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Vivian is a Domestic Short Hair!
The Domestic Short-Haired cat is a self-sufficient, easy-going, no-nonsense cat. They are often seen in the show-ring in the USA and Canada, but not so much in other countries.
American shorthairs can become quite large and muscular. They arrived on the ships of the first European settlers; being used as rat catchers on board and "slipping off" after arriving. These early pioneers developed thick coats and increased in size from their European counterparts as a measure to protect themselves from the native predators.
The Egg & sperm cells of cats each contain 19 chromosomes. At conception, they team up to create a unique set of 19 pairs. The genes for each characteristic also pair up, side by side. Thus, any mutations or mistakes can create a new trait.
Genetic variations in a characteristic are called dominant if one copy is needed to show an effect and recessive if two copies – one on each chromosome - are needed. Original traits tend to be dominant and new mutations tend to be recessive. As an example, the original trait for hair length was for short coats, so it’s a dominant trait. The mutation for long coats occurred a long time ago, but it’s still a recessive trait and needs two copies of the gene.
She's playful - as most short-hairs are. The "random" breeds of short hair are the world's most popular cat. They are typically sturdy and seldom exhibit the overly heavy or the slender bodies of the purebreds. This is the foundation stock for most of the world’s cats!
We are pleased to welcome Vivian to our practice!
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