Ladies and gentlemen, here is the Munchkin cat – a truly unique specimen, considering its unmistakable appearance.
What other surprises does this cute cat have in store? From origins and curiosities to health and nutrition, let’s find out everything there is to know about this wonderful feline breed.
General Information About The Breed
Let’s open our complete sheet on the Munchkin cat with a roundup of general information on this furry cat.
- Nickname: Dachshund cat
- Origin: United States
- Average life: 13-20 years
- Size: medium-small
- Weight: 2-5 kg
- Hypoallergenic: no
- Tendency to flee: no
- Tendency to gain weight: no
- Tendency to meow: no
- Tendency to suffer from loneliness: no
- Climate: warm-temperate
- Compatible with children: yes
- Compatible with other animals: yes
How Much Does A Munchkin Cat Cost?
You have decided: you want to welcome a specimen of this breed into your life and heart. The cost of a Munchkin cat is between 500 and 1000 euros .
The exact figure depends on a number of factors, such as the breeding you are targeting, as well as the age and sex of the cat.
As for maintenance costs, they are around 30 euros per month.
Munchkin Cat Ideal Habitat And Lifestyle
Despite its tender and sweet appearance, the Munchkin is a little hurricane of joy and cheer.
This kitty needs stimulation and activities to devote to. For this, the ideal would be to provide him with an outdoor environment, in which to play, run and climb.
It is essential that the area is fenced and placed safely. Alternatively, if you do not have a terrace or garden, you can set up an area dedicated to the cat inside your home.
What is needed? Scratching posts, games, shelves, paths, tunnels and so on. The adoption of the Munchkin cat is recommended for everyone: families with children, the elderly and even those who spend a few hours away from home.
In fact, despite being very attached to its human family, this feline maintains a good dose of independence and autonomy.
Origins And History Of The Munchkin Cat Breed
Where does the Munchkin cat come from and what stages have characterized the history of this breed? Let’s find out together.
Responsible for the peculiar appearance of this cat is a genetic mutation, which has spread spontaneously in some strays since 1944.
In the 1980s, a kitten named Blackberry gave birth to kittens carrying the gene responsible for the breed’s short height.
One of these was used for breeding with other strays, in order to differentiate the gene pool of cats. The official recognition of the breed took place in 1995.
The founder of the current breed is a blackberry cat that was picked up on the street in 1983 by a woman living in Louisiana, USA. She lived a miserable existence under an abandoned camper, it turned out that the cat was also pregnant.
The heart of the Louisiana woman trembled, for the woman was sure that such disproportionately short feline cats were the result of the trouble and illness of the homeless. Imagine the surprise of a mistress when her pet gave birth to such short-lived offspring! One of the sons of the blackberry successfully continued the family of these lovely creatures.
The Munchkin cat breed was first officially introduced in the spring of 1991 at the TICA show in the United States. In America and Europe, the short-legged cat Munchkin became popular thanks to the appearance of one of the representatives of the breed on the cover of the World Street Journal in 1995. Dachshund cats were not brought to Russia until 2001.
Munchkin Cat Appearance And Physical Characteristics
Thanks to its short paws, which make it look like a Dachshund rather than a cat, the Munchkin has a really tender and sweet appearance. Let’s find out what else there is to know about its physical characteristics.
Body
The Munchkin is a small-medium sized cat , weighing between 2 and 4 kg, for a maximum height of only 23 cm.
Despite his short stature, his physique is agile and agile, like any other domestic feline.
Head
The head of the Munchkin cat is round, with large ears and wide at the base. The eyes can take on all possible shades.
Among the most common are gold, green and yellow.
Mantle
The Munchkin Shorthair is a short-haired specimen, with a soft and soft coat. The standard admits all coat colors , such as red, cinnamon, deer, chocolate, blue, white, black and lilac.
The accepted fur motifs are one-color, two-color, three-color, colourpoint, sepia, brindle.
Legs
The legs of the specimens of this breed are short in length, but well proportioned with respect to the rest of the body. In particular, it is possible to distinguish between three different varieties :
- Standard, cats with legs of regular length, equal to 10 cm;
- Super Short, specimens with limbs between 7.5 and 5 cm in length;
- Rug-Hugger, cats with legs less than 5 cm long.
Massive and muscular, the limbs do not hinder the cat’s movements, nor compromise the success of its powerful feline shots.
Munchkin Cat Character
In addition to the tender appearance, the Munchkin cat has a truly magnetic and irersistible temperament in store.
Affectionate and cuddly, this cat loves to receive attention and love from his family.
Munchkin cats are one of the calmest, kindest and most patient breeds. Handsome short-legged guys are very curious, get along well with people and just love to play with kids! If you think that because of their small legs munchkins can’t run and jump fast, you’re wrong!
Dachshund cats have incredible flexibility and agility. With its speed and grace of movement, Munchkin’s cat resembles a mongoose. They are also compared to ferrets, because of their unbridled desire to explore the world around them.
Intelligent and perceptive, he loves to engage in play activities and exploration of the surrounding environment. Its short legs are certainly not an obstacle: it is an agile, active and playful feline.
At the same time, however, the Munchkin cat is characterized by a calm and balanced disposition.
But you can be sure of your favorite vases and other delicate items that are kept on the shelves. Munchkins, although agile pets, are not at all adapted to high jumps. As they run, short-legged animals tap their paws funny like hedgehogs.
According to the reviews of cat lovers, Munchkin, by introducing them into the house, fills them with the warmth and tenderness that comes from this amazing animal. Thanks to the patient nature, munchkin cats easily notice human habits, like to participate in conversations and family games, are able to subtly feel the mood of household members.
Munchkins converge perfectly with other animals in the house. This is the perfect breed to keep you company on a business trip or vacation.
Compatibility With Children And Other Animals
The cats of this breed are perfect playmates for the little ones, as long as their relationship is based on mutual respect .
Green light also to coexistence with other four legs. This cat, in fact, has a friendly and sociable character that allows it to get along well with both cats and other animals.
Munchkin Cat Health And Care
Specimens of this breed are incredibly long-lived. Just think, in fact, that the average duration of their life is between 13 and 20 years.
Are there common diseases in the Munchkin cat? These cats are exclusively at risk of developing a disease.
This is lordosis and can affect cats in a more or less severe form. In the case of severe lordosis , the animals usually do not exceed 12 weeks.
How to take care of the Munckhin cat? Being short-haired specimens, it is sufficient to brush them once a week.
The grooming and brushing operations are very simple and fast. In fact, they are not known to be cats that tend to shed large amounts of hair.
When it comes to grooming, munchkins are not capricious pets. They have no special health problems. Breeders call the only weak point of this breed lordosis back. It is a genetic predisposition to weaken the spinal muscles that hold the skeleton.
Due to insufficient support of the spine, it descends into the thoracic cavity, causing pressure on the cat’s heart and respiratory organs. Of course, this disease is manifested not only in Munchkins, but also other breeds suffer from this disease. In order for the diet to be balanced and rich in vitamins, it is recommended to feed short-legged cats dry food.
But if your home cooking is very diverse, you can safely treat munchkin “from the table”. They are not capricious in food at all. The hair should be combed at least once a week for a short-haired pet, and up to three times for a long-haired cat. To avoid broken furniture and torn wallpaper, buy a suitable scratch post.
Ideal Nutrition
What to feed the Munchkin cat, to ensure that its diet contributes to making the furry’s life long and serene?
Being an obligate carnivore, just like the other members of its own species, this cat must take mainly animal proteins .
Green light to meat: chicken, beef, rabbit and veal are the most suitable foods for the Munchkin cat. The specimens of this breed are not predisposed to the accumulation of excess weight.
However, for more specific indications it is advisable to contact the veterinarian, who will formulate the perfect diet for your kitten friend based on the lifestyle, age, health and weight of the animal.
Reproduction And Kittens
Would you like to have your Munchkin cat mate? Here’s what to know about breeding and kittens of the breed.
The standard allows mating between short-haired and long-haired specimens. Usually, the gestation of the cats lasts between 63 and 68 days.
At the end of this period of time, 2-3 kittens are born , which will definitively assume the adult size around the first year of life.
Names For Your Munchkin Cat
Have you decided to adopt a Munchkin cat and are you looking for advice on the perfect name for your new four-legged friend?
This is an important decision: the name chosen will accompany your pet for the rest of his life.
For this, the best advice is to prefer words that are simple to understand and memorize for the cat. Therefore, it is essential to opt for short appellations, possibly formed by the repetition of similar or identical syllables .
Focus everything on a particularity of the cat, to ensure that the name reflects its uniqueness. Are you curious to know what are the most popular names for the Munchkin? Let’s find out together.
- Females: Ester and Missy
- Males: Rocky and Igor
Extra Interesting Facts About The Munchkin Cat
Finally, we just have to conclude our complete card with a roundup of unmissable curiosities about the Munchkin cat. Ready to discover them all?
- Due to the incredible resemblance to the feline breed, due to the same short legs and tender appearance, the Munchkin cat is nicknamed Dachshund cat
- The specimens of this breed are available in two variants: a short-haired and a Longhair
- The tender Minuet cat breed originated from the crossing with the Persian. It is a cat that synthesizes the best qualities of its ancestors. Among the characteristics inherited from the Munchkin, of course, is his short stature
Does The Word ‘Munchkin’ Sound Familiar?
Yeah, those are the little people from The Wizard of Oz. This teacher who found them raised an entire plantation of short-legged cats, and soon they were all over town.
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