Cyprus cat

Last updated

Cyprus cat
CyprusShorthair.jpg
A short-haired female kitten
Other namesCypriot cat, Saint Helen cat, Saint Nicholas cat
Origin Cyprus; foundation stock likely from Egypt
Variety statusNot recognized as a standardized breed by any major breed registry.
Notes
Cyprus cats are a landrace, not a standardized breed.
Domestic cat (Felis catus)
Cypriot cat at the Limassol Medieval Castle Cyprus-Cat-Limassol-Castle.jpg
Cypriot cat at the Limassol Medieval Castle

Cyprus cats, also known as Cypriot cats, Saint Helen cats, and Saint Nicholas cats, are a landrace of domestic cat found across the island of Cyprus. A standardized breed is being developed from them; among cat fancier and breeder organizations, it is presently fully recognized by the World Cat Federation (WCF), with breeding regulated by the World Cat Congress (WCC), under the name Aphrodite's Giant; and provisionally by The International Cat Association (TICA) as the Aphrodite. All three organizations permit shorthaired and semi-longhaired versions and no out-crossing to other breeds.

Contents

The earliest known written record of cats on Cyprus refers to a story of Saint Helen of Constantinople sending two boatloads of cats to a monastery on the island from Egypt or Palestine in the 4th century AD to deal with an infestation of snakes. Cats on Cyprus have been able to breed for centuries with comparatively little outside influence; this has resulted in a distinct, locally adapted variety of cat which appears to have developed as a feral population in the inner highlands, though is found throughout the island in modern times. While wildcats in association with humans on Cyprus date to at least 7500 BC – the earliest proven association of cats with humans – there is no known connection between those ancient tamed-wild specimens and modern domesticated Cyprus cats, despite breeder claims to the contrary.

History

A domesticated Cyprus cat yawning Cyprus Cat Yawning.jpg
A domesticated Cyprus cat yawning

A paper by J.-D. Vigne, et al., concluded in 2004 that the discovery of Near Eastern wildcat (Felis silvestris lybica) remains in a 9,500-year-old grave in Cyprus is the oldest example to date of a cat in close association with humans. Archaeologists led by Jean Guillain working at the Neolithic site of Shillourokambos uncovered carefully interred remains of a cat alongside human remains and decorative artifacts, on an island separated from the mainland since before human habitation, thus indicating human introduction of cats to the area. "Examination showed that a small pit or grave had been deliberately dug out, and the body of the cat was placed in it, then rapidly covered." The cat skeleton pre-dates Egyptian depictions of cats by 4,000 years or more. [1] [2] There is no evidence that modern cats of any variety are descended from ancient Cypriot wildcats; nevertheless both WCF [3] and TICA [4] have uncritically repeated breeder claims of such descent.

Cyprus cats of today are more likely linked with the monastery named Saint Nicholas of the Cats (Greek : Άγιος Νικόλαος των Γατών, romanized: Ágios Nikólaos ton Gatón), which was founded in the 4th century AD. It is located near Akrotiri. According to Byzantine legend, Helena of Constantinople (Saint Helen) shipped hundreds of cats from Egypt or Palestine to Cyprus in 328 AD to control venomous snakes that had infested the area around the monastery, following a drought lasting 37 years. The monastery had two bells, one to call the cats to meals and the other to send them into the fields to hunt snakes. The population of cats at the site (today a nunnery) once dwindled, but has now revived thanks to care by the resident nuns. [5] The Nobel laureate Giorgos Seferis wrote of these cats in his poem "The Cats of St. Nicholas". [6] The story being a legend, it is impossible to know for certain today if shiploads of cats were really sent to Cyprus in the 4th century and cats have, of course, been arriving on the island (often as ship's cats) for many centuries.

The World Cat Congress is of the opinion that Cyprus cats developed over time in mountainous inner Cyprus from various populations of cats around the island and became large and bushy-haired to cope with hunting comparatively large prey like rats, big lizards and snakes in cool, wet, mountain weather, though summers there are fairly hot and dry [7] (Both WCF and TICA note that the thickness of the coat in purebred Aphrodite cats descended from this populations still varies seasonally). The other two organizations' breed summaries are generally consistent with this view, [8] [9] though it is uncertain who first produced this account of their origin, or on what basis. It is unclear whether Cyprus cats are closely related to the broader Aegean cat landrace of mainland and island Greece. Genetic testing to date (see below) has shown only that the Cyprus cats are distinct enough that a breed could be developed from them.

Cypriot cat wandering around Cape Greco Cyprus-Cat-Cape-Greco.jpg
Cypriot cat wandering around Cape Greco

Characteristics

Cyprus cats are somewhat thick-haired (from short-haired up to "semi-longhaired" in cat fanciers' jargon), and are an athletic and energetic variety. Feral populations are found throughout the island of Cyprus, from mountainous and cooler regions to the lower, hotter areas near the coasts, including in the cities.[ citation needed ] As such, this cat has locally adapted to different climates / seasonal change; however, it may be more associated with the mountainous areas. [9]

Aphrodite breed development

Aphrodite
CypursLongHairCatandShortHair.jpg
A semi-long-haired adult male
Other namesAphrodite Giant, Aphrodite's Giant Longhair, Aphrodite's Giant Shorthair
Origin Cyprus
Breed standards
TICA standard
WCF standard
Notes
TICA recognition is only preliminary.
Domestic cat (Felis catus)

Local breeders began in 2006 to attempt to establish a standardized breed from local feral cats. [9] In 2008, a World Cat Federation (WCF) all-breeds judge visited Cyprus to work at a cat show [ citation needed ] and was introduced to a breeder of purebred cats developed in this trial breeding program [9] from the Cyprus cats. Considering the cats distinct, he wrote a standard of points and named them Aphrodite Giant. The president and board members of WCF advised that these Aphrodite cats should be shown outside Cyprus to become better known within the cat fancy,[ citation needed ] but did not immediately accept the nascent breed. Subsequently, a group of interested people in Cyprus decided to form a club, which was named the Cyprus Cats National Breed Association (CyCNBA), which applied for government approval and started functioning in late 2009. CyCNBA applied to affiliate to the WCF in April 2012.[ clarification needed ][ citation needed ]

In addition, it was agreed that a letter be sent to a leading specialist in cat genetics,[ citation needed ] Leslie A. Lyons of University of California, Davis, asking whether she would agree to DNA-test a selection of Cyprus cats to see whether it was possible to genetically define them as a breed. The professor, who intended shortly to begin a further study of Turkish Van and Turkish Angora cats (whose ancestry has long been disputed), agreed to study samples submitted from Cyprus. A total of 248 cats were studied, including a number of random-bred Cyprus cats from the Malcolm Cat Sanctuary, for comparison. "All cats were considered in one large analysis. The analysis partitioned the cats based solely on genetic variation, not by any other identification." (L. Lyons – 2 January 2012) [10] The January 2012 report concluded that "Cyprus cats are a distinct population within the Mediterranean" and that a "breed from Cyprus could be developed". [10]

On 1 July 2012, the cat became a fully recognised breed of the WCF, originally as just the Aphrodite's Giant Longhair (though it is actually in the organization's semi-longhaired division [11] ) after the CyCNBA attended the WCF General Assembly in Gelsenkirchen, Germany and applied for recognition of the cats in April 2012.[ citation needed ] Today, WCF also recognizes a short-haired variant. [8]

In September 2017, The International Cat Association (TICA) recognized the cats, under the name Aphrodite, as a "preliminary new breed", in its own breed group and with both shorthaired and semi-longhaired varieties. [9] Some TICA members have started breeding programs for the Aphrodite in Europe, Asia, and the United States. [9]

In breeder terminology, this constitutes a natural or traditional breed [9] – one developed from local stock to preserve its key characteristics, rather than created by breeders to have new features.

Breed standards

The WCF standard calls for the Aphrodite's Giant to be large, strong, and muscular but not cobby, and big-boned even as kittens. The cats may be shorthaired or semi-longhaired and of any colors other than colorpoint or mink (which comes from the Burmese gene), nor with any white spots if otherwise solid-colored. "In bicolour, non-regular colour setting is desired." The coat should be soft and wooly, and is expected to be longer and with an undercoat in winter, and always lacking any top coat except possibly on the back. In detail, WCF calls for muscular hips and shoulders; back legs slightly longer than front (a trait shared with another insular breed, the Manx); medium-long, "well-plumed" tail, commensurate with body size (and visibly tapering in the shorthaired version); a long-triangular head with straight cheeks, long and straight muzzle, "strong" chin, rounded front of the face, slightly domed forehead and "a very slight dip under the height of the eyes"; wide-based, medium-large ears, forming an open V (rather than being straight upward); and olive-shaped, oblique-set eyes of any uniform color. Weight range is not specified. [8] [3]

WCF has set no temperament or breeding rules for this breed, and defers on breeding points instead to the World Cat Congress (WCC), [11] which permits no out-crossing, other than between the longhaired and shorthaired varieties of the breed. Only WCC (a confederation of national and international cat federations, which does not itself issue breed standards, just breeding regulations) uses the term Aphrodite's Giant Shorthair for the latter. [7] WCC asks that judges disqualify smaller specimens of both, to preserve the large-boned nature of the breed. [7]

Under the TICA definition, Aphrodites may be shorthaired or semi-longhaired and have any color and pattern, except they may not be colorpoint or mink and should not have a "locket" spot on the chest. The coat should be soft and lush and may seasonally vary in undercoat density (not required). They are "athletic, well-muscled, solid" and of medium to large build, but must have a gentle, non-aggressive temperament. Fully adult male weight range is 15–18 pounds (6.8–8.2 kg); female, 10–14 pounds (4.5–6.4 kg), which is heavy for a female cat. On finer points, the TICA standard calls for hips and shoulders of the same width; back legs slightly longer than front; an overall long-triangular, straight-cheeked head with a squared but not flattened muzzle and slight concavity between nose and brow leading to a slightly rounded forehead; wide-based, wide-set and fairly large ears forming an open V; oblique, olive-shaped eyes of any color; a full-width chin of normal depth; medium-long, tapering tail consistent with the body and coat (and plumed in the longhaired version). Jowls are permitted in adult males. [9] [4] No out-crossing to other cats is permitted (though the two varieties of Aphrodite are a single breed for TICA purposes). [4]

WCF and TICA sharply conflict with each other on the cat's speed of maturity, perhaps owing to different foundation stock for their breed variants. The WCF standard says that they develop quickly, [8] while TICA says they are comparatively slow to mature (another trait shared with the Manx), taking three to five years to reach full size. [4]

TICA's overview of the breed describes them as affectionate and social and in some ways dog-like in behavior toward their keepers. [9]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">York Chocolate</span> Breed of cat

The York Chocolate is an uncommon American breed of show cat, with a long, fluffy coat and a tapered tail and most of them were mostly or entirely chocolate-brown or the dilute form of brown, known as lavender. The breed was named after New York state, where it was established in 1983. This breed was created by color-selecting domestic long-haired cats of mixed ancestry. The breed is not widely recognized by cat registries. It is not recognized by the major organizations such as The International Cat Association (TICA), the Cat Fanciers' Association or Fédération Internationale Féline.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cymric cat</span> Breed of cat

The Cymric is a Canadian cat breed. Some cat registries consider the Cymric a semi-long-haired variety of the Manx breed, rather than a separate breed. Except for the length of fur, in all other respects, the two varieties are the same, and kittens of either sort may appear in the same litter. The name comes from Cymru, the indigenous Welsh name of Wales, even though the breed is not associated with Wales. The name may have been chosen to provide a "Celtic" sounding moniker for the breed. While the breed's Manx bloodline originated from the Isle of Man, the long-haired variant is claimed to have been developed by Canada. The breed is called the Longhair Manx or a similar name by some registries.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Munchkin cat</span> Breed of cat

The Munchkin is a breed of cat characterized by its very short legs, which are caused by genetic mutation. Compared to many other cat breeds, it is a relatively new breed, documented since 1940s and officially recognized in 1991. The Munchkin is considered to be the original breed of dwarf cat.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">American Bobtail</span> Breed of cat

The American Bobtail is an uncommon breed of domestic cat which was developed in the late 1960s. It is most notable for its stubby "bobbed" tail about one-third to one-half the length of a normal cat's tail. This is the result of a cat body type genetic mutation affecting the tail development, similar to that of a Manx cat. The breed is not related to other short-tailed breeds, such as the Cymric cat, or the Japanese Bobtail or Kurilian Bobtail, despite the similar name and physical type—the breeding programs are entirely unrelated, and the genetic mutation causing the bobbed tail are known to be different, as the mutation causing the American Bobtail's short tail is dominant; comparatively, the Japanese Bobtail, for example, has a tail mutation that is recessive.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nebelung</span> Breed of cat

The Nebelung is a pedigree breed of domestic cat. Nebelungs have long bodies, wide-set green eyes, long and dense fur, and mild dispositions. The cat is related to the Russian Blue, but with longer, silkier hair, and is in fact sometimes called the Long-haired Russian Blue.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tonkinese cat</span> Breed of cat

Tonkinese is a domestic cat breed produced by crossbreeding between the Siamese and Burmese. Members of the breed are distinguished by a pointed coat pattern in a variety of colors. In addition to the modified coat colors of the "mink" pattern, which is a dilution of the point color, the breed is now being shown in the foundation-like Siamese and Burmese colors: pointed with white and solid overall (sepia).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Oriental Shorthair</span> Breed of cat

The Oriental Shorthair is a breed of domestic cat that is developed from and closely related to the Siamese cat. It maintains the modern Siamese head and body type but appears in a wide range of coat colors and patterns. Like the Siamese, Orientals have almond-shaped eyes, a triangular head shape, large ears, and an elongated, slender, and muscular body. Their personalities are also very similar. Orientals are social, intelligent, and many are rather vocal. They often remain playful into adulthood, with many enjoying playing fetch. Despite their slender appearance, they are athletic and can leap into high places. They prefer to live in pairs or groups and also seek human interaction. Unlike the breed's blue-eyed forebear, Orientals are usually green-eyed. The Oriental Longhair differs only with respect to coat length.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Siberian cat</span> Variety of cat

The Siberian is a centuries-old landrace of domestic cat in Russia, and recently developed as a formal breed with standards promulgated the world over since the late-1980s. Since 2006, the breed is recognized for registry and championship status with all major cat registries.

<i>Ojos Azules</i> Breed of cat

Ojos Azules was a breed of shorthaired domestic cat with unusual blue or odd eyes caused by a dominant blue eye (DBE) genetic mutation. The breed came in all coat colors; however, only particolors, colorpoints, and intermediate colors with a characteristic white tail tip were permitted. The breed also had a semi-longhaired coat variety, the Ojos Azules Longhair. Due to the lethal side effects of the Ojos Azules gene, breeders stopped working with this blue eye mutation.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chantilly-Tiffany</span> Breed of cat

The Chantilly-Tiffany or Chantilly/Tiffany, also known as the Chantilly or the Foreign Longhair, was a breed of domestic cat which originated in the late-1960s in North America. The Chantilly breed never got off the ground and has always been rare. It was near-extinction in the late-1980s and again in the late-2000s. Since 2015 the breed has been considered extinct with the passing and neutering of the last two cats of the Chantilly lineage, and with no intact Chantilly cats the inevitable resulting discontinuation of the breeding program.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Colorpoint Shorthair</span> Breed of cat

The Colorpoint Shorthair is a variety of Siamese cat. The only major registries to recognise them are the Cat Fanciers' Association (CFA) and the World Cat Federation (WCF). This breed was established from breeding American Shorthairs with the Siamese to produce different point colors, beyond the four standard Siamese colors.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tiffanie cat</span> Breed of domestic cat

The Tiffanie is a cat breed similar to the Asian Shorthair except it has semi-long fur length. The breed belongs to the Asian Group and is generally recognised in any of the Asian Shorthair or Burmese colours and patterns. Like the other cats in the Asian Group, the breed was developed during the 1980s in the United Kingdom by crossbreeding a Persian Chinchilla and a Burmese.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">German Longhaired Pointer</span> Dog breed

The German Longhaired Pointer (GLP) is a breed of dog. Developed in Germany, it is used as a multipurpose gundog. It is closely related to its cousins, the German Shorthaired Pointer (GSP), the German Wirehaired Pointer (GWP) and the Large Münsterländer, which was previously part of the breed.

A cat registry or cat breed registry, also known as a cat fancier organization, cattery federation, or cat breeders' association, is an organization that registers domestic cats of many breeds, for exhibition and for breeding lineage tracking purposes. A cat registry stores the pedigrees (genealogies) of cats, cattery names, and other details of cats; studbooks, breed descriptions, and the formal breed standards ; lists of judges qualified to judge at shows run by or affiliated with that registry, and sometimes other information. A cat registry is not the same as a breed club or breed society. Cat registries each have their own rules and usually also organize or license (sanction) cat shows. The show procedures vary widely, and awards won in one registry are not normally recognized by another. Some registries only serve breeders, while others are oriented toward pet owners and provide individual as well as cattery memberships, while yet others are federations only deal with breed clubs or even other registries as intermediaries between the organization and breeders.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Thai cat</span> Breed of cat

The Thai or Wichien Maat is a newly renamed but old cat breed, related to but different from the Western, modern-style Siamese cat. This natural breed is descended from the cats of Thailand, and, among various groups of breeders in different times and places, has also been called the Old-Style Siamese, Traditional Siamese, Classic Siamese; Wichien Maat ; and the Applehead, a nickname that originated in the 1950s. According to The International Cat Association: "The Thai is the breed dedicated to preserving the native pointed cat of Thailand in as close to its original form as possible."

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kurilian Bobtail</span> Breed of cat

The Kurilian Bobtail is a cat breed originating from the Russian Kuril Islands, as well as Sakhalin Island and the Kamchatka peninsula of Russia. Short- or long-haired, it has a semi-cobby body type and a distinct short, fluffy tail. The back is slightly arched with hind legs longer than the front, similar to those of the Manx. The breed is also called the Kuril Islands Bobtail, Kuril Bobtail and Curilsk Bobtail, and may be referred to without "Bobtail". It is sometimes also spelled Kurilean. The original short-haired variant is a natural breed, known on the islands for over 200 years. As selectively bred pets, they have been popular in USSR and to some extent other parts of Europe, especially for their rodent-hunting abilities, since the middle of the 20th century, but remained rare in North America as of 2011.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Traditional Persian</span> Breed of cat

Traditional Persian is one of several names for a group of cats that are considered to be essentially the original breed of Persian cat, before the variety was selectively bred to have extreme features. Other everyday usage names are: Doll Face Persian, Classic Persian, Old Fashioned Persian, Long-nosed Persian, Old-style Longhair, Traditional Longhair and Original Longhair.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Suphalak</span> Breed of cat

The Suphalak or Thong Daeng ทองแดง) is a cat variety originating in Thailand. It is of a solid reddish-brown copper colored short-haired coat, and was described in a class of historical Thai manuscripts known as the Treatise on Cats or Tamra Maew. It is often considered an ancestor of the modern Burmese breed or a synonym thereof; others recognize it as a color variety of the native Thai cat breed known as Maew Boran แมวโบราณ), while there have been efforts by The International Maew Boran Association (TIMBA) in Thailand to have the Suphalak certified as a separate breed.

References

  1. "Oldest Known Pet Cat? 9,500-year-old Burial Found on Cyprus". National Geographic News. National Geographic Society. 2004. Archived from the original on 3 March 2007. Retrieved 6 March 2007.
  2. Vigne, J.-D.; Guilaine, J.; Debue, K.; Haye, L.; Gérard, P. (9 April 2004). "Early Taming of the Cat in Cyprus". Science . 304 (5668): 259. doi:10.1126/science.1095335. PMID   15073370. S2CID   28294367.
  3. 1 2 "Breed standards: Aphrodite's Giants" (PDF). WCF-Online.de. World Cat Federation. 29 June 2012. Archived (PDF) from the original on 15 November 2018. Retrieved 15 November 2018.
  4. 1 2 3 4 "Aphrodite Breed Group (APS/APL)" (PDF). TICA.org. The International Cat Association. 1 May 2018. Retrieved 3 February 2022.
  5. Dubin, Marc (2009). The Rough Guide to Cyprus . Rough Guides Ltd. pp.  135–136. ISBN   9781858289939.
  6. Seferis, George (1995). Collected Poems. Translated by Keely, Edmund; Sherrard, Philip. Princeton University Press.
  7. 1 2 3 "A Comparison Among the Member Organisations: Aphrodite's Giant Shorthair". WorldCatCongress.org. World Cat Congress. 2017. Archived from the original on 15 November 2018. Retrieved 15 November 2018.
  8. 1 2 3 4 "Aphrodite's Giants". WCF-Online.de. World Cat Federation. 2018. Archived from the original on 13 November 2017. Retrieved 15 November 2018.
  9. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 "Aphrodite Breed". TICA.org. The International Cat Association. 13 August 2018. Retrieved 27 January 2018.
  10. 1 2 Leslie A. Lyons (2013). Genetics of Cat Populations and Breeds: Implications for Breed Management for Health!. Tufts' Canine and Feline Breeding and Genetics Conference, 2013. Archived from the original on 8 August 2021.
  11. 1 2 "Semi-Longhair". WCF-Online.de. World Cat Federation. 2018. Archived from the original on 23 October 2021. Retrieved 15 November 2018.