Interesting Facts 

Exotic cat. Exotic shorthair cat: the nature of the breed and care for it

Every cat owner cannot but agree that in any situation it is very important to keep an eye on your cat: regularly inspect it for scratches or sores, take care of the condition of the coat, and also keep it clean.

If you are the proud owner of an exotic shorthair cat, then you will certainly be interested (and useful) to learn about some of the basic aspects of caring for your pet.

oral care

This task is, perhaps, in the first place, and this is due, first of all, to a large number of varieties of stomatitis, which can strike at any moment.

Therefore, it is important to brush your teeth regularly (at least once a week). Despite the caress, suppleness and meek disposition, no one will like to endure the action of a toothbrush in their mouth. An exotic shorthair cat will not be an exception - caring for her, however, necessarily includes this procedure. Exotics will scream, squeak, break out of your hands - your task is to keep her, thereby bringing this process to its logical conclusion.

By the way, for cleaning, use a special brush with a nozzle (sold in pet stores); at first it is recommended to clean with just warm water, then you can gradually switch to tooth powders - with the only condition that they will be without flavorings. After the painful procedure, take the cat in your arms, stroke, caress, thereby as if apologizing for causing her inconvenience.

Bathing

Even though Exotics are half-short-haired "Americans", don't forget that they are Persians by the other half. And the Persians, as you know, well, very thick wool. Therefore, the answer to the question of the need for bathing should pop up in your head by itself.

Grooming an Exotic cat takes bathing as a matter of course, so it's important to keep that in mind at all times. As a shampoo, you can use a regular baby shampoo with a protective formula or a special cat care product (again, in a pet store). The most important thing is that the product foams well and thoroughly rinses out all the dust and dirt from the fur. For bathing, use warm water, but never hot.

The question of when to bathe exotics has two answers: firstly, when the animal becomes dirty (you will notice this), and also during the molting period. Bathing during molting is necessary in order to wash out all the faded shreds that remain there from the fur, as over time they will collect dirt on themselves and cause inconvenience to exotics.

And last but not least, food. The correct mode, as well as a balanced diet, will keep the exotic in excellent shape and leave you full and satisfied!

Character

This is a calm animal, not prone to fuss and excessive running around. Such cats are devoted to one owner, but with the rest of the inhabitants of the apartment, including, for example, dogs, they behave calmly and confidentially.

An exotic cat is moderately playful and does not make much noise: it almost does not give a voice, and if it meows, it is quite quiet. She does not like loneliness, so show attention to your pet more often, especially when it is still a kitten.

Exotic Care

These cats have a powerful body inherited from Persian relatives, and a peculiar flat muzzle, the structure of which sometimes gives the animal some inconvenience.

Like Persians, exotic cats are brachycephalic, meaning they have a flat muzzle. Unfortunately, in addition to a cute appearance, this feature of the structure sometimes causes problems, so caring for exotics requires special care.

Firstly, these cats often have watery eyes. This means that you need to take care of them and clean them of mucus every day.

Secondly, brachycephals have difficulty breathing. Cats with these features often suffer from a runny nose, nasal congestion and are forced to breathe through their mouths during such periods.

Thirdly, Exotics inherited from the Persians a predisposition to several genetic diseases at once. For example, to hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, that is, heart disease, as well as to polycystic kidney disease, which is observed in almost 50% of cases.

It is very important to ask the breeder from whom you are taking an exotic about these features, and then consult with a veterinarian and conduct, if necessary, a full examination to identify signs of these diseases.

Interestingly, at the same time, exotics live for quite a long time, up to 15 years. Another feature: these animals grow up slowly - it takes more than three years for an exotic to turn from a kitten into an adult cat.

If the kitten is already weaned from the mother, he has milk teeth, you can give him food. When the animal is 4 months old, transfer it to the diet. It is universal for all breeds and contains all the necessary set of proteins, fats and vitamins necessary for the normal growth of a kitten. Alternate this product with wet food, and the pet will receive everything for proper development with food.

If your cat lives exclusively at home, after a year you can switch it to food. If the animal is spayed, choose the Sterilized product. Be sure to follow the recommended feeding norms to prevent the Exotic from gaining excess weight.

Despite their strong build and high life expectancy, these cats have their weak points, which means that caring for Exotics also consists of regular visits to the veterinarian.

If you have any questions about caring for exotics, let us know!

The Exotic Shorthair (Exot) is one of the youngest breeds. She was bred by breeders from the United States as a result of crossing silver Persian cats and American Shorthair cats. Visually, exotics are very similar to Persians, and only thick short hair was inherited from American Shorthairs. This cat breed was officially recognized in the 80s of the last century. Exotic cats quickly fell in love with breeders due to their unusual appearance and docile nature.

Description of the breed

The exotic cat standard duplicates all the main characteristics of the Persians, with the exception of the length of the coat and its quality. The description of the exotic breed is as follows:

  • large and massive physique;
  • muscular backbone;
  • wide chest;
  • short tail with a rounded end;
  • massive rounded head;
  • small, low-set auricles;
  • flat, short muzzle;
  • large eyes;
  • sunken nose.

All changes to the Persian standard are automatically added to the Exotic standard.

The wool of exotic cats is much shorter than that of Persian cats, but longer than that of British and American cats. The coat of exotics is soft, plush and thick. As far as colors are concerned, all colors of Persians are allowed by the standard for exotics, including black, red, tabby, bicolor and calico. Kittens are born single-color and multi-color.

The nature of pets

Exotic shorthair kittens are very mobile, playful and inquisitive. They quickly become attached to the owner and try in every possible way to show their love. Cats are wary only of small children and try to hide away from them. Exotic cats treat strangers calmly and show no interest in them.

Exotics are endowed with an extraordinary mind and easily learn simple commands. These pets never show unreasonable aggression and are distinguished by friendliness and complaisance. The cat recognizes only one person as the owner after some observation of all household members.

A feature of these cats is that in their behavior they are more like dogs than representatives of the cat family. They are infinitely devoted to the owner and extremely hard to experience separation from him. For exotics, it is very important that the owner is always with them and shows his love. With other pets, exotic shorthair cats get along well, but prefer to stay away from them, spending most of their time with the owner.

Exotic cat care

Exotic Shorthairs are fairly easy to care for. The coat of the pet should be combed once a week with a brush-mitt. During the molting period, it is recommended to comb the cat more often. If necessary, you need to bathe the animal and cut its claws with a nail cutter. Periodically, it is necessary to inspect the auricles and eyes of the exotic for the presence of contamination and clean them with a cotton swab.

The most important point in caring for the Exotic Shorthair is a balanced diet, as representatives of this breed are prone to obesity. In the diet of a four-legged pet, there should be as many proteins as possible, and fats should be completely eliminated. The body of small kittens needs calcium and phosphorus to form a strong bone and muscle system. It is desirable that the nutrition of babies consists mainly of dairy products, namely low-fat cottage cheese and sour cream.

An adult can be fed natural food or industrial dry or canned food. If the owner chose the first option for feeding the exotic, then he will need to take time to cook dishes. The basis of the cat's diet should be lean meat (veal, chicken) and dairy products. A meat dish for an exotic cat is prepared as follows:

  • veal is pre-frozen for a day;
  • after defrosting, the meat is cut into small pieces;
  • add half a teaspoon of olive oil to the meat;
  • mix veal with boiled vegetables (cauliflower, spinach);
  • if desired, add a little buckwheat or rice porridge at the rate of 3 parts of meat per 1 part of additives.

All dairy products must be fat-free. At the same time, it is impossible to feed an exotic shorthair cat with fresh kefir, since it can provoke indigestion. It is advisable that kefir stand in the refrigerator for at least a day. Sour cream and natural yogurt without additives are recommended to be given to the pet no more than 2 times a week. Periodically it is allowed to feed the cat with fermented baked milk. Milk to drink exotics is not recommended.

It is also advisable to consult with a veterinarian about vitamin supplements and be sure to include them in the animal's diet when feeding natural food. If the choice fell on industrial feed, then it is recommended to choose brands not lower than the premium class.

The owner of an exotic should regularly examine his organs of vision. As the eyes of exotics get dirty, it is advisable to wipe them with a soft, well-absorbing cloth moistened with a 2% solution of boric acid, strong tea or a special preparation. Optik gel.

With severe lacrimation, it is necessary to drip the cat (2 drops each) with Vizin or Maxitrol eye drops. With severe suppuration, tetracycline eye ointment should be used. The cat's eyes should be washed about once a week, but in some cases this procedure can be carried out more often. For this purpose, a strong infusion of tea applied to a cotton swab is usually used.

Obstruction of the nasolacrimal ducts is common in cats, as their nasal septum is curved, so excess tears flow out over the edge of the eyelid, leaving dark brown marks on the fur under the eyes.

Exotic shorthair cats often have droopy eyelids. It is treated surgically, the operation almost always gives good results.

If, upon examination, the ears are found to be dirty or filled with large amounts of excreted sulfur, then it is necessary to clean them. Usually, cats' ears are cleaned with cotton swabs soaked in warm water, sunflower oil or alcohol. You need to take a thin wooden stick and wind cotton wool on it, one edge of which should protrude beyond the tip of the stick. After wetting the swab in the liquid used, it should be squeezed out a little. Cleaning is carried out very carefully.

The cat begins to experience itching around the ears, which makes her shake her head and scratch the affected areas with her claws. Large secretions of sulfur accumulate in the auricle, acquiring a greyish-brown dirty color. The disease is treated with the help of anti-scab preparations, as well as 3% boric alcohol, which is used to treat the ears with cotton wicks. Special care is also required for the nose of a cat, especially if the animal has recently suffered a cold or is not accustomed to carefully absorbing food.

A stuffy nose can be cleared with water-soaked cotton balls or swabs, but care must be taken as many cats do not like this procedure. The cat's nose should always be sufficiently moist and cold to the touch.