The cat breed Exot is still very young - she is a little over 50 years old. Despite this, many owners around the world appreciated the exquisite beauty, friendliness, soft and complaisant nature of these animals.
Outwardly, these cats are very reminiscent of Persian, although they are completely different breeds with their own characteristics. Today, many people want to buy a kitten of this breed, but before deciding to take such a step, you should learn about the features of the animal, the rules of care. We will try to tell about this in this article.
Breed history
In the 60s of the last century in the United States, felinologists during the selection work received an unexpected result. Choosing two breeds for breeding - the Persian cat and the American Shorthair, breeders tried to slightly diversify the colors of the Persian breed. However, the result was an unusual kitten that inherited the characteristics of both parents.
It should be recognized that the failed experiment did not upset the scientists at all, since they got a completely unusual, new look. In 1967, the exotic cat was introduced to the general public, and in the 80s the animals received the status of a separate breed. The experiment did not end there - until the mid-70s, selection work was carried out to introduce new genes into an exotic breed. The experiments were attended by Russian blue, British blue cats and burmese. As a result, crossings were limited to only two breeds - American Shorthair and Persians.
Exotic cats: breed features
Quite often, lovers of cats that are not very well versed in breeds confuse them with Persian cats. This confusion is partly justified - the shorthair cat Exot is a copy of the Persian, with the exception of the length and quality of the coat. But besides a plush soft coat, representatives of this young breed have a number of other features:
- The head of the animal is rounded and medium in size.
- The muzzle of the exotica has a flattened small nose, very expressive, wide-set eyes;
- Exotic cat's cheeks are down.
- Ears are small, widely set, slightly inclined forward.
- The animal has well-developed muscles, the body is close to the shape of a square.
- The front and hind limbs are very strong, medium length.
- The tail is proportional to the body of the animal.
- To the touch, the exotica hair resembles plush: it is short with a thick undercoat.
- The colors of the exotic cat are diverse - two-tone and plain, tabby and tortie, points. Today, felinologists know more than a hundred shades: marble, smoky and cream, plain with spots on the tips of small ears, etc.
- The weight of these animals ranges from 4 to 7 kg, depending on gender and age (usually cats are smaller than cats).
If you decide to purchase an Exot shorthair cat when buying a kitten, pay attention to the baby's fur coat: the coat should be slightly shorter than that of Persians, but slightly longer than that of American Shorthair. To the touch, the fur coat should be thick and soft, like a teddy bear.
Exotic Longhair
Breeders note that from time to time in the litter of short-haired exotics kittens with long hair are born that do not fit into the established standard. As a result, such animals were recognized as a “side effect” and were called “longhair cat.” They are allowed to participate in exhibitions, but they are not assigned titles.
Variety Features
These include:
- Medium in size and harmoniously folded, muscular body.
- The weight of adult animals is from 3.5 to 6 kg.
- Head with high cheekbones and rounded cheeks.
- Mustache pads stand out markedly.
- The nose is snub-nosed, has a well-defined stop.
- Small ears with an extended base are set wide, the tips are rounded.
- The tail is short, densely pubescent, the coat is thick, not tightly attached to the body, and may have different colors.
Character
These charming pets are endowed with a friendly and gentle character. The gullible and somewhat naive appearance of animals fully reflects their temper. We have already said that most of their traits are representatives of the new breed inherited from Persian ancestors. This fully applies to the nature of the cat exotics.
She is always amazingly calm, one might even say phlegmatic, rarely gives voice. A plush beauty occasionally meows in a thin, quiet voice, but only when she really needs something from the owner. At a very young age, the exotic cat is very restless and active, however, like most kittens. Kids all the time need to catch and pull something in their tiny paws.
Fortunately for the owners, such a pet will never create problems associated with spoiling furniture, jumping to any heights: just a few toys are enough for the kids to fully satisfy the need for the game.
A cheerful and calm by nature cat exot always becomes a wonderful friend of children. For no good reason, such a pet will never scratch or bite a small host. These charming plush creatures are great for all family members, do not create conflicts with other pets.
Attitude to people
Future owners should know that representatives of this breed love and value the attention of the owners to their person, they really need the care of a person. Without this, your pet will feel uncomfortable in your home. Exotics themselves choose their sole owner. As a rule, this is a person who devotes maximum time and attention to the animal, feeds it.
Interestingly, cats are more attached to the owner than cats. For the cat, the owner is an object of adoration, and the cat, whose character is more independent, will show some detachment and coldness. This must be considered when acquiring a kitten. The nature of these animals is more similar to the character of the Persians, not showing ardent feelings for their master. Therefore, if you spend a lot of time at work and are rarely at home, opt for a cat.
It is interesting that exotics, unlike many of their brothers, are attached to a person, and not to the house. They are ready to travel with him as long as necessary, to change their place of residence indefinitely. Exotic cats cannot tolerate long separation and overexposure of strangers. Owner reviews indicate that in this case, the animals experience extreme stress. The thing is that exotics do not like attention from unfamiliar or unfamiliar people, they only love their master and only he can love themselves.
Feeding
Exotic cat food should be purchased only in super-premium and premium class. They are perfectly balanced, developed taking into account the daily needs of the animal in vitamins, nutrients, minerals and trace elements. Do not feed the exotic with cheap feed from a supermarket located next to the house. As a rule, in such formulations there are too many seasonings and salt, which are harmful to the health of our pets.
The best dry food for representatives of an exotic breed veterinarians and breeders include:
- Hill's Nature's Best.
- InnovaEvo.
- Eukanuba Adult Hairball Indoor.
- Cat chow.
- Bosch Sanabelle Adult Ostrich.
Natural nutrition
If you decide to feed your pet with natural products, this does not mean that the cat can eat from your table. Your four-legged friend should receive the necessary amount of amino acids, proteins, vitamins and healthy fats daily. These substances are found in meat, fish, cottage cheese, eggs, fresh herbs, cereals. At least 70% of the animal's diet should be offal, fish and meat.
The following must be included in the diet of the animal:
- Offal - lungs, chicken hearts, beef kidneys.
- Meat - low-fat beef, veal, rabbit meat.
- Low-fat varieties of sea fish - mackerel, cod, herring, which can be given only once a week.
- Cereals - buckwheat, rice.
- Sour-milk products - defended kefir, low-fat cottage cheese.
- Vegetables - beets, lettuce, cauliflower.
The meat must be cut into small pieces, but not ground into minced meat, and mixed with porridges and boiled vegetables in a ratio of 3: 1. With natural nutrition, exotics need vitamin complexes, which you will be prescribed by a veterinarian.
Health
Many experienced cat owners know that artificially bred breeds often inherit a number of diseases from their ancestors. Exotics are no exception, and some diseases that veterinarians consider hereditary can cause suffering for your pet.
These include:
- cardiovascular diseases;
- renal ailments;
- diseases of the respiratory system;
- overweight.
It should be recognized that not a single breed is safe from the aforementioned ailments, therefore, one should not rush and rank exotics as weak pets. With proper care, well-organized nutrition, care from the owners, your four-legged pretty friend will never know about the existence of such diseases.
Many people who already have representatives of this breed and those who are just planning to acquire such a charming animal are interested in how many exotic cats live. With proper care, the average life expectancy of such pets is 15 years.
Care
Due to the fact that the exotics have rather short hair, combing them often is not necessary - it is quite enough to carry out such a procedure several times a month. They bathe a plush handsome man only when he is very dirty. Be sure to use high-quality special shampoo, which you will pick up in a veterinary pharmacy. Daily cleaning procedures include eye cleansing: representatives of this breed have watery eyes, so it is necessary to clean the lacrimal paths with a cotton swab dipped in water. You can purchase special products designed for this purpose in a veterinary pharmacy.
Regular visits to the veterinary clinic should be the norm for scheduled examinations and consultations with the veterinarian on all matters of concern to the owner. The rest of the cat exot does not differ in leaving other breeds: it needs a tray with a filler, a basket-house for rest, toys in the form of balls, mice, feathers and a claw-tip.
Subject to such simple rules of caring for a cat of this breed, the owner will not have any problems with its contents and the health of the pet.
Owner reviews
According to most owners, an exotic cat is an ideal pet for people who want to have a kind, affectionate and beautiful animal in their home. We were unable to find a single negative review about this breed.
Exot gets along well with children, so it can be started without worries for families with kids. The only thing that owners of exotics draw attention to is the fact that representatives of this breed are very difficult to tolerate loneliness. Therefore, if you are rarely at home, it is better to think about another pet.