The Birth of Cat Fancy in the United States

Cat fancy in the United States was imported, naturally enough, from England. An Englishman named James T. Hyde organized a cat show in Madison Square Garden on May 8, 1895. It was hot and muggy and gross on that May afternoon, but over a hundred exhibitors showed up with 176 felines to compete in the show. The winner was a Main Coon, a male. 

The following year the show was smaller, with only 130 cats entered. That didn't matter to cat fanciers and they formed the American Cat Club at the conclusion of the 1896 show. This was the first registry in the United States and it took it upon itself to verify pedigrees and maintain an American studbook. They also sponsored shows and promoted the welfare of cats. Unfortunately, they disbanded a year later and there were no more shows at Madison Square Garden for several years.

Cat fancy in the United States is ever fluid, however, so it was in 1899 that the Chicago Cat Club was founded. Then the Beresford Club was established. It eventually supplanted the Chicago Cat Club, becoming the premier cat club in the United States. This wouldn't last long however, because the 20th century was dawning.

The Birth of Cat Fancy in England

Cat fancy, at least in its most basic form, goes back further than you might think. It began in England, as so many things did. The first documented cat show in England was in 1598, the same year that Shakespeare finally published Much Ado About Nothing. The cat show was at the St. Giles Fair, but apparently it didn't attract much interest as it would be another 273 years before true cat fancy would take root in England. In 1871, a man named Harrison Weir organized a truly marvelous event. His cat show was hosted at London's Crystal Palace, and it wasn't just an event to show off your cats. Weir, being a gentleman of many talents, had spent considerable time on this event. He decided cats would be judged by judges, and he even wrote the Standards by which each of the breeds entered would be judged. Then he served as one of the three judges for the show. The show was a hit.

The breeds chosen for exhibition at shows in the 19th century were of necessity limited to those available in England at the time. There were Abyssinian and Manx, of course, but there were a couple more. The Royal Cat of Siam were permitted in both pointed and solid-chocolate colors. These cats were likely the descendants of the cats brought to England by the Romans so many centuries before. Longhaired cats were their own category, a category which included Persians, Angoras, and some of the cats from the colder climes of Russia. There were even classes for hybrid cats, if they were crossed between domestic cats and wild cats, and classes for the heaviest cats, gelded cats, and "Cats Belonging to the Working Men". This last class was quite literally for the working class of people. The entry fee was reduced, as was the prize money for the winners in that class.

This show was so popular that it led to more shows, which eventually led to the formation of the National Cat Club (NCC) in 1887. Harrison Weir was, naturally enough, the president of the NCC. The NCC, whose motto was "Beauty Lives by Kindness", served more than one purpose. It was a club, yes, but it was also a governing body. It spent a lot of time creating a national stud book and even created the first register to record the lineage of pedigreed cats. Since none of this had existed before, it took a great deal of time and effort to accomplish this. Harrison Weir published Our Cats in 1889 to showcase some of their work.

But of course, a rival would come along. The Cat Club (TCC) was founded in 1898 by Lady Marcus Beresford, among others. The TCC created its own studbook and register, so if you wanted to show your cats in both the NCC and TCC, you had to enroll them in both. This annoyed some fanciers, but it was what it was. There was considerable rivalry between the NCC and TCC for five years, but eventually The Cat Club disbanded.

Other cat clubs had popped up across England, though, which was just as annoying to cat fanciers. Eventually, all these various cubs in England agreed to amalgamate, and in March 1910 they formed the Governing Council of the Cat Fancy. This remains the oldest and largest cat association in Great Britain today. If you want to show cats in England, you register with the Governing Council of the Cat Fancy. They're where it's at, at least in Great Britain.

Hybrid Cat Breeds: Lykoi

Genes are funny things, sometimes springing up for no apparent reason and with no real pattern. Back in 2011 Johnny and Brittney Gobble came across two separate litters of kittens with an unusual partially hairless pattern that was unlike anything they'd seen before. Wary of disease, the Gobbles evaluated the kittens carefully, searching for any signs of sickness or disease. Finding none, Johnny Gobble bred two of the kittens, one from each litter, to see what would happen. The result was the first intentionally bred Lykoi litter.

But there just weren't enough kittens to produce a breed that was both strong and healthy, so outcossing was inevitable. Because the mother of one of the original litters was a black domestic shorthair, black domestic cats from the area were used to expand the gene pool. Unfortunately, it turned out the gene for the unique coat was recessive, so it took some time to have enough cats with the sparse Lykoi coat for breeding programs to succeed. Even now, outcossing is common and will probably continue for some time. Though feral cats are sometimes born with the correct gene, these cats are only occasionally used in breeding programs due to their wild nature.

The Lykoi is a medium sized cat who is only partially hairless, which is not entirely unique in the cat world. The color, however, is like no other breed in existence. The hair is a combination of solid white and solid black hairs. The more white hair a cat has, the more silver he will appear, but the hairs are not actually silver or even grey. In any other animal, the color pattern would be called roan, but since only Lykoi cats have this pattern, it is simply called the Lykoi coat. Kittens are born with black fur, but by four weeks of age their permanent color pattern emerges.

The amount of hair on any give Lykoi can vary. They may be almost completely hairless or almost completely covered. They'll also occasionally molt their entire coat. Regardless of how much hair a Lykoi has, there will always be no hair around the eyes, nose, chin, muzzle, and on the backs of the ears. The skin in these areas will feel like a soft leather.

Because his hairless pattern is so sparse and patchy, the Lykoi looks like a miniature wolf. The lean body and wide ears contribute to this impression. The skin is naturally pink, but when exposed to sunlight for a few days it will darken to black. A few days out of the sun will cause the pink color to return.

These intelligent little guys are great problem solvers and tend not to need a lot of help. They like people well enough, but they don't require people to be happy. Your Lykoi will have boundless energy and will play with anything and everything. If you have two or more of these unique cats, they get along well and will entertain each other for hours on end, but a Lykoi is also perfectly happy alone. They're a little possessive, so make sure each cat has his own toys if you do decide to have more than one cat.

Naturally cautious, expect your Lykoi to take his time warming up to new people. He prefers to watch and wait until he's sure that no one presents a threat. Once he is sure, it's business as usual for this little guy. And business as usual typically means hunting for anything from a mouse to a stray paper clip. He is a predator, just like a wolf, so expect him to act like one.

If you're looking for a cat who looks and sometimes even acts like a little wolf, you might be interested in the Lykoi. Just be prepared to search long and hard for a kitten and to pay the hefty price tag for this rare cat.

Hybrid Cat Breeds: Minuet

If you cross a Persian with a Munchkin, you end up with what is known as a Minuet. This is what Joe Smith did in 1996 when he decided he wanted to create a breed that was low slung to the ground and yet had some of the more appealing features of the Persian. Because he had a particular look in mind, he used doll-faced Persians in his breeding program. They naturally had a longer nose than most Persians, lending them a more open expression Smith hoped to incorporate into his new breed. He was very much successful and applied to TICA for recognition in 2001.

But creating a new breed is a long and tedious process, so in 2008 Smith moved on to other things. That might have been the end of the Minuet as a breed, but others breeders stepped in to pick up where he left off. Many breeders can be given credit, but it was Teri Harris who presented the breed to TICA in 2011 and asked for Preliminary New Breed Status. Since then, the breed has progressed slowly and is still not recognized by most registries.

Even so, Minuets are distinct. They have the sweet face of the Persian, with a slightly longer nose, but the shorter legs of the Munchkin. The head is rounded and the eyes are large. Some Minuets have standard legs, but these are not used for breeding programs and are generally sold as pets. They do have the same face and body, however.

This medium sized cat is solid and very round. His head is round, his eyes are round, his cheeks, muzzle, and even the chest are all round. The body itself is semi-cobby, so it too has a sense of roundness. This makes them adorable and gives them an innocent expression and manner.

Gentle by nature, this cat is great with children. He is affectionate and loves his people, so he's always willing to play. He's a curious creature and he's full of energy, so expect him to 'help' you with whatever task you're currently engaged in. He likes to be in the middle of things, so he might very well decide to help you with dinner!

But he doesn't need humans to entertain him. If, for whatever reason, the people are unavailable, the Minuet can find something to do all by himself. He'll play acrobat or turn the house into a racetrack or even climb your doorways as he amuses himself. You might want to invest in a cat tree and some toys unless you want him to turn the sofa and curtains into his personal gymnasium.

If you're looking for an energetic cat with a unique look, the Minuet might be right for your household. Just keep an eye on the curtains because he can climb just about anything.