The Birman cat, also called the Sacred Cat of Burma, is distinguished by its silky long hair, deep blue eyes and pure white feet. Legend claims that a white long-haired temple cat called Sinh came to the aid of a Buddhist priest who was being killed by robbers. When the cat jumped onto the priest’s body to guard him, the priest’s soul passed into the cat. As this happened, Sinh’s white coat was shaded with gold reflected from the temple statue and the feet remained white where they touched the priest’s body. The cat’s face, ears, legs and tail took on the color of the earth and its amber eyes turned deep blue. The modern history of the Birman is almost as shrouded in mystery as the legend. What is known is that about 1919, two Birman cats were shipped to France by temple priests. The male died during the journey but the pregnant female survived and the Birman breed was established in Europe.

The American Curl cat is an unusual breed with distinctive ears that gently curve backward. The backward curling ears are a result of a dominant mutation. This mutation was first documented in 1981 when a stray long-haired cat with curled ears was taken in by Grace Ruga and named “Shulasmith”. A subsequent unplanned litter resulted in two of the four kittens having curled ears. The first time these American curls, Shulasmith and the 2 kittens, were shown was at Palm Springs in 1983 where they created a lot of interest and excitement. Since the curled ears seemed to be a dominant mutation, Joe and Grace Ruga and a friend, Nancy Keister, started a selective breeding program with the intent of developing a new cat breed. The American Curl was first recognized in the US by the International Cat Association and later in 1991 was given provisional recognition by the Cat Fanciers’ Association (CFA). Cat size Small/Medium Exercise Requires little or no exercise Grooming Low shedding/Minimal grooming Temperament Pleasant,

The Abyssinian cat or Aby is one of the most popular short-haired cat breeds and one that is instantly recognizable because of its unusual ticked or agouti coat. The early history of the Abyssinian is hard to establish. Some similarities seem to exist between the depiction of the ancient Egyptian cats and the modern Abyssinian. Studies by geneticists seem to point to the Aby originating somewhere in South East Asia. However, all that is really known is that the first Abyssinian was listed in Britain around 1882 and was called the British Ticked cat by the British cat fancy in 1900. The first Abyssinians came to the US about that time but the cat breed wasn’t fully established in the US until the 1930’s. Cat size Medium Exercise Active cat: moderate exercise Grooming Minimal but ears need regular cleaning Temperament Gentle Characteristics Of Abyssinian Cat The Aby is a medium sized cat breed that is slender,