With their distinctive beauty and charming personalities, the comparatively uncommon breed known as the Highlander is attracting the eye of cat lovers. Highlanders are most recognized for his or her curled ears and naturally brief tails, however their brilliant personalities additionally allure virtually anybody. These cats are pleasant, energetic and concerned within the family actions and goings-on.
Breeder Sarah W. Rhodes of Virginia says it’s not unusual for Highlanders to greet their people on the door with toys after they come dwelling or to playfully bat their folks with a paw as if to say, “Tag! You’re it!”
“They are going to be your greatest buddy,” Sarah says. “They’ll watch you and study your habits. They’ll attempt that will help you do tasks. They are often educated to leash stroll. These are very clever cats. You possibly can look of their eyes and see the mind firing. To cite certainly one of my households, ‘They’re magical, superb.’”
Sue Sweetman, who breeds Highlanders together with her husband, Joe, in Arkansas, agrees that these cats ingratiate themselves into their households with ease. “The Highlander is a really laid-back cat,” she says. “They’re very simple to coach to play fetch, stroll on leashes and even sit. They’ve a doglike character. Most Highlanders are very social, like to be the home clown, some even love water (they’ll be a part of you within the tub in the event that they get the prospect) and, after all, like to be the focus. They’re additionally a really kid-friendly breed. In the event you can’t discover your Highlander, the primary place to look is with the kids. As for different pets — canines, reptiles and birds, they’ve been recognized to get together with them very effectively.”
Sarah tells potential cat dad and mom to anticipate an energetic — and interactive — kitty. “I’ve numerous catwalks and ranges for mine to run on. And many toys,” she says. “Numerous balls for Meowmy to throw and play fetch and catch with. However identical to another cat, they do like to sleep, in the course of the mattress, after all, and get chin rubs and scratches.”
Highlander historical past
Initially known as the Highland Lynx, the Highlander breed was created in 1993 by breeder Joe Childers.
“Joe had taken the Desert Lynx and bred it to the Jungle Curl and voila! We now have the Highland Lynx,” Sue says. “The outline of the Highland Lynx was curled ears, pure brief tail, and a few have been polydactyl. The aim to the breeding was to have that wild look with a home, fun-loving character.”
Though nonetheless referred to as Highland Lynx within the Uncommon and Unique FelineRegistry, the title modified in The Worldwide Cat Affiliation (TICA) in order that “lynx” wouldn’t suggest wild blood.
“In late 2004, Highlander grew to become the title to establish our cats as a breed of their very own,” Sue says. “The Highlander breeders have labored diligently to coach the general public; to be able to result in an consciousness of how really distinctive these cats are. However largely to earn respectability for this breed. Once we introduced our stunning cats to TICA they have been referred to as Highland Lynx, however we couldn’t use the phrase “lynx” as a consequence of “lynx” that means wild cat, or description in markings. So, the title Highlander was accepted at the moment for the title of our new breed.”
TICA accepted the Highlander as a Preliminary New Breed in 2008.
Hey, good lookin’
Probably the most distinguishing bodily options of those cats are their curled ears and naturally occurring brief tails. Some Highlander cats are born with regular-length tails, they usually make glorious pets — as a result of they’ve the identical nice personalities — however they can’t take part in cat reveals.
“The naturally brief tail ranges in size from 1 inch to hock size,” Sarah says. “It’s thick and articulated, and generally has kinks and curls in it. It additionally has a fats pad on the finish. The Highlander’s tail is an extremely expressive aspect of the breed and can wag like a canine from sheer pleasure, and sign its happiness and playfulness.”
The Highlander is thought for his curled ears and naturally brief tail, however his intelligence and playful nature are what wins followers over.
The highest third of their distinctive ears is loosely curled. These ears, Sarah says, “are set as a lot on the highest of the top as on the facet and stand tall and open with good width on the base.”
At present, Highlanders can be found in a number of colours and patterns, together with solids, tabbies, minks, torties, torbies, factors and smokes. “I had a litter of 5 with 5 completely different colours and patterns,” Sarah says. “They can not, nevertheless, have white recognizing, white ft or medallions.”
Sue provides, “The issues Highlanders mustn’t have are rosette recognizing, curly fur or tuxedo markings,” she says. “Your Highlander mustn’t have white socks both, as this might be a positive signal of a mixture.”
No matter a person Highlander appears like, the final word consequence is similar — a wild-looking exterior with a pleasant, playful inside. Breeders have labored laborious to realize an ideal steadiness!
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A particular look
The ears are among the many distinctive bodily options of the Highlander breed.
The Highlander has a protracted, sloping brow and medium to massive eyes formed like a barely flattened oval set on a bias that have a look at you with nice depth. The nostril is large with massive nostril leather-based. Collectively, the nostril, muzzle and chin present a boxy look to the muzzle. The chin itself is deep and robust. These options make the top seem longer than it’s large. The ears are distinctive: the highest third has a free curl. They’re set as a lot on the highest of the top as on the facet and stand tall and open with good width on the base. — Sarah W. Rhodes
