Siberian (cat)

Siberian
Origin	Russia
Breed standard
FIFe	standard
CFA	standard
TICA	standard
AACE	standard
ACFA	standard
ACF	standard

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The Siberian is a large, affectionate, semi-longhaired Russian cat breed. The national cat of Russia, the Siberian cat is recognized by most major cat registries for Championship competition worldwide.

[edit] History

The Siberian originated as a working cat on Russian farms. Moving into the cities as people emigrated, the cat also adapted to urban living. It is within the cities that the breed, still not registered as a purebreed, was able to mix with feral cats of all colors and types.

The Siberian breed is now accepted by major feline registries such as GCCF, FIFe, TICA, CFA, CFF, and others.

[edit] Characteristics

Siberian sleeping in its cage during the 2008 CFA International Cat Show in Atlanta.

[edit] Body

Known to be an exceptionally agile jumper, the Siberian is a strong and powerfully built cat, with strong hindquarters and large, well rounded paws. Their barrel chests and medium sized ears, broad foreheads, and stockier builds set them apart from their brother Forest Cat breeds, the Maine Coon and Norwegian Forest Cat.

Weighing, on average, between 11 to 15 pounds for the males, and 9 to 12 pounds for females, the cat is heavily boned and barrel chested, giving the breed its characteristic "bull dog stance" look. As with many large breeds, Siberians attain full growth and mature characteristics slowly over their first five years.

[edit] Temperament

Siberians are generally intelligent, playful, affectionate, and loyal, leading many to describe their character as dog-like.^{[citation needed]} They enjoy the outdoors to a great degree.^{[citation needed]} They are independent, and may respond to their name when called.^{[citation needed]}

[edit] Fur

Siberians express the three natural types of feline fur: guard hairs, awn hairs, and down. These three layers protected the cat from the Russian weather extremes, and provides a hearty, easy to care for coat today. The fur is textured, but glossy, which means matting is rare. A twice weekly combing is enough to keep the coat in good condition.

As with most other cat breeds, color varieties of the Siberian vary and all colors, such as tabby, solid, tortoiseshell and color point, are genetically possible. The Siberian cat breed does not have any unusual, distinct, or unique fur colorations or patterns. Some breeders, enthusiasts, organizations, and even registries and countries do not accept the color point coloration as being natural, though. Color point Siberians are also known as “Neva-Masquerade”. Neva for the river where they are said to have originated, and masquerade, for the mask. ^[1]

Siberian cats molt once, sometimes twice, a year. The first molt is at the end of the winter. It may interest readers in cold northern climates to know that winter is not heat dependent, but that the change in daylight to longer hours of sushine triggers the molting process. Many Siberians will experience a less intese "mini molt" at the end of the summer season. Perhaps this molt was intended to rid the fur of brambles and briars in the coat in preparation for the development of the heavy winter coat.

Hypoallergenic qualities of the Siberian coat have been noted and commented on for almost ten years. While there is little scientific evidence, information from breeders and pet owners demonstrates that Siberians can be hypoallergenic to many allergy sufferers. Since females of all feline breeds produce lower levels of FELD-1, Breeders often suggest that allergic families adopted female cats. If you are allergic, it is wisest to check your reactivity directly with the parent cats from whom you plan to adopt a kitten. Retrieved from http://magazine.clymbers.com/apr03/siberian.html.</ref>

[edit] Hypo-allergenic

The Siberian is reportedly hypo-allergenic. Many people believe that the breed produces less Fel d1, the primary allergen present on cats.^{[citation needed]}

In 1999 Indoor Biotechnologies tested the fur for four cats for Fel d 1; a mixed breed, two Siberians, and an Abyssinian.^[2] The results showed the Siberian and Abyssinian cat fur as having lower Fel d 1 levels than the mixed breed cat.^[2] Indoor Biotechnologies cautions that the Siberian levels were still high, and that the mixed breed sample was "exceptionally high."^[2] Indoor Biotechnologies warns against using these results to make decisions of pet ownership.^[2]

[edit] Reproduction

Siberian cats tend to come into reproductive readiness earlier than other breeds, sometimes as young as five months. It is thought that this is related to the breed's closeness to its natural wild state. Feral cats have difficult lives, often dying young. Therefore, it is a genetic advantage to achieve reproductive ability early and to have large litters. On average, a Siberian litter consists of five to six kittens, as compared to the average litter of three to four kittens in breeds who have been registred as pedigreed cats for many decades. Occasionally, Siberian litters consist of as few as one and as many as nine kittens.

Siberian cats are excellent parents, with the fathers assisting with "child care" if allowed access to the nest. Parents are often strongly bonded, and some mothers will only mate with one male. Even teenaged male Siberians have been seen cuddling and grooming their cousins and siblings. This friendly, caring characteristic translates into a breed of cat who makes a wonderful household pet. Siberians, due to their communal nature, are often happier in pairs. Having a cat buddy to live with ensures Siberians remain active, engaged, and emotionally healthy their whole lives.

If a Siberian is not desexed, some queens (females) have been noted to have litters as late as nine or ten years. However, kitten mortality is generally lower when the queens are between 18 months and five or six years of age. This is due to several factors: physical and emotional maturation of the female, health and vitality of the queen, and nature's predisposition to healthier offspring from younger mothers.

Males can easily father kittens from as young as five months, to over ten years. The key concern with a long term breeding career for a pedigreed male is the danger of the Popular Sire Syndrome, where one male has an overly large genetic influence on the breed.

Over all, the breed is healthy, reproduces easily, and are excellent parents.

[edit] Ancestry

The breed can be seen in Russian paintings and writings dating back hundreds of years. This sets them apart from breeds that are the result of fairly recent selective breeding.^{[citation needed]}

There is an increasing interest in Siberians worldwide, and they are currently accepted in all registries.^{[citation needed]}

A wonderfully helpful pedigree site can be found at http://www.pawpeds.com This site allows searching of hundreds of Siberian pedigrees all the way to foundtion. Interested people can calculate the COI (coefficient of inbreeding), which indicates how related a pair of cats are; can explore ancestors to foundation; and see how many offspring a given cat has had.