Minskin Cat Breed Description

Active: The Minskin is a moderately active cat breed, They love to play and show off their skills but they are incredibly affectionate and adore being cuddled by their favorite humans.

Size: The Minskin cat is small in size, only weighing between 2 - 6 pounds.

Characteristics: The Minskin is a very unique looking cat. They are tiny, relatively hairless, have only patches of hair on the body, and have very short legs. All of these features make Minskins a cat breed all of their own, there is simply none other like them. They have large, round paws that help provide stability, balance and even agility to the short legs on which the Munchkins stand. The small fur points feel like cashmere and are incredibly silky to the touch. The points of fur tend to be on their face, ears, legs, tail, and groin and their bellies, chest, and neck are typically hairless. Their coat comes in all patterns and colors. The head of the Minskin has rounded contours with high cheekbones and a rounded muzzle. Their eyes are large and round and their ears are quite large on their small heads. An interesting note - their small little hairless bodies actually tend to feel quite warm so people love cuddling with their semi-hairless friends!

Temperament: Minskin cat are very affectionate and friendly. While they may be small they have a big personality. They will happily play with toys, games, people of all ages - including children, and even other pets. This makes them the ideal family pet because they are so outgoing and sweet. Their tiny legs do not slow them down, they love to run around as fast as possible or scale furniture and they certainly look adorable doing so. Their intelligence gets shown off when they skillfully play games and master new puzzles. They make a great indoor companion.

Care: The Minskin, much like other hairless breeds, needs to be protected from light and cold. Because they have no coat (or relatively little coat) they can easily get sunburned and very quickly chilled. A bath every few weeks will help prevent skin problems and keep skin feeling and looking its best. Because there is little hair around their ears, routine ear cleaning is also ideal.

Coat: The coat of the Minskin is one of its signature features because the hair is pointed on the body, existing only in certain areas or patches on the cat's body.

Origin: The Minskin is a relatively new breed with a very unique look. The story of the Minskin starts in 1998 when, in Boston, Massachusetts, Paul McSorley set out to create a breed similar to the Siamese cat that has fur that is only contained to certain parts of the body, also known as points and that also had short legs. The way McSorley did this was he crossed a Munchkin cat with a Sphynx cat for their distinct characteristics. During his breeding program he also incorporated Devon Rex and Burmese cats. It took some time but finally, in 2000, McSorley had a cat from his breeding program that fit his desired characteristics. The breed grew and in 2005 there were approximately 50 Minskins in existence. In 2008, TICA (The International Cat Association) granted the breed Preliminary New Breed status and is not yet recognized by any other associations.