Australian Mist Cat Breed Description

Active: Australian Mist cats tend to be moderately active, retaining some of the energy of a kitten even as they age. As they age they do settle somewhat but still love to engage in play and games each day.

Size: The Australian Mist is a moderate size cat of medium build and boning. They typically weigh between 8 -15 pounds.

Characteristics: The facial features of the Australian Mist are broad and open, giving them a sweet, endearing quality to their face. Their large eyes come in a variety of shades of green and are so expressive they will draw you in immediately. The Australian Mist's short, dense coat has no undercoat and is very soft to the touch as well as beautiful to behold. The background appears light and "misted" - hence their name - and darker spots sit atop the mist to create the spotted or marbled patterns for which they are known. The background color always remains a light shade of taupe but the spots can vary in color including brown, blue, chocolate, and lilac, gold and peach. Additionally, their legs and tails are either ringed or barred.

Temperament: If you are looking for a great family pet that gets along well with children of all ages and other pets such as dogs, the Australian Mist is the perfect choice! They are not big scratchers and are very tolerant of handling. They are astonishingly gentle and incredibly affectionate - immediately winning over everyone they encounter. They will watch to see what you are doing, happily play along with any games, and be more than obliged to curl up in your lap and cuddle whenever you want. They make the perfect entertainment, intelligently and quickly learn new games and tricks and are simply a delightful companion.

Care: Australian Mist cats require very minimal amounts of cleaning. They simply need to be brushed or combed once per week and their nails trimmed and ears cleaned occasionally.

Coat: The coat of the Australian Mist is short, resilient and has no undercoat.

Origin: The history of the Australian Mist cat breed begins with Dr. Truda Straede in 1977. Dr. Straede set out to create a truly unique cat that would be distinctly identified as "Australian." Dr. Straede carefully crafted a plan to develop this new Australian breed of cat and presented it to the Royal Agricultural Society of NSW Cat Control (now known as the Cat Fanciers' Association of NSW). In her experimental plan she stated that she would breed a Burmese cat for its colors (brown blue, chocolate lilac), an Abyssinian cat for its ticking, and a ghost spotted Burmese, along with other well spotted domestic cats. The breed's gene pool traces its roots to Abyssinian, Burmese, Australian Moggy and over 30 other foundation cats. The breed's first litter was accepted for experimental recognition by RASCC in 1980 and in 1987 RASCC fully accepted and registered the breed.

Internationally, the Australian Mist was accepted as a Championship breed by the World Cat Federation in August 2004 and was also accepted for Championship status by the United Feline Organisation in the USA. Then, in 2011, the ACFA (American Cat Fanciers Association) and GCCF (Governing Council of the Cat Fancy of the UK) accepted the breed as well. The breed was initially named Spotted Mist but in 1998 it was changed to Australian mist when the breed began accepting marbled coats in addition to spotted coats.