanica which is recognized by a cat association called the European Group Cat Association (EGCA). The EGCA have recognized the Britanica since 2002. A search of the Internet produced nothing on the cat breed called the Britanica cat, which is a current cat breed. It is interesting that the word is spelled with one “n” normally the word is spelled “Britannica”. This breed is identical to the British Shorthair except for the length of fur and is known as the Lowlander in the USA, where the breed is experimental. Comparison with European Shorthair and British Shorthair This page provides, I hope, a useful look at the differences between the British Shorthair cat, the American SH and the European Shorthair cat, a breed that was formally recognized as a separate breed late in the day.

The article focuses on the European SH. The differences are subtle. Some more on the British Shorthair cat Some more pictures and the story behind one of the best cat photographs can be seen on this page plus some information on the genetics that go to make up this cat’s appearance.

Above: Photograph of Toes a tabby copyright © Helmi Flick

Health

The British Shorthair Cat is generally healthy. They would seem to have a life span slightly above the average for a purebred cat (averaging 15 years of age). Apparently, they may be more prone than normal to becoming overweight when there is a combination of being neutered or spayed and if they are encouraged to lead a sedentary life style (i.e. living in an apartment or exclusive and permanent indoor living ). This may be exacerbated by modern cat diets a lot of it being high in carbohydrates and the fact that they can be lazy sometimes. A low carbohydrate diet should be considered. There is no such thing in my opinion as inactive cat food . It is important to keep a healthy cat weight obviously. Cat weights are increasing with human weights and is of concern to veterinarians.

Ralph standing copyright © Helmi Flick

The best way to deal with this is to ensure some exercise, which means more input from the human keeper together with a low calorie diet (LD or RD Hills I give my cat – although she is still overweight). Their tendency to become overweight is due, in part, to being naturally inactive at 4-6 years (and beyond) of age.

The British Shorthair cat may also suffer from more than average teeth/gum problems, namely gingivitis. For the human companion there are methods for dealing with this. The breeder also has his part to play in breeding carefully and selectively to minimize the condition. These kinds of problems are not necessarily specific to this breed.

There is also apparently potential heart conditions associated with the British Shorthair cat (HCM Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy). HCM is what I would consider a “problem disease” in that it pops up as an inherited disease in several purebred cats, namelyMaine Coon, Ragdoll, Rex cats (this link goes to the Devon but see others on this site) and American Shorthairs (src: Tufts Oct 2-4, 2003). Although it should be said that speaker at Tufts said the HCM is suspected to be inherited in the breeds mentioned other than the Maine Coon in which it is known to be inherited.

The CFA website does not mention HCM in relation to this breed as far as I can

see. To this list can I believe be added the Bengal cat. I have made several posts aboutHCM and the Bengal cat. I have a page on cat health issues on this site. Update: Dr Clark1 says that this breeds has a recognised medical problem: Hemophilia B. This is a hereditary deficiency in clotting factor IX. It is also known as Christmas Disease. Cats affected by this disease may “excessively after injury or surgery but the bleeding may be delayed”. 40% of British Shorthair cats have type B blood, a rare trait3. Another disorder more often found in the British Shorthair cat is neonatal erthrolysis. This is the destruction of red blood cells in newborn kittens due to a difference in blood type between mother and her offspring. Although the coat is fairly low maintenance, like all coats it ideally requires regular grooming by us.

Nox who lives with Helmi and Ken Flick – copyright © Helmi Flick

Helmi says this about her Brit. Shorthairs:”Nox and Sky are my British Shorthairs that live with us. Sky is a Blue British Shorthair and Nox is a Black Brit. Both are altered. Their full names are SGCA, RW Earendil Sky (she is a Regional Winner) and CH Earendil Nox. They are 10 years old.” See a slide show the likes of which you’ve never seen before, with large format Helmi photographs According to this websites long standing popularity poll the British Shorthair is one of the most popular ranking around 6th out of about 70 cat breeds.

What Other Visitors Have Said

Japanese Bobtail

Japanese Bobtail – Ninja - photograph © Helmi Flick.

This is a linked photograph. Click on this photograph to see one of the best cat photographs on the internet in very large format. all photographs are strictly copyright Helmi Flick. The images (where indicated) and words on this page and linked pages are protected by copyright. Please respect it. Copyright violations are reported to Google (DMCA).

HistoryAppearance/CharacterHealthBreeders + StandardQuick GuideClick here to see visitors’ submissionsIntroduction

Maneki Neko figurine outside a shop reproduced under creative commons © heavylift

Other than the Japanese Bobtail’s impressive and interesting appearance, the overriding topic of interest in relation to this cat is the history of the breed and the myths and stories surrounding it as they are rooted in the history of the country. Sculptures and illustrations made centuries ago apparently depict the Japanese Bobtail. A current, extremely common and commercialized depiction of this cat can be seen in the good luck charm, the Welcoming Cat. This is the Maneki Neko (“Beckoning Cat”) figurine. The figurine is a very stylized and kitsch representation of the Japanese Bobtail, beckoning a customer in.

Japanese Bobtail cat with left arm raised photograph by Helmi Flick.

The Japanese way to beckon is with the palm outwards and the fingers waving in. The Western way is the back of the hand outwards. The figurine is doing it the Eastern Way and Ninja, above, the Western way.

The history behind the Beckoning Cat is worth telling, briefly. There are many stories. One concerns a 17th century cat called Tama who lived with a priest. The priest wanted the cat to contribute to temple life. A

dignitary was visiting the temple during a rainstorm and sheltered under a tree.

Tama welcomed him in. Shortly afterwards, lightning hit the tree. As a reward the dignitary helped the temple. The legend was born. This story is an amalgam of the two I recite on this page: Maneki Neko Cats. In another story from the same period a cat’s head (yes, just the head) saved the life of a geisha called Usugumo by biting the head of a snake nearby. Moments before being beheaded the cat had pulled at the hem of the geisha’s robe to alert her to the snake but an admirer thought the cat a “goblin cat” and beheaded her. The raised left arm of the figurine/statue symbolizes the arm of the cat pulling at the robe. There are apparently many other stories. The favorite colors of the Maneki Neko are the same as the cat (see below).

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“When i frist saw a Japanese Bobtail I fell in love. It was the sweetest thing I have ever saw, even though it does not have a tail….”Cheyanne (Lock Haven, USA)

thumbnail photo© Helmi Flick

thumbnail photo© Helmi Flick

thumbnail photo© Helmi Flick

thumbnail photo© Helmi Flick

History

They are one of the oldest pedigree cats in the world. There are written accounts going back to about 2,000 years apparently1. Other sources say that it originates in 5th century BC. Let’s say it really is next to the Egyptian Mau in terms of the length of its domestication.

It is said that this cat was imported into Japan from China and/or Korea about one thousand years ago. In 1701 a writer (travel writer perhaps) said that the

Japanese only keep one type of cat, the Japanese Bobtail, with a preference for the bicolor and tricolor coat. The calico (tricolor) is called mi-ke, meaning “three-fur” (meaning three colors of fur, white, black and orange). The term calico is used in the USA. The term is tortoiseshell-and-white in the UK. See Kiku below for a calico coated cat.

It is said that cats in Japan with normal length tails might have been persecuted while cats with the bob tail were not. This would have enhanced the natural development of the Japanese Bobtail2.

There is a possibility that there is a link between this cat and the Kurilian Bobtail. These breeds do, though, have different appearances. However, the short tail of both breeds is due to the natural mutation of a recessive gene.

The Kurilian Bobtail is thought to have evolved on the Kuril Islands. These islands are off the north coast of Japan’s Hokkaido island. Russia is nearby. Some believe that the Japanese Bobtail originates from the Kurilian Bobtail. It could be visa-versa. Often the exact nature of a cat’s origins are a little hazy.

On this page, I speculate that the Japanese Bobtail of today does not come from Asia but from America. This is confusing.

They had a privileged place in Japanese society. Japan, incidentally, has good animal welfare laws which makes me surprised about their whaling exploits. The restricted gene pool in Japan ensured that the recessive gene that produces the bobbed tail become more visible in the cat population.

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Date Event

600-700 AD

Believed that the original domestic cats (the precursor to the Jap. Bob.) came with Buddhist monks to Japan from Manchuria and Korea to keep the rats from destroying the rice paper scrolls1.

1000 Allegedly documentary evidence that Japanese cats, in general, came from Korea or China.

1602 Due to rodents damaging silk worms affecting the silk trade (silk

comes from the cocoon of the silk worm), cat owners ordered to release cats (i.e. not care for cats making them feral). This led to this breed becoming street cats.

1702 Written record by travel writer of the presence of this breed being cared for in Japan.

c.1945 American soldiers bring back Japanese Bobtails from Japan1.

1968 Breed imported into USA by Elizabeth Freret1.

1971 Provisional Status granted by CFA.

1976 Championship (Full) status granted by the CFA.

1993 Championship status granted to Longhaired Japanese Bobtail by CFA.

Current In Japan Japanese Bobtails still wander the streets (see 1602 above). This mirrors the Egyptian Mau, a feral cat in Egypt.

Read about the history of the Japanese Domestic cat (new window)

Japanese Bobtail – Kiku – © Helmi Flick – click on this linked image for a superb large format image.

Appearance/Character

Japanese Bobtails are “happy active cats that involve themselves in all aspects of the home“…1 The Japanese Bobtail is very playful and (subject to good socialization) get along with other cats, dogs and children in the household.

“..they go with the flow..” 1

They are active and high energy cats. Toys are going to de rigeur then. A cat tree is also recommended as they are jumpers but not “couch potatoes”. This breed is also said to be very people orientated. This may be a consequence of the exceptionally long period of domestication (from the 5th century AD). As to the appearance it is so well illustrated in Helmi’s fine photographs I won’t use too many words to describe this cat.

Also, coming soon is a discussion on the breed standard in which I discuss appearance in relation to the standard. Update: Please see Japanese BobtailBreed Standard. Popular colors are those illustrated in Helmi’s photographs; calico (Kiku above) and bicolor black and white (Ninja, the header photograph). The pattern is a Van pattern.

You can also find this breed in solid colors, tabbies and dilute colors (creams, blues etc.). Cats with lots of white sometimes have heteroch

romia (odd eye color). One eye will be blue (silver) and the other yellow (gold). This is due to the white spotting gene (Piebald gene) that produces the bicolor and calico coat. The gene prevents eye pigmentation reaching one eye as well as affecting coat pigment migration.

Perhaps it is useful to compare this cat with the other bobtailed cats, particularly the Manx and the Kurilian Bobtail. The Japanese Bobtail is lighter framed and it could be said more elegant than the stocky Kurilian and Manx. The shortened tail occurs naturally and it should not be longer than 3 inches for a show cat (per

breed standard). You can see that Kiku’s tail has typically fluffed up like a pom-pom on top of a hat. For the longer haired cats the pom-pom is even more pronounced. Each tail in unique and like a cat’s version of our finger print.

Photograph of Joudama © Helmi Flick (my words )

The tail bones are either fused together or there are one or two mobile joints. Apparently it is thought by some people that the tail has the same number of vertebrae as a “normal” tail. The tails “don’t necessarily have the same number of vertebrae“1. The tail is rigid. The Japanese Bobtail is active, energetic and affectionate. They have stable characters making them good with children and other pets including dogs. You should schedule in some play time and ensure she has some companionship either human or cat or both.

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Health

A short note about health. Japanese Bobtail breeders say that this cat does not

have the same issues of potential ill-heath due to the tailless gene that are encountered with the Manx, another bobtailed cat. This is because the mutant gene is, it seems, different and recessive. There are no health issues, it seems with this breed, that are linked to the mutated gene. However, this may not be the complete picture. The gene may cause the spine to become shortened. For me the jury is out on health issues. Read about Manx cat health issues on the Manx cat page. Grooming requirements are low both for longhaired and shorthaired Japanese Bobtails. This is because there is no undercoat. It is the undercoat that catches combs. This also precludes matting. The long haired cats have semi-long hair.

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Breeders

2008: I will stick to my simple test. If the breeder is in the first three pages of a Google search it indicates that they are established and organized – a fair test but only an indicator – please ask questions and visit the cattery.

Janipurr Japanese Bobtails [link] Located in the San Francisco Bay area, California, USA.

Cat-Chi Cats Located in the Washington DC area, Virginia, USA. These are the only two catteries with their own website in the first three pages as at 2008 – things change.

TICA breed standard

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