Good day everyone!

❀ Today my review will be dedicated to pets.❀

We have had a British cat for a long time, about seven years now. They took it (bought it) because they really wanted a thick fluffy teddy bear, like in the Whiskas advertisement. My husband often worked, and I often sat alone at home (at that time there were no plans for children). I, like my husband, had animals when we were children. I dreamed of a dog, my husband dreamed of a cat. In the end, we decided to take a cat (you can immediately see who is in charge in the family), because I didn’t want a small dog, and we were also renting an apartment - there was no reason to take a dog. We talked with the owner of the apartment (a very nice woman, an old lady, we still don’t communicate with her - she cried when we moved out) - she allowed us to have a kitten. We adopted the cat when he was 1.5 months old. Now he is already 7 years old - a big, fat handsome man. But a Briton - he is a Briton, a true Englishman - does not give in to hands; he rather tolerates affection than he likes it. While he was little, everyone tried to accustom him to being handled, but by the time he was a year old, they gave up - he wanted to come on his own. During the 7 years of living together, the cat walked on his own five times - when it was cold at home, or when he was washed. He ends up living like a turtle - he eats, sleeps, relieves himself, sleeps again, sometimes sits somewhere nearby and that's it... Sometimes the food runs out - he comes and rubs himself at his feet, and then disappears again. But, despite everything, we still love him. This is what he was and became for us(read more details with a bunch of photos about our Briton) :

Then we had a child, the cat was terribly afraid of him and hissed. He is still afraid, the child is already 3 years old, and by the way, his daughter is also afraid of him. Only I can carry and cuddle a cat with impunity; others won’t let him in their hands, otherwise he can hit him quite hard or run away, although he plays with my husband more often than with me (I’ll say right away - we didn’t hit him or offend him, on the contrary , tried to give affection - to show that we loved him very much, bought treats and toys, even after the birth of the child).

Over time, the cat became completely lazy and we even began to forget about his presence altogether. My daughter was afraid of the cat; she could only pet him if I held him in my hands. At that time, we began to think about adopting a kitten that our daughter could play with, and the cat wouldn’t be bored in our absence.

And then one day they knocked on our apartment and asked us to take one of the kids, the girls found them in the park.

I really doubted whether to take it or not, because we were going on vacation for a long time. But, knowing that now it is very difficult to house a kitten, we decided to take the gray one for foster care, and at the same time take a closer look at how the cat and the child will interact with the baby. And if everything is in order, then after the vacation we will take another foundling home, or we will leave this one if we do not find the owners (the little black girl almost immediately found the owners, she was taken to a private house).

The baby, temporarily named Leopard, began to go to the litter box from the first day (apparently he smelled the smell of a cat in the litter box), moreover, the kitten was very affectionate, did not scream or meow when he lost us or wanted to eat, but walked purring, sometimes questioningly, then pleadingly.

My daughter was delighted with the kitten

- they ran and played together

O She brought him food into a bowl, added some water, took him to the tray, then they slept together.

She tried to be with him all the time, even ran home from the street with the words “Mom, please miss me.”

When they met at home, they both hugged. The daughter lasted for three days, then the enthusiasm subsided, but she continued to play with him and babysit him.

Time passed, no one responded to our advertisement about finding an owner for the baby. The cat continued to be afraid of the kitten, hissed at him, but did not hit him, and began to lose weight. The kitten constantly chased our cat, threw himself, drove him away from bowls of food (they put extra ones, but the kitten ate only from the cat’s bowls, like the cat himself), drove him away from his favorite sleeping places. The cat began to walk like a bundle of nerves - he was always afraid that the kitten would jump out at him from around the corner, climbed up and hid in different places, but the kitten is more flexible and mobile - that’s why our cat (his name is Ralph, by the way) always found it. Once, however, the kitten managed to get close to the sleeping Ralph and lie down nearby until he noticed him.

So three weeks passed, the cats still did not become friends. My daughter became more indifferent to the kitten, began to chase him out of bed (he purred loudly and tried to lie on my daughter’s head or on the pillow next to her), we allowed the kitten to sleep with us, but he still ran to my daughter at night, to which she began cry and ask to take the baby out of her crib. As a result, the cats spent the night alone in the living room. But, nevertheless, when my daughter woke up, first of all she called Barsik and they began to play together.

The kitten got used to it and began sharpening its claws on the carpets (until we pointed to a special house with a sharpener), leaving snags on the curtains, and continued to chase the cat. But what I liked was that he began to understand intonations and almost immediately stopped his actions when his name was mentioned in a stern voice. I forbade attacking an adult cat while he was eating. She made him wait his turn if he started to climb into Ralph’s bowl or drive him away with his attacks. The baby learned and waited patiently if he did not want to eat from another bowl. Although, of course, sometimes the kitten did not have enough patience - and poor Ralph received a pounce from Barsik, which is why he ran away growling (well, the Briton cannot stand up for himself).

The most pleasant thing was that there was a response from the kitten, he purred when he came to his knees, he tried to be close, he met us at the door and purred with pleasure that we came. The daughter immediately climbed up to hug him - “Are you bitten by me?”, The kitten reciprocated. They played for a short time after separation, and already during the day and evening they each began to go to their own sleeping place.

We even began to become a little attached to the kitten, but time passed, and the circumstances were such that we still could not keep the kitten - we had to go on vacation for 20 days (Ralph would have survived this - he, as I sometimes think - doesn’t care about people - as long as there is food, warmth and a roof over your head), but leaving a baby in an apartment with a kitten without a person is a very pity - he was very attached to a person, he cried every morning at the door - he asked to be let in (which I sometimes did), he did not leave us one step. The cat was like a big toy for him, and not like a friend and brother. And the fact that the cats could not make friends was a big disadvantage in living together. But the thought began to come more and more often - to keep the kitten for myself, maybe after some time the animals will become friends, and how will the child part with such a smart kitten?

But then it happened, either misfortune or joy - after three weeks of staying at our house - the baby found an owner, he almost immediately went into their arms, licked and hugged the hands of, at that time, strangers (apparently knew that these were his people). We were sorry to part with him, we had almost decided to keep this baby for ourselves... My daughter herself gave the kitten to the new owners (I mentally prepared her for this for a long time). Now he has new life, his name is Max. The new owners are very happy with him, they play with him, sleep in the same bed, treat him with treats - in general, he has become a full-fledged member of the family. I’ll go through a little of his cute photos that we still have:

✽✽✽✽✽✽✽✽✽✽✽✽✽✽✽✽✽✽✽✽✽✽✽ Part 2.✽✽✽✽✽✽✽✽✽✽✽✽✽✽✽✽✽✽✽✽✽✽✽

My daughter was worried about the kitten’s move for a long time, although she herself gave the kitten into the hands of the new owners. Vacation passed, a month or two. And the child kept asking about Barsik. We are already seriously thinking about adopting a second child again, a simple, mongrel one (after all, they are much smarter, respond to love more and more brightly with love), perhaps the same street one - in order to give a chance for a happy life.

And then, quite by accident, a 2.5 month old cat girl fell into our hands (although we were looking for a boy). For some reason, this happens for the umpteenth time - we don’t choose the animal, but it chooses us (or circumstances are created to take this particular kitten) - that’s what happened with this baby.

It all started with the fact that I was scouring the Internet in search of a male kitten (my husband insisted on a kitten up to 3 months old, I personally was not against a six-month-old one - after all, he already has a character, he knows the toilet). I didn’t look through how many advertisements (Avito, shelters, groups on social networks) - my husband rejected everything - either big, sometimes ugly, then a girl... In the end, they chose a 3-month-old boy (finally my husband liked at least someone) and Let's go with the whole family to meet him. In fact, it turned out to be a girl and clearly 6-7 months old, and not like three (in the photo in the ad the kitten was much smaller, the ad indicated 3 months, on the phone they said that yes, 3 months, it looks like a boy). Even the owners accidentally said something when the husband categorically refused out loud, “What a 3-month-old kitten!” - “think for now, otherwise we’ll soon have to take her for sterilization” (in general, it turned out that it was in vain that we drove almost 1.5 hours to meet the kitten).

As a result, we were getting ready to go home - and then a friend called - her distant friend had kittens brought from her dacha, the cat was left alone in the dacha, without people, and walked the kids with the yard cat. There is a kitten left, come and have a look. Since we were just not far from her area, we decided to go and have a look at the same time.

The kitten (again, it turned out to be a girl) was very small - she was 2.5 months old at that time. Fluffy, beautiful, my husband immediately liked her, but we still walked out the door and spent about 10 minutes wondering whether to take it or not. Still, having a kitten in the house, and a little wild at that (who hasn’t really seen people and doesn’t know what a litter box and caress are) is a big responsibility. Moreover, my husband worked, and while I was on maternity leave, the responsibility lay entirely with me. In general, we took the baby. Her husband immediately named her Melissa. I absolutely agreed - as if it clicked somewhere - as if “that’s HER NAME.” That's how she began to live with us.

Our British cat was again shocked by the new tenant.

And the little one, apparently, too. At first I was afraid of everyone and everything. I tried to hide, but I couldn’t get my hands on it at all. What kind of fuss and purr is there... Well, we didn’t insist too much, we gave them time to get used to it and adapt.

After a week, she got used to it a little and began to approach the cat more boldly. Even the cat (surprisingly!!!) did not hiss at her, but showed a little interest.

How we suffered with potty training the kitten.....!!! For 4 weeks everything was with varying degrees of success - 1 week she tried to shit in all corners, after 2.5 weeks she was already shitting a meter from the tray, never sat on the tray itself - she kept moving it away. I was tired of cleaning up (thoughts began to creep in - to give it to other people or return it to the old owners), and even the cat, out of spite, began to leave “chocolate” gifts on the beige sofa... but I understood that this was my responsibility, which no one in my family was with me will not separate (my husband works, my daughter is too small - and I won’t let her get involved in this matter). The baby didn’t like any fillers, for some reason she wanted to go straight smooth surface- laminate, tile - she was quite happy with it. We argued, sat her on the tray, caught her while squatting in the wrong place and carried her to the tray - she went there, and the next time she again tried to do mischief not in it, but nearby, or even in the kitchen in the corner... In general in 2 months I became a real guru in the fight against eliminating odors, stains and everything else - links below).

We already had three litter boxes, and still she managed to go to the wrong place... We showed where the cat was going, talked kindly and praised her if we managed to catch her and she went to the litter box with us... Only two months later ( !!!) living with us - Melissa has finally begun to regularly go where she needs to go (to be honest, this is the first time I’ve met such a cat, usually it took 1-1.5 weeks for animals to understand where to go. And if in the house another cat lives, then this period was reduced to 2-4 days). And then her favorite latrine became the tiles in the bathroom; she had to cover it with a sheet (to cover the entire area), and only with it there she began to go only to the litter box.

Now the kitten is unrecognizable, she is getting more and more fluffy. Very affectionate, purring, follows me around, kisses and hugs mostly only with me (probably because only I feed her and occasionally the child), sleeps only on my side, wakes me up every morning with a questioning intonation “purr- Moore?" (are we getting up? or will you still sleep). Plays well with the child, my daughter is also delighted with the baby.

The baby sleeps quite funny - she likes to cross her legs, front and back.

He only plays with mice, carries the blanket and socks (he loves everything rag). Doesn't play with balls or balls.

There are very funny moments: I’m collecting socks and tights from the dryer in a neat pile, I come up, and only the tights are missing - and I see a carrot-tipped tail, which with a nimble clumsy gait carries the tights away... More than once I was caught hiding my socks and dragged away. So to the question “honey, where are my socks?”, you can safely say “ask Melissa.” By the way, he carries any socks - both clean and not fresh.

But, of course, the baby started to get sick from us.... About 2 weeks ago she was getting snow off her boots and started vomiting every three to four hours, which is why she lost a lot of weight. Rehydron saved her... Then, ichor appeared on her ears, a drug prescribed at the veterinary station helped.

In general, there was a lot of trouble with the last kitten, and the most important thing is still ahead - sterilization. I'm very afraid of this... But still, this is our new favorite and beauty.

Bottom line, what is better - the breed? or mongrel? For myself, I choose the latter. The breed is good, but outbreds are smarter and more affectionate. But again - despite the breed - each animal has its own character. I love both of my pets, but next time (I hope it won’t happen soon, oh how not soon) I will choose a mongrel animal.

Thank you for your attention!

The review will be updated with new photos and new words.

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good anti-odor products.

Of all the variety of cat breeds, the most common is the mixed breed cat. Such animals often inherit genes from two or more breeds, and therefore are distinguished by intelligence, health and a more docile, affectionate character. This is due to the fact that mestizos often take best features parent couple to survive.

History of cats and their breeds

Cats and cats are creatures of nature, and their preferences are natural. To procreate, they choose a couple based on certain criteria, where strength, endurance and health come first, and only then external data. The domestication of cats began about ten thousand years ago, and at that time all cats did not have a specific breed, but, living in different areas, they differed in appearance and character.

As cats from different areas spread throughout the world, they crossed with each other and the first mestizos appeared, which, in turn, continued to reproduce. This is how modern cats appeared, which differed in physique, length and color of fur, and character. With the development of progress, the study of genetics began and the identification of the causes of differences in the color and character of pets, as well as their unification into separate groups- breeds.

All breeds have their stories:

• Some arose naturally without human intervention, such as the Siamese cat.
• Others are bred artificially through long crossings. different types. One of the representatives is British. In fact, this is a mixed-breed cat whose parents were English and Persian domestic cats.
• Still others have a chief hallmark breed is caused by a gene mutation, e.g. Scottish cats- this is lop-earedness. Subsequent work was aimed at preserving such features.

Today there are more than 400 cat breeds.

Mixed cats

Despite the fact that the kittens are from representatives various breeds can be bright, graceful and funny, mestizos will never become owners of a pedigree and will not take first places at exhibitions.

Mixed cat - what is it? The answer to this question is known to every breeder, who mercilessly cull kittens born from different breeds. But many modern breeds appeared through random crossing. This is how the Brumilla breed arose from a Persian father and a Bruma mother. The first offspring was not considered a breed, but thanks to the work of the breeder, who continued to work on improving the new species, the Broomilla was recognized and included in the International Register of Pedigree Cats.

Métis British

Mixed breed cats have always existed, and the British are no exception. The history of their origin began with the islands of Britain, where imported Persians were crossed with local representatives - English domestic cats. The new breed was called British. She combined English intelligence and Persian proud stubbornness.

To obtain new colors, breeders crossed this breed with their relatives, the Persians. As a result of their labors, a mixed breed of British and Persian was born. The breeding of such mestizos continued until 2003, after which it was prohibited due to signs of degeneracy of both breeds. Today a kitten is from a Persian cat and british cat characterized as outbred and does not receive places at exhibitions.

Also relevant were the matings of British cats and cats that were used to breed Scottish Folds or Scottish Folds. Since lop ears are caused by a mutating gene, mating of two mutants is prohibited due to the risk of hereditary diseases and skeletal deformities incompatible with life in the offspring.

The result of mating a Maine Coon and a regular cat

The cat and the Maine Coon cat were bred naturally and all efforts of the breeders are aimed at preserving their character traits:

• friendliness;
• poise;
• agreeableness;
• caution;
• lack of aggression;
• loyalty.

A Maine Coon mixed breed, obtained as a result of mating a representative of the breed with an ordinary cat, loses characteristic features or they are distorted. The color of the coat will not change much, because most outbred cats have a color similar to the Maine Coon, but genetic traits of their ancestors may appear. Eye color will depend on the dominant color of the father or mother.

Maine Coons have medium-length fur, and if the partner was smooth-haired, then the kittens will be born with short hair.

Character, weight and body structure are difficult to calculate. A Maine Coon mixed breed can combine the traits of both parents and have different characteristics. Kittens are more massive but inferior in size to purebred ones, the same applies to character: some are affectionate, others are more aggressive.

Thai cats and their differences from mixed breeds

At the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries, they appeared in England, but people noticed that they differed from each other in body structure and divided the breed into two types:

• cats with a strong build and a round head are the ancestors of today's Thais;
• graceful with an elongated muzzle - Siamese.

The Thais interested scientists and work began to improve the breed. As a result of the work, today there are three types of Thais: classical, traditional and modern.

Purebred Thai cats should have a large round head with high forehead and a convex powerful sternum. Almond-shaped eyes and set ears prove that the breed came from the East. Thanks to numerous crossings, the standard colors of Thais have been diluted with cream, red, tortoiseshell and tabby (brindle).

By nature, these are loyal, balanced cats with high intellectual abilities, very sociable and able to change intonation.

Metis, after crossing with, has a pronounced external resemblance to the breed, but is radically different in character due to its unbalanced psyche. Such mestizos can be aggressive and angry. This is due to the instinct of a hunter who is forced to defend his territory in the street.

If a mestizo comes from different breeds, then the traits of both parents will be visible in the character and appearance.

Metis or mongrel?

True purebred cats are significantly inferior in number to outbred and mestizo cats, the difference between which lies not only in color, but also in behavior and health. As a result of family ties that were carried out for improvement, purebred cats have numerous mutations and a number of congenital pathologies. Mestizos and outbreds are distinguished by stronger physical characteristics and immunity.

Outbred cats often have short hair, which helps with hygiene. The most common color is brindle, but tortoiseshell, blue, spotted and solid are also found. Based on their external characteristics, yard cats can be divided into northern and southern types. Those living in the north are distinguished by thicker, lighter hair and stocky, large physiques, while those living in the south are darker, smoother and more graceful.

A mixed-breed cat is also a mongrel cat, but has the characteristic features of purebred cats. This is manifested in color and physique, character and health. Mixed breeds have a chance to get the breed. To do this, the owners need to breed offspring from a mixed-breed parent couple (not father and mother, but of the same breeds) and cross the offspring with each other. And only the fifth generation can become a contender for thoroughbred.

What are the good things about mestizos?

Despite the fact that mestizos cannot become winners of exhibitions, such cats can be kept as a faithful companion. They will delight you with their company and will not cause much trouble, because, unlike their purebred counterparts, mestizos are different:

1. Health. Having a stronger immune system, the mestizo gets sick less often.
2. Intelligence - much easier to train and get used to the tray.
3. Unpretentiousness in food.

The character of a mestizo is formed from the characteristics of the breeds of his parents. Both maternal and paternal qualities or both may predominate in it. In terms of skeletal structure and aesthetic characteristics, a mixed-breed cat may be superior to its parents, but it will never become an exhibition winner.

How to choose the right kitten

In order not to make a mistake with the choice pet, it is not enough to listen only to your gut instinct. Experts advise following the basic rules:

1. Ask the breeder about all the offspring to determine whether the kittens are suitable: where they grew up, what their character is, whether they were examined by a veterinarian, whether the kittens were picked up after two weeks of age.
2. Have any preventive treatments and vaccinations been carried out?
3. First look at mom.
4. If the kittens are from a nursery, then you should find out as much as possible about the parents.
5. You shouldn’t hire obstinate representatives and they’ll get scratched.

A healthy animal can be identified by the following signs:

• clear eyes without discharge;
• clean area under the tail;
• shine of wool;
• absence of bloating - the first sign of helminthiasis;
• energy and curiosity;
• communication with brothers;
• fearlessness.

Any kitten - purebred, mestizo or mongrel - is capable of becoming the best friend and companion. He will reciprocate the sincere love and care of the owner. You shouldn’t chase expensive, fashionable and purebred cats; it’s better to bring into your home a faithful and devoted comrade who will not leave you in difficult times and will brighten up the melancholy of gray everyday life.

Among the many different breeds, the mestizo cat has always been a leader in popularity and prevalence. A mixed breed is a cross between several cat breeds, as a result of which the kitten inherits the best traits of its parents along with its genes. The mixed-breed cat is distinguished by good health, a kind and flexible character, and a beautiful and unusual appearance.

What are they?

A mixed breed is a male or female cat that does not have a pedigree. The animal is the result of a cross between different breeds or a purebred and a non-pedigreed parent.

Often cats will inherit best qualities parents. They are more resilient and less prone to various diseases, have a sharp mind, kind, affectionate and flexible character. This mixture of genes allows you to obtain a variety of species, colors, sizes and other qualities. However, it is worth keeping in mind that the behavior of a mixed-breed cat will depend on the surrounding conditions and environment where the pet grows and lives. If a mestizo cat is raised and kept as a purebred aristocrat, the behavior will be appropriate. When an animal has to fight for life every day, its main goal will be survival, so its habits will develop tough and aggressive.

Description of varieties

Maine Coon mixes

Non-purebred animals of this breed can be much larger than necessary.

Officially, crossbreeding between a Maine Coon cat and a barn cat is strictly prohibited. However, some unscrupulous breeders disregard the rules. As a result, mixed-breed kittens appear that are larger than usual. They are often sold under the guise of purebred animals, but it is important to keep in mind that a purebred cat and a mestizo are completely different individuals. Above creation and consolidation unique characteristics Breeders have not been working on the Maine Coon breed for decades, so not a single mestizo will meet the criteria of the standards. Mixed genes can negatively affect the health, temperament and behavior of a pet.

British cat mix

The British breed is a mixture of Persians and English shorthair cats. When crossing a British cat and Scottish individuals, the Scottish Fold appeared. These are related breeds, but they have significant differences. The shape of the ears of the Scots has changed due to gene mutations. In fact, the Scottish cat breed is a mixed breed whose parents are a purebred British cat and a fold cat. Such massive crossbreeding soon caused the degeneration of both breeds. Therefore, a law has been introduced banning the breeding of mixed breeds of a British cat and an ordinary cat. Soon, for the same reasons, it was adopted legislative act, prohibiting the mixing of British breeds with Persian ones.

Metis Scots

Crossing this breed with a British one is fraught with problems with musculoskeletal system in the offspring.

Most often, Scottish and British females are crossed. As a result of mixed genes, kittens are often born with serious problems with health, namely, pathologies of the structure of the musculoskeletal system. In addition, the mestizo looks unsightly - the kittens born from such a union have poor fur and are smaller in size.

Bengal cat mix

Officially, mixed-breed cats of this breed are not recognized, since crossing Bengals is strictly prohibited by law. On my own bengal cat is a cross between a domestic and Asian leopard cat. This is an expensive and exotic breed that cannot be exported from its historical homeland without permission. But some fanciers cross the Bengal with other cats. The resulting individuals are much smaller in size and have an uncharacteristic color.

Metis Persian

Persian cats are considered one of the most common breeds in the world. They have a variety of colors, sizes and other characteristics. Therefore, crossing with the Persian is widespread; a hybrid with the British and Scottish Scottish Fold is considered popular. Based on the Persian breed, other varieties were bred:

The Tiffany breed has a Persian cat in its pedigree.

• Napoleon;
• Himalayan;
• cherub;
• tiffany;
• Iranian;
• Alaskan.

Siamese cat hybrid

In Europe, Thai cats became popular in the late XIX beginning XX century. A purebred Siamese cat has a light body, and the ears, muzzle, paws and tail are dark brown or black. Crossing a Siamese and a Siberian, a Persian, and a yard cat is common. When these breeds are crossed, offspring are obtained that will have the characteristics of both parents in appearance and habits. However, sometimes it happens that Siamese mestizos become aggressive and mentally unbalanced, since the natural instincts of a predator force the animal to defend its territory in outdoor conditions.

Other types

The Neva Masquerade is one of the new cat breeds.

Russian breeders managed to breed a mestizo of extraordinary beauty, which became a new breed. This is the creation of which Siberian cats and Siamese cats were crossed. A hybrid of Siberians, Scots or Persians is considered common. The cat is distinguished by its impressive appearance, serious disposition, and endurance to harsh weather conditions. The color of animals can be varied. The most common ones are:

• black;
• brindle;
• gray-blue;
• marble.

Kittens born from parents of different breeds are called mixed breeds. They can be very beautiful and funny, but without pedigree, they will never become show winners.

No less interesting will be the articles that are also presented on this project and which provide answers to basic questions of interest to owners of cats, cats and kittens of various breeds.

Cat, mixed breed cat, what is it, price and where to buy

Many new breeds arose through random crossings. This is how the Burmilla breed was born from a Persian cat and a Burmese cat. Typically, kittens born from such a casual relationship are considered outbred.

Mestizos are sold on the market or through advertisements from private individuals.

Their price may be symbolic - a few hundred rubles, but the character and appearance of the kittens is difficult to predict, even by seeing the parents.

Mixed cat of the Canadian and St. Petersburg Sphynx

Mating between a Canadian and a St. Petersburg Sphynx is prohibited. Kittens may die after birth or be born in poor health.

Those kittens that survive will not be given a pedigree, since they are mestizos. It's a pity for such a cat. She will not be able to participate in exhibitions and give purebred offspring.

Persian/British mix cat

Until 2003, breeders crossed Britons with Persians to create new colors. Now this is prohibited.

A cat born from a Persian and a British dog will not be purebred.

There are different views on such crossing.

Maine Coon mixed cat

Breeding Maine Coons is allowed only within the breed. A kitten is considered a Maine Coon only if its relatives up to the fourth generation were Maine Coons.

A cat born from a Maine Coon and a representative of another breed may be cute and cute, but she will no longer be a purebred Maine Coon, just like her kittens.

Cat breed mixed Bengal, Nibelung, Siamese Thai breed character and description

The character and appearance of a mestizo is made up of the characteristics of the cat and the male cat who were her parents.

It is known that the Bengal breed originated from a domestic cat and a leopard, which is probably why its representatives love to swim like leopards.

The kittens will inherit the Bengal color from the Bengal mother and the outbred cat.

Nibelungs are a cross between Russian Blue and Longhair breeds. The color of their coat can only be blue (gray), like that of Russian Blues, but unlike them, the coat is long and soft. If a Nibelung is crossed with short-haired representatives, the kittens will have short hair.

The Siamese and Thai breeds are related. To obtain the color point color characteristic of Siamese, professional breeders often crossed them with other breeds. Examples of this are: Neva Masquerade - a cross between a Siberian cat and herself, Himalayan - a Persian with a point color, etc. The color-point color is dominant, and kittens will inherit it, even if one of the parents is outbred.

If you pay attention to the content of advertisements for the sale of Maine Coons, then quite often among them you can find something like the following: “Maine Coon mixed breed kittens for sale”, “Maine Coon mother, British father”, “Maine Coon crossbred kittens with an ordinary cat." As a rule, their price is several times less than the cost of a purebred animal with a good pedigree, but how high are the chances of encountering disappointment when buying such a kitten?

Origin of Maine Coon mixes

First of all, it should be borne in mind that all felinological associations categorically prohibit the breeding of mestizos of this breed. It's official.

Of course, in reality, no one controls amateur cat breeders, and due to curiosity or not particularly conscientiousness, owners often come up with the idea of ​​​​mixing the Maine Coon with representatives of not only other breeds, but often even domestic cats. The result can be completely unpredictable.

Metis is a mixture of different breeds of animals crossed with each other.

Most often, animals that initially have some kind of breed defect end up in such breeding - this could be a defect in appearance or a character that does not quite correspond to the breed. After all, nurseries that care about their good name will never allow culled individuals to be bred; they can usually be bought as pets, and one of the conditions for purchasing such a kitten is the owner’s obligation to castrate or sterilize it in the future.

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In official breeding, specialist breeders strictly monitor the fulfillment of all requirements for the characteristics of the breed. This applies to appearance, habits, character, health.

The distinctive character traits of this breed are:

• Sociability, goodwill towards people, friendliness;
• Balance, calmness;
• Self-esteem;
• Absence of pronounced aggressive habits;
• High level of intelligence.

Mestizos scam

In addition to conscientious owners who do not hide their purebred origin, there may be dishonest “merchants” who pass off fluffy kittens from mixed marriages as real purebred coons, offering them at a discount under the pretext of good reasons.

Is it worth buying a Maine Coon mix?

As a rule, the main motive for purchasing a Maine Coon mestizo instead of a purebred cat is the desire or need to save money - after all, a good purebred animal is not cheap.

Future owners expect that since the kitten is born from one of the Maine Coon parents, the mestizo will certainly inherit the traits of this breed. In reality this is far from the case.

You need to be aware that a mixed breed is not at all the same thing as a real Maine Coon, and no one can predict what he will grow up and become as an adult, in a year or two. Representatives of the Main Coon breed - as they are called in English - are very distinctive; breeders have worked for decades to develop all the qualities corresponding to the breed, so no mestizo will ever thoroughly correspond to these characteristics.

As a result of an irresponsible approach to breeding, Maine Coon mixes appear, which may have aggressive habits, poor health or an unbalanced psyche. As a result, instead of saving, you can end up with a lot of additional problems and expenses for visiting a veterinarian.

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Everything may turn out quite well, your pet will delight you for many years, and your character and health will be in perfect order, but no one can give guarantees in this case, it’s always a game of roulette.

If your budget is limited, but you really want to buy a cat of this breed, you can contact a nursery: they often have animals that for some reason are not suitable for breeding and exhibition work, have finished their breeding “career”, then they can be sold at reduced price - 2-3 times cheaper. It will be an animal of a lower class within its breed, but at least you will have the guarantee that it is a healthy purebred pet, the origin of which is known with certainty.

Features and risks of breeding Maine Coon mixes

1. In interbreeding, the breed's traits degenerate very quickly, and it is impossible to achieve a stable result. Uncontrolled matings with representatives of other breeds can lead to the appearance of genetic deformities, and it may not appear immediately, but only in subsequent generations of such mestizos.
2. If a female of another breed is selected to pair with a Maine Coon cat, there is a large risk that babies will be born too large, perhaps their mother simply will not be able to give birth. In this case, it is better not to risk the life and health of your pet.
3. Most likely Mestizos may not inherit the main qualities, for which representatives of this breed are valued: friendliness, devotion to people, sociability.
4. If a grown-up mestizo does not look exactly like a Maine Coon, chances are high that he will will disappoint the owner, will not live up to his expectations and as a result will end up on the street.

Varieties of Maine Coon mixes

Throughout the history of the breed, there have been some attempts to obtain mixed breeds of Maine Coon and other breeds so that the desired characteristics are fixed and a kind of derivative breed is obtained. For example, experiments were carried out on crossing coons with Siamese cats in order to obtain a large animal with long fluffy hair and a characteristic color. All attempts failed because the result was not stable.

The idea of ​​crossing a Maine Coon with a Bengal to increase the size of the animals also failed.

In addition, Maine Coon mixed breeds are often obtained by mating with an ordinary cat; they are crossed with British, Siberian, Neva Masquerade, Persian and other breeds. In all these cases, the result can be extremely disastrous.

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A Maine Coon-British mix will look more like an ordinary yard Murzik - most likely it will be just a semi-furry animal, perhaps quite large, but that’s all. The fact is that the British and Coons are significantly different in their constitution, in many ways they are two opposites, therefore, it is impossible to predict in advance what may happen with such a crossing.

Mixed Maine Coon and Siberian cat

In terms of appearance, perhaps a combination of a Maine Coon with Siberian breed. True, there is not much point in this either, given all the risks described above.

Mixed Maine Coon and regular cat

A mixed breed between a Maine Coon and an ordinary cat can extremely rarely appear during deliberate crossing; most often they are born from accidental matings, if the purebred cat had the opportunity to have contact with another animal. There is not much point in this adventure.

In addition, if one of the non-pedigreed parents has short hair, the mixed breed is more likely to also be short-haired. As a result, one of the main advantages of a purebred coon - a luxurious fur coat - will be lost.

How to distinguish a real Maine Coon.

For a real purebred coon, which can rightfully be considered such, all of its ancestors are known up to the 4th generation inclusive. All of them must be indicated in his pedigree.

When buying a kitten, it is worth getting to know its parents and looking at their origins in the pedigree. An honest breeder will not invent " good reasons”, by which you cannot see his mom and dad right now, he has nothing to hide. Besides, responsible owners do not part with kittens before 3-3.5 months- At this age, babies receive their first vaccinations. And it’s already much easier to distinguish a mestizo from a Maine Coon than when it’s still just a baby.

Owners will most likely try to get rid of the mestizos early in order to minimize the cost of maintaining them.

Distinctive features of purebred kittens:

1. By 3 months, characteristic tufts appear on the tops of the ears. If they are not there, this is a mestizo or even a simple outbred kitten.
2. A real purebred kitten is distinguished by a powerful long tail and wide paws - this feature is noticeable even in newborn babies. Pretty soon tufts of fur grow between the toes.
3. A purebred kitten has a rather long head with wide cheekbones. Later, the muzzle is shaped into a geometrically correct “box” shape.
4. Maine Coon kittens grow much faster than others. At the age of 1.5 months, it is already a fairly large animal, comparable in size to a six-month-old ordinary kitten. A Maine Coon mixed breed kitten will be noticeably smaller in size than its purebred counterpart.

If you have even the slightest doubt, before buying a pet you should consult with an experienced breed specialist, a professional breeder. Many breed experts are able to distinguish a Maine Coon mestizo from a real purebred animal from a photo.

Veterinarian Marina Kharlova