Australian Mist Cat Breed

Australian Mist Cat breed

Description and History

These delectable short-haired cats were the brain-child of Dr. Truda Straede (Nintu Cattery) and were developed from the idea to full register over nine years from 1977. This wholly AUSTRALIAN breed of cat is now recognised by governing councils Australia wide. Australian Mist have a large gene pool, derived from over 30 foundation cats, half Burmese, and a quarter each Abyssinian and Australian Moggy. Burmese contributed the dilution for the colours, the ‘laid back’ nature, four of the colours and some of the pattern, as well as general size and conformation. From the Abyssinian came the beautiful ticking to develop the pattern, two colours, and a touch of lively intelligence. Moggies contributed to the best spots, but primarily to vigour, with a dose of ‘uncosseted’ cat genes improving teeth, kidneys, mothering qualities, and helping to stabilise litter sizes around the feline average of four.
There is nothing extreme about Australian Mist, they are of moderate size, medium boned, rounded of head, with large eyes and ears. The coat is short, but resilient, the tail is plumply furred. The colours are warm brown, blue, chocolate, lilac, gold and peach; the pattern is of delicate spots or intricate marbled swirls against a misty ground, with legs and tail ringed and barred, and the face lined. Eyes are large and expressive in a range of greens. The nose, chin and whiskerpads are broad giving the face a generous expression. Very popular with first time pedigree cat buyers, their well bred but not extreme appearance appeals as essentially cat. The legs and tail are ringed or barred, and the face and neck also have lines of colour. Their life expectancy is 14–19.
Colour of The Australian Mist Cat: The Australian Mist comes in two patterns – Spotted or Marbled And Seven Colours – Brown, Blue, Chocolate, Lilac, Caramel, Gold or Peach
Coat Length : Short
Age Expectancy : Australian Mist cats are generally long lived and can live well into their late teens.
Weight/Height Range : Australian Mists normally weigh between 4 – 7kgs.
Ailments : The Australian Mist cat has no specific health care problems and, like the Burmese, live well into their teens. As with all cats it is a good idea to have an annual health check from about the age of eight.

Distribution
As a relatively new breed, most Australian Mist catteries are in Australia; however, there are a few in the UK, and some neutered/spayed cats have been introduced to America and several other countries. The UK breeder who brought the first Australian Mist cats to the UK was Mary Stuart. Two pregnant queens arrived in the UK in February 2007. From those initial queens and a further imported mature male stud boy and one other unrelated queen in August 2007, a colony of over 100 cats was created within two years in the UK. In July 2010, when a further six cats had been imported into the UK from Australia, there was the chance to widen the gene pool and offer healthy and genetically-sound kittens to pet buyers within the UK and the US. Breeding cats have been sent to Norway where two breeders are currently working to get them recognised by FIFE.

Personality
They make perfect pets for children of all ages, even very young ones, as they are tolerant of handling, and are not inclined to scratch. As kittens they are lively, but sober up a little on maturity. Their life expectancy is in the mid to late teens. Australian Mists thrive on human contact, making them happy to remain indoors between dusk and dawn or to be wholly indoor pets, an advantage as most people now prefer to keep their pets indoors. This also protects native wildlife. Some Mists can be trained to go for walks on a lead. Their tendency to crawl into the nearest lap with or without invitation and to constantly hang around to see what people are up to, makes them excellent companions for home workers and invalids. Desexed cats and kittens fit in easily with all sorts of cats and dogs. These qualities create a truly companionable pet for any household and lifestyle, an Australian Mist will quickly become a member of the family.
Energy: Medium
Noise :     Medium
Child Suitability: High
Compatibility with Cats: High
Other Animal Compatibility: High

Feeding & Grooming
Feeding: The Australian Mist is moderately active and requires approximately 75 Kcals of food per kg of bodyweight per day to maintain condition. They can be prone to weight issues so it is recommended to monitor their diet.
Upkeep: The short close lying coat of the Australian Mist does not require much grooming although they do appreciate the attention that comes with it.
Shedding: Moderate

Breed acceptance status
The Australian mist cat breed is accepted for championship status by the World Cat Federation. It gained preliminary recognition with the UK’s Governing Council of the Cat Fancy (GCCF) in October 2011. The Australian Mist celebrated 20 years as a championship breed [clarification needed] in Australia in 2006.