Chinchilla is an aristocratic cat in the huge Feline family. At various competitions, she often wins first places, thanks to her angelic beauty. Her unusual, colorful appearance constantly attracts the attention of experts and lovers of fluffy pets.
A snow-white or light “fox” fur coat, huge open eyes of the color of a sea wave, pink nose, lips, outlined by a dark rim, make this cat a real beauty queen. This is a natural model - she can often be seen on magazine covers, posters, calendars. With such an appearance, these animals are measured and calm, they are affectionate and trusting.
From the history of the breed
In 1880, in the USA, a “girl” was born to a cat of a smoky color with silver tabby. Later, she appeared and the first chinchilla cat. He became the most famous winner of international exhibitions. Today, his stuffed animal is in the National History Museum in London. Cats called "chinchilla", sometimes also called "lambkins", are rightly among the most beautiful in the world. Their hair seems to be shrouded in the most delicate muslin. What gives the animal some unusual shine.
For many cat lovers, the word "chinchilla" is misleading, because the famous rodent from America, who "gave" the name to this breed, has a completely different color. However, the name has been firmly entrenched in this breed since the nineties of the last century. The first British chinchilla cat had a darker color than the current ones. She looked more like her modern silver relatives with a tan.
There is a version that chinchilla cats are bred from silver tabby with a missing or not pronounced pattern when crossing with smoky or blue Persians. As a result of selection, the eyes of these animals acquired an unusually beautiful color, which later became standard: green-blue or emerald green.
Initially, there was only a Persian chinchilla. The cat had an unusual long and smooth coat. The history of this color is interesting. Initially, he was divided into the color of "chinchillas" and "shaded silver cats." By the end of the seventies of the last century, these varieties began to add to other breeds, for example, to the British and exotic. Around the same time, felinologists began to call the non-Persian color tipped.
Currently, the name of the color does not affect the definition of the breed, it is used only to indicate the varieties of animals.
Breed description
According to the approved CFA standard, the chinchilla cat breed is characterized by soft, rounded body lines. Medium-sized head with a rounded skull, with small, rounded ears, set low and tilted forward.
Eyes wide set, large. The color is saturated, greenish shades. The nose is short, wide. The body is medium in size, compact, slightly squat. The back is wide and even. Disqualifying factors are signs of obesity.
What matters most is not the size of the animal, but its exterior. The limbs should be powerful and short, the legs round, between the fingers tufts of wool. The tail is short and thick.
The coat is usually long, fluffy. On the neck there is a large "frill."
Chinchilla - silver cat
This is an animal of extraordinary beauty. A white fur coat with slightly blackened hair ends gives it a fabulous appearance. The hair seems to be covered with a thin black veil. Eyes, nose and lips are underlined by a black line. Expressive emerald eyes and black paw pads make a spectacular contrast with the "arctic" fur coat.
Golden chinchilla
This animal has an unusual color. Golden chinchilla is a cat, in which each hair is uniformly zonally colored. That is, each hair has a black and light brown color. In general, the coat looks homogeneous - without stripes and spots.
Golden chinchilla - a cat with a dense undercoat of warm orange-apricot tones.
Character
Chinchilla cat breed is characterized by a playful and kind character. She likes extrovert hosts. Chinchilla is a cat that requires attention of owners. In his absence, she becomes lethargic and lethargic, so leaving her alone for a long time is not worth it.
Chinchilla children are quite friendly. With cats of other breeds, relations somehow do not add up. To vagrancy and other adventures, these cats are not located. They love to be in the center of attention (or at least in the field of view) of their beloved hosts, therefore they often follow them on the heels of room to room.
Care and maintenance
Caring for this animal is quite simple. Chinchilla is a cat that does not need daily combing. The wool of these animals does not fall into tangles. It is enough to comb out at least twice a week with a special brush.
Before the exhibition, you should bathe the animal. Owners use several methods for preparing wool. Some for three to four days powder the animal with baby powder, others rinse the fur with a solution of vinegar. On the eve of the exhibition, the hair should be combed.
Feeding
Chinchilla is a cat that requires a balanced, varied diet. It can be natural food or prepared feed. You can not mix them. Chinchilla needs the following products:
- Fish and meat (turkey, chicken, rabbit - raw, finely chopped meat scalded with boiling water). The fish is only oceanic.
- Offal (boiled kidneys, heart, liver).
- Dairy products (low-fat cottage cheese, kefir, yogurt).
- Oils and fats (per day 1/4 teaspoon of refined oil).
- Cereals and vegetables (carrots, cabbage, bran, rice, buckwheat cereal).
Feed your pet 2-3 times a day.
Supplements and Vitamins
If you decide to feed your cat with natural products, then you need to add vitamins to her diet. The vet will help you choose them correctly, taking into account the age of the animal, weight, gender.
If you opted for dry feed, it is better to give preference to quality varieties from well-known manufacturers. For example, Hill`s, Nutra Gold.
Health
Chinchillas often have problems with their eyes, skin, and breathing. Due to the specific structure of the nose on dry and warm days, the cat’s breathing becomes difficult.
Poorly formed lacrimal glands provoke eye problems, which are manifested by profuse lacrimation. To help your pet, you need to regularly clean the eyelids with a weak solution of boric acid. In case of suppuration, use tetracycline ointment.