Animal lovers have long been accustomed to the variety of dog breeds - they vary greatly in size and build. However, cats also have their own giants and midgets. Miniature felines are rare but extremely cute and touching.
Munchkin
This breed is the feline version of the Dachshund. Munchkins differ not only in their small size, but also in shortened legs, which are almost half the size of ordinary cats. Unlike many other breeds, Munchkins are mutated. The gene for "short legs" is dominant, and when a munchkin is crossed with an ordinary cat, kittens with short legs are also born. And the breed got its name from the English name for the munchkins, the little inhabitants of the fabulous land of Oz from the works of L. Baum. Despite their unusual physique, the behavior of munchkins does not differ from the habits of other breeds with normal paws. Munchkins are also mobile, curious and playful. But, despite the spread of the breed, it has not yet been recognized in the largest felinological organizations.
Lemkin
This breed was bred by crossing munchkins and curly selkirk rex. The result is miniature cats with short legs and long, curly hair. The breed got its name from the English lambkin - "lamb". Indeed, the coat of Lamkin is soft, pleasant to the touch and forms small waves, just like that of lambs. Sometimes these cats are compared to soft plush toys. The size of lemkin is small, an adult cat looks more like a half-year-old kitten. And Lemkin's muzzle always retains a childish expression. The standard for this breed has not yet been adopted, but unusual cats have already won the hearts of many animal lovers.
Singapore
Singapore cats are the smallest of the officially recognized breeds. Their weight does not exceed 2-3 kg. This breed was derived from common Singapore street cats. For the first time, American tourists drew attention to these animals. They were captivated by the small size, naive expression of the muzzle and the huge round eyes of the Singapore cats. The Americans brought several pairs of animals to their home, and later the newly appeared breed spread to Europe. Singapore cats are curious and affectionate, but retain some wildness and alertness. It is currently prohibited to export cats from Singapore, so the breed remains very rare.
Skif-tai-don
The breed with this complex name was derived from ordinary Thai cats in the 1980s. The ancestors of the breed were the pets of the Russian woman Elena Krasnichenko - Mishka and Sima. Both animals had minor tail anomalies, and from their union a completely tailless kitten was born, which, moreover, has tiny dimensions. An adult Scythian-tai-don has the size of a 4-month-old kitten. The tail of these cats is either very short or absent altogether. The breed is still very rare. Its founder had to abandon the breeding of cats, and the fate of the breed hung in the balance. But in the 2000s, the revival of the Scythian-tai-don began and its recognition abroad.
