Cat Information

Cats are such fun creatures and make the best additions to any family! Below is some basic information to help you care for your new addition! Please make sure you do additional research to become fully aware of how best to care for your cat/kitten.

General Health:

Average lifespan for cats is 12-16 years. Our standard, short legged, cats typically mature between 5 and 8 pounds full grown. Nonstandard, long legged, cats tend to be a little bigger between 8 and 12 pounds full grown. Annual vet visits are advised with teeth cleanings as cats can be prone to dental issues. Vaccinations are key to protect against preventable diseases as well as regular deworming for parasites. Even inside only cats can be susceptible to both diseases and parasites, which can be brought into the home via your shoes, clothing, flies, bugs, other pets in the household, etc. Kittens will be up to date on age appropriate vaccinations and deworming before leaving our home. It is advised to set up a vaccination and deworming schedule with your own vet as soon as /or before you take possession of your kitten. When you bring your kitten home, we also recommend to quarantine your kitten away from other cats/dogs within the household for a minimum of 2 weeks.

Living Space:

Cats are best suited indoor or supervised if they are allowed outdoors. Cats are very curious creatures and tend to like to explore outdoors so watch for them trying to sneak out! We personally do not let our outdoors at all and highly recommend that. The risk for bringing in outside diseases, parasites, and their own safety is not worth it to us. If you do intend to let your cat outside please always have him/her on a leash and harness or in a safe and secure outdoor enclosure. Always supervise!

Litter Box:

The litter box that you use for your cat should be kept clean. Scoop out the pee/poo daily and once a week clean the box out completely, use a disinfectant solution to give it a sanitary scrub, and replace with clean litter. This will prevent germs and bacteria from building up. When you first bring your cat home you will need to show them where it is located multiple times so they understand. I recommend placing them in the box and using their front feet to stir the litter around.

Do not use a litter that contains too much dust. Cats eyes and lungs can get irritated easily if dust gets in them. We use Tidy Cats and recommend that to new owners.

Diet and Feeding:

We recommend new owners to feed a high quality diet. Because a very high percentage of cat’s overall growth and health is dependent on diet, keep in mind an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure! Cheaper foods are typically full of fillers, possible harmful chemicals, and other lower quality ingredients. A high quality food like the options that we recommend on our Nutrition page, will keep them healthy, vibrant, and functioning at their best.

Personality:

Our cats are typically very social and demand lots of attention from their humans. They love to explore, climb, and get into mischief! Short legs are no excuse and many of our short legged babies can jump on couches, beds, etc. just as well as our long legged pets. Be very careful letting them jump off of anything as this can be a risk for them getting hurt. Toys for stimulation are a must and other cats or dogs for companionship are even better. Always introduce pets slowly and in controlled circumstances to ensure that they learn to get along together. Cats love to sit on laps, be held, and snuggle against you for warmth. You can typically expect your cat to try and sleep with you!

Standard vs. Nonstandard (dwarf breed leg size)

Because the dwarf gene is dominant, the litter has a 50/50 chance for short legs. This means half the litter will have potential for long legs and half will have potential for short. Short legged babies are called "standard" and long legged babies are called "nonstandard". The dwarf gene cannot be carried, so in order to produce short legged babies, one parent MUST be short legged. Long legged parents must be bred to a short legged in order to produce short legs.

Breeding Standard to Standard.

Contrary to what some believe, it is completely safe to breed short legged to short legged. Your litter size will typically be smaller due to the fact that at conception if a kitten gets two dwarf genes it will not develop any further. Kittens get one gene from its mom and one from the dad and with both parents having a dwarf gene, this makes it possible for a kitten to get two. These kittens that do get two genes, go no further in development than a few cells and because this happens so early, there are no negative affects on the mom cat. You also will not have much better odds for more short legged babies due to this.

If there are any questions about any cat care or procedures, always consult a licensed veterinarian and feel free to contact us anytime!