Exotic cats: nature, care and diseases of exotic cats

Exotic cat

Exotic cat is a cross between a Persian and an American Shorthair cat.

It looks just like a Persian, but with a short coat.

It is a breed of cats bred in the United States that was created basically by accident.

The Americans wanted their native race to get a beautiful long Persian robe with a silvery color and their mesmerizing green eyes.

Instead, they were given kittens with short mouths and soft, fur-like hair.

Cats had their opponents and supporters, but eventually, after further admixtures from the genetic pool of the Russian blue and Burmese, today's exotic was created, officially recognized as.in. by CFA and FIF.

Its pattern is essentially identical to that of a Persian, except, of course, the length of its hair.

Exotic cats they are one of the most popular cat breeds in the world, and in America they occupy the honorable first place on this list.

Its most famous representative, but in the cartoon form is Garfield - a lazy, lasagna-loving cat, who is the protagonist of the popular series of comics and cartoons.

In our country, it is definitely not the dominant breed, but who knows, maybe after reading this article that will change? ?

• Exotic cat character
• Exotic look cat
• Exotic cat care
• Exotic disease cat
  • Kidney cystic disease (PKD)
  • Urinary stones - calcium oxalates
  • Obesity
  • Airway obstruction
  • PRA, Progressive Retinal Atrophy
  • Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM)
• Is it worth choosing an exotic cat??

Exotic cat character

Exotic cat character

Exotics are lovable, laid back and undemanding cats.

They love to play and can run all day after a mouse, a fishing rod or any other toy.

The second thing they can do all day is sleeping and lounging on the lap of a loving caregiver whom they gaze lovingly at with their huge expressive eyes.

They are therefore similar to Persians in their sweet laziness, but are nonetheless more active, which is probably a legacy of American cats.

There is an opinion that males are more affectionate and females are slightly more independent, but they are also pets and can follow you step by step, waiting for you to sit down and climb onto his lap.

To get rid of them, it is worth getting cat toys that will keep them for a long time without our participation, such as:

• puzzles for a cat,
• interactive tracks,
• snack balls.

Exotics are also intelligent and can be taught simple tricks to e.g. impress your visiting friends.

Exotic look cat

Exotic look cat

When describing the appearance of an exotic cat, the key word is the word "round ".

Round eyes, round head, round body, everything more or less round, so please forgive the abuse of this word in the rest of the article ?

Exotic weight cat

They are medium-sized, weighing cats 3 - 6 kg.

Exotic cat breed description

• Head round and broad with a pronounced stop, rounded forehead, full cheeks and a well developed chin.
• Eyes large and round, with a specific expression, set wide apart, of a color matching the coat color.
• The nose is short and wide, with open nostrils allowing easy breathing.
• Ears set wide, rounded at the tips.
• The neck is short and strong and turns into a muscular back.
• Chest broad.
• Feet short and strong, with thick bones. Preferred locks of hair between the fingers.
• The tail is short and fluffy.
• The hair cover is soft, dense and plush, pleasant to the touch, slightly protruding from the body.

Exotic cat color

Exotic cat color

Many colors are allowed.

These cats come in 7 basic colors:

• exotic white cat,
• exotic blue cat,
• exotic black cat,
• exotic creamy cat,
• exotic lilac cat,
• exotic chocolate cat,
• exotic ginger cat.

And several types of color, including.in.:

• plain,
• silvery,
• tabby.

Exotic cat care

Exotic cat care

Due to the short hair, the care of exotics is not too time-consuming or complicated.

It is enough to comb the cat 1-2 times a week to remove dead hair and maintain its healthy appearance.

During periods of increased molting, it is advisable to do it more often.

Due to the structure of the muzzle and large, slightly protruding eyes, this area should also be taken care of, as there is often obstruction of the nasolacrimal canals, which is manifested by excessive discharge from the eyes.

Then there are stains that, if not removed, can lead to maceration of the skin of the mouth.

Therefore, the area around the eyelids and eyes should be wiped with specially designed liquids, saline or infusion from the firefly.

Exotic disease cat

Exotic disease cat

Kidney cystic disease (PKD)

Kidney cystic disease is an inherited disease in exotic cats.

It is based on the formation of cysts in the parenchyma of the kidneys, which causes them to enlarge irregularly.

This disease may be asymptomatic for a long time and be discovered accidentally during a routine ultrasound examination.

There may also be symptoms related to kidney failure, such as:

• polydipsia,
• polyuria,
• lack of appetite.

If the parameters indicating the functioning of the kidneys, i.e. mainly urea and creatinine, are normal, the disease is not treated.

If, on the other hand, the animal shows signs of uremia, it is treated symptomatically.

If this disease is found in breeding cats, they should be excluded from further breeding.

Urinary stones - calcium oxalates

Exotic cats are predisposed to the occurrence of oxalate stones in the bladder.

The increase in the amount of crystalloids in the form of sediment in the urine leads to the formation of a nucleus and the formation of oxalate stones.

Precipitation is favored by a low urine pH.

These stones resemble quartz and injure the bladder mucosa, often leading to inflammation with hematuria.

Since these stones are insoluble, the only way to treat them is surgical removal.

Obesity

Obesity today has gained the name of a disease of civilization, not only in humans, but also in animals.

Who would resist this rancorous and expectant gaze of the great eyes of the exotic, looking at our plate, or lurking at the door of the refrigerator?

Probably no one ?

But sometimes you have to.

It is estimated that approx. 25% of cats have a problem with excess body weight.

Of course, apart from aesthetic reasons, cat obesity carries a whole range of health problems, ranging from diseases of the musculoskeletal system, through the circulatory system, to metabolic diseases.

As the well-known maxim says "prevention is better than cure", therefore you should take care of the proper diet and physical activity of your pet.

However, if we see that things have gone too far and our cat is rounder than usual, we must act.

There are many ready-made foods for light cats or slimming cats on the market, the use of which is convenient and effective, because we do not have to worry about determining the caloric value of each product for the body weight of our fat cat.

It is worth dividing the food into several portions a day so that the cat does not eat everything at once.

Of course, the diet must go hand in hand with physical activity, which is a little harder to force a cat to than a dog, but exotics rather like to play, so we should not have a major problem with activating them.

Airway obstruction

Due to the specific structure of the muzzle, exotics may suffer from problems related to the obstruction of the airway, as well as dogs belonging to short-skulled breeds.

The flow of air through the narrowed nostrils is difficult, which is particularly troublesome in periods of increased air temperature and during respiratory infections.

This is an important issue when transporting a pet, as traveling by plane in the hold or in a car without air conditioning can be dangerous for them.

PRA, Progressive Retinal Atrophy

It is an inherited disease involving the degeneration of the structures of the eye's retina.

The first noticeable symptom is the most common loss of vision after dark.

The pupil dilates and the blood vessels in the retina atrophy, making it thin and a reflective film piercing through it, giving the impression of light.

You may lose your eyesight completely over time.

The disease is confirmed by an ophthalmic electroretinograph examination to check the receptors' response to light stimuli.

Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM)

HCM is a heart disease involving thickening of the heart muscle that may affect the wall of the ventricle (mostly left), ventricular septum, or both.

Such an overgrowth may be symmetrical or concern only a part of the muscle that becomes stiff.

This lack of flexibility makes it harder for the heart to contract and fill it with blood.

Cats with this condition may not show clinical signs for a long time.

If they do appear, the most common are:

• dyspnoea,
• hind limb paralysis,
• pain-related vocalization,
• sudden death.

The disease is diagnosed by means of a cardiac echo examination, based on the measurement of wall thickness.

HCM cannot be cured completely, but there are medications that, when properly selected, extend and improve the comfort of your cat's life.

Depending on the symptoms and the stage of the disease, the following are used:

• diuretics,
• beta blockers,
• calcium channel blockers,
• ACE inhibitors.

Is it worth choosing an exotic cat??

Exotic disposition cat

If you've always dreamed of a Persian, but you were terrified by the vision of combing its long and tangled hair for hours, the exotic will be the fulfillment of those dreams and dreams.

Persians are also one of the laziest cats, but the exotic are not.

They are not some volcanoes of energy, but they also stay awake all day.

They like to play and participate in family life.

They are very attached to their owners, and they approach strangers with a certain amount of shyness, only to make themselves comfortable on their laps a moment later.

They are very quiet, noiselessly they will sneak behind us, staring at us with this sweet and charming look.

They are calm, rather tolerant towards other animals in the house and due to their undemanding lifestyle, they are suitable for families with children or even the elderly.

There is no hint of aggression in them, and nature endowed them with exceptional gentleness and cordiality.

Their personal charm is so great that whoever encounters the exotic on their way will immediately want to have one ?

Of course, beauty is a subjective concept, so there will always be supporters and opponents, but certainly no one will remain indifferent to the physiognomy of the exotic ?

Sources used >>