Munchkins and Napoleons are love on short legs. They are one
of the cutest and funniest of all cat breeds.
Both breeds of cat are characterized by short legs which
are the result of a naturally occurring genetic mutation. Munchkins and
Napoleons are purebred cat breeds recognized by The International Cat
Association (T.I.C.A.) and other Dwarf breed registries. Munchkins have achieved T.I.C.A.
Championship status. As of this writing,
Spring 2014, Napoleons are an Advanced New Breed in T.I.C.A. Standard Munchkins and Napoleons are unique
because they have short legs like Dachshund dogs without the health and
spine related problems associated with short legs in many dog breeds. Standard short-legged Munchkins and
Napoleons can still run, jump, and play just like any other breed of cat - they
just do it in smaller distances and while looking absolutely adorable.
What is the difference between these two short-legged breeds
of cat?
Munchkins are a purebred breed that is a hybrid of a
Munchkin and a domestic shorthair or a domestic longhair of unrecognized
breeds. If a recognized breed is used,
the resulting kittens are not eligible for Championship competition. Munchkins look more like typical pet house
cats on either short or long legs.
Along with breeding to the written standard, many breeders are also
selecting for exotic and rare colors as well as the outstanding temperament and
playfulness the breed is famous for.
Napoleons, on the other hand, are a purebred breed that is a
hybrid of a Munchkin or Napoleon and a member of the Persian breed group. The Persian breed group includes Persians
(both doll face and extreme), Himalayans and Exotics (both Short and Long
Haired). Allowable crosses are Napoleon
x Napoleon; Napoleon x Munchkin; and Napoleon x the Persian breed group. As the T.I.C.A. standard now stands (as an
Advanced New Breed), Napoleons are bred to look like old fashioned “baby doll”
headed Persians or Exotics. They come
in both short and long hair. If shown,
the short hairs should have “plush” coats that are thicker and stand out from
the body more than typical short hairs.
Naturally some Napoleons will look more like the Munchkin side of the
pedigree, especially in the early generations of the breed development. Just like the more Persian style Napoleons,
these Napoleons also make wonderful pets and breeders. Remember it often takes many generations for
a selective breeder to attain their show look goals and with Munchkins an
allowable group to use in Napoleon breeding, there will always be kittens that
look like any of the ancestors used in the bloodlines. All tend to have the wonderful Persian group
personality combined with the “forever young” loving playful Munchkin
personality.
Many people prefer Napoleons, with their selected for longer
muzzles and baby doll heads, to purebreds from the modern Persian group. The Napoleon’s longer muzzles help prevent
the tearing, staining and breathing problems associated with extreme headed
snub nosed Persian group members. Longhaired Napoleons are also selected for a
less extreme coat and a silky textured coat which makes grooming them much
easier while still retaining glamour.
Napoleons bring in hybrid health and vigor and increased playfulness as
well. It is like having the best of the
Persian group traits improved upon, no matter whether the Napoleon is short or
long legged. It’s no mystery why many
predict Napoleons of both leg lengths will quickly become one of the most
popular and sought after breeds on the planet.
Because the freedom given in the written standards, both
breeds come in a rainbow of eye colors and coat color and patterns. This delights many breeders who can pick for
the rare and exotic colors and all kittens meeting the standard can be shown
regardless of color or pattern. Both
breeds also come in any coat length - from short to plush to medium to long,
from silky to cottony to puffy - although the standards specify which types and
textures of coat are most desirable for showing.
The leg-length even in the short-legged Munchkins and
Napoleons varies. Some are short
legged, some are super-short-legged, some are VW Microbus, and some are
Rughuggers. Rughuggers have extremely
short legs, so much so that sometimes the belly touches the ground when moving. The standards of both breeds call for the
longer short legs for showing although many people use Rughuggers as breeders
and most people find them absolutely comical and adorable as pets.
Other Munchkin variations are also being developed. These developing breeds include the Bambino
The Bambino cat
is a new and rare hairless cat breed. This small, sturdy cat was created by
crossing the hairless Canadian Sphynx and the short-legged Munchkin Cat. - See
more at: http://www.catbreedsjunction.com/dwarf-cats.html#sthash.vH11YbUf.dpuf
, the Minskin (A new cat breed with short legs and fur points-that is fur on
the face, ears, nose, legs and tail, the same places a colorpoint has color,
this breed has fur), the Scottish Kilt, The Lambkin is cat developed by an American breeder, Terri Harris. This miniature breed was created by crossing two established cat breeds with unique genetic mutations.
It combines the short-legged Munchkin and the unusual curly-coat of the Selkirk Rex. The result of this union is a cute curly coated cat with short legs.
This cat is the result of crossing two cat breeds with different genetic mutations. It combines the short legs of the Munchkin cat and the curly ears of the American Curl.
The breed is still 'under development' and as such, a rare breed.
- See more at:
http://www.catbreedsjunction.com/dwarf-cats.html#sthash.FpMSC875.dpuf
The Skookum cat
is was created using two cat breeds with unique and different genetic
mutations. It combines the short legs of the Munchkin cat and the rexed (curly) coat of La Perm cats.
- See more at:
http://www.catbreedsjunction.com/dwarf-cats.html#sthash.FpMSC875.dpuf
The Genetta cat
was created by Shannon Kiley in 2006. It is a hybrid cat breed that was created using several cat breeds with unique and different genetic mutations, some of wild origin.
It combines the short legs of the Munchkin, the exotic spotted and marbled coat of Savannah cats, the Bengal, Ocicats and the Oriental Shorthair.
The aim of this breeding program was to develop a cat that resembles the wild African Genet.
- See more at: http://www.catbreedsjunction.com/dwarf-cats.html#sthash.FpMSC875.dpuf
The Dwelf cat is
a hybrid cat breed that was created using several cat breeds with unique and
different features. It combines the short legs of the Munchkin cat with the suede hairlessness of the Sphynx and the curled ears of the American Curl. Like all the dwarf cats, the Dwelf is considered a new cat breed.
Individuals in either breed can be Standard (short-legged –
thus meeting the show standard for leg length) or Non-Standard (long-legged,
great pets and very useful as breeders).
Both leg lengths have the same wonderful personalities. While long-legged Munchkins and Napoleons
are not showable they are very desirable as pets as well as in breeding
programs. Why? The short-legged Munchkin/Napoleon gene is
dominant. If an animal has only one
copy of the gene, it is an adorable Munchkin or Napoleon with short legs. All standard (short-legged) breeding
Munchkins carry both long and short-legged genes.
If an animal has two copies of the gene, however, that
combination is lethal. To prevent the
double dominant lethal gene, short-legged standards are often bred to
long-legged non-standards. Such
breedings can result in either long or short-legged kittens depending upon
which genes get together, but none will be double dominant. Some breeders do breed two short-legged
Munchkins or Napoleons together. Because
of the lethal double dominant genes, this usually results in smaller litter
sizes (or even no kittens resulting from certain breedings if all kittens
conceived happen to get double dominant short-legged genes). Any short-legged kittens surviving from a
short to short breeding will have a copy of both the short and long legged
genes, just like any other Munchkin or Napoleon.