The Minuet (also known as the Napoleon) is a hybrid mix of

Persian Persian may refer to: * People and things from Iran, historically called ''Persia'' in the English language ** Persians, the majority ethnic group in Iran, not to be conflated with the Iranic peoples ** Persian language, an Iranian language of the ...

and

Munchkin A Munchkin is a native of the fictional Munchkin Country in the Oz books by American author L. Frank Baum. Although a common fixture in Germanic fairy tales, they are introduced to modern audiences with the first appearance in the classic c ...

cat breeds. Categorized by

The International Cat Association The International Cat Association (TICA) is considered the world's largest genetic cat registry. Originally a North American organization, it now has a worldwide presence. The organization has a genetic registry for pedigreed and household pet ca ...

(TICA) as a ''domestic hybrid'', "developed from a deliberate cross between two existing domestic breeds, incorporating characteristics of both parental breeds into the new mix." The Minuet cat is characterized by its short legs, as a result of the

dwarfism Dwarfism is a condition of people and animals marked by unusually small size or short stature. In humans, it is sometimes defined as an adult height of less than , regardless of sex; the average adult height among people with dwarfism is . '' ...

-mutation derived from the Munchkin breed. According to TICA's official standards, these breeds represent the only permissible outcrosses one may use to create the Minuet. This includes the combinations Minuet × Minuet, Minuet × Munchkin, and Minuet × one of the Persian-type breeds (including

Persians Persians ( ), or the Persian people (), are an Iranian ethnic group from West Asia that came from an earlier group called the Proto-Iranians, which likely split from the Indo-Iranians in 1800 BCE from either Afghanistan or Central Asia. They ...

, Himalayans and Exotic Shorthairs). Minuets come in both long-haired and short-haired varieties.

History

Origin

In 1996 Joe Smith started breeding Persians with Munchkins. Joe had previously bred

Basset Hound The Basset Hound is a short-legged breed of scent hound. The Basset Hound was developed in Great Britain from several now-extinct strains of France, French basset breeds. It was bred primarily for hunting rabbit and hare on foot, moving slowly en ...

s, a breed with

osteochondrodysplasia An osteochondrodysplasia,Etymology: . or skeletal dysplasia, is a disorder of the development of bone and cartilage. Osteochondrodysplasias are rare diseases. About 1 in 5,000 babies are born with some type of skeletal dysplasia. Nonetheless, if t ...

; similarly Munchkin cats have

achondroplasia Achondroplasia is a genetic disorder with an autosomal dominant pattern of inheritance whose primary feature is dwarfism. It is the most common cause of dwarfism and affects about 1 in 27,500 people. In those with the condition, the Rhizomeli ...

. He wished to create a breed that would appeal to people irrespective of the size of the limbs (the gene responsible for the shortened limbs is

autosomal An autosome is any chromosome that is not a sex chromosome. The members of an autosome pair in a diploid cell have the same morphology, unlike those in allosomal (sex chromosome) pairs, which may have different structures. The DNA in autosome ...

dominant and lethal

in utero The uterus (from Latin ''uterus'', : uteri or uteruses) or womb () is the organ in the reproductive system of most female mammals, including humans, that accommodates the embryonic and fetal development of one or more fertilized eggs until bir ...

when the gene is

homozygous Zygosity (the noun, zygote, is from the Greek "yoked," from "yoke") () is the degree to which both copies of a chromosome or gene have the same genetic sequence. In other words, it is the degree of similarity of the alleles in an organism. Mos ...

: therefore not all Munchkins will be born with the smaller stature). The name ''Napoleon'' was chosen due to the belief of

Napoleon Bonaparte Napoleon Bonaparte (born Napoleone di Buonaparte; 15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821), later known by his regnal name Napoleon I, was a French general and statesman who rose to prominence during the French Revolution and led Military career ...

being short.

Breed recognition

In 2001, the breed was added to the experimental breeds category of TICA. By 2002, it had achieved registration-only status; by 2011, the breed had achieved preliminary status, and was being shown in TICA

cat show A cat show is a judged event where the owners of cats compete to win titles in various cat registering organizations by entering their cats to be judged after a breed standard. Both pedigree (cat), pedigreed and companion (or moggy) cats are admi ...

s by 2012. In January 2015, TICA's board of directors voted to change the name of the breed to Minuet. The breed was promoted to full TICA championship eligibility in 2016. The breed is recognized under the original Napoleon name by the Rare and Exotic Feline Registry.

Welfare concerns

Apart from TICA, the other major cat registries do not allow the registry of the Minuet breed, nor recognise it, due to concerns about the animal's welfare. Among others, the breed is not recognised by: *

Cat Fanciers' Association The Cat Fanciers' Association (CFA) was established in the United States in 1906. The CFA is currently the world's largest registry of pedigreed cats. Originally headquartered in Manasquan, New Jersey, the CFA moved to Alliance, Ohio in 2010. ...

Fédération Internationale Féline The (FIFé) (International Feline Federation) is a federation of Cat registry, cat registries. There are currently forty-two member organizations in forty countries. Membership spans Europe, South America, and Asia. FIFé is one of the nine me ...

Governing Council of the Cat Fancy The Governing Council of the Cat Fancy (GCCF) is a cat registry, established in 1910 and the largest organisation that registers pedigree cats in the United Kingdom. It was formed from a small number of cat clubs which were registering cats a ...

World Cat Federation The World Cat Federation (WCF) is an international association of cat clubs. It was founded in 1988 in the city of Rio de Janeiro, and continues to have a strong presence in Latin America, Western Europe, and in countries of the former USSR. It ...

The Governing Council of the Cat Fancy (GCCF) and Fédération Internationale Féline (FIFe) both disallow any Munchkin and Munchkin-derived breed from being registered due to the health concerns arising from the dwarfism of the breed.The Governing Council of the Cat Fancy
The GCCF says Health Comes First

2.7.3 Genetic Diseases. Fédération Internationale Feline

Breeding bans

Breeding the Minuet is prohibited by law in

Victoria Victoria most commonly refers to: * Queen Victoria (1819–1901), Queen of the United Kingdom and Empress of India * Victoria (state), a state of Australia * Victoria, British Columbia, Canada, a provincial capital * Victoria, Seychelles, the capi ...

which outlaws the breeding of animals with hereditary

aplasia Aplasia (; from Greek ''a'', "not", "no" + ''plasis'', "formation") is a birth defect where an organ or tissue is wholly or largely absent. It is caused by a defect in a developmental process. Aplastic anemia is the failure of the body to produ ...

hypoplasia Hypoplasia (; adjective form ''hypoplastic'') is underdevelopment or incomplete development of a tissue or organ.Australian Capital Territory The Australian Capital Territory (ACT), known as the Federal Capital Territory until 1938, is an internal States and territories of Australia, territory of Australia. Canberra, the capital city of Australia, is situated within the territory, an ...

forbids the breeding of 'malformed animals' which includes the Munchkin.Australian Capital Territory
Code of Practice for the Welfare of Cats in the ACT
/ref>

Appearance

The Minuet has the stubbed legs of the Munchkin and the shortened face of the Persian. The body is semi-cobby with shortened height due to the legs. The tail is not short in comparison to the length of the cat's body. The ears are rounded and wide apart. Eyes are large and round. The Minuet may come in any coat colour.

Health

Due to inheriting both the dwarfism of the Munchkin and the shortened face of the Persian the Minuet is susceptible to multiple health issues relating to both conditions. The condition causing the shortened legs and enlarged head is known as

achondrodysplasia Achondroplasia is a genetic disorder with an autosomal dominant pattern of inheritance whose primary feature is dwarfism. It is the most common cause of dwarfism and affects about 1 in 27,500 people. In those with the condition, the arms and ...

and with common symptoms including thick-looking joints, undersized jaw, curved spine, and a bow-legged or knock knee posture.

Lordosis Lordosis is historically defined as an ''abnormal'' inward curvature of the lumbar spine. However, the terms ''lordosis'' and ''lordotic'' are also used to refer to the normal inward curvature of the lumbar and cervical vertebrae, cervical regio ...

and

pectus excavatum Pectus excavatum is a structural deformity of the anterior thoracic wall in which the sternum and rib cage are shaped abnormally. This produces a caved-in or sunken appearance of the chest. It can either be present at birth or develop after puber ...

have higher incidence in breeds with achondrodysplasia. The shortened limbs give the breed a heightened risk of

osteoarthritis Osteoarthritis is a type of degenerative joint disease that results from breakdown of articular cartilage, joint cartilage and underlying bone. A form of arthritis, it is believed to be the fourth leading cause of disability in the world, affect ...

. The shortened face inherited from the Persian is known as

brachycephaly Brachycephaly (derived from the Ancient Greek '' βραχύς'', 'short' and '' κεφαλή'', 'head') is the shape of a skull shorter than average in its species. It is perceived as a cosmetically desirable trait in some domesticated dog and ...

. The anatomical deformities caused by brachycephaly may lead to

dyspnoea Shortness of breath (SOB), known as dyspnea (in AmE) or dyspnoea (in BrE), is an uncomfortable feeling of not being able to breathe well enough. The American Thoracic Society defines it as "a subjective experience of breathing discomfort that c ...

. Epiphora may occur due to malformation of the

nasolacrimal duct The nasolacrimal duct (also called the tear duct) carries tears from the lacrimal sac of the eye into the nasal cavity. The duct begins in the eye socket between the maxillary and lacrimal bones, from where it passes downwards and backwards. ...

s which causes staining and secondary

dermatitis Dermatitis is a term used for different types of skin inflammation, typically characterized by itchiness, redness and a rash. In cases of short duration, there may be small blisters, while in long-term cases the skin may become thickened ...

. Their shallow

eye socket In anatomy, the orbit is the cavity or socket/hole of the skull in which the eye and its appendages are situated. "Orbit" can refer to the bony socket, or it can also be used to imply the contents. In the adult human, the volume of the orbit is ...

may lead to

exophthalmos Exophthalmos (also called exophthalmus, exophthalmia, proptosis, or exorbitism) is a bulging of the eye anteriorly out of the orbit. Exophthalmos can be either bilateral (as is often seen in Graves' disease) or unilateral (as is often seen in ...

and feline corneal sequestra. Their malformed jaw can cause difficulty with mastication; the result is a build up of food which leads to accelerated plaque formation and

periodontal disease Periodontal disease, also known as gum disease, is a set of inflammatory conditions affecting the tissues surrounding the teeth. In its early stage, called gingivitis, the gums become swollen and red and may bleed. It is considered the main c ...

. Brachycephaly may also lead to

dystocia Obstructed labour, also known as labour dystocia, is the baby not exiting the pelvis because it is physically blocked during childbirth although the uterus contracts normally. Complications for the baby include not getting enough oxygen which ...

with higher rates of still births in brachycephalic cats than cats with mesocephaly. Another condition which occurs due to the anatomical abnormalities is brachycephalic airway obstruction syndrome which can cause

stridor Stridor () is an extra-thoracic high-pitched breath sound resulting from turbulent air flow in the larynx or lower in the bronchial tree. It is different from a stertor, which is a noise originating in the pharynx. Stridor is a physical sig ...

sleep apnoea Sleep apnea (sleep apnoea or sleep apnœa in British English) is a sleep-related breathing disorder in which repetitive pauses in breathing, periods of shallow breathing, or collapse of the upper airway during sleep results in poor ventilatio ...

, and even death.

Notes

References

{{Reflist

External links

Youtube videos about minuet cats
Cat breeds Cat breeds and types with short legs Experimental cat breeds