The Minskin Cat

General Description 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! History 1998 saw Paul McSorley begin the development of the Minskin in Boston, Massachusetts. Just as the Siamese has color restricted to the points (or extremities), Paul McSorley envisioned a cat with short legs and fur restricted to the points. To accomplish his goal, he crossed a Munchkin with short legs and fur with a Sphynx for the hairless characteristic where fur can occur on the extremities. He also used Devon Rex and Burmese in his breeding program. The first cat that met his goal was born in July, 2000. And by early 2005 about 50 cats meeting the Minskin vision existed. The Minskin is currently in TICA's program that monitors the development of new breeds. Personality The outgoing Minskin 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.