Short legs or Long Legs?
This shows the short legs
Similar in age and color to the other kitten, Peanut - this one has a regular leg length
The Napoleon cat is identified by two looks – one is the cute round old-fashioned baby doll faces and the second is the unmistakable short legs – Dachshund-like legs. When you read a typical Napoleon breeder website like The Napoleon Cat or Creators Cattery, you will see a multitude of terms all referring to the legs, such as: 1. Short-legged, 2. Long-legged, 3. Rughugger, 4. Traditional-legged, 5. standard, and 6. non-standard.
Here is the jest of what you need to know:
First, the short legs of the Napoleon breed came from the hybridization of the Munchkin Breed (the first short-legged feline breed) with the Persian Breed Group. Both breeds exhibit the short legs but typically produce kittens within each litter that has regular leg length too. This is because in the cat world, the shortlegged gene is not homozygous for short legs like in the dogworld where a Dachshund x Dachshund breeding will produce a full litter of shortlegged puppies.
Each shortlegged Napoleon then only carries one gene for the short-legged gene. If you breed the shortlegged Napoleon to a Persian (which is allowed in the Napoleon breeding program guidelines) then the resulting offspring could be all shortleggeds, all longleggeds, or some of both. The same also goes for a breeding of a shortlegged Napoleon to another shortlegged Napoleon. Resulting offspring could be all shortleggeds, all longleggeds, or some of both. Any and all longlegged kittens coming out of any Napoleon breeding DO NOT carry ANY shortlegged gene – none/zilch.
This means that in all Napoleon breeding programs there will always and always be produced some longlegged kittens. Luckily, the Napoleons have that endearing old fashioned baby doll face look s0 they are desired by many people whether they have short legs or not. This is part of the beauty of the Napoleon cats.
Finally – these kittens are born either short-legged or with a regular leg length – but no in-betweens.
So – the terms – at last:
1. The short legged kittens refer to the kittens with the short legs – easy enough.
Icebreaker-Shortlegged
2. The term longlegged only implies that some of the kittens have a “longer leg length” than their short littermates – so though their legs aren’t long compared to other breeds – these longlegged Napoleons are just that – “longer legged” than the breed touts.
3. Rughugger is a cutesy nickname for the general shortlegged cats; whether that means Munchkin or Napoleon – in general it just implies a shortlegged cat because it hugs the floor in length.
4. Standard – this implies the breed’s written standard which is gear for show cats. The Napoleon breed touts the shortlegged version so when the kitten has the short legs – then it follows the standard.
Creators Frenchie - Shortlegged
5. Non-standard – this implies again with the written standard. When a kitten is born out of the proper breeding and results in a kitten that has long legs (and thus cannot be shown) it is then classified as a “non-standard.”
6. Traditional-legged implies the length of leg that a typical or conventional cat would have – thus “traditional-legged” is synonamous to longlegged and non-standard.
Creators Samson - Traditional-legged/Regular leg length
Add a comment November 23, 2010
The Napoleon Cat’s Road to Acceptance
The Napoleon Cat is the new hybrid cat breed that crossed the short-legged cat breed called the Munchkins with the Persian Breed Group (which includes all Persians, Himalayans, and Exotic Shorthairs). During the Napoleon Cat’s “road to acceptance”, there are some legitimate questions that should be raised and currently are being raised.
When any new cat breed is developed, these questions are typically raised: Is this breed a healthy one? Will it have broad appeal and look ifferent than current breeds?….and do you have a group of breeders from various regions committed to working with this breed? Wisely, these questions are raised by the cat associations before any breed advances to the coveted “Championship Status” which validates any breed to a “full acceptance” level.
The International Cat Association (TICA), who is a trail-blazer when it comes to new breeds, has a detailed procedure that all new proposed breeds must follow in their path to full acceptance. With the Napoleons, it started with founder, Joe Smith, who conceived of the idea of this cross between the Munchkin and the Persian. The resulting breedings from this match would create a cat that would have characteristics of both parent groups but also look different than both parent groups. A “pitch” would in essence be made to the TICA Board members to “propose” this new breed. The proposal was accepted and began with a Registration Status level where kittens can be recorded while other guidelines are being achieved.
Luckily for the Napoleons, any “short-legged health concerns” had already been studied and concluded “healthy” from the efforts of the Munchkin advancements. By creating a “hybrid” versus a “new breed,” Joe was able to bypass some of the hurdles that often accompany new breeds.
The Napoleons tout that they are “not a round faced Munchkin” nor are they a “short-legged Persian.” The breed standard is quite a mix between the two parent breeds in order to create a distinctive look for the Napoleons. These pictures show the contrast.
Munchkin
Show Quality Napoleon Cat
Persian
A picture does indeed paint a thousand words and the differences are quite noticable. A full view and explanation of the Napoleon Breed Written Standard can be seen on The Napoleon Cat website at www.thenapoleoncat.com which is authored by Margie Gardner, current Napoleon Cat Breed Chairman.
The last question was concerning a solid group of Napoleon Cat breeders from various regions of the country. Not only are there two (plus) dozen Napoleon cat breeders across the country, there are several Napoleon breeders beyond the United States. There is a Napoleon Working Breed Group consisting of TICA members who work together to produce consistent looking Napoleon cats. Committee members and a Breed Chairman have been elected in order to intercede on the Napoleons behalf with the TICA board while we petition for advancement. Our next level in which we are petitioning current is Preliminary New Breed then eventually – Championship Status.
Add a comment August 26, 2010
Tags: Animal Planet, Cats 101, cats with short legs, Creators Cattery, Creators Frenchie, Finding a Napoleon Breeder, Finding A Napoleon Cattery, founder of the Napoleon cats, History of the Napoleon Cat, Information About Napoleon Cats, Joe Smith, Munchkin Cats, Napoleon Cat Websites, Napoleon Cats, Napoleon cats for sale, Napoleon information, Napoleon Kittens, Neopolitan, short cats
Napoleon versus Munchkin
Hummmmmm…..so you think that the short-legged cats are adorable but which do you want, a Napoleon cat or a Munchkin cat? Good question, let me help.
First, I have bred both breeds and championed both breeds so in essence, I feel as though there will be no bad choice. That said, there are many differences between these two breeds, so let me give you some information so you can be informed.
First, let’s begin with the Munchkin breed because they were the beginning of it all. It was the Munchkin breed that blazed this new trail venturing into the shortlegged breeds. In the dog kingdom, there are many short-legged breeds – not just the Dachshunds, Corgi’s, and Bassett Hounds, but also consider many of the small miniature breeds that in fact have shortened legs. But, in the cat world, there was not anything like this until the Munchkins came on the scene.
Since the Munchkin gene (the shortlegged gene) was a spontaneous occurrence within the domestic cat world, many of the early champions of the Munchkins wanted them to retain their domestic looking heritage. So, when the breed standard and description was written, it was crafted in a way to describe a domestic cat; i.e. a modified-wedge shaped cat with a nose that is medium in length, walnut eyes, a good size ear, and a solid medium-sized cat. The full description gets more detailed but this describes their domestic looks. Here is an award-winning Munchkin named Creators Mr. Biggs (an international winner) owned by Sue Rivero.
Good Example of a Munchkin
Now comes the consideration of the Napoleon. The founder of the Napoleon Breed, Joe Smith, envisioned combining two popular traits. First, the Munchkin breed has the short legs – an obvious adorable trait to mix with the Persian breed which would actually aim for the old-fashioned baby doll face of the Persians of “yester-year.” The current Persian breed has evolved over the years to create a snub-nosed peke-faced cat with often excessive hair.
Current Persian Look
The Napoleons wanted to opt for that old-fashioned Persian look that still so many people still prefer and combine it with the short legs of the Munchkins. That in essence is the Napoleon look.
Creators Frenchie - Napoleon Cat
The Napoleon cat should not look like a Persian with short legs. It is specifically stated in the breed description “No Break” which means there will not be that snub pekinese-type nose as the current Persian has. Also, little differences like they are a bit smaller in size than a typical Persian. They do have nice round marble like eyes with a very wide round face. Their ears are on the smaller side of medium and their luxurious coats aren’t as cottony as a Persian.
Now can you decide?
Munchkin versus Napoleon
By: Margie Gardner/Napoleon Breed Chairman
Add a comment August 15, 2010
Tags: Creators Cattery, Creators Frenchie, Finding a Napoleon Breeder, founder of the Napoleon cats, good pictures of Napoleon cats, History of the Napoleon Cat, Information About Napoleon Cats, Information About Napoleon Kittens, Joe Smith, Munchkin Cats, Munchkin kittens, Napoleon, Napoleon website, Napolitan, new cat breeds, The Napoleon Cat Website
Animal Planet to feature Napoleon Cats
It is official. The Animal Planet will begin a cat series come the fall of 2010 called “Cats 101” where they will feature various breeds. Filming has taken place at two separate locations highlighting the Napoleon cat. Airing is this fall.
First up to be filmed was Creators Frenchie who is co-owned by Margie Gardner/Creators Cattery and Sue Rivero. Frenchie is a gorgeous silver lilac tabby bicolor longhaired standard Napoleon. He is a great example of a Napoleon who is noticably different than the Munchkin breed. (*Note: The Munchkin breed also is included in the Animal Planet segment and will be featured much earlier in the line-up.) Frenchie has a much rounder head, smaller ears, very round marble-like eyes, and a cobby body.
Sue Rivero lives in New York and shows Frenchie in many cats shows sponsored by The International Cat Association in the Household Pet division. He is being shown in this grouping because the Napoleons have not been accepted yet into the Preliminary New Breed Status yet. Petitions and paperwork have been filed with TICA and the Napoleon Working Breed Group hopes to win advancement in the January 2011 Board Meeting. In the meantime, in order to acquaint the Napoleon breed to judges and the broad cat community, it was suggested that we place a few Napoleons in this Household Pet division. Once he is in the show ring, Sue explains to the judges exactly what breed Frenchie is. Sue has helped tremendously by taking him to many shows especially throughout the northeast. Frenchie has done himself proud by winning many ribbons and finals in many shows.
The Animal Planet filmed Sue and Frenchie as they were preparing fun cat show where people had their cats in costume. Sue has ordered kitty costumes previously from a lady who specializes in such items. For this upcoming show, Sue ordered a “Napoleon Bonaparte” costume for her little Napoleon cat Frenchie to wear. Animal Planet filmed the lady putting final touches on this special costume, then proceeded to Sue’s home where filming showed Sue and Frenchie getting ready for this upcoming show. Eventually, filming then finalized at the show. There were many oohs and awes over Frenchie in his little Napoleon outfit. He was a hit both at the show and by the Animal Planet film crew.
Filming also has finished up at a Munchkin & Napoleon Cattery in Tampa, Florida owned by Judy Felsman at Judyscuties Cattery. This approach was aimed at the cute and adorable Napoleon kittens that Judy current has. Judy also brought in a Napoleon cat that she had previously sold locally to her vet tech. This segment made a nice all around display of the young kittens as well as the mature.
The Napoleon Working Breed Group is so excited to be represented on this cable TV show – Animal Planet. We look forward to the positive PR and overall education of our Napoleon cats to the broader cat loving audience.
Add a comment August 13, 2010
Tags: Animal Planet, Animal Planet films cats, Cable show on cats, Cats 101, Creators Cattery, Creators Frenchie, Frenchie, Munchkin Cats, Munchkin kittens, Napoleon Kittens, Napoleon kitties, Napoleon website, Napoleons, Napolitan
History of the Napoleon Cat
The History of the Napoleon Cat
In 1995, an article in the Wall Street Journal about the Munchkin cat breed (the original shortlegged cat) showed a domestic looking cat with obviously very short legs. This article caught the attention of Joe Smith, a Bassett Hound breeder and cat lover. Joe researched and discovered that the short-legged gene was different in cats than it was in dogs – realizing that it was inevitable for the Munchkins to produce some longlegged (a regular leg length) kittens in their litters as well as the shortlegged versions . These “longlegged” kittens would result in a domestic-looking cat which would look like the typical kitten that animals shelters were overrun with. As adorable as a shortlegged trait was, his notion was to cross the Munchkins with the Persian breed so to produce a Persian type cat with short legs. By crossing these breeds, he would acquire the cute short legs of the Munchkins and yet steer away from the extreme peke-faces of the modern-day Persian producing that old fashioned “sweet baby doll faces” of the old timey Persians. That sweet face with the short legs would be a winning combination and any longlegged kittens would also be desirable.
In 1996, Joe began breeding some Munchkins to Persians. He called this new breed “Napoleons” as a take-off of Napoleon Bonapart who was known for his short stature. In 2001, Joe first contacted The International Cat Association about the Napoleons and they classified them as an “experimental” breed – step number one. In 2002, the Napoleons were recognized as Registration Status – step two. This fully recognizes the Napoleon name and allows Napoleon kittens to be registered.
During 2003-2008, Joe Smith continued breeding Napoleons, created a website, and began recruiting and encouraging breeders nationwide to join in with his efforts to establish the Napoleons as an official breed. He repeatedly submitted Applications to Advance to TICA – attending many board meetings and shows but was repeatedly denied advancement. Eventually, Joe became discouraged and quit the fight. He neutered, sold, or gave away most of his Napoleon breeding stock. During this same period, many breeders continued their Napoleon breeding programs albeit disconnected from other breeders. In 2008, Sam Tate of Wonderfulkitty Cattery attempted to rally the Napoleon breeders but to no avail. In 2009, Margie Gardner of Creators Cattery, after googling and researching, found 40+ Napoleon breeders nationwide, sending out a mass emailing resulting in many supporters willing to try advancing the Napoleons yet again.
April 2009 began with submitting the required paperwork again. A Breed Chairman (Margie Gardner) was elected and a Breed Committee (Sam Tate, Gloria Owens, Dawn Lott, and Peggy Chenault) too.
In 2009, September Board Meeting saw the TICA Board deny the Napoleons again. Unwilling to give up, plans began again to petition the board in Texas-January 2011. While two committee members, Sam Tate and Gloria Owens bowed out, the Napoleon Working Group was still intact and determined. By year’s end, we had indirectly established three separate but general Napoleon information websites and revised our written standard.
Add a comment May 11, 2010
Tags: founder of the Napoleon cats, History of the Napoleon Cat, Joe Smith, Munchkin Cats, Munchkin kittens, Napoleon Cats, Napoleon cats for sale, Napoleon cattery, Napoleon information, Napoleon Kittens, Napoleon Kittens For Sale, short legged cats, shortlegged cats, The Napoleon Cat Website
Napoleon Cat Pictures
Are you interested in the new breed of cats called “Napoleon Cats” but you cannot find information much less any Napoleon Cat pictures? This is surely a problem when researching new cat breeds.
It is not like you can go to the library and find a book about the Napoleon Cats. Most books in the library are 10 to 20 years old. You can’t even go to Amazon.com to buy a book because new breeds are usually not established long enough to get full coverage in those general “All Cat Breed” type books.
That leaves search engines which can bring up any and all cat classified ad sites, cattery websites, the wikopedia site, various blog sites, and maybe even a few “general” Napoleon breed cat sites. Currently, there appears to be three general websites that give basic information about the Napoleons and then even include Napoleon Cat pictures.
The www.thenapoleoncat.com site googles top of the list. It has a wide display of top quality Napoleon Cat Pictures all on the home page with a photo gallery, like this one of Creators Frenchie Petit Chaton.
Frenchie the Napoleon cat
Also included is a picture by picture run down of what the breed standard states and what that should look like on the cat. This is very helpful as we all know that “a picture paints a thousand words” so you can not only read what the Napoleon Cat is suppose to look like but you can see pictures of that same description. There are around 10 full pages of information with contact name, referrals, links, etc. with the best selection of Napoleon cat pictures.
Second website is www.napoleoncat.com and this too opens up with a distinct picture of a Napoleon. Most cat breeds can take cute pictures of their cat curled up on a pillow or lying down or even just a head shot – but with the Napoleon cat – it is their unmistakably short legs that need to be viewed along with their adorable round faces – so this provides a constant challenge for any Napoleon cat picture.
Third website is www.napoleoncatbreed.com. Fortunately, each of these three Napoleon cat websites are full of good information and are actively being maintain in order to promote the Napoleon cats.
Below are three pictures of some of the original Napoleon cats – meaning that these were early Napoleon cats that were bred by the founder, Joe Smith.
Joe Smith Napoleon Cat
A Shaded Silver Napoleon Cat bred by Joe Smith
Solid White Napoleon Cat bred by Joe Smith
Here are two more good examples of a Napoleon cat.
Napoleon cats
Joe Smith Napoleon Cat Banner
Finally – the “perch” pose that the Napoleons tend to do.
The sit up on their hind legs often - like a prairie dog.
Frenchie - thet Napoleon sits up in this adorable pose.
These Napoleon cat pictures do help convey more to you what a Napoleon cat really looks like – yes, cute and very short legs but also an adorable sweet expressioned face too!
Add a comment May 4, 2010
Tags: Creators Cattery, good pictures of Napoleon cats, Joe Smith, Napoleon Cats, Napoleon Kittens, Napoleons, new breeds, pictures of Napoleons, short cats, short legged cats, The Napoleon Cat Website
Googling “Napoleon Kittens For Sale”
Are you looking for Napoleon Kittens for sale? If so, let me give you the 411 information so you are better equipped to muddle your way through the internet search engine sites which may advertise “Napoleon Kittens For Sale!”
Good Example of Napoleon Kitten
First, the basics. A Napoleon Kitten is a new hybrid crossing the Persian Breed Group and the Munchkin Breed . The Napoleon’s distinctive short legs do not hamper mobility or health. The ideal Napoleon is a medium sized, strong cat with nice boning and musculature. The face should be rounded, open with a pleasant “sweet expression” and large, round, expressive eyes.
That said, when looking for a Napoleon Kitten for sale – you should be looking for a kitten that doesn’t look like a Munchkin (which has the longer nose/modified wedged face with larger ears – that domestic look) – even if that kitten is called “a Napoleon,” like the kitten below.
Munchkin looking Napoleon - low quality
And, you shouldn’t be looking for a kitten that looks like a short-legged Persian (which has an extremely short snubbed nose, slightly protruding forehead, somewhat bugged eyes).
This Napoleon is too snub nosed
The good Napoleon kittens should look somewhat different from both parent groups. Yes, the short legs are an unusual trait and are quite distinguishable. But the rest of the cat’s features are just as important.
Example of a Good Quality Napoleon
Pierre is a good representative of the Napoleon Breed.
To get full information on those differences check this website: www.thenapoleoncat.com on the “Closer Look” page.
Another important thing to know is that googling “Napoleon Kittens For Sale“, you will be getting a slew of different “types” of websites. Some are a “Breeds of every kind classified ads” type site with pictures and links to all breeds. These of course are not complete. You will also get various Napoleon cattery websites too. Remember – any breeder – ethical or not – can purchase a domain name, have a website, advertise in a magazine, show a cat, or even have “years of experience.” These things alone do not mean quality or high reputation. Frankly, there are unsavory breeders involved with every breed of cat because there are just plenty of unethical people in this world. So, buyer beware.
But, here are some helpful tips as you filter through the lists of Napoleon Kittens For Sale.
1. Do your home work and know what you are buying before you buy. If you don’t know what the difference is between a pet quality and show quality cat is – be prepared to be snookered.
2. Look for consistency – on their website, when you talk to them, and look for widespread concensus from other Napoleon breeders for they know who is ethical and who isn’t.
3. Kick your intuition into high gear and ask lots of questions.
Hopefully after your thorough search – there will be “one less” Napoleon Kitten For Sale!
2 comments April 2, 2010
Tags: Creators Cattery, Finding a Napoleon Breeder, Finding A Napoleon Cattery, Information About Napoleon Cats, Information About Napoleon Kittens, Kittens For Sale, Munchkin Cats, Napoleon Cats, Napoleon Kittens, Napoleon Kittens For Sale, The Napoleon Cat Website
Hello world! Meet the Napoleon Cat!
I am beginning a blog to help inform and educate the general public about the new hybrid breed of felines called the ” Napoleon Cat.” I will try to give information and pictures so that you can see what is special about this new breed versus other breeds of cats.
They say that a picture paints a thousand words and this indeed is true for the Napoleon cats. To see them is to fall in love with the many attributes of this hybrid bred cat. Hybrid means that it is a mix of two established breeds – the Persian Cat Group (which includes the Persian, the Himalayans, and the Exotic Shorthairs) along with the Munchkin Breed Group. A true hybrid is one that has features that come from both parent groups that distinguishes itself from either of its parent group. In essence this means, that the Napoleon cats should not look like a Munchkin cat but also should not look like a Persian cat either…and in fact, they don’t.
The ideal Napoleon cat will have the short legs of the original shortlegged breed; i.e. the Munchkins, but will have the general look of the old fashioned baby doll faced Persians – and not like the snub nosed modern Persian. In fact, there are many more differences in almost every aspect of the Napoleon cat. We, the Napoleon Working Breed Group (a group of dedicated Napoleon breeders who are working together within our cat association to promote and advance our Napoleon cats to full acceptance) have a written breed standard that describes our cat from head to short legs to body to face to tail. We claim that we are not a round faced Munchkin nor are we a shortlegged Persian – there is much more differences here and there than that. In following blogs, I will get down to many of these differences so that you can learn.
For today, I will only wet your appetite with knowing that there is an adorable new breed that has been deemed healthy, viable, proven popular even at this early stage of its existence, eye appealing, and very social and affectionate – the Napoleon Cat.
More information can always be found at my cattery website: www.creatorscattery.com as well as my “general Napoleon cat” website: www.thenapoleoncat.com so please feel free to check those out.
Here is a picture of one of my newer Napoleon kittens with potential that is currently being shown. Details about this in future blogs too. But for now, this picture of Creators Frenchie Petit Chaton – a gorgeous lilac tabby bicolor longhaired male.
Example of a Napoleon Cat
Two main things to notice – the short legs (like Dachshund legs) as well as the sweet wide opened expression and round but baby doll faced cat. Intrigued yet? Do you have questions? Do you want to learn more? Want more pictures? I hope I have perked your interest and I hope you will return soon for more information about the Napoleon cats.
1 comment March 31, 2010
Tags: cats with short legs, Creators Cattery, Munchkin, Napoleon, Napoleon cat, Napoleon Cat Websites, Napoleon Cats, Napoleon kitten, Napoleon Kittens, Napoleon websites, Napoleons, Neopolitan, new cat breeds, Persian hybrids, short cats, short legged cats
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