Aphrodite Giant Cat Breed Description

Active: Aphrodite Giant cats are a moderately active cat breed. While they love to play they are not overly pushy or demanding and are also more than happy to curl up on their favorite human's lap and cuddle the day away.

Size: The Aphrodite Giant is a slow developing breed which doesn't reach full maturity until they reach 4 or 5 years old. Males generally weigh around 22 - 24 lb (10-11 kg) and females typically weigh 11 - 15 lb (5 - 7 kg).

Characteristics: Aphrodite Giant cats are a very large cat, as you may have suspected by their name. Nothing about them is small, they have very large, muscular bodies that are lean yet have big-boned frame. Additionally, their tail is medium-long, corresponding in size with their body. Aphrodite Giant cats have triangular-shaped heads that are home to olive or oval shaped eyes, a prominent chin, and medium-large ears that are wide at the base. Their soft, wooly coat is available in all colors except chocolate, lilac, cinnamon and fawn, pointed colors and mink. Also, solid colors should be without white.

Temperament: You might think these large cats would have big, intense personalities but they are actually very calm and sweet cats. Aphrodite Giant cats are gentle giants, bonding closely with their favorite humans and happily showing and receiving affection and love. They get along well with all members of the family, including children and other pets. They are a laid back cat breed but also enjoy playing games. Their high intelligence helps them to learn games, tricks and training quickly and they will happily interact in a fun and playful way.

Care: The coat of the Aphrodite Giant cat needs different care seasonally. The majority of the time twice per week combing or brushing will keep their coat nice but during moulting season, when they shed more considerably, it is best to brush them every other day. As with other cats, routine nail trimming and ear cleaning is also ideal to care for your Aphrodite Giant cat.

Coat: The Cyprus Aphrodite Giant breed has shorthaired and semi-longhaired coats. The semi-longhair needs to be brushed every other day, especially during their shedding season in spring. The shorthair requires very little grooming. The adult cat's mane is amazing in the winter. The Aphrodite's coat can be a variety of colors and patterns though will never be pointed colors, mink, chocolate, lilac, cinnamon or fawn. Semi-longhaired coats shed dramatically in the spring and can almost resemble a shorthaired cat yet they still maintain their bushy tail.

Origin: Aphrodite Giant cats are one of only two naturally occurring cat breeds on Cyprus. While they are a relatively new cat breed in the cat fancy world, they may actually be one of the oldest cat breeds in the world. In 2004, French archaeologist Prof. Jean Guillain found cat skeletons that date back over 9,500 years. These skeletons predate the oldest Egyptian sketches of cats by more than 4,000 years! According to the ancient story, St. Helen brought two boatloads of cats from Egypt to Palestine in an attempt to combat an infestation of snakes in a monastery. The snakes were allowed to, more or less, live and breed freely for over 1,200 years which allowed them to grow into the unique, robust, hearty and interesting breed they are today. An Aphrodite Giant cat was first shown in a formal setting in 2007 locally and were then shown in 2009 at the World Cat Federation (WCF) show in Berlin. In 2012, the WCF fully recognized the Aphrodite Giant cat breed as its own breed. In 2014, the Australian Cat Federation (ACF) recognized the breed as the Aphrodite cat breed, dropping "Giant" form its formal name.