What is the name of cats with flattened muzzles?

Persian cats are prized for their luxurious fur and jewel-like eyes. Obedient and quiet, they are typical house pets. With their gentle and affectionate nature, Persians want nothing more than to lie on their owners lap and be petted.

Flattened muzzle cats: origin, breeds, maintenance and care.

In the rating of the most popular cat breeds, published by the Association of Cat Lovers, the leading positions are taken by animals with a flattened muzzle. Usually flat is considered a muzzle, which has a nose length significantly shorter than the average. Taking care of cats with this head structure is more complicated than for "standard" cats, and has its own nuances for each of the breeds. Below we will talk about how this peculiarity appeared, for which modern breeds it is characteristic, and what to consider when deciding to buy a flat-faced pet.

Abnormal head shape of flat-faced cats is, in fact, a genetic abnormality – brachycephaly. According to one hypothesis, modern brachycephalic breeds have inherited the head shape from the Pallas' cat, the muzzle of which is also somewhat flattened. Breeders have achieved brachycephaly fixation on genetic level, crossing individuals in which this trait was most pronounced. The term "brachycephaly" literally translates as "short-headedness". Carriers of this trait have a wide (more than 80% of the length) head and a flattened front part of the skull.

Flattened snout in cats, associated with a genetic abnormality.

Animals with this characteristic experience breathing problems, because the structure of the skull, the shape of the nose, the larynx and the trachea make it difficult for air to get through to the airways.

Pros and cons of keeping and caring for flatfooted cats

The advantage of keeping a cat with a flattened muzzle is the cuteness of the pets' features. In some people, the very sight of these animals awakens parental instincts, because their rounded eyes, small nose and open mouth evoke associations with children's faces.

The disadvantages of keeping flatfooted cats are much more significantas it relates to the health of the pets, and therefore will require increased attention from the owners.

• excessive tearfulness. Cats with a flattened head have shortened tear ducts, which often causes their eyes to pus. These animals need regular eye treatments with a special solution (such as furacilin; warm tea and boiled water will work) and eye drops;
• nasal discharge at the slightest cold;
• breathing problems (exacerbated in times of stress);
• Difficulty in eating. This is especially true for extreme Persians: some of them can not eat without the help of the owner, and they have to be fed with a spoon.

How they came into being and what they are

Some scientists claim that Persian cats have been around since the founding of Persia. Although mentions of charming cats with luxurious hair date back to the 17th century.

They first spread in the court of the French king thanks to Cardinal de Richelieu. It was he who introduced the fashion for such exotic animals at that time.

The formation of Persian longhairs dates back to 1887. Then they were divided into several subspecies, which stimulated the creation of cat clubs. And at the beginning of the 20th century they became the first breed officially recognized by the British Felinological Association.

In 20s, a subtype of Persian, the Extremal, appeared, and in 50s, by crossing it with Siamese, the Himalayan cat was obtained. In the 60s, a Persian kitten gave birth to kittens from a short-haired American, which were later called the exotic shorthair. In the Soviet Union first learned about such cats in 1980, and their breeding began in 1991.

Among the distinctive features of snub-nosed cats are the following characteristics:

• Brachycephalic shape of the muzzle with a depressed nose;
• A cheeky head, the width of which is more than 80% of the height;
• Chunky build with a short trunk and short strong legs;
• small ears widely set on the head;
• thick plush fur of medium to long length.

Such pets are very affectionate and compliant, friendly with people around, and especially with children. They are very attached to the owner, with whom they like to spend as much time as possible.

Advantages and disadvantages of snub-nosed cats

The flattened face of cats is considered a highlight that gives them recognition. Because of this, such breeds have a number of advantages:

• A huggable appearance is liked by many people and distinguishes them from the majority of non-breeds;
• calm good-natured character and friendliness to all makes it easy to adapt to any family;
• The special shape of the skull makes the animal's jaw stronger, which helps during hunting and avoids injuries.

The depressed skull brings a number of inconveniences to the cat itself, including:

• Breathing problems, up to and including snoring or wheezing sounds;
• Short tear ducts leading to constant discharge from the eyes;
• Difficulty picking up and eating food from regular utensils;
• susceptibility to colds due to impaired thermoregulation;
• Severe course of allergies, colds and other illnesses.

Such cats require special care and attention from the owners, so the price and cost of keeping a purebred pet will be considerable.

Breeds

Brachycephaly is a characteristic feature of some purebred cats. Let's take a closer look at the most popular ones.

Persian

The history of the luxurious Persian cat is more than one hundred years old. At all times, representatives of this breed were insanely popular and in demand.

The nose of Persians is slightly upturned, and the eyes are large and round. Usually, these cats have a long and silky hair, which is very pleasant to the touch. Petting these cute creatures is a pleasure. The body of Persians is stumpy, and paws are short. The color of the coat of these pets can be very diverse.

There are several subspecies of Persian cats. They differ in the following features:

• The classic type – these pets have a nose just below the eye line;
• modern type – in these animals, the edge of the nose is in line with the lower eyelid;
• Extreme type – if a cat is of this type it will have characteristic concave nose, located at the same level with inner corners of eyes.

All these cats are real homebodies. They have a calm and balanced character. Kittens can be playful, but as they get older, they become more placid and sedate.

These individuals are easy to raise and love to sit in a person's arms. They very rarely meow or make other sounds, and they usually do not show aggression.

Exot

This breed is otherwise known as the exotic short-haired breed. Its representatives are the result of crossing American Shorthair and Persian cats. Externally, these individuals are very similar to the Persian breed. They differ from each other only by the short hair.

Exotes are most similar to the Persian Extremes. They too have an upturned nose, expressive eyes and a stocky build. The paws of these cats are also not very long. The character of these pets is considered absolutely calm, peaceful and playful.

How to care for?

Cats with a flat snout need to ensure proper maintenance. Let's look at how to take care of these cute pets.

• Take care of cats' eyes. Don't constantly wash your eyes with water, especially if you have a Persian cat. It is better not to use absorbent cotton for treatment – its lint can get into the eyes. When carrying out the procedure, a paper napkin or cloth is used. They are moistened with a weak solution of boric acid or special drops and then the cat's eyes are cleaned, you can use Optic Gel.
• Give dry food to cats to prevent plaque and tartar accumulation on teeth. You can buy a chew toy. Brush your cat's teeth with special toothpaste at least once a month. Use a toothbrush bought at a pet store.
• Check the ears of flat-faced cats regularly. At least once a month, clean the ears with cotton swabs. As soon as your pet's ears get dirty, they should be cleaned right away.
• Make sure your pet's claws are in good condition. Buy or make a scratching post. Once a month, trim the claws using a claw trimmer. Cut off the excess part evenly and take no more than 2 mm.
• Comb long-haired pets every day, bathe cats. If the hair is long, do it once every 8-12 weeks.
• Feed your pet quality natural food or premium and super-premium food. Do not feed salty, smoked, fried, greasy, sweet foods, or cheap economy food.

Top 5 breeds of cats and cats with flat faces

There are only 5 internationally recognized flat-faced cat breeds. Not all of them are close relatives, but each representative has its own loyal fans in the cat-loving community.

Persian

Beautiful and very aristocratic "Persians" are famous for their intelligence and sincere love for their owner. They have a long hair with a thick undercoat. The maximum length (20 cm) is characteristic of the chest, where the hairs form a luxurious "collar".

Another important feature is the possibility of heterochromia. Different eye color is found in white cats.

Because of their strong attachment to humans, "Persians" are rarely offended and pranked to meet their expectations. High activity is not typical for these cats. They like to sleep and are not noted for their talkativeness.

Instead of a loud and resounding "meow", the pets use a very stern and staring stare. Therefore, in the morning they hypnotize their sleeping owners for a very long time, or gently poke them with a paw.

Himalayan

The most famous "Himalayan" is the perpetually disgruntled Colonel Meow, who has become a very popular meme. "Persians" and "Siams" were used to create this breed, so the final version has not only a flat face, but also a beautiful color-point color and blue eyes. Because of such close kinship some felinological organizations continue to register Himalayan cats as a variety of Persian cats.

Unlike willful Siamese, Himalayans like to snuggle on the couch and take a nap on the owner's lap. The only indication of the common genes with mustached "Asians" is an innate tendency to follow the tail of a human. When playing with children, "Himalayans" don't let their claws out till the last moment, trying to solve conflicts in a maximum peaceful way.

Peculiarities of care for brachycephalic cats

Because of the propensity to various diseases, the health of the animal directly depends on its owner. All listed breeds need special care, which implies:

1. Daily eye cleaning. Deformed tear ducts interfere with natural tear production. Cats with flat muzzles and large eyes often suffer from lacrimation and festering. Their vulnerable eyes need to be treated daily with special eye drops. Clean water applied to a lint-free cotton pad will also work.
2. Clean the ears of wax and dirt as they accumulate. A frequent diagnosis of otitis media is associated with narrowing of the internal auditory canal. To prevent the disease, it is necessary to remove secretions in a timely manner with petroleum jelly or special ear products. Cotton disks will also be needed here, since sticks can damage the eardrum.
3. Frequent brushing of the teeth. Brachycephals are prone to the formation of tartar. Emerging plaque should be cleaned with veterinary toothpaste, special treats, and rubber toys.
4. Comb long-haired pets' coats daily. Their hair is prone to tangling, and when licking it, it collects in dense hairballs, or bezoars, clogging the gastrointestinal tract. Animals should be given malt paste or special food for natural hair elimination.
5. Feed quality dry food. Natural products often cause allergies, so it is better to focus on dry pellets not lower than the premium class.
6. Keep in a warm room with normal humidity. Because of respiratory problems, brachycephals have a very hard time with draughts and dry air.

It is also worth noting the importance of preventive examinations. Curly-haired pets are recommended to be checked by a veterinarian at least once a year, and in case of periodic exacerbations and the diseases described above – every six months.

Hybrid cats with big ears

Breeds bred by man from wild cats are hybrids. Among them, too, there are many cats with big ears.

From the long-eared Serval by crossing with the Abyssinian came the Savannah breed. It is currently the largest (in the first generation) and still very rare, and the cat almost completely repeats the appearance of the Serval (longer tail and slightly smaller ears). Very rare and expensive both to acquire and to keep.

Hybridization of House and Abyssinian gave a remarkable breed Chauzy, looks a bit like a Caracal. Wool single-colored, ticked colors sorel (red), natural (gray), black grizzly (black with gray hairs), all-black. Rather difficult to reproduce, rare and expensive, but very beautiful breed with large ears, ending with a characteristic tassel (not always).

The crossing of the Caracal with the Abyssinian cat finally succeeded and gave humanity the Caracet breed. Almost no different in appearance from its wild progenitor. Large, very beautiful and quite socialized animals. The work on the breed is still in full swing. Expensive and rare.

Types of wild cats with big ears

The record holder for ear size among wild cat species is the African Serval.

It is a medium-sized cat up to 65 cm high at the withers and up to 1.5 m long from the nose to the tip of the short tail. It has a bright, almost orange coloration (the intensity of the basic tone depends on the subspecies) with black spots, white abdomen, pasterns and false "eyes" on the posterior surface of the ears. The ears of the raptor are really outstanding, more than 5 cm, high and upright. Due to its tall and slender paws and small head with a long and muscular body, it looks like a very graceful creature. Although it is rather an athlete. It lives mostly in Africa.

Recently, it has become fashionable and status to keep an exotic cat in the house. For this purpose, kittens are weaned early from breeding females and hand-fed. The domestic Serval is a unique and wonderful, very beautiful pet. But to own such a cat few people can afford – the price of the animal starts from half a million rubles. The maintenance and care of the pet is also not cheap.

Another wild beauty is the Caracal. It is a separate species of cat, widespread in Asia, Dagestan and China. Sometimes it is called a steppe lynx, but this is morphologically incorrect; it is more close to cougars.

It is slightly shorter than the Serval, but more powerful and broader. Wool from pale red to bright cherry color, eyes often bright blue, encircled with black rim. Abdomen, pads and false "eyes" on the ears are white. The ears are very large with high black tassels. Just like the Serval, it is expensive to acquire and maintain.

Another big-eared feline predator is the much smaller Sand Cat or Barchan Cat. This feral cat is even smaller than a pet. Its body length is up to 90 cm, half of which is accounted for by its tail. The maximum weight of the male is 3.5 kg.

Scottish lop-eared.

The round head of the lop-eared, flattened muzzle, large eyes, and folded ears give this breed the appearance of an adorable owl or teddy bear.

The breed was created after a white kitten from a litter of barn cats in Scotland was born with a genetic mutation that caused it to have lop ears. Someone liked the appearance of this cat and decided to breed it separately in order to preserve the unique trait.

Scottish lop-eared kittens are born with straight ears. Some kittens do not have the lop-eared gene, so their ears remain straight, but kittens with this gene begin to have folded ears at 3-4 weeks of age. Scottish Folds are cute and adaptable, making them great companions.

British Shorthair.

Relatively calm British Shorthair cats stand out for their incredible eye color. Dignity and independence, intelligence and peaceful nature are a few of the qualities for which the breed is beloved.

Britons will not bore their owners with excessive attention and are reticent to show their feelings. With other animals, cats remain neutral and do not conflict.

Selkirk Rex

"Cats in sheep's clothing" is about the Selkirk Rex. The plush, disheveled fur is an adorable addition to a cute appearance. These cats love affection and cuddles and will follow their owners everywhere for attention. Not particularly active, Selkirk Rex cats prefer to spend their time quietly.

What the term "brachycephalus" means

The term "brachycephalus" is used not only in veterinary medicine, but also in medicine. It is the name given to animals and people with a relatively short and wide-shaped head. The width of their skull is 80% of its length. Because of this, the muzzle of brachycephalic cats looks as if it was specially flattened.

Felineologists believe that all pedigree "kuronosiks" are descended from Pallas' cats. This theory is confirmed by the similar structure of the skull.

Despite the rather cute appearance, animals with brachycephaly very often suffer from various diseases of the respiratory system. The most dangerous disorders are usually diagnosed in adulthood and require the assistance of a veterinarian.

What cat breeds are considered brachycephalic?

International felinological organizations recognize only five brachycephalic cats. Despite a number of external differences, they all have the following features:

• Small ears that are widely spaced apart;
• a flat muzzle with large eyes and a snub nose;
• a broad head and well defined cheeks;
• stocky build;
• short but powerful hind legs;
• a plush, dense coat.

One more important point is a pronounced sexual dimorphism. Thanks to this, the adult male is very easy to distinguish from the female in size.

Persian

The Persian cat is the very first representative with brachycephaly of the feline family. It was on its basis that all existing breeds were bred.

"Persians are the record-breakers among long-haired cats. The length of hair on their chest reaches 20 cm, and on the rest of the body – 10 cm. The standard allows all colors of coats, including the very rare fawn, cinnamon and lilac. Heterochromia is also not uncommon in snow-white representatives.

In addition to its luxurious appearance, the breed is notable for its intelligence and devotion to humans. Despite the latter feature, animals rather quietly tolerate forced solitude. They are not known for high activity and most of the time they just sleep. To speak with their owners, "Persians" usually use sign language: a stern look from a furthest side or a careful paw movement.

Himalayan

Many people are familiar with this cat thanks to a popular meme with an ever-disgruntled Colonel Meow. Breed with a classical color-point color appeared due to crossing of "Persians" with "Siams". For this reason, some felinological organizations still refuse to assign a separate standard for "Himalayans" and register them as a subspecies of Persian cats.

Rare and non-standard cat breeds

Poodle Cat

These curly cats with big ears have only recently appeared and have not yet managed to become popular. Due to the curly hair, they resemble a poodle. Representatives of the breed can be not only straight-eared, but also lop-eared. These unusual cats have a friendly and compliant disposition.

Eared poodle cats easily adapt to any conditions and quite well tolerate loneliness.

Havana

The breed, called Havana Brown, was bred in the UK by crossing a Siam and a domestic black cat. Despite the fact that the Havana has been registered since the middle of the last century, it has not become widespread.

These elegant short-haired cats with large ears and long muzzles are easily recognized by their unusual ellipse-like head and shiny dark brown coat.

Toigers

These long-faced long-eared cats were bred in America in 1993. Externally, they resemble miniature tigers. The long body of the tiger is covered with a short coat of spotted color. And the "domestic tiger" weighs only 7-9 kg.

Spotted cats with big ears are endowed with a calm and friendly disposition. Toigers quickly become attached to their owners and easily adapt to housekeeping.

Wild Cats with Big Ears

Among the undomesticated members of the feline family, there are also animals with large ears:

• The largest size of ears is possessed by the serval. This big-eared cat grows up to 60-65 cm in the withers. And the length of its "locators", decorated with black fluffy tassels, can reach 5-5.5 cm.
• The sand cat or barkhan cat is inferior in size to its domestic counterparts. And its large ears are so wide that they protrude beyond the contours of the head.
• The Chinese mountain cat has large ears with tassels, like a lynx.
• The head of the long-tailed margay is topped with large, almost non-tapered "locators." The wide, large ears of this cat are almost round in shape.

Because large ears accumulate dust and dirt, they need to be cleaned more often with cotton pads and special products. The procedure should preferably be performed at least once every 5-7 days.

Otherwise, the care of cats with big ears is not much different from that of their normal counterparts. It includes:

Cats with big ears and long muzzle attract eyes with their unusual appearance. And their affectionate and friendly disposition makes the owners of huge "locators" ideal pets for those who do not imagine their life without a purring companion.