Minskin Cat Breed

General Description and History

The Minskin is a new breed of cat with short legs and fur points-that is fur on the face, ears, nose, legs and tail. The body skin may have sparse hair covering but the belly is always hairless. These engaging short-statured cats have all the agility of any other cat however sometimes they different paths to the top of the refrigerator instead of a single leap!

The Minskin cat is a breed of cat derived from crossing the Munchkin with the Sphynx. In 1998 Paul McSorley began the development of the Minskin in Boston, Massachusetts. Just as the Siamese has color restricted to the points/extremities, Paul McSorley envisioned a cat with short legs and fur restricted to the points (fur-points). To accomplish his goal, he crossed is already established Munchkin cats with short legs and fur, with ‘fuzzy’ Sphynx for the hairless characteristic where fur can occur on the extremities, making for a healthier immune system. He also used his International Award Winning Burmese cats and Devon Rex in the development of his Minskin breeding program. The first cat that met his goal was “TRT I Am Minskin Hear Me Roar” ‘Rory’ was born in July, 2000. By early 2005 about 50 cats meeting the Minskin vision existed and were registered by The International Cat Association. In 2008 the Minskin became recognized as a Preliminary New Breed and is currently in TICA’s program that monitors the development of new breeds.

Personality

The outgoing Minskin cat is an affectionate cat that loves the company of people, especially children and it gets along well with other cats and dogs. They are intelligent determined cats that can do everything their larger counterparts can do but sometimes use their intelligence to puzzle out a new route to the same end. These friendly little cats are very playful and will entertain you with their athletic antics as they speed around your house like a radio-controlled miniature race car.

Traits

The dense fur points feel like cashmere but have a satin-like sheen. The coat on the body is sparse and the body feels very warm to the touch. There is very little shedding of the coat. It comes in all colors and patterns.

They have a semi-cobby body with a stocky appearance that is low to the ground because of the short legs. They have a rounded head with large ears and large round eyes in a face with a sweet expression.

Look

Sitting atop short legs, the Minskin is named for its miniature size and soft-as-cashmere sparsely coated skin, highlighted by short, soft fur “points” on the extremities: face, ears, legs and tail. The cat can be found in all colors and patterns, including solids, tortoiseshells, tabby patterns, and colors with white. Colorpoints are popular.

The Minskin’s body is described as semi-cobby, being noticeably stocky and small. The cat has a rounded head with large round eyes and a sweet expression. Minskins retain a kittenlike appearance into adulthood.