Ussuri (cat)
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| Ussuri | |
|---|---|
| Origin | Russia |
| Domestic cat (Felis catus) | |
The Ussuri is a rare domestic cat breed. It is a natural breed that originated in Russia's Amur River region. It is reputed to be derived from natural hybrids with small wild cats known as "Amur forest cats or Amur leopard cats (subspecies of the leopard cat, the same species used in the Bengal cat and related hybrid breeds). Semi-wild Ussuris are said to have then hybridised naturally with Siberians and European/Domestic Shorthairs. This hybrid-origin theory seems to be based on conjecture and the cat's appearance.
The breed is rare even in Russia. A translated breed standard for this and other native breeds was published in the mid-1990s, but nothing has been heard since that time and its breed status is unclear. The Ussuri's numbers are dwindling due to interbreeding with local domestic cats and, without a breeding programme to preserve the strain, it will disappear. But some other Russian minority cat breeds such as the Donskoy and Peterbald, whose standards were published in English at the same time, are now actively bred outside Russia.
[edit] Appearance
The ears often have "lynx" brushes. The body is muscular, but not massive. The neck is firm but not long. The legs are medium length, muscular, and in proportion with firm, rounded paws. The tail has a rounded tip (like the European wildcat, Felis silvestris silvestris).
The color and modified tabby pattern is a distinctive feature of the breed. It has vertical solid or merged spots on the body with lines on the forehead and two or three bronzed lines on its cheeks. There should be one or more solid or broken necklaces of bronzed tone on the neck and chest.
Distinct lines are required on the legs with the upper part being of bronzed color and the lower part of ground color. The tail must be ringed and have a dark tip of ground color.
There is a dark dorsal stripe. The flank pattern consists of stripes, rings, or spots on golden-brown or goldish-fawn background and bronzed buttons on the paler belly.
